what is the best advice you could give?

[Maverick]

what's the best advice you could give to a guy wanting to get into bow hunting for deer?

[vandeman17]

Practice, practice and more practice. The more you shoot, the more chance of success you will have. Not just the same shot either. Shoot sitting down, kneeling down, uphill, downhill, having to hold your draw for an extended amount of time etc. 

[jackelope]

Don't just shoot 10-20-30-40 yards, shoot 17 yards and 26 yards and vary your shooting distances...especially when you're out in that 30-40+ yard range...a couple yards makes a big difference. Also learn how to judge distances without using a rangefinder...a lot of times there's no opportunity to use one.

[Button Nubbs]

Take a couple lessons. It will get rid of ur bad habits before they start.

[Hilltop123]

 :yeah Nip the bad habit right now!!!!!

[fishermanjoe]

dont let your bud pull your bow back in the house to see if he is tough enough to pull it back..........     

[Skyvalhunter]

Have him measured for the correct draw length

[buck man]

Shoot lots of bows of different makes and models. When you finally pick one and after you can shoot reasonably well, put on some rubber blunts and judo points and stump shoot and hunt small game. It just prepares you for big game and unless you are strickley a trophy hunter
shoot any legal deer to hone your skills and then wait for the big buck  next year. Good luck!

[carpsniperg2]

Get something that fits you well. Get with a good teacher and learn as much as you can. Any decent pro shop will fit you with a bow. But the good ones will get you the right bow and help you learn.

[Machias]

   Get the correct draw length.  And then remember this and make it your slogan.  "Bowhunting is not about how far can I shoot, it's about how close can I get."

[Todd_ID]

Patience!  Bowhunting has basically nothing to do with actually killing animals for the vast majority of people.  You've got to be willing to not kill an animal for several years in a row to get up to the point of being an average bowhunter.  Bowhunters accept that gap between kills because the reward of taking one with a bow is so fulfilling.  The average success rates are what 10-15%; one deer or elk in 8-10 years gets you to average.  What if you're below average: there are 1/2 the bowhunters that are below average and may only kill one animal in a lifetime.  If a person is willing to accept that, then the reward is worth the wait.

Just don't look at the longer seasons and think that success is much easier to obtain with a bow than a rifle.

[Sumpnneedskillin]

Practice with the clothes that you will be wearing hunting.  I've seen guys that can shoot the target all day long with no problems mess up the easiest shot because their bulky clothes got in the way or restricted movement.

[dreamunelk]

Everything Above

[Sliverslinger]

      Everything above is excellent advice. A lesson I learned involves what you shoot at for practice. There's a big difference between shooting a a wide open blue target with a bright white, yellow, or orange aiming point from a nice level flat set distance of 30 or 40 yards when your nice and calm, and shooting uphill, after running, between two brown trees at a brown aiming point that's only presenting itself for 3-5 seconds at most. I recommend going to some indoor 3-d brush shoots in the winter and shooting some 3-d courses during the summer. You'll not only be practicing your shooting, but also judging distance and learning how to pick an aiming point in the midst of a sea of brown and tan intercrossed by a jack fir branch or two.
      While some people may try to convince you with the stories of their incredible hunting prowess and calling skills that the elk will routinely come within twenty yards or less, turn broadside, bugle magestically, and remain in that position looking for their long lost lover while you calmly draw back and shoot through a wide open lane, this is NOT typical (though I suppose it could happen- always to someone else). After you've solidified your form, try shooting 3-d targets through brush with small openings after running in place and doing pushups until muscle failure. When I practice in the summer as soon as I pull an arrow I will sprint back to an unkown distance, do some pushups, and before my heart calms down I will draw, anchor, focus, and shoot. However, I don't recommend doing this with non-hunting neighbors watching, they tend to think of you as a wee bit odd. Good luck!

[billythekidrock]

If you are going to use a rangefinder, practice with it during the offseason to learn yardage under different conditions. Take it with you to work, to the store, etc. Estimate a distance then range it.