Just for the record books...

[iowabow]

Yes the range is in Burlington IA at Crapo Park. There is also a club at Big Hollow and it is called Flint River Bowhunters Club.

[iowabow]

I attended the last 3d shoot for the year at the local club yesterday. I scored a 137 which was the same score as last month I was hoping to do better because I made a set of POC Arrows and practiced a lot. (My Homemade arrows are 510 grains and the POC are 380 grains) The lighter arrows shoot flatter and group tighter but tend to require more skill to shoot. I like the quality of the arrows they snap back faster and are straighter than my homemade arrows but the POC tend to shoot much higher on the down hill parts of the course. So I can have arrows that shoot great at 15-20 and work well on the down hill parts or arrows that are lighter and shoot flat out to 25 and work great on the up hill. So I think I am going to work toward the middle with my next set of arrows.
My homemade arrow are great for my 15yard hunting situations but don't work well for 3d shooting. I am going to keep my 500grain setup for hunting for Now.
So for 3d shooting I was going to use heavier wt arrow shafts rather than adding wt to the tip. What do you all think?

[iowabow]

Rather than making arrows right away I decided to buy a practice treestand.  I set the stand up and fired the bow at 15, 10 ,and 6 yards from the base of the stand with both sets of arrows and notice no difference between the two sets of arrows. I did notice a different in accuracy, the POC were much more on the mark. I sure hope all of this practice makes a diffence this time. Last year I did not shoot from a stand. I will include pictures maybe later today.

[iowabow]

[johnston]

You are gonna mess around and EARN yourself a deer if you don't watch out!

Lane

[iowabow]

I think today was the first time I understood the difference between instinctive and gap shooting.  Although I sight and focus both on the target and never on the tip.  I will try to explain.  If I pick a spot and draw carefully keeping the arrow pointed at the target the whole time then gapping works great but if I just don't think and pick a spot and don't gap I hit right where I am looking kinda.   Crazy I did it like different every other time (switched between the methods) with good results.  It is the first time I noticed an intuitive direction and I have been shooting for a year and a half. Now what do I do this this knowledge.  Do I follow the intuitive or keep gapping.  I have 20 day before deer season.  Strange time to learn a cool new thing.

[johnston]

Gap works best if you know the range. On targets that's cool, on game not so much.

Let the force be with you.

Lane

[gstoneberg]

... Now what do I do this this knowledge.  Do I follow the intuitive or keep gapping.  I have 20 day before deer season.  Strange time to learn a cool new thing.

The question isn't so much which is better.  The question is which will you do when the chips are down and the adrenalin is flowing with a deer in range.  I can't answer that for you, but for me I shoot instinctive.  In fact I usually have no memory of drawing the bow or releasing the arrow.  Once I commit to the shot the rest happens by itself.  So, one second I'm focused on the spot I want to hit and the next the arrow is in flight.  The only exception to this is if I see cover in the way.  For some reason, having to shoot around or through cover changes my focus to the point that I can gap or what I refer to as "shooting the trajectory" where I envision the flight the arrow will take and shoot it down that path.  I shoot well doing that, odd that I can't do it all the time.  On the other hand, over time I've stopped trying to stop deer with a bleat the way the wheelie folks do.  There's no need when shooting instinctively.  If the deer is moving I just focus on the spot and when the arrow appears it has lead applied.  This works much better as a stopped deer is alert and there's a good chance it'll jump the string.  Lane is right, it's like the "force" in star wars.  If you can shoot instinctive, it'll serve you well.

Don't over think your shooting.  Be confident and practice enough to retain that confidence.  If a deer comes in and you miss, it wasn't that deer's day to die.  Nock another arrow and shoot the next one.  Wild predators don't get every deer they try for and neither will we.  You will get one this season.

George

[iowabow]

This morning was great! 3 deer came in but locked up at 25 yards I really wanted a 20 or less shoot so I waited and it just did not come together they turned and walked back the direction which they came.  I feel real good about  how I reacted and deciding not to shoot at 25.  I had a great opening and the deer was standing still and looking away.  If it could have been 7 yards closer. 

[juniper junkie]

we have all been there, it is so hard to keep focused on a spot. I once called in a huge bull elk, when he crested the rise I waited until his chest cleared and picked a spot, as I drew my bow he looked at me, I looked at him and shot right between his antlers. I should have never took my eyes off the spot I wanted to hit, what made it worse is that I called him back in and did the exact same thing again

[lowell]

Good job on your control!!!  You got to know what is doable for you.  They will make a mistake and you will have your chance.  Best of luck to you!!!!!!

[crooketarrow]

  I think I can help you I have with others that had the same problem. WhenI switched back to traditional a recurve at the time. In the heat of the moment at the last second I'd shoot at the whole deer. Or like I said before my eyed be drawed to the horsonial line of the bucks back.
   All you need is a place that willdraw your attention. I found out the crease of the front leg dose the same thing. So I shot at the crease and as the shots piled up. I slowly learned to pick a spot in the crease. After a while I learned to pick a shot any where.

  Sounds like when you made your shot. Picking the a hair worked youhit where you were looking. The leg crease will just help draw you and keep your eye there. HERE'S SO MORE ADVICE  AND I KNOW YOU'VE READ TONS.
  When you shot at the whole deer this happens because at that last minite you want to see your arrow fly and hit. OK when you pick that spot FOLLOW THROUGH MEENING Don't (NEVER-NEVER) off the spot you  pick before the arrow hitsthe traget.deer or what ever.
  GOOOOOD LUCK

[iowabow]

Deer walking in to be continued
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[crooketarrow]

   Just keep making those arrows.

[iowabow]

There are two deer in this picture but I can only see one.  Here is how it went down.  I had two deer come from behind me and walk back and forth on the other side of the fence (you might be able to see it) I was sure that the deer would not jump the fence so I pulled out my camera and a snapped a shot.   Just as I took the picture the deer turned and jumped the fence and started following my trail right to the stand and I had a branch in the way at 11 yards so I started slowly pulling my bow and the deer look right at me and I froze.  Then it turned around and when it could not see me I went to full draw (I did everything by the numbers and was able to metally go through all of the steps in making a good shot) slowly she finished turning and was almost broad side at 15 yards with a slight quartering away shot. I made sure at this moment to metally focus on a spot and let the arrow go.  The arrow hit right were I was looking and the deer ran off jumped the fence and stopped I could see my arrow in the deer and then she slowly walked down the hill.  I called my neighbor and we waited 40 minutes.  We started tracking and then found the arrow it only went in like 3 inches or less and the tip was broken.  I knew this was not a good sign.  We tracked the deer for a couple of hours down hills across creeks and back up hills.   No dice no deer no blood no tracks.   I must have hit a rib on the side with that quartering away shot.  When the deer walked down the hill it acted like nothing had happened.  Has this happened to anyone else? I have the worst luck.