As a bowhunter, you will already know that how to shoot a bow and arrow accurately is of paramount importance. Range, angle, and form are just three critical issues that anyone who fires an arrow needs to be aware of.
During a hunt, there are numerous variables that are totally beyond your control, so working towards improved accuracy is always beneficial. One aspect that is within our control is how accomplished we are with our faithful bow and arrow.
So when the stars align, and the gods are smiling upon us such that our targeted quarry is within 30 yards of our position, it would be a total impossibility to miss.
Practice, practice, practice is every bowhunters mantra, and there is no denying that this will improve your accuracy. Targeting loads of arrows during practice sessions is definitely crucial to hitting the bullseye at will. But only shooting arrows won’t make you the most accurate archer you could be.
There is no such thing as perfect, so there is always room for improvement. So if you really want to shrink your groups from the size of a car tire to that of a soda can top, or even to a quarter, here are our tips to get you well on your way.
TUNE YOUR BOW PROPERLY
This may seem obvious, but this is not always done correctly. An out of tune bow will put a total kibosh on your accuracy. So tuning your bow correctly is the first step to improving your accuracy.
There are two facets to tuning a bow, which will affect how well you shoot:
- Timing
- Center-shot alignment
Timing
Timing in this vain is the rotation of the bow’s cams. Your objective is that both cams rotate precisely the same way and do so reaching full rotation (the back wall) at precisely the same time.
You need this to be so because your back wall should be rock solid. You will feel a little play in the string. This is caused by an out of sync cam completing its rotation after the other cam. Typically, a few twists of one of the cables will bring your cams back into sync.
Every cam-and-a-half and two-cam bow has timing marks. These show you if your bow is adequately timed or not. These timing marks vary widely from bow to bow. So check with the store, local pro or manufacturer to find the marks that are on your bow.
If you are using a single-cam bow, then the timing will not be an issue. That’s a significant advantage of a single-cam bow.
Centre Shot Alignment
Once you are sure that your bow is timed correctly, fire an arrow through a piece of paper that has been placed directly in front of you. If your nocking point and rest are centered correctly, you will see a bullet hole beautifully surrounded by the arrow’s fletching.
Should the bullet hole sit more to the left or right, or it is too high or low, then there are issues with your nock placement and/or rest.
Make the necessary adjustments until you achieve a perfectly centered shot. If the arrow is leaving your bow at an angle, then you will continue to have accuracy issues, particularly at longer distances.
YOUR FORM
This has always been the number one cause of inaccurate shooting. Torquing your bow, dropping the bow arm, and punching the trigger are just a few examples of things that will send your arrow off its intended target. Form must be right from the get-go, or you will forever have accuracy complications. The proper form begins with a proper stance.
Start by imagining the target as a clock face with 12 noon at the top. For right-handed shooters, stand such that you are facing three o’clock. For left-handed shooters, stand facing nine o’clock.
Spread your legs, so your feet are shoulder-width apart. Then extend your bow arm, making a V with your thumb and forefinger. The bow must sit in the middle of your V. Relax your fingers. Now the knuckles on your bow hand should be extended away from the riser at a slightly downward angle.
They should not be straight up or straight down. If you find that they are, it means that you are holding the bow like it’s a gun.
When you have the correct hand position, the energy being released when you let go of the string will head straight toward the target, along with your arrow. Doing this portion of the exercise in front of a full-length mirror will be helpful, but remember not to accidentally release your bow.
Clip the release to your bowstring and drawback to your set anchor point. Ensure that you keep your drawing elbow up high when you are at full draw. It should be parallel to the ground. Then set off your release (turn away from a mirror if you are using a mirror at this point) by very slowly squeezing together your shoulder blades.
As the arrow is released, be sure to keep your drawing arm moving back, away from the string. This is a bit like when you follow through on a golf shot. Allow the bow to fall forward in your hand, still keeping your arm up, parallel to the floor.
Keep your head still until you hear the arrow hit the target. There’s an archer’s saying that says, “If you want to see a bad shot, look at it.” In other words, if you move your head to look around your riser as you release the bowstring, you will be sure to watch your arrow miss its intended mark.
Repeat this form over and over again until it becomes instinctive. If you seem to be struggling, perhaps record yourself on your smartphone or get someone to watch while you practice. You or the person watching can look for problems and then you can see where the improvement could be made. If you get a local pro to watch you, you could also benefit from their experience, and they can offer additional tips.
PUSH YOUR LIMITS
The practice range is a fantastic place to challenge yourself. And challenging yourself is essential. You must test your shooting abilities to improve them. If the only practice you do is to shoot at a 3D animal 30 yards away, that is the only thing you will be good at. Practice at longer distances, and varying angles, than those you usually are comfortable shooting at. Perhaps increase your range 10 yards at a time.
Form imperfections will be highly magnified at longer distances from the target. You could have a small hitch in your bow arm that may be pushing the arrow to the edge of a 10-ring at 30 yards, but still in the 10-ring nonetheless. That would make you think that nothing is wrong. But, at 40 yards, that small hitch could move your arrow more than 6 inches outside the 10-ring. This needs to be corrected to bring the arrow back into the center.
To consistently hit your bullseye at 60 yards, your form will have to be perfect with every shot. Shooting at increased ranges will aid in tightening your form. When you return to the 30-yard target, you will find that you are always busting nocks in that bullseye.
If you only have access to a 20-yard range, all you need to do is imitate long-range practice. How? Shrink the size of your bullseye! For example, if your practice typically entails shooting at a target with a center about 3 inches in diameter, alter the target center to half that size.
When you consistently hit that, half if again, and so on. It will work the same as shooting at long range because you will still need to tighten your form to consistently hit the smaller target. The margin for error reduces as you decrease your aiming point. In the movie The Patriot, Mel Gibson told his sons the following, “Aim small, miss small.”
COVER ALL YOUR BASES
As bowhunters, we are used to shooting at targets, but that does not make us target archers. That statement could well generate much chatter amongst us, but for this purpose, we need to move on.
As bowhunters, we require pinpoint accuracy. This means we must be fully accomplished at placing an arrow exactly where we want it when we want it as there is no standard bullseye to aim at. Shooting at 3D targets alone will never allow you to develop pinpoint accuracy. To develop this skill, we must shoot at bullseye targets or such like. This is the only way we will improve our precision.
When you only shoot at 3Ds, your groups will be loose, yet your arrows may still be hitting the vitals. We really want to be able to shoot five arrows and pull them all with one hand. For that to ever become a reality, you need to work on bullseye target practice sessions.
That said, shooting bullseyes exclusively won’t improve your skills. Doing that will mean that you might have difficulties when aiming at a 3D deer and therefore a live deer. With a live animal, there is no clear aiming point. Working with 3D targets will allow you to develop the ability to aim at nothing and fire your arrow where you want it to land.
You may have heard people say that when aiming at a deer, pick a shadow or a tuft of hair or anything else that is visible in its vital area to focus on – that needs to be your aiming point. While that is true, experienced bowhunters will also know that there are many times when nothing will stand out as an excellent aiming point. In poor light, which is often the case in the woods at prime time, the outline of the deer’s body can look even and flat. Nothing jumps out at you, shouting, “Aim here.” You will have to select your spot in the vitals and just try to put an arrow into it.
THE RIGHT GEAR
Stabilizers and sights can dramatically alter accuracy. With regard to bow sights and accuracy, perspective is the defining factor. The greater the distance from your eye, to where the sight pin resides, the more precision you will have with your aim. As the sight pin moves away from your eye, it seems to get smaller. So consider the difference between covering that bullseye with the pin, against having the ability to position your pin in various spots within the bullseye.
A precise aim will lead to a precise shoot. You could get that sight pin farther away from your eye by selecting a sight that has a more extended bar than the one you are currently using. You might also reduce your sight pin by simply selecting a smaller one. If you are presently using a pin size of 0.039 inches, try using one that’s 0.019 or .029 inches. You might not think that this will make much difference, but when you look at a smaller pin using your peep sight, you will notice that you can see a lot more of your target.
The “stabilizer” – the name tells you exactly what this accessory does. Essentially, it adds weight to the bottom of your bow, so that it stays vertical when you are shooting, and this should help you fight against torque.
The best stabilizer will be a long one, where the bulk of the weight is at the end furthest away from your riser. You should get obsessed about the length and weight of a stabilizer. After all, you will carry your bow for hours during a hunt. Our advice would be to try a 12-inch stabilizer with around 6-10 ounces of weight at the end, and then check whether your groups are starting to shrink.
Improving your accuracy should be a clear-cut goal of every bowhunter. Try these things out and see whether you start filling more tags.