I used to practice with 4" x 4" pages of white paper (Post-It Notes) for target shooting. I can usually put all arrows on the paper, but my groups usually cover the target. Well, I cleaned out my tackle box this afternoon and decided I'd use some fishing bobbers for targets for three reasons:
1 - To see if I am torquing my bow to the left or right.
3 - To see if a smaller target will improve my patterns.
3 - Just to see if I can hit it.
I found that shooting at the bobbers tightened up my groups by over an inch. My groups decreased from the usual 3" to 4" spread down to a 2" to 1.5" spread. I can now break the bobber at 20 and 25 yards within two shots, honestly. The smaller target forced me to slow down my shot process, concentrate on stabilizing the bow, referencing the target, and to only shoot when it was entirely blotted out with the pin.
Another thing I have been doing this season is practicing shooting right at dark. Most of my shot opportunities come first thing in the morning or at dusk, which are both low-light conditions. Practicing in low light will force you to rely on your anchor points. My anchors are a kisser button at the corner of my mouth and my index finger knuckle on my ear lobe. When these two points are in stably in place, I know that I am on.
Anyway, I hope this post is helpful to some of the folks just getting into bowhunting.
Smaller Target + Anchor Points = Tighter Patters
