Get Better with Your Bow Before Deer Season Arrives

"Next season is going to be different," is what I would tell myself. Then, the following season would come and go. I always lucked (remember that word) into a buck or two — a spine shot, or the back of the liver seemed to be my jam. I nicked the liver and caught the guts on a 160-inch Nebraska brute from less than 20 yards. We found the deer, but it was a rodeo.

Looking back, I feel terrible. Don't get me wrong, I have fantastic memories and have had some remarkable whitetail seasons, but I have wounded and lost deer. I'm never afraid to take responsibility if it helps just one person. Bowhunting is a journey, and it's about getting better each year.

The truth was, I did get better every season. I improved my hunting skills for whitetails, and regardless of the state, whether public or private or the time of year, I consistently earned my opportunity. Closing the deal was my issue.

The good news: it's no longer my issue. Five years ago, I stopped talking about my moment of truth shooting and took action. Over the past five years, I've harvested 16 whitetail bucks — all one-shot bow kills.

Here's how you beat buck fever, fill the freezer, and end those gut-sinking moments.

Get Control of Your Shot

An alcoholic — or any person with any harmful addiction — will continue to tell themselves they have control over the addiction. Remember that. If you're wounding and missing more bucks than you're double lunging, admit it and do something about it.

I don't believe buck fever or target panic can be conquered with an index finger or thumb release. Anything with a trigger will get punched. Purchase a quality hinge or tension release. Neither release style has a trigger, which means there is no punching.

Spend the remainder of July and the first two weeks of August standing no more than 10 yards from a blank target face — spray paint one side of a BLOCK black — and work on your execution. Learn to draw, settle into a two-part anchor, trust your pin float, and drive your bow hand into the target while driving your release elbow back. This repeatable action will pull your shoulder blades together. During this process, I pull hard on my release until the shot breaks. I recommend setting your hinge or tension cold (heavy) at the start.

It's going to feel weird. You're going to shake like crazy, and your pin is going to look like a pinball on the target. That's fine. You will feel like you're at full draw forever. That's also fine. Keep driving that bow arm into the target while driving that release arm elbow backward while pulling hard into the release.

You're not aiming at anything but a blank face, so who cares where your arrow hits? When your bow goes off, you should be surprised. I recommend a wrist sling for first-time hinge or tension shooters. Your goal is three 10-arrow sessions, five days per week, for no less than 16 days between 5 and 10 yards from the target. After each arrow session, write down how many shots you executed perfectly. You will know.

It's Mid-August

OK, it's mid-August, and you're freaking out because the furthest you've shot your bow is 10 yards. Relax! How far do you typically shoot at white-tailed deer? My average shot distance over the past five years is 22.6 yards.

Chances are, if you stuck to it, you're feeling confident about your shooting. You've developed a draw, anchor, aim, aim, and aim until the release fires the bow routine. Awesome!

For the next week, work on shooting 3-D targets only — no spots or dots — between 10 and 30 yards. No further, please. Stay with your hinge release. If you can see scoring rings on your 3-D target, go to the local hardware store, purchase a can of spray paint that matches the color of the scoring rings, and paint over them.

Why?

You aren't shooting for a score. You're shooting to kill. Spots, dots, and scoring rings aren't what we want to see right now.

I realize it's an investment, but I highly recommend Delta/McKenzie's Big Daddy QuivAR Enabled Buck Archery Target. The target has scoring rings on one side and a small circle on the other. Shoot the side with the small circle but be sure to paint over it with spray paint.

Of course, any 3-D target will do, but I firmly believe it helps to shoot at the species of animal you'll be hunting. QuivAR technology lets you scan the chip in the target after downloading the QuivAR app to see exactly where your arrow impacted the deer's vitals. This technology is impressive and provides an exact, anatomically correct representation of internal anatomy from any angle. Move your phone around the target — from the side, top, and bottom and you can see the exact placement of your arrow.

August's Last Week

It's buzzer-beater week. No, not every whitetailer can (season dates vary) or will hit the woods in September, but for the sake of timing and focus-driven purpose, let's say everyone who has taken an interest in this article and has followed it will chase bucks on the first day of September.

This week, we take the time and effort to create realistic hunting situations. We hang a treestand in the backyard or somewhere — not where you're going to hunt — where you can take a 3-D target or a square foam target and practice shooting from an elevated position. Wear the clothes you plan to hunt in and spend time going through your process and shooting the target from distances between 10 and 45 yards.

Please, please stay with the hinge or tension release. We want every shot to be a surprise shot. Focus on grabbing your bow, standing, hooking onto your D-loop, and executing the best shot possible. I shoot five or six arrows, climb down, re-position the target — quartering-away, quartering-toward, etc., to increase realism. I also place the target behind obstructions to create absolute hunting realism. Put a limb hanging over the front half of the shoulder with a big tree trunk covering the liver and guts. Learn to ignore the overhanging limb and the trunk. Focus on putting the arrow where you've put it time and time again. Let the pin float on the lungs while pushing and pulling. Doing this will build a great deal of confidence.

Yes, this takes work; however, how much does a buck harvest mean to you? It means a lot to me. I spend lots of time and money chasing deer. I've learned to do everything in my power to know — not hope — my broadhead-tipped arrow will hit home when I let the release fire the bow.

I use the same process with a ground blind and natural hides. I also often hunt with a deer decoy on my bow. The first time you shoot with a bow-mounted decoy like those from Ultimate Predator Gear or Heads Up, you shouldn't be in a hunting situation. Learn what the decoy feels like on your bow. Learn what it feels like to shoot when there's a slight breeze hitting the bow-mounted decoy.

The goal is to eliminate variables and enter this season knowing that you'll take down your target buck given the opportunity.

Shoot With Others

Throughout August, shoot with others. I say August because if you read this and it resonates with you and you're going to make some changes, you need to make those changes with zero pressure on you at the start. Then, as you get comfortable with making quality archery shots, you want to create pressure-rich situations.

I attended a couple of 3-D shoots every July, and recently, my buddy Mac and I assembled our pile of 3-D targets and built a range at his house. Mac and I shoot together all the time. We joke, laugh, poke fun, and make little bets: five dollars on this shot, I'll mow your lawn on the next shot — whatever.

Shooting with others adds pressure. Adding pressure is good. The goal is to get to the point that when you shoot, you feel no pressure because you're so focused on execution.

The Final Countdown

I recommend staying with your hinge or tension release and hunting with it. However, if you're not comfortable, take a few days to practice with your index or thumb trigger. However, DON'T undo all that's been done. Go through your process and achieve surprise release after surprise release with your index or thumb. If you punch the trigger, admit it! Then, STOP! Grab your hinge or tension and shoot with it for a few shots. Make sure those shots are on a blank-face target at 10 yards or less. You don't want to lose that feeling, that undeniable and extremely lethal confidence.

For the past four years, I shot only a hinge release. I was honest with myself and didn't trust myself with a trigger, even after years of shooting and making high-pressure shots. This past year, I shot three whitetail bucks — one with a hinge and two with my Spot-Hogg Wise Guy index-finger release.

I shot the index finger release to prove to myself that I could make that switch, that I finally conquered my buck fever.

In mid-July, I shot the 2025 Total Archery Challenge Prime Archery Course in Durango, Colorado. I shot with awesome people. The course was challenging, and the shots were long. I was able to achieve a perfect release with my Wise Guy for all but two of the 25 targets.

Archery and bowhunting are processes, and perfection is unattainable. However, the more you put into perfecting your shot, the closer you'll get to perfection and the more tags you'll fill. Get after it!

---