There are many technical elements involved in shooting a bow well, but they can all be learned. With enough practice and coaching anyone can master the physical side of archery. But, confidence is the one thing that separates consistently successful bowhunters and tournament shooters from the many who try. It is the lubrication that lets all the parts of the shot work together smoothly to produce accuracy under a wide range of conditions. If, deep down inside, you really believe you will make a good shot – you will.

You may be thinking, “I’m a bowhunter not a 3-D shooter. What does confidence in my shooting have to do with getting 20 yards from a big buck?” Truth is, it has everything to do with it. Intuitively we know that the shot may actually be 30 yards and the shooting lane narrow. Making the shot even on a whitetail is no slam-dunk. Bowhunters who are sure of their ability to close the deal will hunt more decisively and aggressively. Hunters who lack that confidence will hunt defensively; almost as if they are afraid to put themselves in position for an emotionally devastating miss. Subconsciously they find a way to keep from having to shoot.

Enough psychobabble, the bottom line is this: if you want to hunt your best you need to be confident in your shooting ability. You can play mind games to make yourself “feel” confident, but those results are short-term at best. There is only one way you’ll ever be really confident in your shooting and that is to become a great bowshot. Simple, right? Well, in theory it is, but it takes work. But, luckily you’ve got time on your side. If you will start right now you’ll be so prepared by next fall that you’ll be itching for a high-pressure situation just show off your new skills.

First you need a bow that fits you. See a good pro shop manager for help on any adjustments. Without a doubt, the most important skill you need to master this summer is the ability to produce a surprise release. I’ll expand on this subject in a later issue, but in the meantime you can refer back to this same issue last year for more detail on the techniques involved. If you learn to trigger the bow by surprise all the other elements of form will start to fall into place.

Make a commitment to becoming a better archer right now and you’ll reap the benefits of abundant confidence this fall and every fall for the rest of your life.

Caption: If you want to hunt to the best of your ability you need to be confident in your shooting ability, especially on longer shots required when shooting western big game like this mule deer.