John's Journal...

There's The Buck - Now What - with Ronnie Groom

Accurate Shooting Pays Off

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: Ronnie Groom of Panama City, Florida, a longtime friend of mine and hunting enthusiast, teaches bowhunting schools every year. Groom knows his stuff. You’ll learn plenty this week by reading and then implementing the important information he gives us. Click to enlarge

“By knowing the direction the arrow will travel once it enters the deer, the hunter can more-accurately pick a kill zone,” Groom reports. “To be an accurate shooter, the sportsman must pick a target small enough to aim at with a small sight. When I get ready to release the arrow, I imagine an arrow sticking out of the deer in the place I want to shoot. Then I aim for that imaginary arrow. I have learned that the smaller the target I attempt to hit, the more accurately I can shoot. The best way to learn to shoot as accurately as you need to shoot to take a deer is to shoot an arrow into a bull’s-eye when you’re practicing. Then shoot for the nock of the arrow that’s in the bull’s-eye. By learning to aim at a target that small in practice, you can shoot very accurately and deadly when repeating that drill under hunting conditions. You need to visualize the nock on the invisible arrow sticking out of the deer, and then aim for it.”

After the Arrow Is Released: Click to enlarge

Once the arrow is released, Click to enlargeeven if the broadhead flies true, strikes the animal in the right place and penetrates all the way through the deer, the hunter still cannot disengage his brain. “By watching the reaction of the deer once the arrow hits, the hunter can gain a great deal of information about where the arrow has been placed, how much damage has been done, and how far he may have to trail the deer,” Groom emphasizes. “At the same time I’m watching the deer, I automatically nock another arrow and prepare for a second shot. I’ve found that often if I have a second arrow ready, the deer may stop, stumble or fall and offer a second shot. But if that arrow isn’t at the ready, and the deer does stop or fall, the hunter will miss the opportunity to fire another arrow that may result in a quicker kill. As the deer leaves the spot where I’ve shot him, I listen intently to hear what he’s  doing, where he’s going, and what kind of sounds he’s making. Sometimes I can hear the deer fall down and know right where I need to walk to recover him after I come down out of my tree stand.”

From the time the hunter first spots the deer in the forest until he walks over and recovers his trophy, thousands of judgments must be made, hundreds of tasks must be performed, and many new factors must be fed into his computer-like brain at a moment’s notice. However, by practicing the drills of what to do when you see a deer and mentally checking-off all the small tasks that must be accomplished before an accurate shot can be made, the hunter can increase his odds of taking claiming his trophy by 200%. Ronnie Groom bowhunts every year, and as each deer approaches, his brain automatically begins the drill of, “There’s the buck – now what?”


Check back each day this week for more about "There's The Buck - Now What - with Ronnie Groom"

Day 1: Sequence of Events Prior to Releasing an Arrow
Day 2: Planning the Shot with Ronnie Groom
Day 3: Anticipating Wind Changes and Knowing When to Draw
Day 4: As the Draw Is Being Made and at Full Draw
Day 5: Accurate Shooting Pays Off





 

Entry 533, Day 5