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C.B. James (CBJ)
a.k.a. "the Original Weatherbyman"
About Me & Us
- Corey B. James, "the Original Weatherbyman"
- I have been engineering cutting-edge hunting rifles and components since 1996... Known as "the Original Weatherbyman", makers of custom Weatherby Rifles. Now we also customize archery products! My passion is to develop some of the fastest weapons made. We assist bow manufactures starting out with state-of-the-art designs (theirs!) We improve and build custom release aids, sights, grips and other goodies to eliminate 100% bow torque advantage over the competition. We engineer trick devices in T6061 and Carbon Fiber extreme-special one-up designs only available at WCG, Inc.
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28 September 2010
Practice - preparing for a bowhunt - spot targets or 3D?
What is the best way to prepare for a successful bowhunt - Spot targets, or 3D?
Really there is no substitute for either of them.
First, it allows the archer the opportunity to establish their shooting form and make it consistent. Anyone can learn to shoot a bow reasonably well in a very short time. Perfecting that shooting is what spot shooting is all about. The goal is to make your technique second nature. Every time you draw the bow, the anchor point is the same, the grip on the bow is the same, the stance is the same, the breathing, the posture, the release, and follow through are the same. Practice, as they say, makes perfect. This is so important for those hunting situations. Your shot technique should be automatic when that big buck steps out so you don't have to focus on every element of your technique. Shooting hundreds of arrows at spot targets will result in what many call muscle memory. Your body will KNOW if that draw is just right.
Secondly, spot shooting will allow you to get your equipment set up properly. Pre-measured distances will give you accurate settings for your bowsite's pin settings. Watching your arrows flight and how it impacts the target will tell you whether your bow is properly tuned, and allow you to make adjustments under controlled circumstances. You can determine the proper arrow, including spine, weight and length, tip weight and fletching, to pick the perfect arrow.
The combined gains of spot shooting will result in a honed archery form and properly prepared equipment.
To stop there however, will be a disservice to the game you hunt. Judging distance on live game is not an easy task. Game come in all different shapes and sizes. Misjudging distance WILL absolutely result in missed and worse, crippled game.
We owe it to the quarry we hunt to make every effort to be accurate in judging the shot distance. There is no substitute in this regard than 3D shooting at unknown distances.
You also first must find the deer! :) - I have been out in the field now Archery Hunting for 3 days and missed a great opportunity at throwing out a high shot due in part to not my lack of practice but my lack of practice with the intended broadhead for use at my quarry. If within 25-40 yards I am going to hit under 3" almost all of the time, so I was very prepared... however, what I failed to compensate for was the unknown of many variable... 1) an untested broadhead, 2) shooting uphill at 35-44+ yards (estimated) and I shot over my deer. How did this happen? Not because of lack of practice, but lack of multiple techniques and experience with "what worked"... changing my broadhead strategy mid-stream was my number one mistake.
Spot shooting at targets at prearranged distances does two things necessary for any successful bowhunt with the intended arrow (shafts) and of course your intended broadheads.
When practicing your archery at 3D shoots, avoid the temptation to share your distance views with your shooting partners. You need to develop these skills independent of your hunting associates. It will not be very often that you will be able to query your hunting partner about the yardage of a closing Buck.
Make sure your 3D practice includes all the kind of terrain you will be hunting as well. Uphill and downhill shots are very different from each other and simple horizontal shots. If you will be hunting from a tree stand, make sure you practice from an elevated platform.
Throwing lots of arrows at predetermined "spot targets" coupled with a bunch more arrows at good 3D courses, will enhance your total outdoor experience and will certainly increase your success rate during the actual hunt.
And in the end, this again is why they call it "hunting" and not "killing"
CBJ
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1 comments:
You know, I intended to craft this blog while in my deer stand yesterday... then the realization came over me that hunting needs to be just that, "hunting" -- remove technology, turn off the technology, turn off the phone, the texting, the GPS, the electronic compass... just turn it off and connect with what is important. Relax, after all this is what we all forgot to do when technology is ruling our lives. This blog was two days late, and I do not care. I was hunting.
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