Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting wrist sling

What have you noticed as far as any stability or steadiness with the use of a wrist sling. The kinds that connect to the stabilizer hole in the riser.

Just curious about the benefits of this device

They aren't used to give support, they are for if you shoot open handed to keep from dropping the bow. They are mostly psychological in that use - to keep you from making a grab for the bow as you trigger the release.

If you do use one, and it's tight, your accuracy will suffer.

I'll be interested to see what much more experienced bow hunters than me have to say on this. I don't use a wrist sling, not sure why I'd need one, but have wondered about them. Maybe it's just the marketing folks getting to me.....

I use one. I also do not grab my bow in any way at the shot. It just sits and then falls slowly forward. The strap just keeps it from hitting ground. It is loose. And in no way provides any use before or during the shot. A too tight wrist strap is detrimental to accuracy as it will induce torque

It comes in handy for everything but helping you with the shot. Pulling your bow up to your stand. If I have to hold my bow up in a sitting position without a bow rest I'll stuff my cam in the top of my boot and keep the sling around my wrist to prevent my hand from tiring...a sort of balancing act. Of course it keeps the bow from leaving your body after the shot as mentioned above.

It's a creature comfort for me, not much else.

It's there to teach you to shoot properly but you have to use it properly.

You can't grip a bow tightly and get your best accuracy because you are using muscle tension. You need a completely relaxed hand, neither gripping nor holding it open.

The main thing when using a sling is to forget it's there and let it catch the bow. Just relax your hand and don't anticipate the bow falling and try to catch it at the shot.

Good info above. I remember launching my brand new bow down range one time when I did not put the sling on prior to shooting it! In the old days when bows had some hand shock they were a necessity. With modern compound bows I don't even use one any more. With my recurves I like a sling as they tend to jump at the shot.

I took mine off because it was a pin when hunting. Every time I tried to quickly and quietly get my bow off my tree hanger I had to futz with getting my hand through the strap.

Then I quit using it, and figured it if wasn't going to serve a purpose I took it off and haven't had any reason to put it back on. If I know me, it's lost in the black hole of a hunting pack somewhere at this point.

It's a training aid to me, used once in a while to exaggerate the principle of leaving the bow hand loose. I like the reinforcement. It's easy to strangle the bow like it was a pistol when the pressure of a big shot is on. On normal practice shots I don't let the bow fall, but I don't grip it either. But once or twice per session I will let the bow fall just to make a mental reference point. Like shooting with a quarter resting on your bow wrist, it is a point that pays off. Squeezing and dropping the bow hand are deal killers.

If you shoot well without a wrist strap, and can diagnose your own misses, there's no need for one.

As for stability and accuracy, they add nothing. A properly-adjusted wrist strap does not even contact your wrist when shooting, or if so very lightly. It's not like a rifle sling in that regard. With all the animals you have killed with a bow, it won't make a dif for you.