By Scott Spitzley
It’s officially summer and most hunters are starting to dust off their bows after a long dreaded off-season and shoot a few arrows a week to help get them prepared once archery season arrives. But, by just shooting a few arrows a week, are you doing all you can to be as accurate as possible with your bow?
Admittedly, it’s better than firing a few darts the day before the season or shooting to attempt drilling a selected leaf from the tree-stand once first light hits for the first time that specific year. But I believe there’s a little more preparation required and ideas to help enhance your precision and make you better prepared once the opportunity presents itself.
Let’s dive into the things I consider when trying to increase your bow accuracy.
Bow Grip
I’ve always heard from others that the correct bow grip is crucial when it comes to improving your accuracy, but I didn’t take it too seriously until I became an Archery Tech and testing out the results on paper myself. Essentially, you want your grip inside or just on the life-line of your palm, making that area have all the bow weight all while relaxing your fingers. This prevents you from gripping your bow and giving it torque once the shot is fired, throwing your initial shot off. I had so much trouble paper-tuning a specific bow for example; I tried everything from moving the rest, adjusting cable rod, to switching shafts and still could not get it tuned until it dawned on me, my grip was slightly off. I shifted my grip and it was the actual problem. Finally, the left tear was gone.
Proper Equipment
From the arrow you shoot, to the rest you have. When it comes to enhancing precision, they all create a difference. A lot of hunters spend a ton of money on their bow, only to skim out and throw average equipment on them. There are reasons why equipment is more costly than others. Buy a good set of arrows, a good rest, and a stabilizer that best fits your style, for example, and watch your bow accuracy improve tremendously.
Shooting Year-Round
Nothing can prepare you enough than practice itself. You can be a great shot with a stick and string if you dedicate yourself to repetition. That being said, continuously shooting throughout the year will obviously offer you greater accuracy with your bow. Muscle memory is the greatest thing when it comes to shooting your bow and it will eventually influence your general achievement in consistently placing an arrow in the position your pin is on.
Consistency
Probably one of the most important things mentioned amongst the four I have here. Consistently doing the same thing over and over when it comes to repetition is crucial. Your breathing, the way you pull the bow back, stance, keeping your elbow pointed up, the same nocking point on your face. These are just a few of many to name that need to be done the same exact way to help increase your accuracy.
Conclusion
Going in your backyard and shooting at 30 yards at a target can help, but make sure you put yourself in hunting situations as well while practicing these same techniques. Alex Comstock said it best in his latest vlog. We are sending an arrow to take an animals life, we should all take that very seriously when it comes to practice and being precise once the animal represents the shot.
Watch the latest vlog here!
