I feel for you. I have been shooting a traditional bow for almost 2 years now and am not impressed with my consistency when shooting at paper targets. That said, I am amazed at how much better I seem to do when stump shooting. I don' t know what it is about drawing on a leaf, dirt clod, or rotten stump with a judo but I just seem much more confident and consistent - and I have a lot more fun at it. If it wasn' t for roving, I think I would have given up a long time ago. Now will that confidence transfer when I' m drawing on a live animal? I don' t know yet as I' ve not been close enough to a deer or elk to take an ethical shot. I hope so...

OK, here' s my $.02 worth. From the outside looking in it sounds like something isn' t remaining consistant. (How' s that for a fairly obvious statement! ) Whether it' s a floating anchor, creep on release, or losing the spot focus on release, something changes occaisionally when you shoot. If you' re hopping back and forth from recurve to longbow try picking your fav and sticking to that bow until things settle out. Take the stuff you read in the books and hybridize it into your own unique style, nobody shoots exactly the same as some one else and you have to settle into your own groove. Try a simple sight on your bow. (match sticks or piece of old plastic comb 2-side taped to your riser) Really, the sky won' t open and lightening won' t strike you down if you do. If nothing else, it should improve your groups and provide a mental boost.

But hey, it' s all about having fun, and if the funs gone out of it, what can you do?

RC

Try shooting 3 under and anchoring with the middle or ring finger in the corner of the mouth.This gets the arrow in your line of sight under the eye.I too am in the process of swithcing over from a compound.A shoulder problem has dealt me a setback though.I tried to employ the Howard Hill split vision method.When I draw I look at the arrow and line up left and right and mentally set a " gap" then I focus on the spot and release.Works pretty good at close range.

CB

Cajun, after reading your post, I decided that me and my arthritic fingers are going to start shooting 3-under. I' ve been shooting that way with wheelie bows for years, but always shot split with my sticks because of tournament rules. Some clubs have this anti 3-under rule for some obscure reason. Well, I figure I' ve got all the trophies and plaques I need gathering dust around the house, so to heck with ' em.

I' d been completely relaxing the index finger (the one that' s got it really bad) and basically shooting 2-under, but the middle finger started griping at me about carrying too much of the load. It was time to either do something else or hang up the sticks for good and go wheels. Not good!

Anyway, I' ve been working on it in the backyard this afternoon and it' s amazing how little pain I experienced that way. The whole draw, anchor and shot sequence feel stronger and more solid. Can' t wait to hit the range tomorrow and give it a real workout.

Thanks for the idea.

Nothing new here.....but a rehash of the above posts

1. Stay with one bow type only.....don' t switch back and forth till your confidence improves. For me it takes a considerable amount of shooting form change to shoot each of the bows well. Switching back and forth will confuse your muscle memory involved with the shot.

2. 3 fingers under with the middle finger at the corner of the mouth will help align your eye with the shaft and you can sirt of gun sight the arrow.

3. Roving allows one shot accuracy practice and various ranges.....a real confidence builder

4. Don' t be your own worst enemy......shoot to enjoy the act of shooting. Don' t set unrealistic goals for your shooting. Comparing the accuracy of shooting a barebow stickbow to a high tech wheel bow with all the bells and whistles is like comparing a benchrest rifle to a flintlock.

5. Remember the size of the effective kill zone of your intended prey......it' s pretty big on most large game.

6. Have fun.......shoot informally with friends........relax and the accuracy will come.

7. Most sight compound shooters do best traditionally with a recurve shooting 3 fingers under the arrow becomes their point of referance and the recurves riser' s grip and weight are factors for improved accuracy.

Hey it' s tough making the transition....you feel lost standing on the shooting line without the points of reference you have become used to with wheel bows. Confidence will come once you accept these differences and work your mental game to overcome it' s subconscience need for these.

Good luck and great shooting!

dathien first don' t consider it switching sides, as ehtical sportsmen (and women) we are all on the same side.

That out of the way, I too dont feel as confident with a stick bow as i do a compound, what i have been doing is hunting with the compound and every chance i get i stump shoot with the stick bow.

This hasnt been a problem with me once i quit shooting the compound instinctively.
One thing that i have discovered is that the wheel bow is a lot more acurate in the back yard , but in the woods up to 25 yards i shoot them both about the same.

The point that i am trying to make is if you want to hunt then hunt, There is alot more to hunting than killing. Practice getting close to game or reading sign, enjoy the outdoors, sooner or later you will probably realize that your shooting abilities are better than you thought.

Good luck and go hunting

Yeah AP getting old is the pits.I' m finally starting to feel it and I' m only 40.I need to get my lazy but back in shape.I think the 3 under rule at shoots was to try and keep someone from string walking.

One more thing.Don' t go overboard on shooting.I was shooting everyday,alot of arrows and it can bite you.Keep the sessions short and sweet if you try and shoot often.It' s a viscious cycle,you get tired and shoot bad but you don' t want to quit on a bad shot.

CB

Yeah, maybe it is against string walking but that' s like saying you can' t anchor on your face just to make sure nobody can do any facewalking. They could just say that one finger has to remain in contact with the nock during the shot and the string grip can' t change during the tournament. Oh well, common sense and tournament rules don' t often go hand in hand anyway.

Brother, you got me nailed! Just plain old muleheaded stubborness won' t let me quit on a bad shot.

Hint, hint, dathein

I did try shooting 3 fingers under a few days ago and felt a bit better. My shots became centered and the groups came together, just a little low. I expected my shots to fall low since I have been shooting nothing but 2 under, 1 over. Like I said, it all came together for a while. Then the bottom started to fall out again. In my head I know it' s probably just the muscles beginning to fatigue, but I get so stubborn and mad at myself I keep shooting and the visious cycle starts.

Anyway I took a few days off and will shoot again tomorrow and limit my shots to 10-20. I' ve found in the past that I will usually start off pretty good then start to fall apart as the session goes on. I need to disipline myself to stop while I' m ahead.

I have been sticking to just one bow . . . . my Crusader. What a nice bow.

I wanted to thank all of you for all your tips and encouragement.