Consistency is the key to archery...your mechanics have to be the same for every shot as far as the position of the bow and your body in relation to each other.
Shooting at a deer is much different than shooting at a target though. When practicing/target shooting, it’s usually a sunny afternoon, you’re wearing comfortable clothes, you’re fresh, rested and shooting conditions are optimal.
When a deer walks by your stand, you’ve probably been sitting there on an uncomfortable seat nearly motionless for 3 hours, you may have dozed off a couple times, you’re shivering in the cold, you can’t feel two of the toes on your left foot, you have about 5 layers of clothing on which interfere with your arm movements, and when you stand up to take the shot you realize your lower back isn’t as young as it used to be and your right thigh is cramping up and partially asleep.
Then, you must overcome all of that and fall back on your practice and mechanics to do justice to the animal you hunt, the sport of bowhunting and to yourself and your fellow hunters with a well-placed shot. See what I mean? :)
But, therein lies the challenge of bowhunting. That’s why it’s said that when hunting with a bow, any deer is a trophy.
Thanks for the agonizing visual. I know I’m not ready for bowhunting. I went on my first deer hunt last year and I had the time of my life! I used my rifle.
Well said. I have been struggling with my confidence this year as I have not be able to put in anywhere near the amount of pratice required. To reach the consistancy needed requires nearly year round practice.