Drawn on a bull

[Archery Elk Crazy]

    It has happened to all of us, that bull is coming in hot right into your lap, you draw early so he won't detect movement.  That is when he stops right behind brush or trees, blocking his vitals.  This is the reason for me missing my bull last year, I was drawn back at least two minutes on him by the time he stepped forward, when I squeezed that trigger I instantly knew I jumped and missed.  Many times we are at full draw, we can't shoot, we can't let down or he will bust out of there.
   
    How long have you been drawn on a bull?  What are you doing to practice for it?
     
    This year while practicing, I set a timer on my phone, increasing the time I stay at full draw by 10 seconds every day.  By the time season gets here (Its almost here!!!! ) I will be more than prepared to stay drawn 5 minutes on that bull that somehow knows to stop behind that tree protecting his vitals.

 

[turbo1967]

yes It has happened to most of us, I set my time at 3 minutes, Its not only important to stay at draw but be able to hold steady at that time limit for a good shot,when ever i practice  shooting I also practice holding my draw and then shooting .

 

[wapiti_will]

Not sure I've had to hold a draw longer than 3 minutes...swirling mountain winds hardly ever let me go undetected that long.

I have a routine where I hold at full draw for 5 minutes at 20 yards then release, then 4 minutes at 30 yards, 3 @ 40, 2 @ 50, and finally 1 at 60.  Once you get to the point where every shot in on the money, then drawing, holding for an extended period, and firing accurately when it counts seems like a piece of cake.

 

[frankh_541]

Using a Re-curve at 60 lbs will build your endurance considering the break over on a compound... I know a couple guys here that started doing that, and swear up and down by it for improving overall strength, endurance and accuracy...

 

[montanaelk31]

Really like this thread.  I use my phone's timer too.  1 minute at 60 yds, and 3 minutes at each distance (like Wapiti Will). I also shoot a bow that does not have jumpy cams, which really helps.  I feel that this is the most important thing to do to get ready to archery elk hunt.  We all can shoot accurately, but can we shoot accurately after 3 minutes of holding?
Last year I was drawn for a solid 2 minutes before the elk exposed his vitals at 15 yards.  Nerve racking, yes, but I had practiced holding my draw for months for that moment...

 

[Archery Elk Crazy]

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I have made a change in my shooting pattern.  Rather than shooting for the five minute mark, I am going to practice staying drawn for 3 minutes and releasing the shot at different yardages each day.  Personally, after I get over 3 minutes by very long, I no longer can shoot accurately.  So in a few short weeks, I will have all the confidence in the world to stay drawn on a bull (or my buck antelope).

 

[Big Tex]

I plan on buying a Hoyt Carbon Spyder 34 after the season....Shot one of those the other day and at 70lb draw weight it made my Matthews feel like I was drawing 120 lbs.    I was amazed, I could hold that thing back all day.  Till then I'll do much the same asthe rest,  hold - shoot, hold longer - shoot, etc.

 

[HardLoadHunter]

i had to stay drawn a couple years ago for about 3 minutes, one thing i was told by a fellow hunter is dont focus through your peep when holding look at the target outside of your peep, when you focus directly through your peep you dont realize how hard you concentrate on staying directly on target and it causes you to get the shakes alot sooner.
so heres what i do for practice
shoot 30+ times at various ranges
draw and hold as long ad you can stand focus though the peep then shoot. i count while holding to keep my mind off what im doing
while holding also occasionally look into your peep to make sure your close to target (dont focus to much) then look at the target and keep counting.
doing it without counting also lets you hold longer without realizing it.
i guess my point is that most of our holding issues are mental not physical
i had never practiced holding and my first year archery hunting i had to hold for about 2 minutes, my blood was pumping so hard it was like i wasnt holding anything (he walked in front of me at 33 yds and only ran about 50 after a perfect shot)
hope this helps