If you don't have it don't even have it explained to you its like the plague nd makes your fun bow shooting world become a question of why should I shoot This thing?

I think I am going to have to try and switch up the tension on my relase maybe like you say if it becomesa suprise release I will overcome this.

Target panic really sucks and can drive you insane. I had it pretty bad about 15 years ago. I was a finger shooter then. So I didn't try the back tension stuff like you could do. The one thing I did was I switched from right handed to left handed. It was different at first. But within a few days it was like I had been shooting that way my whole life. I think the hardest thing was loading the arrow with my left hand.I would tell you to do it as a last resort unless you have a friends bow you could try. It will cause you to use the opposite side of your brain so if you train yourself right you could be a deadly shooter again.

I have been there. Part of it was the bow, I lost all confidence in the bow and then it just snowballed from there. I starting messing with everything and trying to add this and that to make it better. I finally put the thing down and didn't shoot for almost 2 months and got a new bow and began shooting much better. Im not saying go out and buy a new bow, Im saying the one I was shooting wasn't for me, and when i found the right one, i overcame the issue. For now, i would walk away from it for a bit and then go back to shooting the way you always have, forget about trying new techniques and gadgets, just shoot your damn bow, and remember to follow through with every shot. My biggest issue was dropping my bow as i released, to see where the arrow was going to hit, it was the demise of good shooting for me. I now remember to hold steady and drop the bow after the sound of the arrow hitting the target. It worked for me. Just gain the confidence, when you draw the bow, know that you are going to hit where you want and hold it until you hear that sound.

My thoughts were on line w/ Vabowman. Does the bow fit you? Is it comfortable to hold. Are you fighting it to anchor and hold?
Is the DL correct or the weight too high?

Just some q'S?

Vabowman and archer58 both of you hit the nail on the head. First of all it seems like I have lost a lot of confidence with my bow. I just bought it in September of 2007. I have to admit that although the bow felt real good when I bought it I did notice that it is quite a bit heavier than I was used to. I also went to 70-80lbs limbs because I was shooting so confidently on my old bow at 70lbs and it felt like the draw was too light and that uping the DW would allow me to gain some speed. Now I am feeling like I probably bought a bow that might not be the best fit for me but buying a new one at this point in time is not an option because of funds (unless I sell my Vulcan). I shot it great for the first few months adn then I started trying to take my archery accuracy to the next level and things fell apart and I got worse instead of better. I think you are right I need to shoot the damn thing and have fun with it. I really don't have too many people to shoot with like I used to. My wife used to shoot with me a lot but has been fighting an illness for a while and doesn't shoot as much as she or I want to. I just want my passion to be fun again and I think it is going to take me changing my attitude first of all.

Having fun is what it's all about. But if your draw length is correct and you can't get the pin on the spot.The target panic isnot all of a sudden going to go away.

Try going back tothe more manageable draw weight (70lb). You can't argue with your pastsuccess, can you? JMO

I'm going to say that is your problem right there. Don't mix them. Just shooting blind bale for a while and then going to back to shooting normal really will not help you much. You need to start from scratch and retrain yourself to shoot, which takes time.

In order to make it fun again you need to make it so your not stressed out about the shot.

To start you need to make sure your bow fits you, the draw length should be good and it should be a weight you can handle comfortably. If you can't draw and let down repeatedly without straining yourself its too much.

Your going to need to blind bale for a while (weeks probably) without cheating, then do some blank bale shooting and then try some aiming exercises. Just remember not to cheat while your doing this. Don't get bored and start aiming at a target in the middle of it or it will just take that much longer. This isn't something that will go away over night.

You may also shoot better with a scope or circle rather than a pin. That way instead of putting a pin on your target you center your target in a circle. For some this is less stressful and helps with the drive by shooting problem.

I have the same form of target panic you do sometimes. I freeze under the spot and no matter what the pin will not go up. Its like an elephant is sitting on my bow.

I have another lengthy post on this somewhere I think, I will try and find it and either post it here or post a link to it.

The most important thing to remember is to relax and take your time.

Paul

Any of you have a long bow or recurve with a 70 or better # draw for sale for a good price?