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Preforming Under Pressure

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Preforming Under Pressure

Postby Swede » 10 05, 2020 •  [Post 1]

How well do you manage shot opportunities when you are under pressure due to an elk coming in close enough for a kill, and what do you do?

As Tigger wrote on another thread, some fail for different reasons and some can make it happen. What is the difference. I would like to read some different opinions on this.

I tell people I never shoot at elk. I just place an arrow in a particular spot on the critter. After deciding it is an elk I want, I don't focus mainly on it. I focus on me and what I need to do. Sometimes I need to get ready and that can involve personal movement and movement of my bow. One mistake and it is game over. That is something we soon learn in the heat of the moment. I find knowing where on the animal to shoot and when to release the arrow is critical. Confidence is essential.
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Re: Preforming Under Pressure

Postby Tigger » 10 05, 2020 •  [Post 2]

I have heard and seen many hunters blow it when that magical time happens. For my elk this year, my caller thought the whole encounter took 2-3 minutes. I thought it took 10-15. Why the huge difference? I drew back and let up twice before shooting him. that alone is 2-3 minutes and was a small part of the time the interaction took place. I know I moved around quite a bit when he was behind a bush and obscured as he was destroying the bush. There were no good openings. My mind was busy analyzing a lot of details. Wind. Sound. body language of the bull. What I wanted my caller to do. Shot openings. Shot distances and angles. I distinctly remember hearing his cows chirp. I saw him turn. I knew he was going to go check on them. I moved a couple feet. He stopped in a spot that was not a complete jungle. It was an intense time period no matter how long it lasted. I wish I could have watched a replay of what I did.

Two guys I know were archery hunting in MT. They heard an elk coming. A raghorn appeared slowly walking at about 20 yards toward them. There was an opening the size of a garage door in front of the hunters. the raghorn slowly walked through the opening and never got shot at. One of the hunters had tagged out so he didnt have a bow. The other one had his arrow nocked, but failed to get his release on. He had plenty of time. The window was at 7 yards. Ouch.

Great topic that truly interests me. Unfortunately, I cant think of a good way to replicate the experience for practice!
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Re: Preforming Under Pressure

Postby Indian Summer » 10 05, 2020 •  [Post 3]

A good friend of mine was guiding two bow hunters who had never hunted or seen an elk before. They were set up on a bull who was bugling and coming in steadily. At some point he was thinking that bull has to be right on top of those hunters by now. Next thing he knows the bull comes from the direction of the hunters and walks right past him. Shortly after that he hears laughing. He trots down to see what happened and why they weren’t able to get a shot. When he asked the they said... “Did you see the size of that thing! We weren’t so sure we’d be able to kill it with these little arrows and besides we were shaking so bad there was no way we could have hit it” The bull had walked within 10 FEET of them! :lol:
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Re: Preforming Under Pressure

Postby Indian Summer » 10 05, 2020 •  [Post 4]

I had a hunter in camp who was an extremely good shot with his new Mathews bow. A few days into his hunt we were on a finger ridge mid day and a bull lets out a bugle below us. He probably heard us walking. I backed off as far as I could without losing sight of the hunter. The bull must have had a death wish! He walked up to about 20 yards, turned perfectly broadside and started bugling and chuckling. The hunter draws back lets go and sends an arrow over his back about 2 feet above him. The bull is clueless! He just keeps bugling while the guy nocks another arrow. He draws back and lets another one fly. It sinks into a decayed log about 3 feet in front of the bull. The bull noticed that and stopped bugling. He just peed a little and slowly walked away. :lol:
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Re: Preforming Under Pressure

Postby Lefty » 10 05, 2020 •  [Post 5]

Im not sure why ,.. but elk and mule deer I havent performed the best under pressure, if your talking the ability to shoot.
I have this mental thing that there is bigger better soon, the grass is greener, the bone is bigger,,,,,
I never considered myself a trophy hunter,.. but Im always looking for another opportunity.
Im also a rare goat.
Ive been close and been around a lot of huge elk in my 10 years of archery hunting. While I have very limited patience I know over time the patience I have Im willing to trade up. And some reason tag soup doesn't bother me( but it really bothers my wife.)
All too often Ive guessed wrong distancing elk,.. So I practice using my range finder :lol: And Ive chosen the wrong pin a couple times.
I do not have two pins the same color ,.. (Ohio Archer Bret did that this year with a nice bull).


My very first herd/bull in a blind ran right up to me, I had cows rubbing on the front shooting window
The very first time I bugled in the woods a bull charged in , crashing through everything , I coulndt get my release on my D loop
They say your abilities arent proficient until you have completed the action 10,000 times,.. I think l Ive just broke the triple digit figure :lol:
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