Like I said...the last elk I shot took three people two days to move the pieces one mile. I do not recommend shooting an elk in the bottom of a canyon in the hills above Pe Ell

That was the day it stopped being fun and I haven't bought an elk tag since.

I think that once you kill something with that bow you will be fine.

Find a way to practice that simulates game time.

For rifle hunting, going to the range and shooting a target way the fukk out there is pretty close to rifle hunting.

For jump shooting deer with a shotgun on an island, you'd be better off going grouse hunting in heavy cover a lot...the range won't help you with anything.

I have no idea what "game time practice" looks like with a bow, but I bet standing in the yard and shooting at a target is not it...maybe an experience archer will have some ideas for you.

Fish on...

Todd

That's good thinking and I don't know what 'game time' practice looks like either. I know there are walking courses in the woods and they might help. Mentally I know it's still a just a target and not the real deal. There is such a huge difference between the two that I'm not sure on how to close the gap.

The last nice bull I took with a gun was at 30 paces. No shakes. It's gotta be mental. Maybe it's because I know bullets are going to do their job easily and I'm worried of wounding an animal with an arrow? Maybe it's because guns are fast and with a bow I need to rapidly go through a mental checklist of steps. I don't know.

What I do know is that archery hunting for big critters is a blast. I feel like a kid again and wish I had picked up a bow sooner.

My experience, which is limited with a bow, tells me that you just have to go do it. Like I PM'd you, my first shot with a bow at elk was a cow at 20 yards. I got all excited, put my 40 yard pin on her, and missed by feet. Nothing but operator error from being too excited. I killed a cow out of the same herd the next day and was able to keep it together.

I think it is just bow hunting. You have a more primitive weapon, it's harder to use and use well, and even with all the practice in the yard, you probably haven't shot dozens or hundreds of critters with it. You'll learn to anticipate drawing (often well before the animal appears) and all things you have to do before you get ready to actually shoot.

And don't elk hunt unless you embrace the two day pack outs. I've had three of those between this year and last. It's just part of the deal.

Thanks WSU. I do think a healthy portion of it is..."that's just bow hunting". Ike put it good the other day that bow hunting is a constant cumulation of mistakes and learning from your mistakes until that moment where it all goes right. Because I love critters, I do get a bit worried that one of those mistakes will result in a wounded animal. Again that's just bow hunting, but I want to do everything I can in my power to prevent that at all costs. I know it's going to happen at one point and I can live with that - but it'll be hard.

I probably just need to keep making mistakes, learning from them and eventually it'll all come together. The tactical mistakes are easy to learn from - it's this mental shakes thing that is hard. Honestly, maybe once I learn from these tactical mistakes, the mental aspect will go away completely. I hope that's the case.

I haven't bow hunted in a few years, but it took me about 3 years of close encounters to actually let one fly. I had the same concern as you and lacked confidence that I would have with a gun. The end result was indecision, missed opportunities, zigging when I should zag, etc.

Ike sounds spot on to me. I bet I have had more than ten close encounters for each shot taken. I'm far from accomplished with a bow and am sure I will continue screwing up and getting better.

That sounds reasonable and encouraging. With exposure comes confidence and with confidence comes success. The sports psychology of this is rather interesting. I plan to really dig into this in the offseason and see how I can tackle the problem, get better and help position myself for future success. The journey will be fun.

I have some advice.

#1
This is exactly why you should bow hunt. It's the purest chit you will ever have.

#2
I would do everything in your power to recreate your ED like issues and then persevere. For instance, work out until you are huffing for air uncontrollably. Immediately pick up your bow, remove an arrow from the quiver, nock, perform your mental checklist, and make the shot.

#3
Up the pressure by having some real life consequences for a miss and reward for a good shot. Miss...........No alcohol for that night. Hit..........Put $10 in a jar towards your next hunt.

#4
Once this becomes easy add more difficulty. Hold your breath from the time you grab your bow, shoot through tight shot windows, surround a bulls-eye with steel, moving targets, etc.

#5
Really shooting at an animal????? Focus on the exact piece of hair you want to cut. There is zero reason to look at the bone on it's head as it comes in unless you wanna shake like Hank in a baloney factory. By ignoring the animal's assets you have already taken control.

IMHO you need to apply stress to your practice and then defeat it time and time again. Once you learn how your mental and muscle memory will do the rest.

Like golf.................Bow hunting is a mental game.
The jar of cash will come in handy in September.

^^^^^^^

That sounds like really good advice!

Fish on...

Todd

That IS great advice! Thank you.

I've done some of those things but only in a very minor way. I can see that I need to take things up a notch. I can see the breath thing being paramount as that's how I whiffed on that bull.

The good news is that I may get one more day this weekend out in the woods. I already have a plan to defeat a couple of my previous mistakes.

All of this is so much fun and I'm really enjoying the entire process. Sure, I get frustrated, but that's part of the learning journey!

Thanks guys - I appreciate the advice and support. Once I do get something down, whenever that may be, it's steaks at my place.

arrows kill elk just as fast as bullets so I wouldn't worry about that just don't take a shot your not comfortable with. also remember you are trying to kill these animals sometimes they get hurt in the process.

as for my multi season.
Idaho archery elk tag, check
Washington quality muzzy elk tag, check
Washington bear that came into bugle and almost ran me over, check
Washington quality buck tag, check
Montana deer, check
also wife got her wa and mt bucks.

it was one hell of a season. keep at it nick

Start small. Hone your archery skills on slugs and snails. Move on to frogs and toads. Advance to woodland voles and harmless snakes if the shakes don't appear. Spend some time on Washington hares and tree roosting grouse. By slowly increasing your exposure to larger and larger prey, you can overcome the shakes in a manner similar to the way a sickly child overcomes allergies with shots, and a deep sea diver avoids the bends by ascending in stages. When you've reached deer and elk sized encounters, you should have overcome the shakes; shatting the pants may still be a problem.

If the shakes are still present, consider hanging up the bow and taking up golf. You will be ahead of the curve, as most golfers take years to develop the "yips" while standing over a "money" putt.

So what grain broadheads for woodland voles? Fixed or mechanical? Is there a peak ruttin' season and will they respond to calls?

I'm going to get one last day tomorrow to see if I can punch this damned tag. I just smoked a tree frog in the backyard at 50 yards, so I'm totally confident I can do the same on a Wapati tomorrow.

Good luck! Post pictures of your trophy kill; use the macro setting if it's smaller than a mountain beaver...

It's official. The season is over. Tag soup.

At least dice up your elk tag and sprinkle it on some venison...that sound better than soup

Fish on...

Todd

Thanks Gordon Ramsey.

It was both good and bad that I had a multi-season tag for my first year Elk huntin' in WA. Good in that it forced me to finally get into bow hunting and that I was able to cover a lot country over the season. Bad because I probably won't have a MS tag next year and I'll have to make some tough decisions.

I'm a CO boy and this east / west, pick your weapon business is a buncha horsechit. You hear me WDFW? Horsechit.

That being said, I'm probably going to stay true to my original goal and go after a wet side bull. Damn it.

You wont have a multi season elk tag for 4 plus years so forget about it.

Do they put a draw cap on it? If so, that really stinks.

Unless I'm mistaken, there is nothing that prevents someone from drawing two years in a row or snapping up one of the leftovers. Besides luck that it is. The draw or leftover odds aren't there, but there isn't a rule that says if you draw one year, you can't receive another for [x] amount of years is there?

In the end, it won't matter. Going to do wet side archery for bulls again regardless.