I went to practice for the first time with a compound today,its a bear whitetail II(i know there is better out there but this is just my beginners bow)heres the thing i would put the pins on the target and every time i hit the release i would flinch and close my eyes,is this common or is it something that will go away in time or what can i do to fix it,i was shooting 15 yds and managed to keep the arrows on the target and only missed the target once,Ive shot recurved bows before and i dont remember having this problem,i feel like if something is going to go wrong and i close my eyes to protect them,any help

Sounds like you have been used to shooting a rifle of shotgun !!!LOL!! You just need to practice and get over your flinching problem, the bow wont hurt you.. When you get your pin where you want it just start to squeeze ever so slightly on the trigger and let it be a surprise when it goes off and hold your form!!!! Practice, practice, practice!!

I agree with Tuffbroadhead and I would like to add one item. Try wearing a clear lens low profile safety glasses. This should help you get over the fear of missing up your eyes and you can keep them open???

Practice, Practice, Practice...

Thanks Tuffbroadheadand Gadeerslayer,I will continue to practice and hopefully get over this little problem.

The bear whitetail is an older bow ,so I'm sure it release's with a whack ,but with practice you'll get over it .

Thanks nubo,in reality the bow doesn't have any type of whack or thud to it,its really smooth and silent.I will continue to practice and work on the flinching issue.

Sounds to me like your developing target panic. Get 10 feet from the target, draw your bow, line up your sights, close your eyes, and concentrate on squeezing the trigger. Do this at least for 500 shots or so.

Thanks Josh ill give that a try.I hope it was just yesterday and it doesnt happen again,im going to go shoot some arrows now ill let you know the result.

Went out and shot a few more arrows and it seems to be going away,the more confident i become the less the flinching,thanks to all of you for the advise.I haven't tried what you said Josh but if the problem persist i will do as you stated.

I don't know if you want to hear this, but here it goes:

You will shoot an arrow through your hand before you damage your eyes.

Feel better?





You shouldn't.