Now, my first archery question

[The Silent Stalker]

I have been to the range twice now with my new 2011 Bear Attack, and love it. I have been fussing with my sight, and noticed to get my arrows to shoot centre(vertical line) my sight pin tips, are about 3/4" left of my string and arrow? I was looking at my buddies today, and his pin ends are in line with his string and arrow? My question, is this one of those "everyone is different" things, or a wrong form thing? Im hitting centre of the targets, I just need to fine tune my vertical placements to get my height levels closer. Anyone got any ideas? I am going to go to the adult archery night in Squamish this Fri, and ask for tips and advice.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

it is an everyones differant thing .... could be due to lack of center shot ... could be due to cam lean ... could be a form thing ... .... most likely its the way you grip the bow that causes that effect

Post pics of you at full draw ...include rear ..and a good shot of your bow hand

[The Silent Stalker]

I will try to take some pics this weekend when I have someone else with me, and I'll post em. Thanks I appreciate it.

[triggr31]

It's most likely a form issue . Make sure draw length is setup properly . But yes pictures and video always speak the truth. Shoot lots and slowly I guarantee those pins tighten up to your string . Very important not to grip your bow . Causes bow torque.

[Tienis]

Hi
I got a lot of tips and stuff from a book called:

Balanced Bowhunting II

The Modern Bowhunting Guide

it's by Dave Holt and looks at more than just hunting with a bow....

http://www.mississippibowhunters.com/htm_files/balanced_bowhuntingII.htm

Tienis

[Tienis]

....I had a similar experience when I started shooting my bow, my problem was that my hand that held the bow, was holding on to tight and as soon as you pulled the trigger you have a serious "torque" action happening on the arm/wrist that holds the bow, then that is what gets you that "just off target result", It was/is something one needs to remedy asap. Otherwise you compensate or adjust your equipment for the bad form that was mentioned and those bad habits tend to stick with you if you don't have it sorted fast....
Also we tend to shoot arrow after arrow after arrow....take a good break in between a set of 3 to 6 arrows, otherwise you are tuning your bow as you get tired....saying this it also makes sense to start at a low poundage so you can get that proper form first....you can always up your poundage and do minor adjustments to your pins as you require, but I will only start ajusting poundage once you are satisfied that you are hitting the target consistently and comfortably...

Hope this helps

Tienis

[The Silent Stalker]

Thanks guys, I found my bow to really hard to draw back. I had tried a few bows that my buddies said were set to 60lb draws, and had mine set to that. It is a 50 - 60lb bow and I had it maxed, I could barley pull it back and it got harder every time. I looked at my manual and I have have backed it off almost half and now it seems to feel more comfortable. Hopefully this helps a bit. Go back again tomorrow.....

[Bowzone_Mikey]

you found it difficult to pull because of the agressive cam and draw curve associated with it .... common in alot of older tech single cam speed bows (the attack if I recall right is IBO rated at 340??)

if you were to pull my 101st set at 55 and my black ice set at 70 you would swear the 101st is the higher draw weight

[Bow Walker]

Is it your first bow? When my younger (and stronger) brother tried to draw my bow (60 lbs) before he got into archery, he couldn't. He tried and tried. He couldn't get the cam to swing over.

When he decided to listen to "the expert" and not use his arms - but rather his back muscles, he drew the bow without any problems. He also learned to draw across the body and not away from the body.

Not saying that you're a wimp or anything like that - just that it might BE a "learning issue" that you'll get over pretty quickly.

[The Silent Stalker]

It's all coming together now! Thanks to every one that took the time to help with thoughts and ideas. First I backed the draw weight down just a bit, so I wasn't struggling to pull back. Funny, I found I was pulling more with my arms than my back, and once I started to use my back more, I actually thought by bow "broke in" cause it got a lot smoother and easier to pull. This also made it easier to assume position. Yesterday we hit the range, and things are coming together now. I'm confident in my set up and now, it's all about me and how much I shoot. I think this is going to be an exciting way to hunt, bring on the spring bears!

[The Silent Stalker]

Hey, thanks for the thread with your comments. Trust me, I am no wimp, however what you said makes perfect sense. I realized early yesterday that I was pushing my bow out with my left arm, and pulling my string with my right arm at the same time. Once I corrected this, and started using my back muscles to pull the string back, with my left arm already extended, things changed a lot within just a few shots. not only was drawing my bow back easier, I found it was easier to get into my stance. I think I'm really going to like being an archer! Again, thanks for the help and input, I really appreciate it.

[Bow Walker]

I really hope that you can find an experience archer or someone who knows about proper shooting form to show you the basics of "shooting form". Once you get the basics down pat, forming a solid base from which to grow, you'll be able (and equipped) to practice "intelligently".

So many people go out and just shoot arrows at the bullseye. Take the time to practice with a goal in mind, pick an element of your shooting form and practice that element until it becomes second nature.

Once you have a strong, solid shooting form you'll be able to "make the shot" when it counts, without thinking about it. Like when that deer finally offers you a decent shot and it catches you leaning over, peeking around a bush or a tree.

Being able to shoot accurately from different positions, angles, and postures is only possible with a strong shooting form that has been ingrained into a habit that is executed without conscious thought.

Hunting scenarios rarely (if ever) are like the practice field.