help with a shooting problem
 

I have a hard time putting the string close to my face when drawing back. I know your suppose to do this so you can aim "straight down" inline with the pins. I am afraid of the string hitting my lip or my nose. What to do?


I have been shooting from a stand I put up in my backyard and today I was shooting and I wasn't getting groups. I would shoot twice and those arrows would be really close, about .5 inches maybe less. then i'd shoot two more arrows and those would be in a different area of the target but still .5 or less inches close together. I think the first two were lung shots and the 2nd two where a little high on the shoulder shots. Is this normal or do I need more practice?

I have noticed that sometimes my arrows shoot left, far left, missing the whole target, could this be a shooter problem?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

That is one of the most common things for a new archer. They are either afraid of the string hitting thier face or arm. With proper form and the right fit it shouldn't happen.

When I draw I like the string to lightly touch the tip of my nose and lightly lay against the side of the face (the corner of my mouth). Don't dig into your face or force the string into it. I promise you will not get hurt. You might feel the string slide past your lips or face but it shouldn't hurt you. The only way to over come it is to just do it.

The exception to this is if you have some odd peircings in your nose or lip that the string could catch. This could be very dangerous and if you have them I highly suggest removing them.

Here is pic of how I shoot. It's not perfect form, but it works well for me. The best way to learn is either have someone compitent watch you shoot. Or take pictures of yourself shooting and compare it to pictures of pros. I looked at lots of pictures of pro shooters and just tried to emulate what they did. To be honest you can shoot any way you want to as long as you do it consistantly. But without some solid anchor points it will be hard to be consistant, as you are finding out.



Good luck,

Paul

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

I will also note that what you are experiancing is almost impossible to diagnose over the net. Someone would have to watch you shoot. There are so many things that could cause what you are seeing.

How do you shoot off from the ground? I commend you for getting in a stand and practicing, but I think you should get proficient on the ground first. Then practice from a stand. Because shooting from a stand will only make it harder and when you are first starting out you don't need to make it harder than it needs to be. It will only kill your confidence and cause you to form bad habbits.

This is why I always tell people they should start shooting at least a year before they hunt. While you can teach someone to shoot fairly well in a short amount of time I feel it takes a bit longer to gain the confidence and combine the skills you need.

Bowhunting is so hard because it combines two different skills that are hard to learn and do consistantly. I know plenty of guys that can shoot great, but can't seem to kill deer to save thier lives. Then I know others that are not the greatest target shooters I have seen but seem to never miss on game in a hunting situation.

Paul

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

The string shouldn't come past the tip of your nose. If it is, your draw length is to long and this would definately cause your groups to open up. As stated above you must anchor the release hand against your face to acheive consistency. There are a couple formulas for figuringdraw length. All you need to do is measure your wingspan (tip of middle finger to tip of middle finger).

1st. wing span minus 15'' divided by 2

2nd. wing span divided by 2 1/2

If your draw length is correct it may be one ofmany other form problems.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

I've been thinking my DL might be an inch or maybe half too long. I did what you said and I came up with 10.2 LOL. My wing span is around 66 inches. I am measuring it myself, trying to atleast. Is there a way I can shorten the DL an inch or so without a bow press?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

What kind of bow?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

yes it could and probabaly is.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

Its a PSE NOva.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

That is one of the funniest statements I read in long time, but true I would imagine.:D


The exception to this is if you have some odd peircings in your nose or lip that the string could catch. This could be very dangerous and if you have them I highly suggest removing them.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

ok so its a PSE nova.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

utm, with a 66'' wingspan the first method I stated above puts you at 25.5'' draw length. The second puts you at 26.4''. So, is this a little shorter than your current setting? I'm not sure on your bow, but I would guess that you will need a bow press to adjust draw length.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

well I just went and looked in the mirror while I drew my bow and I guess I never really paid any attention to it while shooting but my trigger finger on my release is touching my ear LOL its way too far back. No wonder I can't hit anything, pulling back 70 pounds all the way that far back, while moving all around LOL good grief. I need to get this fixed.


On that note, I did shoot a friends bow and I thought it was just because his was one of those "expensive" bows. His draw weight and length was a whole lot less than mine and I like shooting his and I shot perfect groups with his. I don't like pulling back 70 pounds, I can with no problems but I'd much rather pull back 60 or 65, know what I mean?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

So, depending on wheel or cam is on the bow you may not need a bow press, If it's a single cam then maybe all you need to do is change to a shorter module. If yours has round wheels with three diffenrent slots in it then, yes, you need a bowpress.

Within certain parameters, with a 66" wingspan you should be shooting around 26-27" drawlength.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

sorry but I just don't have a clue what you just said. Here is the bow I have.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/vertical-item.jsp?id=0032851416781a&navCount=1&podI d=0032851&parentId=cat600266&navAction=jum p&cmCat=MainCatcat21424&catalogCode=QS&amp ;rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat600266&a mp;hasJS=true

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

how much are the cams that I need?

what kind do I need?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

It certainly sounds as if your draw length is to long. Once you have that adjusted you may want to install a kisser button. The kisser should be just above the knock and just touch the corner of your mouth. I like this because i allows me to anchor at the same spot every draw which is important for consistency. Consider findinga local bow shop that can get you set up correctly - could mean a lot less headaches.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

so what cams do I need?

how much do they run price wise?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

UTM,

You don't need any cams. OK, you got the Synergy wheels on your bow. There should be about 5-6 slots on the side that your string can fit into. To shorten your bow you will definitely need a bow press. I seriously doubt that you will be able to shorten the bow to your drawlength. If you got what you said (Cabela's) above and it's a 70lb'er then the shortest you will be able to go is 27". In other words, you lack experience, and whoever sold you the bow is an idiot, too, as they sold you a bow that doesn't fit you.

If you should need new cams you should go to a proshop and get them. They will most likely have to order them from PSE. Not many shops stock these items. The other problem with smaller cams is that you lose peak weight from the bow, but you did say that you like a little less, so it might work anyway. The only way to find out is to go to a good pro-shop (not Cabela's) and see what they have to say. You might also get on the phone to PSE and tell them what you'd like to do. Maybe they can make it work or maybe not, but they'll tell you if it can be done and what to expect from the change.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

so what shoudl I so? Just sell ti and get a bow that fits me?

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

Probably, if it were me that's what I'd do. But before you buy again you should do a whole lot of homework. By that I basically mean finding out what size should fit you. You are not going to find this out at WalMart or KMart.

I know some of us sound like a broken record, but go to a good pro-shop to get fitted up. AH HA, now how do you know a good pro-shop from a not-so-good one? Well, for starters we've already told you about that your drawlength should be so part of the job is done. Look for bows that have an adjustable drawlength module or at least one that you can change mods to adjust the draw. A couple that come to mind are Martin, Hoyt, Reflex, Parker, Darton. There are others.

If I recall some of the posts you also have an issue with a 70 pound bow, correct? Well, let me tell ya something , son. Todays bow are much more efficient than 30 years ago and we killed lots of deer with 50-55 pound bows back then. Today 60# will take care of anything walking in North America. However, once you get a bow fitted close to your optimum drawlength you may find that 70# will draw easier. And there is nothing wrong with turning one down to 65# if it matters.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

I talked to a guy on the phone at a bow shop. He seems to think that I can decrease the DL without any kind of cam changing. I am going to see him in the morning, if he is wrong, I am just going to keep it for sale and get my a good bow. By george, I am going to kill a deer with a bow at some point in time. I've never had a good bow and now I see why I can't kill anything with one. If its not a good bow like the last one I had before this one, then its not set up correctly like this one.

RE: help with a shooting problem
 

I suggest you take your bow to the shop and let them measure your drawlenght. They have special arrows to do that. Get the bow fitted to your correct lenght and get the poundage down to 50-55 lbs. Then take your gear and join an archery club. Most can give you assistence with the correct stance, shooting errors, etc. They can also help you finetune your bow.
Then start to practice, practice and practice.
Bowhunting is beeing a good hunter, but also a good archer.
In the shooting range you have perfect conditions to sight in your bow so when you take it to the woods you are certain the bow isn't the problem.
Even more then gunhunting bowhunting needs very wellcontroled and performed movements.
Without a good basis you might see a lot of deer, but will get frustrated because you might not harvest them due to bad form and wrong set up.