Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Arrows consistently left...

My 47# recurve is still being repaired, so I'm shooting my 57# recurve a lot. I getting stronger after shooting it daily for a few weeks, but admittedly it's still a bit heavy for me. 20 shots and I'm starting to get fatiqued mostly my fingers.

I made up new 400 spine arrows based on the 3Rivers dynamic spine calcuator, paper tuned with a bare shaft, and flight looks great with 4" helicals. But 90% of the shots are left of the bull using the same barebow aiming I used on the 47#. I've read that an over spined arrow will hit left, but I don't think they are over spined. If anything a tad weak.

I'm sure there are several things that could cause it. Mostly poor form. Any suggestions on what to look for would be appreciated.

Well, found a video that demonstrates some potential causes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDrAS9tKjqw

1. Concentration: Focus on the bull till the arrow hits it.
2. Stance too open.
3. Torquing the string. If bow is canted, spine must canted the same angle.
4. Grip of the bow: Depending on angle of the grip, if you "palm" the bow it can twist quickly upon release, and to the left.
5. Arrow: If changed arrows the new arrow may strike left of where you are trained to aim it.
6. Fatigue. When you tired your form falls apart. Plucking, etc. takes over. Esepecially short drawing can cause arrow to strike left.

I think I'm suffering from No. 2, 4, and 6.

Self diagnosed, kind of. Ya'll let me know if you know of other potential causes.

Try shooting some bare shafts at 20 yards or more to see how they fly. Bareshafts will tell you more than paper.

Sometimes overspine will bounce off a riser and show weak. Test by Adding even more weight. If they truly are weak then they will show weaker. If you are too stiff already and you reduce weight you are left chasing your tail with false readings.

Someone, perhaps you, mentioned that before. Good technique.

I shot bare shaft at about 15-yards. It does strike much lower than fletched, but I'm not able to see much indication of weakness in flight. Need to get my wife to film it in slo-mo. Hoping later today.

You may be short drawing the bow and your arrow is overspined. I hurt my shoulder during the season last year and had the same issue.

Yes, either short drawing or collapsing at the release. When you bareshaft stretch out the distance as much as you can and shoot several times only paying attention to the average. With a bareshaft any form inconsistencies will show greatly so it's better to take a reading from 2 dozen shots than 3 or 4. When I am shooting perfectly,I have grouped bareshafts perfectly in with my 45 yard feathered arrow group. Pluck one though and you will completely miss the backstop.

The first 10 or so I'm not short drawing or collapsing. At least I think not. I'll have my wife observe. Likely to do both if I shoot to long and get fatiqued.

Best idea, someone else can pick up on it easier than you can yourself.

If bare shaft was good and fletched isn't.........your rest/set up needs fixed.

Weak is nock left for a righty.

Overspined can crash riser and kick for nock left too.
This is what is known as a "false reading".

Paper tune works, but only if done correctly. It should show you the same stuff bare shaft does.

Bow quivers can change tune and really screw things up if too far fwd. A bit rearward is better.

Standard stuff. Not rocket science.
But if you get flustered and start second guessing this and that, peek in shooting.............youre just gonna make a mess of it.

Relax and start from scratch.

IMHO at 15 yards your bare shaft and fletched should hit the same.
If not you have rest/tune issues.

I was a springboard diver in high school, we videoed ourselves doing dives to tweek our form. I've done the same with archery, seeing yourself doing something is a great learning experience.

Make sure your shoulder blades are squeezed together at release. And you might drop down to 10 arrows per session so fatigue isn't factoring into the equation. Also, consider that 2 different bows are going to shoot differently due to differences in design and setup.

I'm convinced I'm short drawing after just a few shots and inconsistently drawing this heavier bow all the time. I'll keep shooting it to build up strength, but give up on arrow perfection and developement for short time.

I have a Click-it Clicker on the way that'll help make my draw consistent. No point in working on the arrows till I can have a consistent draw.

An inch of draw length means a lot for arrow tune.

You might make do with that bow but if you want to get really good with a bow it needs to be light weight enough that you could shoot 100 arrows and not be worn out.

Roger that. This 57# was a gift years ago when I could draw more weight easily. Just playing with it, might hunt with it eventually if Im able to build up to it.

You probably can.I'm about the same way. Most of the bows I shot 10 years ago are a bit heavier now than I would like.

I shoot a '56 Bear, Cub.. #47 @62"..... shot left with 50 - 70 spined carbon. Found it shoots Easton aluminum hunters 2117 perfect.... When any bow shoots left, I look spine first, then grip!

I closed my stance some, which forced my bow arm to be more in-line. That help considerably.

I am right handed and my master eye is my right eye but if I shoot with both eyes open I will hit to the left . Years ago it did not do that so my left eye it taking over or my right eye is not as dominant as it once was.

just shoot more and think less.LOl Both Howard Hill and Fred Bear shot opposite for their eye dominance. It didn't seem to be much of an issue for them.

Interesting. I shoot with both open. Wonder if I'm allow that left eye to ruin my shots. Had not thought of that. Have to focus on it tomorrow.

Use heavier points.

Use a thinner strike plate, or remove it all together to see how far "right" you will hit. Sand your riser thinner to make it more "cut past center".

Use a shaft with more deflection. Don't cut your 400 spine shafts. leave the full length. The longer the shaft, the more deflection you get (" weaker spine")

Use more "string blur.".


Presuming you are holding bow in left hand , drawing with right.

Both eyes open, strong dominate right (right handed).
Even if spine isn't right, they still go where pointed.
Just have an attitude.

Never had left or right problems, ever.

Pretty much got it fixed now. My form sucked. But, still, when I miss it's going to be left and not right 95% of the time.

follow through man, follow through

When I shot fingers, my point of impact crept proportionally to finger fatigue. I rolled the string tighter as I got more tired, and the release technique suffered. Odds are it's fatigue/form before hardware.

Well just great. There goes my excuse to buy a new bow!!!!

Does make sense.

If you are shooting the bow vertical, w a non gapped rug rest you might have it " out " occasionally.
So for a righty that would make it left.

Canting the bow can fix that little variancej.

Also gets arrow under rhe eye should the issue be one of aiming.

A little cant aint a bad thing.

I see what you're saying. I do shoot vertical and canting messes me up. After the season I'll explore canting a bit and see if I can get used to it. Took awhile to adjust to shooting with both eyes open, too.

Your left might be arrow off the sideplate at launch.

Tab or glove?

Tab w spacer going split, or 3 under should stop it.

I hate gloves

I have to focus or mine will be low and left.

Glove. I hate tabs. That's how I roll.

Focus is certainly key. Not moving that left arm is rather improtant, also.

I have s bad habit of looking to see where the arrow has hit instead of keeping pin on target until after the arrow strikes the target.