Seeing Spots

©Dean Torges/The Bowyer's Edge™

Every primitive archer loves stump shooting (or roving), but this pleasurable activity can contribute to bad habits for the hunter.

While roving, most of us see an object or feature that catches our eye. We shoot to it. We usually come very close to it when we don't hit it. The problem is that shooting game requires a much keener eye than that. It requires the ability to focus upon a spot beyond distractions which call to our attention, distractions such as antlers, horns or an animal's outline. Shooting game requires us to make shots to areas that do not attract our eye.

Stump shooting at obvious targets can develop a lazy eye and give us a false sense of our shooting ability. Next time roving, mix it up. Instead of shooting at a knot on a stump, shoot sometimes to a make-believe spot beside it. Instead of shooting at a conspicuous leaf, shoot to the upper left quadrant of the bare spot next to it, or to the barely visible leaf beside it. When the next opportunity at an animal occurs, you will be better prepared to create a spot where none exists, amidst distractions, too.