ripeddie713

Im new to these forums and hope to eventually hang around long term.

I am a member of United Bowhunters of Rhode Island, and how like a lil help from the community here.

This year i started bowshooting, and this coming October will be my first hunting season. That being said, Im having some troubles...

1. I sometimes forget to do everyting correctly
2. When I do commit to a perfectly excecuted shot, I find that iI have trouble consistenty shooting a good group.

Now and again I get good groups on the 3-D targets and score upwards of 270-280 on 3-d tournaments. On bag tournaments, however, I seem to shoot so unconsistent, it looks as if I am shooting at different points on the target.

I was just wondering if anyone can give me pointers on how to shoot consistently, and improve my skills. Thanks in advance for any help.

gamespooker

the only advice that i really know to give is to practice, everyday. practice taking your time on each shot and making sure that you do everything right. my problem is i end up getting tired and the more i shoot the bigger my grouping gets.constantly working on building those muscles.

millerhunter13

you could take shooting classes, but if you want to hunt this season you could do a couple of things that i have found to help me shoot better, this one seems dumb but i wasnt doing it, always make sure that you are anchoring at the same spot everytime, if you shoot with a release easily pull the trigger as if you were shooting a rifle and after you pull the release hold the bow in the same spot, because i realized that as soon as i pulled the release i was moving my bow which didnt give me accurate groupings i fixed these issues actully over last weekend, now at 10 yards which is as much as i can shoot at my house i am getting min. 1/2-1/4 groupings or sometimes they are touching, hope this helps.
mike

ripeddie713

thanks for the help guys, at the moment, my effective range is 20 yards.but my groups are getting farther and farther apart. i think its because i tire quickly. i shot today longer than i ever have, at 4-5 hours total.i watched my groups get tighter, but as i kept going, they quickly started to spread out again. i took my proficency test to hunt on a prive ilsand, which is a hotspot up here in RI and did fine, but it was a wide set group. a guy came up to me, and helped me out, with such things as letting the bow flow, instead of trying to control the pins, which hlped alot. i ended up finding out hes top 10 in the world for his age class. hes been shooting for 40-50+ years. he can hit a dime 100/100 shots, with his recurve. he told me, they way he practices is by setting his anchor points, recognizing them, and closing his eyes before shooting. and sure enough, hed line up his sights, close his eyes, and hit a bull. it was amazing to me.

but going back to what you guys said, im going to try working on my stamina and conditioning more. im not too small of a guy either. im 5'9'' 210lbs at 15 years old. i got some muscle on the bones. but hopfuly, the anchor point remembrance will help, thanks a lot guys.

mauser06

you tire quickly?? lower your bow poundage...you will shoot better.

just practicing wont make you better. perfect practice makes perfect. if you get tired, form gets sloppy and shooting suffers...then you form bad habits. bad habits are harder to break than it is to stick with good habits.

also, i find that shooting 3 arrows at a time, instead of 5 lets me shoot alot longer. heck...shooting 1 or 2 at a time i go real long. shooting for 4-5 hours just sounds crazy to me. well...ive done it...and suffered a close call with a shoulder injury...luckily i quit before it was an injury. shoot 20 or 30 shots a day. focus on good consistant form.

repeatability is what your looking for. good solid anchors, same sight picture and peep alignement, good loose grip, relaxed bow arm, good release.

also, try shrinking your target. i bought a pack of golf tees for like a buck or 2 at walmart. my bag is black and they are white. i shoot those even at 40yds. be surprised how much that can shrink groups alone.

time and practice will get you there...shooting lessons arent a bad idea. it'll jumpstart the learning curve and if you pay attention and keep doin what your taught, you will continue to shoot well. wish i woulda did that when i started...i pretty much taught myself and read what i could find online and on these forums.

good luck...lower the bow poundage and work on consistancy. consistancy starts with Y O U.

ar34muzzyman

I have been where you at now.ABSOLUTLEY-do not practice at 4-5 hours at a time.as you found out,you tire easily.When ya get tired it affects everything.I shoot 12 arrows-then quit for 30min or so-then 12 more.Your trying to rush musle buildup,etc.The previus post have great info for ya.Also if your going to hunt-practice wearing a jacket youd wear&practice when its cold outside.Colder weather affects you also.Good luck

ripeddie713

thanks for the help guys. practicing that long was stupid, but i had nothing better to do =P

ill take all of your suggestions into consideration when practicing today

The Rev

For what it's worth... Practice does not make you better. If you practice something wrong you're only going to allow that habit to sink in further and become harder to break.
If you belong to an archery club, there should be some good shooters that can help you with your form. Shooters that are top in the state or seasoned staff shooters. Shoot with them and allow them to critique you. Take pictures of you shooting, front, back and side views to see what you need to improve on.
Someone said, to reduce your poundage, if you can do that without creating a lot of slop in your bow, by all means back it off some and shoot comfortably. Read all you can about archery, watch archery videos if you can, and enjoy the greatest sport in the world. If I can help you with anything, PM me, I will be glad to answer any question you might have, if I don't know the answer, I can find out.

ripeddie713

thanks, im glad to have some many helpful people around .

i talked with a shooter who is top 10 in the world for his age class. he told me my form was perfect, and he also taught me some cool training techniques to remember anchor points.

my dad just gave me goldtip XTs this morning, and i got 3/3 in the bull, he had to bump the bow up to 45 and im confident i can shoot it smoothly. i am not shooting more consistent than i ever have, geting close sets in the bull. im very happy with that.

millerhunter13

make sure those gold tips, are setup for your bow, like spine, lenght and all that good stuff.