Summer 2006

Shooting Accurately From Any Position

By JOHN KASUN

The author is standing erect with his weight evenly distributed on both feet. His bow hand is relaxed with the bow arm firm and collapsed into the shoulder. Extending the arm quickly leads to fatigue resulting in low shots and right to left misses. The bow-arm is in line with the arrow for maximum control of the shot while ensuring proper back tension.

If you are a bowhunter I think it would be safe to bet that you have missed a deer and probably more than one, I know I have. The interesting part is that the average bowhunting shot for whitetail is taken between 17 and 20 yards.
With the quality of today's archery equipment it is hard to believe that even an average archer could miss a deer at that range but it happens many times each year and it happens to archers who have far above average shooting skills. The question is why?
First of all there is a definite difference between shooting at a stationary target while standing on level ground in the back yard and shooting at a wily whitetail while twisted halfway around a tree 20 feet off of the ground.

A missed shot normally has two components, excitement and form. While the excitement part of the equation never really goes away it can be controlled through experience. However the form part of a miss is a key element that often gets overlooked by the hunter. Everyone thinks that their form is just great; after all just look at their practice targets. They seem to be able to shoot one arrow after another, right in the middle. How than can you explain a simple miss? To get the answer to this question and to better understand how to shoot well under all conditions we must first understand what it takes to shoot a bow not only accurately but how to do it every time and while shooting from any position.

Note that the bow arm is allowed to collapse into the shoulder for solid support. The bow arm and the drawing arm transfer the force required to draw the bow to the back muscles for a balanced and controlled shot.

Let's look at the relationship between shooting under hunting conditions and in practice. Any good athlete practices for only one reason; to make the conscious act of doing something an automatic action that can be performed under pressure without thinking. When a professional baseball player swings at a pitch he does not think about the spacing of his feet, his weight distribution or when or how hard to swing the bat. It happens in the blink of an eye, subconsciously. It is an automatic reflex. Shooting a bow under hunting conditions must happen in the same way. If you think about the shot you are sure to miss which brings us to the real purpose of practice.
Many archers think that practicing is simply shooting arrows. The more arrows you shoot the better you should become. Nothing could be further from the truth. Practice is about learning to do the right things automatically and that means learning, understanding and practicing the right form from the placement of your hand on the bow to your final release. To be repeatedly accurate you must do every step the same every time. If you can do that every arrow will go in the same place and you won't miss. While having a properly tuned bow is important, it alone does not determine accuracy.
Using a shooting machine to eliminate human error test have been conducted using an out of tune bow. As long as the arrows were matched in spine and weight the bow shot tight groups regardless of distance. This goes to prove that no matter how the equipment is tuned if every shot is set up and fired in exactly the same manner the arrows will group. It is seldom the equipment that causes a miss it is the failure of the archer to shoot every arrow exactly the same. Therefore the most important part of shooting accurately is learning the proper form and duplicating it automatically every shot. The good news is that this is not as hard as you might think. While it would be impossible in this short column to explain in complete detail all of the steps involved in proper shooting form we can get a pretty good start explaining the basic concepts.
Shooting a bow is not rocket science so don't make the mistake of making it too complicated. Although there is force involved in drawing the bow your shooting form should reflect your bodies' natural position for the ultimate accuracy. In other words a bow should be shot in a manner in which the bow and the body work together and don't fight each other. For a simple experiment, stand approximately 20 yards from your target and close your eyes. Draw your bow and come to your anchor. Open your eyes and see where your sight is pointing. Try this several times and remember, do not make any conscious correction, let the bow point where it feels most comfortable. After you have done this several times note where the bow is naturally pointing. Chances are it is to the right or left of the target by maybe a foot or possibility several feet. If you had been shooting at this target it would have been necessary for you to ''twist'' your body in order to aim at the target. This action is unnatural and difficult to repeat shot after shot. It makes more sense to change your foot position so that at full draw you are ''naturally'' pointing at the target. The logic is that it is easier to do what comes naturally then to force you body to do something that is unnatural.
This ''natural logic'' applies to each and every step of the shooting process. The grip on the bow should be relaxed. Do not grip the bow but instead hold it loosely to prevent bow torque. The hand should be placed on the bow grip in the same position each time using a low wrist. The bones of the bow arm should line up directly behind the wrist transferring the force to the shoulder which should be down and back. Consider for a moment that your job was to simply lean against a wall for eight hours a day using your bow arm and shoulder. If you extended your arm or elevated your wrist you would tire quickly. However putting your weight behind a hand flat against the wall with a low wrist and allowing your shoulder to be supported by your body you could lean there all day. Try leaning against a wall and see how your body tells you the most natural position to support the weight. It is the same as when drawing a bow.
The most common mistake that I see time after time is archers shooting bows with draw lengths that are to long. This means the archer must extend his bow arm to compensate for the extra length and as he tires he will find that his groups open up. I was guilty of that mistake for many years. When I shorten my draw length 1 or more inches not only did my groups improve, but I was able to shoot for much longer periods of time without tiring.
The bow hand should be relaxed and the bow drawn to a natural anchor point using the muscles of the back and not the arms. Maintaining proper back tension is critical to accurate shooting. Another quick check to see if you bow is set up to suit your natural body position is to check your string peep. When anchored, center your sight in the string peep and close your eyes for several seconds. When you open your eyes again note if the sight has moved up or down in the peep. If it has the peep needs to be relocated to its ''natural'' position. Several years ago I noticed that as I grew tired my arrows still grouped but they were going low. Searching for the answer I noticed that the longer I shot the more difficult it was for me to keep my sight pin centered in the string peep. The peep tended to drift upward as my body sought a more comfortable anchor. By not positioning the peep at the correct location I was forcing my body to fight its natural position. Moving the peep sight down solved the problem and tightened my groups.
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Now what does all of this mean and what does it have to do with missing a deer? Under the stress of a hunting shot your body will automatically go to what feels natural and if you learn to shoot that way in practice you will not have to think about how to shoot when a hunting opportunity presents itself. A leading contributor to a missed hunting shot is that when practicing we take multiple shots under ideal conditions. When hunting we may only get one shot a season from an uncomfortable position when we least expect it with only seconds to take the shot. The more your train your body to react naturally the better your chances are of making that shot count.
The main difference between a practice shot and a hunting shot is the relationship between your feet and your upper body. When practicing you are normally standing on a flat surface with your body in line with the target. Under hunting conditions you may be on an uneven surface or you may be sitting or kneeling. You may have to twist your body to get the shot. You may be shooting uphill or downhill or any combination of all of the above.
Think of your body as being divided in two sections with the division occurring at your waist. Under hunting conditions when you cannot stand erect and in line with the target twist at the waist keeping your footing as solid as possible while maintaining proper shooting form in your upper body. Remember a bow will shoot where you aim it if you make every shot the same. Most missed hunting shots occur simply because we failed to program our bodies to shoot using proper form in the most natural way possible.
While most bowhunters practice religiously before the season few practice during the season. To keep your shooting sharp it is a good idea to shoot at least a dozen arrows every day during the hunting season and especially before you head afield. It keeps you in shape and your body tuned up. Because with most hunting shots you only get one chance ''making the first shot count'' is also a good practice technique.When you are working around the house and take a break, pick up your bow and fire one shot paying attention to the proper form. Repeat this every chance you get and you will be training your mind as well as your body to make that first shot count.
When practicing, attempt to duplicate some possible hunting positions. If you will be hunting from a ground blind practice shooting sitting down or if you hunt from a tree try some shots from a tree stand. Remember that the shot may not be where you anticipate it will be so don't hesitate to twist or turn, (at the waist), to duplicate what may occur. During the actual hunting season I always carry an extra arrow for a practice shot from my tree stand either right after I get in the stand or when I am ready to leave. I'd much rather learn of a possible miss before an actual shot presents itself.
Another leading cause of hunting misses is the often overlooked clothing factor. Practicing with a tee shirt in August or September is a lot different than shooting with a heavy jacket on in late October or November. Take the time to practice in your hunting clothes to make sure your bowstring clears your chest and bow arm. A string that contacts clothing on the shot will cause low left arrows for a right-hander or low right for a lefty. To avoid this contact use a chest protector, arm guard and elastic bands on your upper arm to keep this clothing out of the way of the string.
Shooting accurately from any position is guaranteed if you develop the right shooting form and you use that form regardless of the conditions that you encounter in the field. To help you better understand the techniques involved I would like to recommend two books that I read and reread continuously to keep on top of my form.
Idiot Proof Archery by Bernie Pellerite is a must have book that gives a step by step description complete with photographs of the proper shooting form explaining not only what to do but why. Bernie is extremely knowledgeable and his advice and coaching services are constantly sought by many archery professionals. Bernie can be contacted by phone at 614-322-1038 or by e-mail at AskBernie@aol.com. Bernie's books and videos are also shown on his website www.robinhoodvideos.com.
A second excellent book is Core Archery written by a Larry Wise who resides in Mifflintown, Pa. Larry is a world field archery and national target champion and international coach as well as being a Pennsylvania bowhunter. Core Archery is an in depth discussion of the science of shooting and the role the various parts of the body play in producing repetitive accuracy. Core Archery and other books in Larry's archery series can be obtained from Target Communication at 262-242-3990 or from their web site www.deerinfo.com.