Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting 25 and counting

Yards that is.

Built me one of those "Montana Marine Horse Stall Mat" backstops, backed up ten steps, and took to flinging arrows from 25-yards. I've got room to shoot from 40-yards but that's all the room I have. It'll have to do. But I've some work to do at 25-yards first. Able to land 3 out 6 within 3" of the bullseye consistently. The other 3 stay on the 20 x 20 bag target, but I figure I need all 6 in tight before I backup anymore. I'm doing well left and right, but instinctivinzing the 25-yards to throwing my off. I'll get it.

Gotta say, it feels like an accomplishment to shoot bare bow and get that close to the bull.

Also, I notice the one arrow I have helical feathers on shoots consistently better than the others which are just a little bit off-set from straight. Very noticeable at 25-yards. Have a Bitz coming in a few days and I'll make up a batch of helicals.

Sounds good!

Geez! I go back and for from brilliance, to awful, to brilliance. One day I' shootin 6 inch groups at 20 yards and the next I'm not shooting groups at all. Thinking my eye/brain/hand instinctivizing is out of focus. Frustrating.

No idea how anybody hits at 40 yards w/o a sight.

Yeah I go through the same things. Sometimes I'm on my game, sometimes I'm a mess.

I try 40 sometimes, but mostly 20-30 yards. One thing at 40, for me, I'm right around my 'point on' distance. So that helps with the vertical hold. At 20-30 I'm more instinctive on the hold.

It's a journey.

I don't know my point on distance yet. Need an open field with a 40 to 50 yard shot and plenty of clear space beyond for the miss! Draw length is 27 1/4", and I left the arrows at 29" so there's not much sticking out. That point has a ways to come up from 20 yard shot.

welcome to the world of the struggle stick. It really can be a mind game some times. Sometimes when you know you're not focusing, it's best to just walk away for a while.
One thing I've noticed over the years is when you're tired, mentally or physically, you are going to shoot poorly. In addition, if you shoot too much, your form will go to hell. Shooting instinctive is fun, so we tend to shoot more than we should. It starts when you realize you're dropping your bow arm at release. Then you start not hitting your anchor consistently. Next thing you know you're snap shooting.
I don't have the answers. I don't think it would be as much fun if I did. Trad is a journey, not a race. Enjoy it. If I could give you one piece of advice, stop worrying about shooting groups. Get yourself a couple judo tips and go roaming and stump shooting. you'll be amazed at how your shooting will improve.

And BTW - unless you're hunting moose or elk, 40 yds is too far for trad gear IMO.

Gun Geezer, I've been shooting a recurve for more than 40 years. Never could get used to a "wheelie bow". To me, they're like a bow with training wheels. Get a copy of G. Fred Asbel's book "Instinctive Shooting." Read it, then re-read it and STUDY what he says. It'll do wonders for your shooting. bbassi has good advice. Don't keep shooting until you're tired. You'll just develop bad habits. Shoot 8-10 arrows, 3 to 4 times a day, maybe even fewer arrows, but more often. And forget 40-50 yard shots. Like Asbel says in his book, learn to kill them every time from 20 yards.

Sound wisdom from what I take to be a couple seasoned archers.

A little stump shooting might be just the thing. Get out, get a walk in, dodge a copperhead, swat a few thousand mosquitoes, and fire off one shot. Repeat!

Exactly!!! No better practice than roving or stump shooting, whatever you choose to call it. I can spend hours walking around the woods with a Judo tipped arrow shooting at whatever presents itself. It may be a leaf, dirt clod, dandelion, thistle, ground squirrel (around here we call them "pot guts"), a feather or whatever. For shooting in the yard, I usually buy a few small, stuffed animals at our local thrift store and toss them around the house. Judo tips were made for stuffed animals and the stuffed animals seem to last forever. When they start to lose too much stuffing, I toss them and buy more. I can usually get them for .50-$1.00 each. Also, when I'm hunting, I always have a Judo tipped arrow in my quiver. A great mid afternoon diversion when the elk have all bedded down.