When I last recorded the progress of my bow hunting journey, I had bought a bow and accessories, got it set up, and was off to practice. Since then, this archery thing has really become an obsession. Ok, maybe not an obsession just yet, but a habit or a ritual. Whatever you choose to call it, I have conditioned my mindset to practice every day if possible. I listen more intently when any tips on shooting techniques are mentioned on the many hunting shows I watch. I miss the practice when I can’t be out there in the evening due to weather or other responsibilities. I’m afraid I am becoming one of the bow nuts that I’ve heard rambling on for years at every hunting camp and outdoors store. I see my friends give me the same, “Oh no, not the bow again!” look when I begin telling about my practice sessions or my progress. Alright maybe obsession was the right word.

When I took the bow home from getting fitted and accessorized, I began immediately shooting at a block target that was bought for my crossbow. This target is able to stop arrows at 400 feet per second and once it stops them, it doesn’t want to let go. I pulled blisters on my fingers removing the arrows but that didn’t stop me from practicing! No, I was dedicated to shooting 18 to 30 arrows or more every day. A tip from an archery hunting show convinced me that I needed a 3-D target in order to improve my skills for this coming archery season. I searched the computer for 3-D targets such as Morrell, Rinehart, and others and was surprised at how expensive they were. Not being ready to spend that much money at this time, I settled on a 3-D target from Sportsman’s Guide called The Shooter Buck for around $80. I knew that shooting from an elevated stand would also help to condition me for situations I would face in the field, so instead of moving one of the stands I have scattered around my farm, I bought a cheap ladder stand for $50 and set it up on a large oak tree in my back yard. Now I was set, let the hardcore practicing begin!

After securing a safety strap around the tree and donning my Hunter’s Safety System vest, I began slinging arrows from the elevated stand. At first there was no grouping. My arrows were scattered, but for the most part I was hitting the target. Occasionally I would put two or three where I wanted, but that was sporadic at best. The more I practiced though, the tighter the groups got. I kept playing over and over in my head, “Pick a spot, take your time, and follow through”. I began to notice when I lowered my bow upon release or when my sight wasn’t centered in my peep. I began to pay attention when my feet weren’t set properly or at least not as properly as I knew how to set them. I became aware of an errant shot the second that the arrow left my bow, and mentally noted what I believed I had done wrong and worked to correct that wrong on the shots after. I practiced standing and sitting, and gradually my groups at 20 yards began to tighten. Although my 3-D target had random holes punched outside the replaceable core, the core itself began to show some serious wear. I knew it was a cheaper target when I bought it, but I could replace the core several times for what one of the more expensive, supposedly long lasting targets would have cost. Eventually, I began to be able to place an arrow pretty well where I wanted and even began to call the shots in my head, such as heart, center of the lung, or between the last two arrows. On march 31^st, I was able to put five shots in the heart of the 3-D target and that provided me with a great feeling of accomplishment. I continued to practice faithfully and on April 18^th scored my first ‘Robin Hood’. I wasn’t trying to put one arrow down the shaft of another, just to form as tight a group as I was able. But this too boosted my confidence and spurred me on. I then placed the block target at 30 yards and would shoot first at one target and then the other. This kept me thinking about which pin to use and served to temper my ego as my accuracy at 30 was not nearly so impressive. The practices continued, and I became steadier. The arrows began to obey my wishes to some degree and what began as hitting somewhere near the center of the 30 yard target became picking which of the five painted dots to shoot at. Not that I was centering the dots on every shot, but I wasn’t missing by much.

My confidence in my ability prompted me to move my targets to 30 and 40 yards instead of the 20 and 30 that I had been shooting. I left my pins set at 20 and 30 and held over at 40. This proved to be harder than I had anticipated. I was hitting the target at 40, but with no real degree of accuracy. I couldn’t seem to settle my pin. Practice was all I needed, I told myself. Accuracy at this distance would come in time.

Around the first of May, I decided to swap out the drop-away rest I had on the bow for a new drop-away. This new rest, a Quality Archery Design, had a bar that prevented the arrow from coming off the rest. I thought this would be helpful in hunting situations where an arrow falling off the rest just might mean missing an opportunity at that once in a lifetime buck or at the very least my first bow kill. After having the new rest installed and taking a few practice shots at the bow shop, I set off for home to continue my schooling. Although the shots I’d taken at the bow shop were only 15 yards, I felt confident that I could go home and pick up where I left off. That was not the case. When I released my first arrow at the 30 yard target, the 3-D target, it hit high and to the left, putting a new hole in the high shoulder/neck area of the ten point buck that stands so faithfully in my yard. I thought maybe it was just me; maybe I flinched or torqued my bow or somehow just missed miserably. The two shots after that convinced me that things weren’t as they had been before. I shot at the target using what had previously been my 20 yard pin and, although the height was close, the shots were still way left. After some trial and error, and more than a little frustration, I decided to start from square one. I left the buck at 30 yards but moved the block back to the 20 yard marker and began zeroing in with my top pin. The guys at the bow shop had told me to follow my arrow with the pin when adjusting my sight. By moving the sight a little at a time, I was finally back on at 20 and consistently hitting where I aimed. Thirty yards is still a little inconsistent and will take some more work, but I’ll get there.

The peep sight I have on my bow is the type that requires a rubber tube to be attached and is stretched every time the bow is drawn in order to turn the peep to the correct position for alignment. After hearing several horror stories about the tube popping the shooter in the eye when at full draw and due to the fact that I am unable to see the white ring around my pins when aiming, I have decided to change this peep sight to another design. This will probably mean resighting and again starting from scratch. If that’s the case, so be it. I’ll let you know how that goes.

By Miscellaneous Authors

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Comments(1):

1. good job

   keep it up, your doing fine, going back to square one is fine.

   Tuesday, August 23, 2011 John