Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: bradsmith2010 on September 02, 2016, 02:48:34 pm
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yesterday was first day of elk season in New Mexico,, I got to go and took my 66 inch osage self bow,, simmons broadheads and birch 700 grain arrows,,
we had a huge bull come by at about 20 yards,, my friend was in front and got to take the shot,, his bow( osage self bow 62# @ 29") hit a limb on release and the arrow buried into an aspen,, I was happy to have a ringside seat for the action,, at least my bow got close to a bull( I could feel it quiver in my hand or was that me),, my tag is for about 10 more days and I am hoping for more encounters,, its not quite as easy as they show on utube,, :) :) :)
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Congrats for the opportunity. I was in Colorado 2 times and never saw an elk. We did hear a few bugle though.
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yes the last time I drew a tag, I only saw a cow too far, ,no luck,,this time we got lucky, my friend was a little disappointed,, but I had a great time seeing such a magnificent animal that close,, :) it was great having my self bow along ,, the weather was perfect and the mountain was beautiful amazing,, so nice trip,, I enjoyed all aspects of the trip, even the painful uphill climbs,, :) I did kill a couple of stumps just to make sure my bow was sighted in,,, :)
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Sounds exciting. I hope you are taking some pictures to share with us.
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Sounds awesome!! I love that ringside view; I got to watch my buddy put an arrow through one's heart in Montana but never got a shot myself. Hunting is hunting even when you are not the shooter, great job and hope you get more of those encounters.
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Great news...First day encounter.Can't ask for more than that,and a 20 yard shot to boot.Next time it's your turn....lol.9 days left.Sounds like a good area your in hope your weather holds up for ya.Good luck.
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Exciting! People say wood isn't magnetic but they've never seen how the tinyest little twig can attract your arrow :o
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thanks guyys , I hope to get to go tomorrow,, my friends are up there today, and I am working,, so I am hunting through them,, I didnt take too many pics , but will try to get more on sunday,, I hope it will be my turn to shoot, wow thats alot of pressure :),, but if one gets close enough I will give it my best try,, I have been stump shooting on the mountain for several weeks,,, and have my ranges down, it looks alot different shooting up and down,, my bow shoots pretty flat even with my 700 grain arrow,, so my hold is about the same out to 25,, those close shots can be challenging ,, they put alot of pressure on you ,, when the game is that close,, tendency is to rush the shot because you think you need to, but if you can hold your nerve and shoot your normal speed,, that will usually work best for you,, when you see an animal coming its hard to see all the little limbs and such that might cause a problem, but that is just part of the challenge,, it was a great hunt for me I am still buzzing around thinking of that big guy,,
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i went hunting yesterday,, saw 6 turkeys and a bobcat,, but the elk were scarce,, my two friends hunting didnt see or hear anything,,
I think the weather was too nice,, :) I did make some nice shots on a few clumps of grass,, getting to shoot my bow on the mountain is fun in itself,, made a really nice shot at 60 plus yards ,, with witness,, :)
while I am thinking of it,, I wanted to talk a bit about shooting,,
I am not a great shot,, I am just an average shot ,, but if I practice alot,, I can get pretty good,,
I dont have much room to shoot here in the city, about 10 yards,,,
but last year I just kept it up and shoot every week,, sometimes every day,,
I saw my form improve,,
swithing from one bow to the other was easy,,
I could shoot a wide range of spine out of each bow, because my release was better and my form better,,
I was worried how was my longer range shooting gonna be,,
well if you form and release are good,, its not that hard to shoot the longer ranges,,
what I found is if you can shoot a good group at a know yardage on level ground with your feet in a comfortable stance,,
all that tells you is ,,,,, you can shoot a good group at a known distance in a comfortable stance,, shooting at your leisure,,
how does this relate to a hunting shot,, well,, usually you dont know the distance,, or how fast your are going to have to shoot,, and you are out of normal postion most the time,, maybe shooting up or down,,with obstructions all around,,
how do you practice for that,, well I think roving or stump shooting is the key,,
every shot different,, that is what tunes you up,, the variety of shots give your brain and body a chance to practice the known unknown,,,, which is key in a hunting situation where the shot is going to be improvised sometimes in a split second,,
make yourself shoot fast,, make yourself hold longer and practice every variation you might encounter as the game comes by your shooting range,,
when you are at home ,, practice your form of course, but realize that target shooting alone my not prepare you for the shot of a lifetime,,,,
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60+? Good grief.. I am deciding whether I will let myself take a 25 yard shot this year. 20 and my groups are really lacking precision
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thats 60 at a stump,, for fun,, at game I am going for 20ish,,, :)
Lumberman, I hear you, last year deer season I had not been shooting well,,
I let deer go by at 15 yards,, got lucky and one came by at 8 yards,, I was comfortable at that range and made a good shot,,
since last oct,, I have practiced alot more,, and feel good to 20 on an elk,,
the way a deer can jump,, I will probably only shoot 10 or 15 yards,,,, I am old and patient,, so dont mind waiting for a good close shot,,
but when I am shooting for fun,, I will shoot as far as my bow will shoot,, :)
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Being new to shooting a long bow, I am still trying to figure out my best anchor point and I am trying to get better at my release but I do not have much to base off. I believe I hurt the performance in my hunter for this year by over drawing it in my experimentation.. Was 45ish on the scale and now it feels like 37, also making my arrows a bit overspined. Don't mean to hijack your thread but what are your influences for release instruction?
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your not hi jacking, any pointer I could give to help would be what the thread is about,, I am just posting for fun,, and if one thing can bring something positive that would be great,,
shooting with a good release if one of those things that is different for every shooter,,
but if your arrow is flying good out of your bow,, and not making a noise hitting the bow,, you are probably getting a good release,,
whether you hit what you are aiming at is another story,,but get a good release consistantly and you will start to hit,,
sometimes when I hold too long the release and arrow flight is not so good,,
if I draw the bow to anchor and pull through the shot in a fairly solid motion I get my best results,, the arrow will tell the story,,
if my third finger drags on the string too much,, my arrows not good,, so I have to work on that,,
sometimes I just shoot with no tab or glove to work on my finger pressure,,
but when I get the arrow to fly good I try to duplicate that,,
if I am having a bad day,, I stop and try the next day,,
if that is not what you are asking let me know and I will clarify to my best,,
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Well I attempt a clean release just naturally of course, as in trying relax the fingers right off without tugging or "rolling" as I have heard it called. I get my cleanest flight when I have no anchor hold, essentially a snap shot but at 15+ I feel like a snap shot is just flinging hopefuls. Sure some hit well but consistently having some 2 feet off where I am aiming means I cannot with a good conscience shoot that at a deer. My flight gets more erratic as well and I can't help but feel like knowing how to "properly" release a three finger draw would help me push those distances.
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I guess I am hoping for some tip to make it seem a little clearer and the real need is to keep on putting holes in my makeshift targets and improve through commitment and effort. :)
Thanks for expounding
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well if you hit an anchor and pull through as if you were snap shooting,, it may give you more consistancy,,
I can shoot well with no anchor, alot of my bows are short or short draw,, 20 to 25 inches,,
it takes practice to shoot these, that is the key,, practice, accuracy with no anchor is obtainable,,
but you may have to limit your shots say to 10 yards on game to start with,, my favorite hunting bow of all time was 25 inch draw, no anchor, I was accurate to 30 yard groups with it,, and killed deer with it but under 20( some less than 10 yards,), maybe one just a little over 20,,,, I dry fired it and it broke in two pieces,,
when I shoot with no anchor,, I draw the bow as if I am going to hit anchor,, having my elbow coming back into line,, but just release before I get to an anchor,,
I will put a piece of tape on the arrow so I am drawing it to the same lenghth each shot,, that will help your consistancy,,
soon your body will feel when to release based more on the weight of the bow ,, than how far you draw,,
if you are pulling though the shot at that point, the arrow should go pretty much where you are looking,,
the lighter bow is harder to release smoothly,, the heavier bow will pull from your fingers as you get to full draw a little smoother,,
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well if you hit an anchor and pull through as if you were snap shooting,, it may give you more consistancy,,
I can shoot well with no anchor, alot of my bows are short or short draw,, 20 to 25 inches,,
it takes practice to shoot these, that is the key,, practice, accuracy with no anchor is obtainable,,
but you may have to limit your shots say to 10 yards on game to start with,, my favorite hunting bow of all time was 25 inch draw, no anchor, I was accurate to 30 yard groups with it,, and killed deer with it but under 20( some less than 10 yards,), maybe one just a little over 20,,,, I dry fired it and it broke in two pieces,,
when I shoot with no anchor,, I draw the bow as if I am going to hit anchor,, having my elbow coming back into line,, but just release before I get to an anchor,,
I will put a piece of tape on the arrow so I am drawing it to the same lenghth each shot,, that will help your consistancy,,
soon your body will feel when to release based more on the weight of the bow ,, than how far you draw,,
if you are pulling though the shot at that point, the arrow should go pretty much where you are looking,,
the lighter bow is harder to release smoothly,, the heavier bow will pull from your fingers as you get to full draw a little smoother,,
I'm curious, can you still hit a spot 6" around at 60 yards? Because, that is the best option, with a hope and a prayer, at a heart shot, and at that distance your best; or are you just shooting at the Elk?
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I would not be shooting at an Elk at 60 yards,,,I can not hit a 6" circle at 60 yards consistantly,, only a lucky shot,,
I only shoot that distance for fun,, at a stump or target,,
when you are shooting at a 3d elk target at that range, you pick a spot to shoot at,,not the whole elk target,,
I am only confident at that range shooting at grass clumps or a stump,,
if I was going to shoot 60 yards alot,, I would set my bow up to shoot point on at 60 yards,,
put the tip of the arrow on the target and release,,
I would shoot more of an aiming style if long range was my goal,, or that was the normal shot I would have,,
but I would not shoot at elk at that range,,
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I see, I had thought about trying a 26" draw, I swing a 29-30 pretty comfortably but when I do the snapshot it flows from my fingers somewhere before that but I am not sure where. Thanks again
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try putting a piece of tape on the arrow,,
if you up the poundage it will help a bit,,
pull back to the tape,, hesitate a split second as if that is your anchor,, then pull though the shot,,
if you make a bow that is 50 at 26 it will perform well,,
make a bow that is 50 at 29 and practice both ways,
you will find that there is a weight your body likes, say its 50,.
you body will release at 50,,, not so much how far you draw,,
right now your bow is light at the shorter draw,,so it may be confusing the issue
if you cut the bow shorter to bring up the weight, it will be easier to shoot at the 26inches( if you have enough wood to do that)
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Hmm.. That is a good point. I will try that on the next one
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Good conversation fellas....Besides the elk hunting adventure and I guess you gotta listen and find those elk again.Do you have other tags for other game too Brad?Sounds like your having a good time.
I find if I pucker down and focus small and follow through with my release of my snap shot things go good smooth and right.Flight and accuracy both.With a comfortable draw weight of course.To draw with some kind of hesitation/back thought/doubt or whatever is no good.Shooting with confidence.It hits a bullseye because it was supposed to not because it was lucky.I feel good when a group of 4 to 6 arrows is within a 4" circle @ 20 yards and that is not an always regular thing with me either.Lots of times practicing I will only shoot 1 arrow at a time.Hit where I want.Retrieve the arrow and do it again.Builds my confidence.Shooting each shot with a focused purpose is a mental thing too.
Shooting long shots are fun but don't improve me much for accuracy on my 20 yard shots.Stump shooting is my best way to practice in different positions for me too.
Shooting the same bow for a while helps me too.Even though having a number of bows shoot the same arrow good.That cuts down on so many different types of arrows used specifically for certain bows too.A person gets kinda married to a bow after a while.
Just what works for me and my 2 cents worth.I started not knowing a darn thing.Not knowing if it was the bow/my form/my arrow or what ever for inaccuracy.What holds true that's been said and practiced is consistent form will get consistent accuracy.
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I only have an elk tag, but I can shoot any elk,,
I can buy a turkey tag, so need to do that
I think shooting the one arrow at a time is great practice too,
I will shoot several arrows at a time to build up strength and work on form
but like shooting one arrow at a time,, and really pay attention to my first cold shot,,
I will shoot throughout the day too ,, even when hunting,,
thanks for the input Ed,, insightful as always,,
I get to hunt tomorrow so hope to test out some of my shooting "theories"
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Thanks again for the tips, I will try the one arrow as well, should have yesterday as I ended up with two broken knocks at 15 yards. I generally try to aim at different spots to avoid that but I am pleased that is becoming a must
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Now you're just bragging ;D ;D ;D
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wow sounds like one of my tips may have cost you an arrow,, good shooting,,brag on,,, :) :)
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I think it's time when that happens to step back a little farther Lumberman.....lol.Try 25 yards.Sounds like your ready though.I've got nock ticked arrows too.Some I'm still shooting.Try that with a plastic nock once.
A liitle side story.....When 3D shooting with my yahoos we like to have fun.Shooting at those foam replicas[only elk I'll see this year is a foam one....lol.] from different angles opposed to where the stakes are set.Through holes in the brush/between trees/ or whatever.Well shafts get stuck in at angles then.A number of times we have crushed each others' shafts then by shooting from the stakes at the target.There's a name for that....lol..My dogwoods love those carbides.....lol.
Well it's getting hot here Brad.Would'nt be good for elk I'd say.Deer either here by me.Cooling off soon though.Hope your weather is holding up for ya to find em.You might be getting some of that rain too.
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we got rain and it cooled off into the 50's on the mountain
I got to go this afternoon ,, hunted from 12:30 till bout 7:00
I met my fried that had been up there all day and he had herd an elk at about 11
so we went to that area and just hung out there
well we didnt here anything all day,, so a stump shoot broke out, I was shooting pretty good and my friend was shooting better ,, so we were shooting further,, well on the longest shot,, we heard him bugle down the ridge ,,
so we set up and called, it was thick and he came by bugling and breaking limbs, seems about 50 yards,, but I could not see him,,,
he went by us we tried to follow and saw a cow , ,the wind changed and that was it game over, the whole herd went down the ridge to the thick stuff,, but my bow was happy to get close,, just a few more yards and I would have been shooting my self bow at the game intended,, but as hunting goes,, I was hunting today and not shooting,, I had a great time, and feel postive about the area I am in and will go back and give it a try on friday,, I keep hoping a spike or cow will come by,, yes I would shoot the bull, but I am happy if I can get some elk meet with my bow,, and hide for different projects and of course the sinew for a lucky bow,, :)
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Sounds like a blast, crossing my fingers for ya!
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I also live in the city and most of my selfbow practice takes place at about 10 yds. I think the key to getting the most out of close range practice is to shrink the bulls eye to make it more comparable to longer distances. I put (5) 3/4" orange circle stickers on my target. I shoot 1 arrow at each, retrieve and repeat. I like to be a little high at 10 yds(2" max) so I'm dead nuts at 20 yds. I make it a point to shoot every day, even if it's just 5 arrows before bed or going to work. On the weekends I head to my folks house and get some longer distance shooting in. Practice is practice be it 10 yds or 60. Making sure your body remembers the form is one of the keys to consistency. If you do the same thing every time you draw and shoot, you should end up with the same result... in theory anyway. I do notice that if I miss a few days of shooting, it takes about 10 shots or so before I get warmed up. If I'm shooting daily, I'm warmed up right from the gate. When that buck walks by, there's usually no warm up shot. I'll admit I do take a few practice draws throughout the day though, just to stay loose.
I enjoyed reading of your adventures. Good luck. Keep us posted.
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Dakota Kid, thank for the input,, doing a few practice draws is a great idea,, it will keep you warmed up a bit,,
and you are right, practice is practice,, even at 10 yards will keep your form good enough to translate to the longer range with no problem,,
I will get to go some tomorrow and hope to try some shooting theories in a real hunting :)situation,,
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yesterday was my last day to hunt, I had to work today,,
the weather was hot,, I heard a bull early in the morning, but that was it,, just heard him,, I did some stump shooting in the middle of the day and waited it out till dark hoping to hear or see something, but that was how it went,,
I feel like the first encounter was the shot,, and you have to dance when the spot light shines, ,whenever that is,, I had a great hunt and really tuned up my shooting,, I am very happy with the way my bow and laminated birch shafts are shooting,, my legs are in alot better shape for sure,, so its all good, I gave it my best shot, and the elk won :)
I get to go hunting deer in Texas in Oct so I am going to fine tune a set up for that,, a little shorter bow,,,
my friends took some photos with there phones,, I will post those asap,, it was beautiful country,,
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You be Brad.A hunt is a hunt that's why they call it that.Sounds stupid but that's the way it is.You'll be primed up for those deer.A day of hunting is worth what????Look forward tom the pics.
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Nice thing about it there's always next year.
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Well blast, I have only been out west hunting once and I did not fill any tags, still a wonderfully gratifying time. I know what you mean about that moment with an animal in the hunt that once it has passed.. it was your shot, we hunters and those before us are just as connected in those moments as in the kill. I just send up a prayer of gratitude that my family won't starve because of it! Chase those whitetail, best of luck