my journey to becoming an archer.

[jetboat jim]

as a newb to the sport I have been spending many hours on the fine tuning of my new bow, a PSE brute 2011. 29 inch draw and 60 lbs.
I added a cobra fiberoptic sight but sighting it in is taking some time, the "factory" sight pse supplies was very basic, and was not suited to low light conditions.
I'm sure I will be adding a few other goodies as time goes on , and hope to practice enough for the up coming fall hunts.

any tips on sighting a bow ?

25 yards...

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/archery005.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/archery006.jpg

[Stéphane]

I'd say not to tune to much yet. Keep shooting and shooting. Keep track of your grouping and if over a period of time, your groups are tight but have a tendency to be. .. say, low on the right. Then I would change my sight pins. I'm fairly new too, and some days I tend to shoot right and I refuse to make a change unless it is the same day after day after day.

You'll have much better advice than mine by more seasoned archers, but making changes every time you're not hitting the bullseye won't really help. That, I know. Don't ask why.

[Ron.C]

The biggest tip I can offer to a new archer is try your best to have someone who has extensive experience watch you shoot for a few sessions. I'm not talking about someone trying to coach you and turn you into a world class archer in a week, but simply watching your basic form to get you started on the right foot. Grip, release, follow through etc. I wish someone would have done this for me when I started. The reason I say this is that it is my opinion that without some coaching early on, it's to easy to develop bad shooting form and the longer you go, the harder it is to break bad habits developed early. I think alot of guys spend big $$$ on gear to be a better shooter when more practice cleaning up their form would have better results.
Another option is to video yourself. When watching the video, see if you can pick up differences from shot to shot. By doing this, it's really easy to see if you are punching the trigger, dropping your bow arm, gripping differently and so on. Being able to repeat every aspect of your shot in an identical manner is the key to being a great archer. And this begins with good form

[Bow Walker]

I'd say not to tune to much yet. Keep shooting and shooting. Keep track of your grouping and if over a period of time, your groups are tight but have a tendency to be. .. say, low on the right. Then I would change my sight pins. I'm fairly new too, and some days I tend to shoot right and I refuse to make a change unless it is the same day after day after day.

You'll have much better advice than mine by more seasoned archers, but making changes every time you're not hitting the bullseye won't really help. That, I know. Don't ask why.
Stephane is right. Don't make changes in too much of a hurry. Keep shooting and concentrate on your form. Don't worry about hitting the 'bullseye' right now. Just shoot arrows and concentrate on getting your form down pat.

Once your shooting form is a natural habit, then it's time to think about where the arrows are impacting the target, or - your P.O.I.

Your shooting form should consist of your posture forming a "T". What I mean by that is that your shoulders should be relaxed (not hunched up at all) and your body should be in a vertical posture - not leaning forward or backward at all.

Your head should be in a naturally upright and relaxed position - not leaning forward to see through the peep at all. If you aren't relaxed and in a natural posture your body will be trying to compensate by tensing muscles that shouldn't be tensed at all.

To make sure that you're not leaning into the peep sight, close your eyes and come to full draw and a relaxed anchor/shooting position. Open your shooting/aiming eye. You should be looking right through the peep site and be able to see the complete sight housing. If not then adjust the peep upward or downward as necessary.

Your shooting form is the basis for your accuracy potential/quotient and is something that you will want to get right - right from the get-go.

[jetboat jim]

so some very slight adjustments to my sight, and a new target (plastic bags inside of a garbage bag) works great.

seem to be a little more consistant.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/arch003.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/arch002.jpg

[Big Lew]

If your form etc. is consistent, you'll obviously have tighter grouping with more practice, so It would be advisable to shoot at more than one spot on your target, and with less arrows. It gets expensive having to repair or replace arrows hit by others. I have a large target (approx. 30" square) and use 4 or 5 2 1/2" or 3" discs and shoot only 1 or 2 arrows at each during each set. Even if your target is smaller, using 2 or 3, and moving them around will lengthen the target life.

[afflicted 1]

don't rush to make any major changes. make sure your draw length is right, this will allow a consistent anchor point. its good to see your at 60ibs you will find this is more than enough speed. make sure your arrow spine is also correct, but again a cofortable setup will lead to consistency and accuracy. have fun

[bugler]

I see there is one odd arrow in there. Very important that once you've settled on an arrow that matches your bow that all your arrows are the same. Good to try different ones to see how they fly before you settle on one type.

[Bow Walker]

Looks like a very respectable group right there! Congratulations.

Also looks like one Gold tip carbon in among a bevy of aluminum shafts. I'm going to assume that all the arrows weigh the same - yes? If not, try to match the arrow weights, spine, length - whether you decide to shoot carbon or not.

Are you still shooting at 25 yards? That plastic bag target (by the size of it) represents the 'kill-zone' on a deer. Those arrows represent 7 or 8 dead deer. Good shooting.

In your original post you mentioned that the bow is set at 60 lbs draw weight. If that is, in fact, a Gold tip arrow I hope the number on the shafts says 5575 or 7595? Either of those numbers will give you the spine that is necessary for your draw length.

The 5575 spine arrow would get the 100 grain point and the 7595 shaft would get a 125 grain point. At least that's what I'd do. Then you expect groups like that all the time and even tighter groups as you get more experience.

You might have noticed that your aluminum shafts tend to hit a bit lower than the carbon shaft? It will be heavier than the carbon - given that each is the same length. Something to keep in mind.

[knockturnal]

It's gOnna get expensive replacing your bungees!!

[Lee]

Bulldog Targets. Lifetime warranty. Cheap $100.
Hunter's Specialties DVD "So...you want to be a Bowhunter". Informative. Cheap $9.99.
Eastonarchery.com website. Free. Tons of info.
PSE-archery.com website. You own a PSE, you're entitled to the documentation they have. Click under support. Again, free.
huntersfriend.com website. Click under technical. Good info. Free.
Learn to walk back tune and paper tune. Google. Free.
Taking the advice from seasoned pros (no, I don't mean me) from this website. Free.

Bagging your first archery animal. Priceless.

[Bow Walker]

:mrgreen: I agree 100% on the Bulldog targets. I've got one of the Doghouse targets and it's great. Money well spent. :wink: http://www.forumsextreme.com/images/sHa_thumb2.gif

[jetboat jim]

so I have shot 160 arrows now, and at 35 yards this is what I'am getting.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/aaaa002.jpg

[The Hermit]

Good stuff nice target shooting! Now just for fun, take your bag out into the forest and place it on an uphill/down hill slope and tie a rope to it. In low light maybe during a little rain go for a 10 minute jog to elevate your heart rate then try positioning yourself standing with one foot up on a rock and your other foot kinda askew and then get a buddy to pull on the rope just as you release. Make sure you have your pack on and all the clothes you will be wearing when hunting. Please post your pics for shots at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 yards. ;-)

[untilthelastbeat]

hey hey hey, nice group partner, looks like your a quick learner, all of these are exelent tips and i have only been shooting archery for a little over a year now but all i can say is shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. as many 15-30 min sesions you can cram into a day will better your shooting. soon enough evrything will b natural and fluent. and shooting beside an experience shooter will help alot. good luck in the upcoming seasons

[Bow Walker]

Great grouping there. It's a good idea to take the target out into the bush (natural surroundings) and shoot from various distances and positions.

Try to make your practice sessions as 'real' as possible by shooting around, thru, under and/or over various branches and obstacles. Shoot from distances that you haven't paced out or ranged (unknown distances).

And yes, do it with your heavier clothing on - like you were out hunting in the colder weather. A few 'jumping-jacks' will get your heart rate up there to simulate having hiked for a while. But - I've found that archery hunting involves being unseen, and unheard by your prey. That means not running/stomping around the bushes willy-nilly.

[NitwiT]

im no archer, but I think hes not aiming at the bungees! I think hes aiming at the the thing behind em!

[Bow Walker]

At 35 yards - providing that your as steady(:wink:) - a deer doesn't stand a chance.

Although, the heart won't be edible with that many arrows going through it. :mrgreen:

[jetboat jim]

35 yards and , 12 arrows every night after work......
been using carbon x weave 200's with 100 grn tips.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/jetboatjimmy/archery003.jpg

[Bow Walker]

Better dust off your venison recipes. You're gonna need them!

[jetboat jim]

that would be region 4 in sept.....a little of everything to look for.

[Howy]

New arrows i see and there all the same, nice. Good groups.