Keys to Becoming a Better Bowhunter with Archery World Champion Jackie Caudle
Day 4: Jackie Caudle On When to Draw and Shoot and Where to Place the Arrow on Deer
Editor’s Note: Bowhunters already have started practicing for deer season, since many states’ bowhunting seasons open soon. Let’s hear what Jackie Caudle of Gadsden, Alabama, the two-time IBO World Champion, the four-time Buckmasters Champion and the winner of the 2003 ASA/NABH World Championship, who has competed in the sport of archery on the national and the international levels for more than 20 years, considers the keys to becoming a better bowhunter. Caudle also won the Gold Medal in the 2000 ESPN Great Outdoor Games and is one of Buckmasters 2011 Top Bow qualifiers for the 2011 Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship. His hunting friends consider him an expert at finding and taking deer with his bow. His hunting skills even may surpass his archery accuracy.
 Understand when to draw and when to shoot when you see the deer. I try to draw on a buck when his head is behind a tree or down near the ground feeding, or when he’s looking-away from me. However, I’ve had to take a shot before with a buck looking straight at me. Although the deer’s seen me, he hasn’t known what I am. I’ve learned that if the only shot I’ll get is when the deer’s staring at me, I may be able to get the shot off, if I make as little movement as possible. Therefore, I’ll draw slowly. Because the buck more than likely will try to jump the string by squatting or coiling just like a standing broad-jump athlete must bend his knees to spring forward, I aim a little lower than usual on a deer. Then when the buck does squat to jump, he’ll squat into the oncoming arrow instead of away from it. Know where to place the arrow. Most hunters aim thinking only where they want the arrow to hit and forget about the path the arrow will take once it enters the deer. If a deer turns-away from me, instead of trying to shoot just behind the deer’s front shoulder, I may take a shot to cause the arrow to enter behind the animal’s last rib. This shot will allow the arrow to go from behind the last rib forward and come out the deer’s chest, hitting its lungs and possibly its heart. When you’re taking a shot at a buck, think about not only where the arrow will enter but also what organs the arrow will pass-through, once the broadhead enters the deer.
 To learn more about successful bowhunting, go to www.nighthawkpublications.com/hunting/mastersbow.htm, and read about John E. Phillips’ book “The Masters’ Secrets of Bowhunting Deer,” which includes strategies from some of the nation’s top bowhunters.
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