Methods of shooting other than instinctive

[youngbowyer]

Hunting season is here in 15 days and I have been practicing a lot. I am a pretty good shot from 20-15 yards and most of the deer I see are within that range. However, once i move further away i start to lose accuracy. I would like to employ a specific way of shooting so that I can fine tune that method. The only methods I know of are gap shooting and stringwalking and I'm not sure how that works. Any tips would be helpful.
Tom.

[gstoneberg]

Tom, I shoot the trajectory.  In my minds eye I see the path the arrow will take all the way to the target.  Then, I shoot the arrow down that imaginary path.  Takes some concentration and a lot of practice, but when it begins to work it is awesome.  Eventually it becomes second  nature, you stop thinking about it, and again you're shooting instinctive.

George

[Pat B]

Some methods use the point of the broadhead as a referance when shooting. Maybe gap shooting.
  When I'm shooting I don't want to see the arrow or bow and I want everything to be automatic so I can concentrate where the arrow WILL go.

[beetlebailey1977]

Don't just practice at close ranges practice at longer ranges.  30, 40, and 50 yards......this will make you a better shot at the close ranges.  This is not so you can shoot at an animal at those long distances, but just to make you a better shot overall.  Also concentration and mechanics of the shot are key.  A good trick to practice is to take a couple of oranges out throw them around and just start shooting them from all sorts of distances and stances. 

[Huntinfool]

I used to have an annual gathering at my place I had a big field back of my house about 10 acres. We dubbed it our annual balloon bust we would blow up about 60 to 70 balloons making them all different sizes.

Next we'd scatter them all around the field it went like this I'd pick some one to go first and he'd pick a balloon like saying the red one beside the green one. Then he'd shoot at it first if he missed it we'd all shoot at it one at a time until we all missed or someone hit it!

We'd walk up to retrieve our arrows and the person who hit it or came the closest to hitting it would choose the next shot and so on and so on.

Yardage was never mentioned or thought about some shots were real long and some ridiculously close. Of course it was a competition to see who busted the most. We all used judo points for safety and to prevent loss of arrows in the grass.

We always had a cookout also and it was a great time of food, fun, and good practice. We all also got rather good at lobbing arrows in at what had to be over 50 to 60 yards in some cases. You'd be surprised at how many people missed at under 5 yards or so also!

It was kind of like roving/stump shooting but easier on the arrows. I miss it, I moved far away from there and now live in the middle of a 12,000 acre WMA (Public Hunting Area). And I haven't been able to get anyone around here interested in a balloon bust.

This sort of shooting will really help, I don't like shooting for groups on a target for hunting practice. But I love making one shot really count, concentration is the game when it comes to instinctive shooting. I'm much better at making that one shot count than standing in one place trying to bust my arrows.

Sorry I know your question was for other methods of shooting than instinctive but I do not believe there is any better method for hunting with a stick bow.

~HF~

[youngbowyer]

Well today I messed around with a few different techniques. I found that for my sweeter shooting bows I preferred 3 fingers under and for my bows that are on the heaver side I like to shoot split-finger. I also worked some on my form and nocking the arrow in the same spot every time. My old skill is starting to come back

[bowtarist]

"take a couple of oranges out throw them around and just start shooting them", that sounds a little spendy, and messy. 

I shoot @ tennis balls and old dead basket balls and soccer balls and what ever is laying around  .  Seriously, flat bsket ball or such, arrow won't bounce much.  Use blunts.  I use a vitals insert that I got at an auction for $1 too.  shoot from your knees and twisting to look @ the target too.  I have used the "gap" shooting in a sense. I find my point on spot, that is where you blurrily see your arrow point and it is right over your target and that's where it hits.  Mine is about 30 yards.  I love that shot @ targets, less yardage is harder for me.

This is my strategy for this year, shoot from a tree stand or elevated spot (your roof perhaps).  I shoot on the ground all the time, but I hunt plenty from a treestand and have not shot out of one for practice nearly enough. 

Keep us posted and keep calm this year.  dpgratz

[Pappy]

Lots of ways to shoot,but I suggest picking one and staying with it,changing style and set ups all the time won't help much. I look at what I want to hit and shoot,but their are lots of other way that are very accurate. Shooting instinctive
takes a lot of arrows at a lot of unknown distance to perfect. Other styles do also but not as much after you get your form right. By the way nocking the arrow in the same place/gripping the bow the same/front bow arm steady and a consistant anchor are key to good accurate shooting.  I shoot a lot of different bows and that can be a problem but most I build for myself shoot about the same,some a little flatter and faster than others but not much difference at hunting ranges. I also shoot the same arrows for practice as I do for hunting ,except for the business end. 
   Pappy

[BowEd]

Pap hit the nail on the head there.Shooting at different distances helps your minds eye remember automatically what to do.Everything else being the same.I shoot same weight hunting arrows always.Takes a lot of arrows though that's for sure.My problem is shooting different bows too often too.

[johnston]

Tom, I realize you asked about methods other than instinctive so let me give you my
version of "semi" instinctive. It works for me and believe me the other methods that I have
tried are numerous to say the least.
I start my shot with my bow down and just a little tension on the string. I am am focused
totally on my spot and as I bring the bow up to shooting position I align the arrow (not
aim it but align it ) with where I want to hit. Now from that point as I start the push pull
of my draw the arrow is totally ignored and my whole being is focused on the spot. When
I hit my anchor point the string is dropped. I never hold at full draw more than half a second.

The whole act of shooting a bow is ,to me, based on rhythm. Everything should be as smooth
as possible and done every single time at the same speed. Quick or slow is up to you as long
as you keep it smooth. We are speaking of practice shooting here cause in the field you do what you gotta do.
But if you practice enough, muscle memory will put the shot where you want it.

Last thing.. you cannot be thinking about your form while trying to hit a shot. The whole concept of
form must be worked on and attained separately from actually trying to hit something. You simply
cannot do both at the same time. If I find myself thinking while practicing I got a little game I play
to break that habit. Set yourself up about 7 yards from the target which is of course a T-Rex, grizzly
bear, tiger or mother in law, whichever scares you the most. Have 10 or so arrows at hand and shoot
as fast as you can with no thoughts of anything but speed.Snap shoot but be sure to come to full draw
and stay as smooth as you can as fast as you can through all the arrows. It is fun and it eliminates
thinking.  While a whole lot of thought and work is required to become competent with a bow, an actual
money shot requires none at all. It will just happen.

Lane

[tanner]

Along the same lines as Pappy and Beadman suggest - I try to focus on varying distance by shooting what I call walk-aways. After gathering all my arrows from the target, I walk about 8 or 10 yds back and shoot for the center of the target. If my arrow gets kill-shot close (4-6 in or so), I walk back to 15-20yds. If not, I take as many shots as I need to make it a kill shot - focusing on trying to feel the shot for that particular distance. I continue this until I have worked my way back to 35 or 40 yds. Some days I'm right on and can hit first-shot kill shots on everything back to 30 or 35. Some days it seems like I stand around all day at 20-25 trying to figure out what new bad habit I've gotten into. In any case, this seems to work really well for me. I'm getting pretty good at feeling how I need to shoot at different distances.

[crooketarrow]

   You have a close range weapon learn to set up so your in your ZONE. I shoot all my bucks at 10 to 15 yards. Out of 36 bucks the longest has been 18 yards. I'VE SHOT INTSINTIVE for around 35 years. Like you when I was younger I to want to shoot at those bucks like compounders 30 and 49 yards.
  So I learned to shoot HOWARD HILL style. And this really works at 30 to 50 yards I could easy'ly shoot 3 and 6 inch groups. At 75 I could put them in the end of as bail of hay. But it a long distance way of shooting and after you get back to 20 yards your back to shooting institive. I even kill 3 deer useing his way. All around 40 yards but soon relized that was'nt why I bow hunt.
  Wth time AND RELIZEING THAT WAS THE WAY I WANTED TO HUNT I converted back to total institive.
 IS'NT THE POINT OF BOW HUNTING IS LEARNING TO GET UP CLOSE.
  Plus ANY other form of shooting to be totally a GOOD SHOT you really need a range finded. Unless your going to keep it under 20. Try hitting anything moveing with anything other than instintive. You can't, I can here it now I do it all the time. If you are hitting anything with any consently your shooting instintive and won't admit it.