That's good thinking and I don't know what 'game time' practice looks like either. I know there are walking courses in the woods and they might help. Mentally I know it's still a just a target and not the real deal. There is such a huge difference between the two that I'm not sure on how to close the gap.

The last nice bull I took with a gun was at 30 paces. No shakes. It's gotta be mental. Maybe it's because I know bullets are going to do their job easily and I'm worried of wounding an animal with an arrow? Maybe it's because guns are fast and with a bow I need to rapidly go through a mental checklist of steps. I don't know.

What I do know is that archery hunting for big critters is a blast. I feel like a kid again and wish I had picked up a bow sooner.