I stopped using one a few years ago and haven't looked back since. I've never once dropped my bow, or even come close, during my shot. I found it to be a major PITA with trying to get my hand/wrist through it while hunting with a pair of gloves and a jacket on.
Maybe I'm missing something here - does it really "work" as in preventing you from dropping your bow on the ground? Or is it only there for "just in case I drop it" purposes? I used one for a few years because everyone else was and I felt like I needed one too. Eventually I got sick of it and took it off, and like I said I have never even come CLOSE to dropping my bow or having it fly out of my hands over the course of several thousand shots. The wrist sling is a great mystery to me.
Well, in my case, I needed one to break my habit of 'killer-death-grip' on my hunting bow. (Remember, I shoot more fish than anything and when you shoot a 1500 grain arrow, attached by a line to your bow into a big ol' fish, the last thing you want is an open grip.) So the sling started out a psych thing for me, and now it allows me to barely grip my hunting bow at all. I definitely shoot much more consistently with a loose, open grip. So there.
But I shoot with my hand open as well, so there! I don't know anyone who shoots with their hand open and leaves it open during and after the shot so that their bow is resting on the wrist sling after the arrow has been released. Its a natural instinct to close your hand and catch the bow as it begins to tip forward after the shot. Unless maybe you just have slower reaction times than a normal person. :D
When you can beat me at Technohunt, we'll talk. bwahahahaaha! I do try to let the bow fall forward, weight on the sling, without grabbing at it now. (try being the keyword) I have the sling pretty tight. When I'm just chucking a bunch of arrows, I'm sure I don't need it but when I'm working on form, I do need it. I realize I need more form work than most. Then again, I haven't blown a shot on the last 9 big game animals I've shot at. (I'm sure I just jinxed myself)
I'm with you Justin. I didn't have any problems with mine in the early season, but as the temp dropped and the snow started to fly it became more of a nuisance with bulkier clothes. I'm also not convinced that it does anything for me. I think its coming off on the 1st of Jan. (no sense changing it for the last three days).
i use mine primarly for carrying my bow in, and attatch point for my haul rope. i've never dropped my bow or had any problems putting my hand in the strap either... just one of those things i guess i dont think about. was put on my bow when i got it.... only nice thing is that i can let my bow dangle when i stand (during my stand/sit alternate times) for those long days on the stand (lord knows i dont get many of those!)
I used one for years...but why is a mystery. I think it was because everybody had one. One day I took it off and I have never went back. Maybe in the early days it aided in training myself to use a very loose grip. I still shoot with the same loose grip and don't have to use the sling.
I ordered my wrist sling from archerytalk's forums from one of the guys that makes custom ones. You can pick and choose whatever colors you want to match your setup. I paid $15 for mine, but theres several people that make them. I think theres a few others that you can get a sling from for around $10 or so.
I bought one last year and it seemed to help me with my death grip that I used to have. I guess it just gave me more confedence that I wouldn't drop my bow. But know that I'm more confident in my shot and holding my bow losely instead of tight I took it off since it was a major pain in the ass sliding my gloves into it. I think it is a good tool for newer shooters though
Here's a good story for you regarding wrist slings. My proshop guy showed me realtively new Mathews that had a flattened cam and other "spare" parts. A guy was shooting from his garage, and gets to the last arrow. Of course he had a wrist sling, but for the last shot he didn't think he needed it. He shoots open hand. Well as you guessed, he shoots and the bow is gone from his hand b-4 he knows what to do. The bow ends up landing on a concrete patio, and SPROING! Parts everywhere, looks like a Nascar race. Anyway, $500 dollars in repairs. Yes, they do work. You may not realize it, until you need it.
