jharrell
New Member
Just got done reading this and thought there might be a couple of things some folks could learn from it. Some of it is opinion on the authors part but for the most part it is good advise.
Travis Turner, owner of Archery Unlimited, in Hogansville, GA., has built a reputation as a world-class tournament archer, but his first love is deer hunting. Turner’s knowledge of bows and bucks has resulted in his harvesting several impressive trophies. Turner says bowhunters often make several mistakes both before and during th season that cause them to miss their game. To follow are Turner’s tips for shooting more accurately when the opportunity arises.
Mistake 1: Peep Sight Too Small -- One common mistake I often see bowhunters make is they choose peep sights that are too small. Late in the evening or early in the morning when the light is low, a hunter will often miss his deer because he can’t see through his small peep sight. When outfitting your bow, make sure you choose a large-diameter peep sight that allows your eyes to gather a lot of light when peering through it. But remember, a large peep sight is not as accurate as a smaller one. So, if you plan to use a large peep sight, you need to practice centering your rear sight with the peep sight. When bow hunting, a hunter will often throw his bow up, look through the string, and if he can see the front sight, he’ll shoot rather than take the time to center the sight pen with the peep sight. Several manufacturers make round front sights, which make it easier to line your rear sight up with your front sight. You want a sight that has a round housing or pen guard so you can line it up with the roundness of your peep sight.
Mistake 2: Shaky Arrow Rest -- Another mistake bowhunters often make is they select a shaky arrow rest. When you anxiously draw back your bow in the heat of the moment, the arrow may fall off your rest. You need a rest that provides a lot of capture. I use the term capture to mean that the rest funnels the arrow keeping it securely in place.
Drop-away rests are a good choice because they enable the arrow to have total fletching clearance. This clearance gives the arrow fletchings more helical, which helps steer the broadhead on a direct path. There are a lot of good drop-away rests out there. The Ultra-Rest is my favorite because it provides capture the entire time. The arrow can’t come off the rest. The Muzzy Zero Effect, the Trophy Taker and the Tiger Tuff Power Drop-Away Rest all work well.
Mistake 3: No D Loop -- I highly recommend using a D loop on your string. Another situation that causes a hunter to miss occurs when he draws his bow back, determines he can’t get a shot and lets it back down. If the hunter doesn’t have a D-loop on his string, the arrow nock will likely slide and come unnocked, or it will fall to the ground. Many a deer hunter has lost a deer as a result of a falling arrow.
Mistake 4: Drawlength Too Long – Many bowhunters miss because their drawlengths are too long. You can shoot accurately in your back yard when your drawlength is too long, but not from the stand. When you’re up in the tree in a fetal position for four hours, and its cold, and you haven’t moved, you’ll have a harder time drawing your bow. When you’re in the tree stand, you have to draw your bow back in an awkward position and shoot downward. You won’t be able to maintain the same anchor point if you don’t have the correct draw length. I recommend only shooting a bow with your correct drawlength or a drawlength on the shorter side.
Many people will purchase bows from pawnshops or from their buddies that don’t fit correctly, and they’ll just try to make the bows work for them. To shoot consistently and accurately, your bow must fit you. Purchase your bow from a reputable bow shop, and let someone there make sure your bow fits you properly.
Mistake 5: No Kisser Button -- I recommend using a kisser button in a hunting situation because it helps you maintain your anchor point. A kisser button will also help you anchor your string when you’re wearing a facemask because you’ll be able to feel the button through the facemask. When trying to determine where to anchor your string, you must first find a comfortable position to put your hand to your face. Next, let the kisser button touch the corner of your mouth and the string touch the tip of your nose. Then, move the peep sight so that it’s in your view once you maintain these first three anchor points. Finally, tie that peep sight securely in to place.
Mistake 6: Poor Form -- When you’re hunting out of a tree, you have to shoot differently than you do when you practice on the ground. When shooting from a stand, you should bend at the waist. Shoot like you’re on level ground, but at the last minute tilt at the waste to maintain the upper form. So often, bowhunters drop their bow arms when they shoot from their stands causing them to have poor form. When practicing for bow season, four or five of us will get together and move the targets around for one of the guys in the stand. We tie a rope to a bucket and hoist the arrows up to him. He shoots around 20 turns then the next guy gets a chance. Practicing this way helps you get used to many different shooting scenarios.
Mistake 7: Draw Weight Too Heavy -- Many people shoot too heavy of a draw weight. To determine if you’re shooting the correct draw weight, sit in a chair at the height to where the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Lift your legs so that your toes are barely touching the ground then pull back your bow. If you can pull the bow without wobbling all over the stool, then you’re shooting the best draw weight for you. By lifting your feet up, you tighten your stomach muscles, and you can’t use your legs as leverage.
Some people try to get too macho with this sport, and they pull more weight than they should. Remember that it only takes about 40 pounds to kill a deer. People should shoot as much weight as they can comfortably. If you can’t pull the weight comfortably, you’ll make a bad shot.
Mistake 8: Heavy Bow -- Shooting too heavy of a bow can cause you to miss as well. A heavy bow will cause your arm to tremble and your wrist to turn. If you practice without your quiver on the bow, then you should hunt without it as well. If you practice without it, but you attach it when you hunt, the quiver will add a pound of weight to the bow and will change the way you shoot.
Mistake 9: Not Practicing – You must practice before bow season. Don’t think that just because you shot well last year you’ll shoot well again this year. You want to make sure you can shoot as accurately as possible. You owe that to the animals you hunt. The more you practice, the less likely you’ll wound an animal. When practicing with your bow, you should put on your head gear, gloves and camo so you can practice the way you hunt. You don’t hunt in t-shirts and shorts so you shouldn’t practice that way. The gear and clothing you wear will impact your shooting performance.
Mistake 10: Poor Equipment Maintenance -- Keep up with your bow maintenance. Check for loose bolts and weakness in the rollover of the cam. Make sure your release is lubricated and not rusted up. I suggest getting your bow tuned in the spring or early summer before you start your training regiment. That way, you can practice with your bow, and if something isn’t quite right, you can get a quick tune-up rather than an overhaul right before the season.
Make sure your broadheads are tuned and shooting accurately as well. Align your broadheads with the veins. Make sure they don’t wobble when you spin them, and make sure the blades are very sharp.
A Few More Helpful Hints
Scent Elimination: A major key to bowhunting success is to remain hidden from the deer. Scent-elimination products are very important for the bowhunter. We must conceal our human odor because we are so close to the deer we hunt.
Bug Repellent: The bugs are usually still bad early in the bow season, so take measures to protect yourself from them. ThermaCell is a revolutionary bug-repelling device. It works wonders, and it’s basically scent-free. During the early bow season, I also like to use a bug tamer suit. The netting keeps the bugs off, and the rope-like material keeps the fabric off your body. I wet it down before I hunt so that the rope holds water. The wet material you’re your skin, and as it evaporates, it keeps you cool.
Travis Turner, owner of Archery Unlimited, in Hogansville, GA., has built a reputation as a world-class tournament archer, but his first love is deer hunting. Turner’s knowledge of bows and bucks has resulted in his harvesting several impressive trophies. Turner says bowhunters often make several mistakes both before and during th season that cause them to miss their game. To follow are Turner’s tips for shooting more accurately when the opportunity arises.
Mistake 1: Peep Sight Too Small -- One common mistake I often see bowhunters make is they choose peep sights that are too small. Late in the evening or early in the morning when the light is low, a hunter will often miss his deer because he can’t see through his small peep sight. When outfitting your bow, make sure you choose a large-diameter peep sight that allows your eyes to gather a lot of light when peering through it. But remember, a large peep sight is not as accurate as a smaller one. So, if you plan to use a large peep sight, you need to practice centering your rear sight with the peep sight. When bow hunting, a hunter will often throw his bow up, look through the string, and if he can see the front sight, he’ll shoot rather than take the time to center the sight pen with the peep sight. Several manufacturers make round front sights, which make it easier to line your rear sight up with your front sight. You want a sight that has a round housing or pen guard so you can line it up with the roundness of your peep sight.
Mistake 2: Shaky Arrow Rest -- Another mistake bowhunters often make is they select a shaky arrow rest. When you anxiously draw back your bow in the heat of the moment, the arrow may fall off your rest. You need a rest that provides a lot of capture. I use the term capture to mean that the rest funnels the arrow keeping it securely in place.
Drop-away rests are a good choice because they enable the arrow to have total fletching clearance. This clearance gives the arrow fletchings more helical, which helps steer the broadhead on a direct path. There are a lot of good drop-away rests out there. The Ultra-Rest is my favorite because it provides capture the entire time. The arrow can’t come off the rest. The Muzzy Zero Effect, the Trophy Taker and the Tiger Tuff Power Drop-Away Rest all work well.
Mistake 3: No D Loop -- I highly recommend using a D loop on your string. Another situation that causes a hunter to miss occurs when he draws his bow back, determines he can’t get a shot and lets it back down. If the hunter doesn’t have a D-loop on his string, the arrow nock will likely slide and come unnocked, or it will fall to the ground. Many a deer hunter has lost a deer as a result of a falling arrow.
Mistake 4: Drawlength Too Long – Many bowhunters miss because their drawlengths are too long. You can shoot accurately in your back yard when your drawlength is too long, but not from the stand. When you’re up in the tree in a fetal position for four hours, and its cold, and you haven’t moved, you’ll have a harder time drawing your bow. When you’re in the tree stand, you have to draw your bow back in an awkward position and shoot downward. You won’t be able to maintain the same anchor point if you don’t have the correct draw length. I recommend only shooting a bow with your correct drawlength or a drawlength on the shorter side.
Many people will purchase bows from pawnshops or from their buddies that don’t fit correctly, and they’ll just try to make the bows work for them. To shoot consistently and accurately, your bow must fit you. Purchase your bow from a reputable bow shop, and let someone there make sure your bow fits you properly.
Mistake 5: No Kisser Button -- I recommend using a kisser button in a hunting situation because it helps you maintain your anchor point. A kisser button will also help you anchor your string when you’re wearing a facemask because you’ll be able to feel the button through the facemask. When trying to determine where to anchor your string, you must first find a comfortable position to put your hand to your face. Next, let the kisser button touch the corner of your mouth and the string touch the tip of your nose. Then, move the peep sight so that it’s in your view once you maintain these first three anchor points. Finally, tie that peep sight securely in to place.
Mistake 6: Poor Form -- When you’re hunting out of a tree, you have to shoot differently than you do when you practice on the ground. When shooting from a stand, you should bend at the waist. Shoot like you’re on level ground, but at the last minute tilt at the waste to maintain the upper form. So often, bowhunters drop their bow arms when they shoot from their stands causing them to have poor form. When practicing for bow season, four or five of us will get together and move the targets around for one of the guys in the stand. We tie a rope to a bucket and hoist the arrows up to him. He shoots around 20 turns then the next guy gets a chance. Practicing this way helps you get used to many different shooting scenarios.
Mistake 7: Draw Weight Too Heavy -- Many people shoot too heavy of a draw weight. To determine if you’re shooting the correct draw weight, sit in a chair at the height to where the tops of your thighs are parallel to the floor. Lift your legs so that your toes are barely touching the ground then pull back your bow. If you can pull the bow without wobbling all over the stool, then you’re shooting the best draw weight for you. By lifting your feet up, you tighten your stomach muscles, and you can’t use your legs as leverage.
Some people try to get too macho with this sport, and they pull more weight than they should. Remember that it only takes about 40 pounds to kill a deer. People should shoot as much weight as they can comfortably. If you can’t pull the weight comfortably, you’ll make a bad shot.
Mistake 8: Heavy Bow -- Shooting too heavy of a bow can cause you to miss as well. A heavy bow will cause your arm to tremble and your wrist to turn. If you practice without your quiver on the bow, then you should hunt without it as well. If you practice without it, but you attach it when you hunt, the quiver will add a pound of weight to the bow and will change the way you shoot.
Mistake 9: Not Practicing – You must practice before bow season. Don’t think that just because you shot well last year you’ll shoot well again this year. You want to make sure you can shoot as accurately as possible. You owe that to the animals you hunt. The more you practice, the less likely you’ll wound an animal. When practicing with your bow, you should put on your head gear, gloves and camo so you can practice the way you hunt. You don’t hunt in t-shirts and shorts so you shouldn’t practice that way. The gear and clothing you wear will impact your shooting performance.
Mistake 10: Poor Equipment Maintenance -- Keep up with your bow maintenance. Check for loose bolts and weakness in the rollover of the cam. Make sure your release is lubricated and not rusted up. I suggest getting your bow tuned in the spring or early summer before you start your training regiment. That way, you can practice with your bow, and if something isn’t quite right, you can get a quick tune-up rather than an overhaul right before the season.
Make sure your broadheads are tuned and shooting accurately as well. Align your broadheads with the veins. Make sure they don’t wobble when you spin them, and make sure the blades are very sharp.
A Few More Helpful Hints
Scent Elimination: A major key to bowhunting success is to remain hidden from the deer. Scent-elimination products are very important for the bowhunter. We must conceal our human odor because we are so close to the deer we hunt.
Bug Repellent: The bugs are usually still bad early in the bow season, so take measures to protect yourself from them. ThermaCell is a revolutionary bug-repelling device. It works wonders, and it’s basically scent-free. During the early bow season, I also like to use a bug tamer suit. The netting keeps the bugs off, and the rope-like material keeps the fabric off your body. I wet it down before I hunt so that the rope holds water. The wet material you’re your skin, and as it evaporates, it keeps you cool.