Bow hunting accuracy is all about repetition — doing everything the same way every shot.
Whether you are punching holes in a foam target in the backyard or drawing on a deer while hunting from a tree stand in the woods, the ability to put an arrow where you want it to go depends on a series of events that must be duplicated as practiced and perfectly executed.
Here’s some advice on pre-shot routines that will help you shoot more accurately with compound bows:
• This is an obvious point, but it can’t be stressed enough.
Bow hunting accuracy is all about repetition — doing everything the same way every shot. The ability to put an arrow where you want it to go depends on a series of events that must be duplicated as practiced, and perfectly executed.
Make a pre-season visit to your local archery professional and have your bow checked out, from top to bottom. Make sure the arrows you are shooting are properly matched to your bow’s draw weight and cut to your draw length.
The field points used in practice should be the same weight in grains as your hunting broadheads.
Sight your bow in with field points, then later as hunting season approaches, practice with broadheads to make final sight adjustments. Fixed-blade broadheads, like the Muzzy MX-3, can be assembled with unsharpened practice blades, which saves you from dulling up hunting blades.
• In an article posted on the Elk Network website expert bowhunter, Chuck Adams wrote about the importance of the proper stance.
“The correct way to stand is not the way most self-taught, beginner archers do it. You should face the target at about 45-degrees, with feet parallel and spread 18 to 24 inches apart. Toes should be pointing towards the target, not at 90 degrees from it.”
This so-called “open stance” has two advantages — the archer is facing more towards the target, and this stance moves the bowstring away from the archer’s bow arm and chest.
In a hunting situation, when the archer is wearing heavy clothes for warmth, stance and shooting form can make the big difference in accuracy. If the string even slightly brushes your clothing during the shot, the arrow will veer off target.
Sight your bow in with field points, then later as hunting season approaches, practice with broadheads to make final sight adjustments. Fixed-blade broadheads, like the Muzzy MX-3, can be assembled with unsharpened practice blades (top), which saves you from dulling up hunting blades (bottom).(Photo by Art Lander Jr.)
• Draw the bow straight back in one smooth motion.
If the bow must be raised high to get the string back past the let-off point, you might consider cutting back on the draw weight.
Not only can the extra movement of having to raise the bow spook game, but when you reach full draw, you will not be close to being on target.
At full draw you should be beginning to concentrate on fingering your mechanical release and getting your sight pin on target, not having to swing the bow to get on target.
Many archers find that they shoot more accurately when they have to raise the bow slightly to get on target, rather than lowering it.
• Once the bowstring is drawn, push your string hand against the side of your face. This is called the “anchor point.” Right-handed shooters anchor on the right side of the face behind their dominant, right eye. Find a comfortable anchor point that more or less aligns your aiming eye with the string.
No matter if you choose a high anchor point, on your cheekbone, or a low anchor point on your chin, it should be the same every shot. This is critical to accuracy.
If achieving a consistent anchor point is a big problem, there’s a small solution — a kisser button.
Made from soft plastic, a kisser button is a small disk that attaches to the string, and is positioned so that it’s in the corner of your mouth at full draw, at the desired anchor point.
You know your anchor point is correct when you can feel that “kiss” at the corner of your mouth.
A larger diameter rear peep sight is recommend when bow hunting — a peep that has an aperture of 3/16 to 1/4-inch. There are two advantages — improved visibility of the target , and the ability to line up the peep with the round frame of the bow sight, to increase accuracy.
• If you shoot with sights on your compound bow, and most hunters do, good visibility when lining up the sights on target is critical to accuracy.
That’s why a larger diameter rear peep sight is recommended when bow hunting — a peep that has an aperture of 3/16 to 1/4-inch. Small aperture peep sights are more suited to target shooting.
The first advantage of a larger diameter peep is improved visibility of the target (deer), but more importantly, a larger aperture enables the archer to line up the peep with the round frame of the bow sight. This creates a sight picture similar to what you see with a peep sight on a rifle, with the bow sight pin, acting as the rifle’s “front” sight.
Line up your bow’s peep with the round frame of the bow sight and put the pin on the target, and you’re ready to release the arrow.
• Target panic is something that all archers have to deal with at some point.
It’s basically caused by not being able to relax. You’re rushing the shot, trying to get the sight on the target as fast as possible and jerking the trigger on your mechanical release.
A common manifestation is an archer who keeps his (or her) finger off the release until the last second, then triggers it in one instant.
When shooting a mechanical release correctly, the trigger-finger should be placed onto the trigger as soon as the full draw is attained, with pressure applied slowly as the sights are aligned. It’s hard to do effectively, but can be mastered with determined practice and concentration on every shot.
• In a story posted on Deer and Deer Hunting’s website, Ted Nugent, rock music icon and lifelong bow hunter, cautioned archers not to let bad habits creep into their shot sequence.
“The most glaring, oft-repeated violation is the grip-grabber,” wrote Nugent. “You cannot be the best archer you can be if you alter your grip upon the release of the arrow. I watch so many archers touch off their arrow then immediately grab their grip, thereby altering the flight of the arrow from that infinitesimal nano-second prior when the sights are lined up and the decision to shoot is made. Whatever grip you choose, it must be maintained exactly the same from anchor right on through the shot and ultimately until the arrow hits the target.”
Good advice is to grip your bow with a relaxed, closed hand. A tight, white-knuckle grip will tense your entire bow arm and severely degrade accuracy. Lightly touch your thumb to forefinger and a middle finger (or two) on the front of the grip.
Now is the time to get ready for the upcoming archery season for deer. Use these last few days of practice to be mentally and physically prepared down to every last detail of your pre-shot routine.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.
