Well I only have posted on here a few times, always asking novice questions, and here is yet another one. I have been practicing with a bow for a little more than a month now, because of several issues, form, equipment, etc, it took me this long to finally be shooting good from 10 yards. From 10 yards i can put my arrows in about a 3" round group, to me thats good, because a few weeks ago it was way worse. So now, I have stepped back to 20 yards, I am using the same pin for 20 yards that I did for 10 yards, just trying to aim a tad bit high...I am all over the place normally 6" right or 6" left, normally height is just fine, I dont know if it is just me or is there some more adjusments I need to make, I know lots of variables are involved, but any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Are you shooting a compound bow or a traditional bow? If compound, you should be able to hold tighter groups than that pretty quick if you bow is set up correct. Sounds like a trip to the bow shop is in order? Sounds like it could be a clearance or arrow spine issue if it is right/left
It is a compound, back to the bow shop Saturday I am guessing, I don't know if it is just user error, or what
with a compound you shouldn't be having that much difficulty shooting at 10 and 20 yards my guess is something is wrong with your equitment. I am no expert but i think a trip to a bow shop is in order
First you need to have pin set at every 10 yards or so. I have my pins set at 15, 25, and 35. Just some help! Hope you get it ironed out. It should not be a pin issue if you are all over the place. You might want to paper tune your bow. Your arrow might be coming off your rest with a little kick to it. So check for fish tailing.
Make sure the bow is fitted to you; not vice-versa. You may or may not have a shop with a technician capable of ensuring that, so it may not hurt to travel a bit to get more help. Have someone watch you shoot a few arrows at their practice range.
IMO, bowhunters tend to think in 5 and 10yd increments. When starting out, I think going from 10 to 11 or 12 yds and getting confidence, there, would be beneficial.
What kind of grouping should I expect at 10 yards? Just wondering, I love shooting and am glad I got into this sport, but it seems frustrating at this point, because I know others who are shooting way better in less time than I am. It sounds like at 10 yards I should be splitting arrows by now
A lot of proficient shooters expect to hold 1" at 10y, 2" at 20y and 3" at 30y. Some really good shooters expect much less. So say you double that because you are new shooter. I would think 2" at 10 yards and 4" at 20y would be a good benchmark to be within at the max.
What kind of rest? What kind of sight? What kind of arrows? Where are you located? We'll get this mystery solved.
I am in Kansas City, I was not checked for draw length, I drew the bow back and the guy at the bow shop said that it looked perfect the way it was set, i believe it is set at 29". It is a Hoyt Ultratec XT-2000, I am shooting a whisker biscuit rest, carbon express arrows, and it has a bone collector apex, 4 pin sight. The bow shop I go to has been more than good to me, very good customer service, but maybe I need to go back and have them really measure me for exact draw length, the bow is adjustable from 27-31", and I am 5'11" tall so it should fit me ok with the right adjustments. Is there anyway to measure my draw length with a tape measure or something?
Yes, http://www.huntersfriend.com/draw-length-weight.htm 29" sounds long for a guy 5'11". I'm 6'1" and I have 28.5".
Well I followed that websites guidelines, my wingspan is 72.25" and divided by 2.5 that is a 28.9" draw length. I will have to check and see what it is set at.
If I had to guess right off the bat, I would guess jerking the trigger. Could be an equipment issue, but it would have to be so far out of tune to shoot arrows 12" apart at 20 yards that it is probably user error. Nothing to be ashamed of, and certainly nothing that can't be fixed if indeed that is the problem. I would certainly start by going to a quality shop with a knowledgeable staff in order to get the equipment checked out. Then, if that did not fix it, then I would start shooting at 3 yards with my eyes closed. Yes, it sounds goofy, but you can really perfect your form when you do this. Align the arrow to the target with eyes open, and then close them and focus only on slowly squeezing the release trigger until it goes off and SURPRISES you. Do that until it feels automatic. Then try shooting at the target again. I am guessing it is a trigger control issue. Happens all the time in the firearms training I give. There are only 2 things necessary to shoot a bow with sights and a release or a firearm well; proper sight alignment and trigger squeeze. No one has to be reminded of that more than me. Jim Davis 3G Tactical www.3gtactical.com
After getting your bow setup correctly....have a reputable pro shop worker shoot your bow and show you up with it. When I first started, I swore something was wrong with my bow until I let "Chief" shoot it. I quickly realized what my bow was capable of and made improvements with my form, release, follow-thru, etc and was shooting tight groups in no time. Good luck!
Finch mentioned what I believe to be one of, if not THE most important aspects of the shot. The follow-through. You must keep that bow up until that arrow hits it's target! Also, doing EVERYTHING the same exact way each time you take a shot is real important.
I really appreciate all of the advice, I should have alot of time to shoot this weekend after I take it to the bow shop, I will follow up with my results, hopefully they are better.
