The Art of Drawing

The Art Of Drawing

By John L. Sloan

In any debate about allowing crossbows in the conventional archery season, the phrase “must be drawn in the presence of game” or “doesn’t have to be drawn when the animal is close” always comes into play. This is not a column about the ridiculous crossbow debate raging across the country. However, those two phrases help to illustrate my point. For some bow hunters, getting the bow drawn undetected can be a problem.

In my personal opinion, I could get away with drawing my compound easier than I could get away with getting a crossbow up and in position to shoot. A firearm, because of the increased range, is a different matter. But, I have been caught trying to get my rifle up on a wary whitetail, too. I did an experiment a little while back. I had my daughter use a stopwatch to time me from the time I drew until the time I released. I placed a GlenDel target at 25 yards; I like it because the vital area is not clearly outlined. This target forces you to pick a spot, just as you would on a deer. I held my bow at full draw for three minutes, 45 seconds, and hit the top of the heart and both lungs.

Now, back to the art of drawing. I almost never get caught drawing anymore. I did, but I don’t much now, if at all. There are clear reasons for that and I’ll share them with you. I learned when and how and where to draw a bow.

Lesson number one: The minute you settle into a stand and can see, mentally explore every approach you think a deer might make. In that exploration, pick out where you will take the shot and where you will draw the bow. As the deer approaches, look ahead and plan ahead.

Lesson number two: Learn to read body language. Deer, much like humans, convey messages through body language. Learn it; there’s no excuse not to. A calm deer is easier to fool than an alert deer. No big secret there! An alert deer does not always appear alert unless you know what to look for. Learn to recognize the signs.

On a frigid, blustery day in Calhoun County, Illinois, I was standing in a bare oak tree, trying to catch a piece of sunshine on my face, when a medium-small eight-point buck stepped out into a weed field about 250 yards away. I slowly raised my binoculars to check him out and he nailed me immediately. Two jumps, and he was gone. I still laugh about that. I found out later that he had just been shot at by one of my hunters down the ridge. Talk about alert! We all know a mature, paranoid doe is almost impossible to fool.

But what about the average deer we encounter while hunting? How do we get drawn; or, for that matter, get the rifle or crossbow raised and aimed without being busted? We read the body language and we pick the spot and time. That deer, walking like he is on eggshells, is not going to be easy to draw on. However, it can be done if you know what you are doing. The deer you spot standing dead still, swiveling her ears and licking her nose, is going to nail you. The deer in the food plot, the one walking straight toward you, is going to see you. If you wait until that buck comes out from behind that big tree to draw, you are in trouble. All of these deer can be drawn on without spooking them, if you know what you are doing.

Lesson number three: Probably the biggest mistake hunters make is not learning to shoot while seated. I shoot 75-90 percent of my deer from a seated position, bow or gun. This totally eliminates that standing up movement. Also, all my bows are set so I can easily draw them, while seated, with my arms down. Even when given every opportunity, if I don’t have to, I don’t stand up.

I also look for the distracted deer, the busy deer, the screened deer or the deer that is just about to pass me by, the one whose peripheral vision has passed me. That spooked, alert, paranoid sucker is tough to fool. Look ahead for the screen and draw when he is behind it.

A deer busily feeding on acorns or browsing a food plot must lower its head. That’s advantage one. If that deer is quartering away from you, it can’t see you. If it is facing dead away from you, that’s even better. If it is facing you, and you try to draw, get the long-handled fork because you’re done. Anytime a deer is within my shooting range and facing away from me, I’ll draw. I can hold long enough, at full draw, for that deer to turn. If I can’t, I’ll let down and try again. I am sure not going to wait for that deer to turn broadside before I draw.

Give me a buck trailing or tending a doe and I’ll get to full draw on him every time. I don’t care how close he is or how old and wise he is, he is distracted. Give me a buck committed to aggression and I’ll kill him if I want to; he is distracted. Give me a traveling deer, one going somewhere, and I’ll get drawn and get a shot. But, you can also bet your bippy, I won’t be whistling or grunting trying to make him stop. I want him distracted. I want him walking. I want him looking ahead. Give me a buck coming in to rattling or calling and it is, at best, 50/50 that I can even get him in shooting range. And if I do, I better not make a single mistake. That’s why decoys sell so well.

Bob Shebaylo, from Manitoba, once said, “This buck came in and I never had a chance to draw on him.” I just grinned and answered, “What happened? He fly off in a helicopter?”

I have never had a deer in range that didn’t give me a chance to draw. I sure have had a ton where I didn’t recognize the chance, or waited till the chance was gone or muffed the attempt. I may have never had a clear shot, or maybe a deer was running wide open. But, through trial and error and a lot of study, I have learned the art of drawing. And one of the most important things I learned was that drawing in the presence of game is no more difficult than raising a rifle or a cumbersome crossbow.

Just learn the art..