how long to practice?

[fredbear1969]

i was planning on hunting with my stick bow last hunting season but as the season approached my confidence waned and i broke down and bought a compound and hunted with it.i love shooting my recurve but when it comes to hunting with it i just don't feel confident enough to hunt with it.what do you think should i jsut give up the wheelie bow and plan on hunting with the assenheimer or keep practicing.i fairly consistent at 10 to 15 yards but every once in awhile i'll have a flyer.

[Terry Green]

Its a long way till fall......so my answer would be yes...if you commit, you'll be good to go by the time the season rolls around.

[Sneakypete]

One special joy of shooting stickbows is that it's fun to practice, or should be. Thousands of folks shoot bows regularly and never hunt or formally compete. We owe it to the animals we hunt not to be lousy shots. If you have a place to practice and find it enjoyable as an activity beyond preparing for hunting, there is no problem. If you can't or honestly know you won't practice, I congratulate you for admitting that and not being unethical. But if not stickbows, why mess with wheelies? Get a good rifle and get it done quick and clean. Best luck.

[stickandstring]

Shoot the bow you are confident with. My friend is the same way. He likes swinging arrows down range with his BW, but, when it comes to the real thing, he picks up his Hoyt.

[Roger Norris]

I applaud you for trying to do the right thing. Keep shooting the stick, you will know when it's time to retire the compound. No shame in using what you shoot best.

[Brian Krebs]

I started hunting deer with an intent that has not left me; in 1977. I had hunted woodchucks; squirrels; and even gone after deer; but with no shots at deer. I lost my bow during that veitnam thing; and only had an old longbow to shoot.
I shot until I was confidant at 10 yards; and then hunted with the intent to get that close before shooting.
After getting close; but not close enough; I bought the only bow I could find for sale; a real wheely 'Bear whitetail hunter'.
I got real good with compounds - but finally found the money and opprotunity to buy a bear takedown- and I have hunted with traditional gear ever since.
 Hunt with what your confidant with; be it rifle or compound or recurve or longbow.
 You only though get to hunt a lifetime with a bow once; and in my case I have no regrets in making the last quarter century all hunts with traditional bows.
 My only regret is losing my bow while off in the service; as I liked my Ben Pearson and would have kept shooting it.
 IF you are shooting good at 15 yards; then hunt for 15 yard and under shots. You have some time until fall to increase that range; but I have killed dozens of animals within 15 yards.
 If the bow requires you to hunt harder; then hunt harder.. as your bow skill increases; so does your hunting skill.. and you will see shots that you will never forget.
 And that is for me what its all about.

 

[NDTerminator]

Late last November I put away the compound and picked up the recurve again.  I practiced every day, and roughly 4 weeks later I shot my first deer with Traditional tackle, a heart shot at 21 yards.

I'm not a recurve prodigy, I just committed myself to re-learning Traditional. I shoot some  every day, have gotten steadily better and increased the comfort zone of my draw weight. At first 53lbs@28" was my limit, I now shoot 60lbs@29" without any problems.  If I have a critter inside of 20 yards, odds are that I will kill it.

There's absolutely no reason you can't be ready to rock by Fall.  It just takes committment on your part...

[Voodoofire1]

I practice every day, shoot at least 100 arrows sometimes as much as 2 or 3 hundred in a days time, I'll never be a Howard Hill or Byron ferguson, but hey it never hurts to practice..Steve