ORIGINAL: Arthur P
So do you believe that shooting with fingers is as accurate and consistant as shooting with a release?
It depends on the person and on the application. For most people who have a goal of pinwheeling 1" dia X-rings, shot after shot, probably not. For hunting, where you're shooting to hit a soccerball size kill area, fingers release is definitely as accurate and consistent. Assuming, of course, you have a bow that is long enough to allow a fingers release and you've done your part with practicing and developing an accurate, consistent release.
Plus, fingers release has several advantages over mechanical releases. Primarily, you don't get that metallic, game spooking 'CLICK' at the release. If you forget your tab/glove and don't have a backup in your pocket, you can still shoot barefingered. If you forget your release and don't have a backup, you go back home. You can buy a whole pocketful of tabs for what one decent release will cost, and similar gloves/tabs will give you a similar release. You just have to hope a backup release will shoot close to the same as your primary release. Often they don't.
And you don't have to worry about clanking your fingers against the bow or the stand and scaring all the critters out of the county. A release, swinging on a wrist strap tho....
For myself, I actually do shoot better with my fingers than I can with a release. I guess it's one of those 'old dog, new tricks' thingies.
So do you perfer the Hoyt ProTec better then the Pearson? What are the advantages to the Hoyt?
Other than the Hoyt split limbs being far superior to Pearson's - wider and more stable with better construction - and better performance from Hoyt's Cam 1/2 than you can get with Pearson's single cam system - I have never had any problem getting a consistent, repeatable grip with Hoyt handles.
How far can I confidently shoot? If you're talking targets, I'll shot with confidence out to 80 yards and beyond, barebow and fingers release. If you're talking game animals, I have a personal limit no further than 30 yards. If I can't get within 30 yards of the animal I want, I have not earned the right to draw my bow. That is simply my challenge to myself and has no bearing on my shooting skill. I bowhunt to get close to animals. If I were taking 50 yard shots, I figure I might as well be using a 30-30.
As to what size groups I currently shoot with my Hoyt, honestly... I suck. My shoulder is shot, from shooting ultra heavy draw bows in my younger days, when they were easy to handle. 15 years ago, I was shooting compounds up to 100 pounds and longbows up to 120 pounds. Now I've got arthritis in the shoulder joint and a collarbone that pops out of socket at my sternum. Before the shoulder went south on me though, I could hold archer's minute of angle or better out to 90 meters. When I first got it, my Hoyt was set at 60. Now I've had to back off to 50 and it's gotten to where I can't handle even that any more. It looks like if I want to continue shooting archery, I'm gonna have to switch to lefty.
That's my only comment on your preference for shooting 80 pounds.
