Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: JustJake on October 06, 2012, 08:06:30 pm
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Hi,
I have been shooting/hunting with a recurve for many years now. While I love it, I can not seem to get consistant with my shooting. I am almost always on target left and right, but am constantly shooting over the back of the target(or deer). I am getting frustrated to the point of not enjoying it anymore. I am a self taught shooter and was hoping their might be a club or individual in the south east Wisconsin area (Madison to Milwaukee) that I could get together with to do some shooting and maybe get me pointed in the right direction. (No pun intended). I would greatly appreciate any help I can get.
Thanks, Jake
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A lot of that is probably form but we can't tell with out seeing, there are twelve thousand little things that come out to a big difference, for the most part just try to do the Same thing every time you shoot. As for when your hunting and " shooting over deer" , a deer will crouch down when it hears the sound of a bow shot try to aim where they will be
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JJ hang in there what is your set up arrows tip weight? Give us the numbers, just to see that the tackle is close, then lets talk shot sequence kinda like a big league pitcher? Are you split finger or three under? Next and this will cause a bunch of debate ,,,,lets tape a temporary sitght pin to the bow! Just remember in the sixtys lots of hunters had sight pins before they knew they were suposed to be trad!! And all those trad vintage bows on flea-bay got those sight pin holes drilled in them long before they were trad! We'll figure this out! JeffW
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If you are consistantly shooting over deers backs the problem is you are looking at the deer and not picking a spot. It is a very common problem. I missed the first 9 deer I shot at and every one was over the back. Concentrate on the exact spot that you want the arrow to go and it will.
I could drill targets all day long but when it comes to shooting a live animal it all changes. You have to train yourself to concentrate on that spot and forget about the deer.
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""but am constantly shooting over the back of the target(or deer). ""
?? over the back of targets? or over back of just deer?
aim point...? sometimes people move their aimpoint with their eyes, but not the bow
pull up the bow then look to aim,but not adjust? jus guessing here as said cl be one of a 1000 things.. nock point ..aim ...weight...
if yer consistant, thats good! easier to fix!
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Another tool in our modern box. Use youtube. Video yourself shooting. Dont need to see the target. Just you. All four angles. A few arrows from each perspective. Shoot like you do......dont change snything for camera.
Close view from hips to top of head or bow limb would be good.
Im sure we could make some progress from ther. Id be happy to look....just link your vid here
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Thanks for the responses.
I shoot my grandpa's Ben Pearson 58" bow with 55# draw weight and 28" draw length. I use 100gr field points and broadheads. I tried the two blade broad heads, but have better results with the three blade type. I use the leather fingers with my index finger above and my middle and ring finger below. I always place the knuckle of my bent thumb in the pocket behind my earlobe.
As for the deer or target question it is both. Although really just the target as I have not actually hunted for the last several seasons. Nothing is worse than wounding an animal and I have not had the confidence in my shooting ability to head out into the woods. Actually, after typing that I thought about it and when I've missed deer it was both above and below. Favoring the above though.
Thanks for the offer of studying film, but I'm afraid that's a little beyond me. (And I would need a camera.)
Again, thank you for the feed back, and the encouragement.
Jake
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Fair enough.
Ever played with changing your anchor point? Might be worth trying sticking your middle finger tip in the corner of your mouth. Puts the nock right under your nose every time without thinking about it.
Another good training aid is a clicker......makes sure you hit full draw every time instead of shott drawing for some shits and not for others. When you do it right every time take the clicker off and go hunt!
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Actually, I read a couple of other threads last night and saw several mentions of fingers in the corner of the mouth. I just got done trying that and it might hold some promise. Hard to tell after one try though. I caught myself reverting back to my original anchor several times.
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Just takes repitition. Not a cure all but the simple act of concentrating on a new anchor can make othe changes in your form that might help without even realizing it.
Dont overlook the clicker either. I have seen a few people be helped by them.
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.makes sure you hit full draw every time instead of shott drawing for some shits and not for others.
im sorry but that made me laugh
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whats a clicker?
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A clicker is an aid to ensure you draw the same length every time. Every olympic recurve shooter uses one. It can help if you short draw or are inconsistent in how far you draw your arrows. 3Rivers has one called the "Clickity Click" if I recall correctly. In this case I doubt that's the problem. Most shooters have this problem as they're learning. This is a close range sport and a lot of people expect to shoot great at 20 yards right off the bat but that takes time. Shoot lots of arrows at close targets (ie. 7 yards) until you're sure you can't miss. Move out a couple yards and try again. When you have trouble move back to close shots. Eventually you'll hone your style and be able to shoot further but as you're learning it shouldn't stop you from hunting, just from taking long shots. As Pat said, most deer are shot over because of lack of concentration on a small spot. I try to envision the beating heart and shoot at that. Crude...but effective.
George
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if you think about it.... if you cant hit nothing, you can hit something ;D ::) ;)
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Hahaha. I love misspells on touch screen phones. Always a laugh in them
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Hehe, I know what 'OP' means, I also can't hit anything. Today I was out "grouse" hunting when I found one sitting on a branch about 10 feet away. 10 feet away (!!), 2 arrows and I missed it, twice.
I dunno, I only advise 'practice.' Try putting a little dot on your bow above where you place your arrows and learn to use that as your 'bead.' It's what I'm going to do tomorrow.
('cause that grouse looked tasty!)
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Are you shooting from the same distance all of the time and still shooting high and low? Do you have a solid nocking point on your string?Is that nocking point set where it should be or is your arrow porpoising? Are your arrows matched for weight as well as spine? Are you checking your arrows for straightness before you shoot? Need more info.
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Your going through what most instantive hunts go through with picking a spot. A the last min in the excitement of haveing a live deer that close. At the last second you eye go's to the most prononced thing there is. THE HORZONIAL LINE OF THE DEERS BACK. I've spine shot so many deer I don't even want to tell you. I think I have 6 or 7 broad heads in vertabrays I've cut out and saved. It's the difference in the deers horzonial back line and it's color and the back grounds color that draws you eye to it that last second. It's stuck in your bain and it's hard to get out.
Thats the main reason people shoot high.
Ohter than the wrong arrow spine. The left and right is your canting the bow differently. I only thats a fraction at the bow to make inchs down range.
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Crooketarrow makes a great point, pun intended. Lot of us have airmailed arrows right over a deer's back. Many of us when shooting at a buck send one right thru the horns like a NFL kicker splitting the uprights. Guess where you were looking?!?!?! >:D
I look for that little pocket right under the deer's elbow. Drill your eyes into that spot like you are trying to burn the hair off with your lazer eyesight...then shoot that spot.
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An aiming system would probably help you. Have you thought about learning to gap shoot?
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Whats "gap shooting"?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgm-oErUEQM
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Form ain't everything but it is the basis for everything. When I finally got consistent with my
bow arm and release(which is a long, dull essential process) I was advised to stump shoot
a lot at all kinds of distances and from all kinds of crazy positions.
Not only was it fun it really helped me. When I stump shoot all the shots just happen
because personally I can't think about form and correctness when I'm on my knees shooting
around a tree. When Yogi Berra said" How can I hit and think at the same time?" He summed that up pretty well.
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http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,22886.90.html (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,22886.90.html)
Read this and you will feel much better lol.
I had lots of issues but now most of them have been worked out. I am working now on getting control of my heart rate as the deer walks in. Dont give up just work harder at it, in 6 months you will get it down.
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I think the first year I shot 28 times before I took a deer
This year I think I shot 5 times and three of those were at moving deer. So if you only count static tagets thats 2 and a long ways from 28. That post above really helped so I hope you can learn from my struggle and the great advice that others provided me as I began. Just keep trying and it will come together!
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Shooting over a deer happens a lot.I call it peaking just before release.You peak to look at either the tip of the arrow or a different look at the deer and quit focusing on your small patch of hair.Now after you get that going consistently on the flat you can start shooting up hill and down hill to get that consistent too.That's all ground shooting.Practice from a tree stand also.The windows and angles are even smaller there.Not trying to shoot a deer more than 15 yards would help too.There are no free rides with consistent shooting.If you have good hand to eye corordination you will get it right.That is keeping everything the same shot to shot.