New Bow Hunter Needing Help

[u/mauiwowiy]

Hey everyone,

I’m posting here because I don’t personally know any dedicated bow hunters, and I’d really appreciate some advice from those more experienced. I’ve been a rifle hunter my whole life, and so has everyone I’ve hunted with. My typical setup is a basic tree stand facing a feeder—just a seat in a tree without a drawbar. I move its location on my property each year to keep deer from patterning it.

After the Christmas hunt in my state ended, I was frustrated because I messed up my last chance to fill the freezer. I got busted by deer I couldn’t even see yet, all because I moved too much in my stand. I vented to my roommate about it, and he let me try out his compound bow. After a few days of practice, I was getting pretty accurate at 30 yards, so I decided to give bow hunting a shot.

I’ve been out with the bow about five times now. Almost every time, I’ve seen deer, and about half the time they’ve come within range. The problem is I’m shaking like a leaf when the deer show up. That movement always seems to spook them—they either slowly move out of my sight or stare me down, pinning me in place so I can’t draw my bow.

This has been really discouraging, and I’ve been tempted to switch to a crossbow. But I don’t want to give up on the compound just yet. I’m looking for tips to help me manage the shakes, stay confident, and increase my chances of success.

I feel like I’m doing okay staying still and quiet until the deer show up. But once they’re there, my nerves get the best of me, and I lose my confidence to take a shot. I haven’t released an arrow on a whitetail yet, but I’m determined to keep trying.

Any advice or encouragement would mean a lot. How do you experienced bow hunters stay calm and composed when it’s time to draw and shoot?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[u/AutoModerator]

While crossbow questions and posts are certainly allowed and welcome here, we just wanted to let you know that there is an /r/crossbow and /r/crossbowhunting sub that may be more relevant. Some bow hunters are very averse to posts pertaining to crossbows, and downvotes may bury your post here.

A note to all users that all disciplines are welcome to post here and criticizing anyone for their choice of bow will lead to bans at mod discrection. If you see any rule breaking comments, please report them so that the mods can address them.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Onebowhunter]

Can’t tell you how to get over the deer fever but my suggestion would be to get your stand higher in the tree for bow hunting. I am in Wisconsin and my average stand is twenty four feet up . You will still get busted at this height but it will be a lot less frequent. Forty plus years of bow hunting under my belt. I still get the shakes but not until after I release an arrow. Hope those never go away

[u/Finger_Blaster]

Pop-up blind. wear all black on your upper torso, cover your face and hands. you can shake to your hearts content.

[u/AndyW037]

The shakes are normal for new hunters and even some of us who have hunted for a long time. The only real way to help it is spending more time in the woods and watching the animals. I get excited when a big doe moves into bow range. Knowing when and how to move takes a lot of time and patience to learn. Something that helps me is taking deep breaths with long, slow exhales.

[u/itsthechaw10]

If the nerves and shakes ever stop, then I know it will be time to retire. I've been bow hunting 9 years and I still get the shakes even when I shoot a doe. Getting over those is just something that takes time and some experience. It can be very hard to calm yourself prior to the shot, and it's a test of your ability to control your emotions in the moment. It's like you have to be calm and collected prior to the shot, and then after the shot you can let all those emotions out.

Here are some tips that have helped me:

1. Get a comfortable tree stand if that is your preferred mode of hunting. I use Millennium stands and they have the most comfortable seats imaginable. I only stand up to pee and can sit for hours without stirring. Regardless of the brand you get, I would strongly recommend a stand with a mesh type seat over a foam one. Foam gets hard and uncomfortable to me and once my back and butt starts hurting I start to move and want to stand up more frequently.

2. I like my stands about 20 ft up in the tree. It's high enough that you're out of the main line of sight, but not so high that the shot angles will be anything crazy unless it's a shot that is 10 yards or less. I also am deathly afraid of heights, so I don't like to go any higher than that. I know a guy that hunts 40 ft up and I think he's nuts. I can still get busted at 20 ft up, but it's less than if the stand was lower. Some guys get away with lower stands, but usually you need lots of cover around you for that.

3. Move when a deer's head is pointed away from you. From my experience a deer's sight follows the direction their head is pointed. They don't necessarily point their head one way only to look another. As soon as I hear a deer walking in (even if I can't see them) or I see a deer in the distance, I like to stand, flip my seat up, grab my bow, and position my feet. Of course I'm doing this at a very slow and deliberate pace. I want to be ready to draw and shoot as soon as the deer is in range and position.

Some guys like to wait and do that all after the deer is in range and a lot stay seated if need be. I personally like to shoot standing, so I always make sure I am.

1. If a deer looks at you, do not make eye contact with it and stay still.

Don't move to the crossbow yet OP, once you arrow a deer with a compound bow, you'll be addicted to it. At least you're seeing deer. A lot of hunters will go stretches without seeing anything. I have my own land, and I might go a day without seeing anything. Just keep at it. Hunting and especially bow hunting is a lot of luck and being at the right place at the right time. The margin of error with bow hunting is really big, so mistakes will be made.

[u/soberas → u/itsthechaw10]

I’ve heard many hunters agree with your first sentence. I hunt from the ground and have had success ‘zooming in’ on the target zone and ignoring everything else, because watching the whole animal is fascinating and intense. The harder I focus on the spot I want to shoot the better I handle it. Watching the whole animal as it approaches is overwhelming. I like to do a little post-shot selfie video while I wait for the deer to die and the camera is always shaking like a leaf lol

[u/swiftysparrow321]

I just started hunting in 2023 so I had no experience. But my first buck I seen coming through the thick woods all I could see was a leg about 40 yards away I instantly just started to vibrate and my breathing was way out of control what I found helped is I just watched the deer and told myself I wasn’t going to shoot it. And when it got closer it looked right up at me I was still breathing heavy so I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing( I was also worried it would see my eyes moving haha) after about 10 seconds I opened them and watched the deer walk to me for about 5 min he came within 6-8 yards away from me and when he put his head down is when I finally drew my bow picked my spot I wanted to hit and found him about 40 yards from where I shot him. Just be patient and focus on your breathing

[u/autech91]

Sounds like you're putting too much pressure on yourself. Its just hunting man, that's food there so harvest it.

I'm surprised you've been hunting your whole life and get the shakes though, perhaps when you see your next one take a moment before drawing to collect yourself and your emotions.

Edit: had another thought, do you hunt anything else or is it just deer a few times a year?

[u/Chance_Difficulty730]

It can be a pain from the stand you are describing but better concealment to face your tree when shooting if you think they are coming that way. Thats one of the biggest advantages of the saddle

[u/Cjholland26]

I started bowhunting this season too, and one thing that helped me was reminding myself that I had put in the work and the practice and my arrow would go where I wanted it as long as I followed my normal shot process. Slow everything down and get your breathing under control.

[u/superpunchy1996]

To keep it short, more time in the stand the better you’ll manage the shakes and draw timing. Bow hunting is hard but dang it’s rewarding when it all comes together. Keep at it you’ll be alright.

[u/Hillarys_Recycle_Bin]

Exposure therapy is the only real answer. Plus getting excited about getting close to deer is the whole point of bow hunting! Don’t give up on it, just stay with it, like anything else, you will acclimate to it and you will miss how much you got uncontrollably fired up about having a deer in bow range.

My heart still stops when deer approach. You learn so much about their habits and behaviors up close.

Focus on long slow breaths through your nose, close your eyes for a bit if you need to.

As far as getting ready to take the shot, try to think only about exactly where you want your broadhead to go, focus on the opposite side (from you) front leg. Take your time, go slow. When your Adrenalin is up you are moving fast even if it feels slow.

I also hunt ducks and pigs. That helps with the spike in heart rate and controlling it too.

Hell, high intensity cardio will also help you. You want to build up your bodies ability to lower your heart rate through controlling your breathing.

[u/paperhammers]

You're just getting the process down: think about how shakey you were for your first couple of rifle hunts. I had a great stalk on a P&Y class mule deer this season and shook so bad I sent my arrow a good foot over his back and I've been taking deer for 18 year now

Focus on the small movements you can control: slow movements in your stand to survey, slow to pick up/raise your bow, slow to draw, etc. Slow, purposeful, and meticulous movements are the name of the game

[u/Choclab42]

It’s a great question. I still knew to it, and it happens to me every time. It’s gotten better the more times I’ve gone out. Deep breaths have helped.

[u/KokaneBluz]

You didn’t rub one out in the stand. Mistake #1.