by Jackson | Feb 17, 2015 | How to
I bet you’ve just come off a good winter and your covered in snow and waiting for all the melting to happen. Well, what are you going to do once all that snow is gone. Bowhunting season is a long way off and it’ll be a while before it’s coming around again. So what else is going on for the rest of the year. You don’t want to be stuck doing nothing all year round and only get to go shoot for a few short months out of the year.
Let me introduce you to the rest of the year in archery and tell you a bit about all the different things that are going to be going on.
Archery Clubs
All year round, there are going to be people meeting up at archery clubs and shooting. This is one of the easiest ways to keep shooting and to have fun and hang out with other people during the rest of the year. You’ll also be able to find out about any other things going on in your area, especially if it’s something that just happens near where you live and not anywhere else.
Tournaments
There are archery tournaments of many different kinds throughout the year.
Olympic archery is indoors and you don’t need to worry about the weather to go shoot at one of these. They do have special rules and it does have a season so check to see if there is an olympic archery shooting event near you.
3D tournaments are my personal favorite just behind shooting for fun at a club. These go on all over the place all over the country. There is a round of shooting, maybe 18 targets, and then you go shoot them a second time. These are a blast because you get to try new shooting poses the entire time and it’s always in a fun spot. I’ve helped in running these, but it sure is nice when you can go to one and just pay the entry cost. It’s a lot less work, but still lots of fun.
Click here to search for 3D shoots
Pick a different hunt
If you’re a hunter, you can always choose to go hunting for something different. If it isn’t deer season, then try going hog hunting or bow fishing. There aren’t seasons for either of those. You can always check out your state parks and wildlife website to get a list of hunting seasons as well as those animals that do not have a season at all.
I just want you to realize that there is always something to do in archery. You’re really only limited by the amount of time and effort you want to put into it. If you don’t want to do anything, then you won’t do anything. On the other hand, if you really want to do something, then you’ll make it happen.
Shoot straight
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by Jackson | Feb 2, 2015 | Archery Education
A wonderful and mighty topic. The weather can play a huge effect in your outdoor time. If you’ve spent a fair amount of time outside, then you’ll definitely agree with me that the weather affects archery. I’m not really going to teach you something that you don’t already know, but it is good to go over some basic ideas so that you’re aware how things will affect your gear and shooting performance.
 How the weather affects your equipment
Most people who are going to have an issue with the weather and their equipment are going to be those using traditional bows. Wood and most other natural compounds will react with the weather. That’s not saying that some parts of the bow will react different on compounds as well. The most notable for both will be the bow string. You want to be sure and keep your bow string waxed to prevent any moisture getting on it.
If you have a traditional bow, and you’re in a different weather condition than normal, then you want to slowly warm up the bow and see if you think it will handle the weather. If you don’t think it will, then just don’t shoot that day. That can be a small downside to bad weather for traditional bows.
Your arrow will be affected very strongly by wind and water. These two things will do the most to your arrow and can really knock it off course. The only other thing that will do that a lot is if you hit something like a branch, but that’s not really weather now is it? It might be worth doing some warming up and test shooting to see how your stuff is affected that day. The weight of your arrow and how it’s set up will also affect how things turn out as well.
Weather affects you too
You are the other part of the shooting ensemble, so don’t forget that you need to pay attention to what you’re wearing and the condition that it puts you in.
Being dry and warm is nice, but that’s not always the case and being prepared and having the right gear can really help you perform at your best when you need to.
Being still in icy conditions for a long time like you might experience while hunting can also seriously impact your ability so you can either not shoot or practice these skills at another time and place, but in similar circumstances to help you practice so you can do the best when you need to.
Weather is an inevitable part of being outside and being prepared for it is the best thing you can do. You can’t change the weather, but you can change how you deal with it.
Shoot straight
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by Jackson | Dec 8, 2014 | Archery Education
Many many years ago I started down the instinctive archery route and was surprised how I’ve never really looked back. I’ve always enjoyed getting out and shooting, but it’s not always just about hitting a target that matters. It’s about how you do it that matters. Being able to hit a 3D target bullseye from 2 yards with nothing but a bow, an arrow, and your eyes has an awesome feeling to it.
I know that when you start-up instinctive shooting of any kind that there’s a learning curve that you’ve got to get over. In fact, it’s not too hard to get out there and make a one-off shot and think you got it. That’s a piece of cake for most people. If you want to be hitting tight groups of arrows over and over then I can help you with that too.
Check out the instinctive archery course to get good fast.
Tips for instinctive archery help
Shooting good doesn’t need to be extremely challenging and can be tailored to a person of any age and ability. With that in mind, let’s focus on beginners and helping them out to get better results quicker.
Stand very close to the target.
Everyone wants to feel like Robin Hood, but you’ll FEEL BETTER if you learn to make a good shot at a very close range first. Put the target about 7 to 10 feet away and no further. There’s two really good reasons for this. The first is that you’re more likely to hit the target and get closer to a bull’s eye each time. The second is that you’re less likely to miss and that means you don’t have to go hunting for arrows or have them broken from hitting things.
Spend some time learning
I know it’s not the most fun, but even a short 10 minutes of instruction will go a very long way and make you a better shooter from the beginning. I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s pretty funny to watch someone who has no knowledge pretend that they don’t need any help or instruction stand up with a bow and look like a Lego character with no arms. Be okay with being a beginner. You don’t have to spend weeks on end reading and watching videos, but a few minutes here and there will make you better and that means you’ll enjoy the sport and you’ll be more likely to stick with it if you’ve invested some time in yourself.
Buy extra arrows
Arrows are projectiles shot at a high-speed. They break and parts on them break. Plan on it. Buy lots of arrows, not just 3, and when you’ve either lost or broken half of them in the first 20 minutes, you’ll thank me for helping you have a better experience. Yes they can be expensive, but there’s a lot of different types of arrows out there. You can easily go through tons of arrows if you’re shooting at too long of a distance or if you aren’t hitting the target properly. The other tips I’ve mentioned will help you with all of this. Seriously, buy extra arrows because you’ll want them, need them, and find you’ll shoot them all.
Have a bow release aid
Get a glove, tab, or anything to protect your drawing hand. You will make your fingers hurt like crazy if you don’t take care of them. This also goes for an arm guard to protect your forearm that’s holding the bow. It’s going to get painful very quickly if you don’t start of protecting them from the beginning. Sure you can take a few shots bare handed if you want, but if it’s more than 2 or 3, then you’ll want to protect your fingers. It’ll let you shoot more and more often.
These few tips will go a long way to making sure that you have a much better shooting experience from the beginning in instinctive archery shooting. You don’t have to listen to me, but you’ll have a better experience if you do.
I do offer an instinctive archery course that will help you shoot great very quickly.
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by Jackson | Nov 19, 2014 | Archery Education
I’m sure this post has been a long time in coming, but it can be extremely difficult to put mental aspects into words that make sense. I’m going to do my best to talk about the focus and control that you need for shooting at your best and how to get there over and over again. I call it getting in the zone and the goal is to learn how to get there before every shot.
You can do this because I learned how to do it by learning from others that were already doing it. It wasn’t the easiest and it takes a lot of time and practice, but it can be done.
A pre shot routine
The first step of getting things ready is to develop a pre shot routine that will help you to always get your mind in the right place. A pre shot routine can last anywhere from 10 seconds up to a couple of minutes and it is something that you do before every single shot that will prepare your mind and body for what it is about to do. If you take some time to look at other sports that deal with accuracy, you’ll notice that every player develops a little “thing” that they always do. That’s their pre-shot routine and you can start by copying theirs first.
Mental control
I’m not talking about mind powers. I’m talking about the effort that it takes to focus on only one thing and to block out all the other things that you could have distracting you. I found that when I started blocking things out, that I kept finding more and more things that distracted me. It took a lot of effort and practice, but it’s easier now to block out everything and focus only on the shot and making it the best possible.
Dealing with Fatigue
Fatigue is one of those things that doesn’t sound like it’s that big a deal, but I’m here to say it makes a big difference. Imagine going to a tournament where you end up making 60 shots over 2 hours plus warming up. There is a lot of room for getting tired, sore, muscle fatigue, and more. The more energy you use, the harder it gets to focus and make a good shot. The main cure for fatigue is consistently practicing. This gives you more stamina over time to continue making good shots.
Learn to stop
The other part of practicing so that you get good at focusing completely over and over is to know when to stop. You not only need to learn how to turn on the ability to focus and block things out, but you also have to learn how to turn it off completely so that you can relax and conserve your mental energy. I know it might sound a little weird, but it’s true. I’m sure you know people in your life that are so passionate or committed to something that they never “turn it off.” It’s kind of the same idea, but the purpose is to help you conserve your mental energy so that you can spend it where it’s needed most.
Taking a shot with a bow isn’t that hard. Making a great shot is definitely harder. Making a great shot for every shot is very difficult and that’s what the mental aspect of the sport of archery is going to come down to.
Shoot straight
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by Jackson | Oct 10, 2014 | Hunting Tips
Going out hunting can be a fun experience and having a good first experience can really help you love the experience even more. I’d like to share some bow hunting tips for beginners that should help you have a better first experience. I’m sure you already know it’s going to be a challenge, but there are lots of people who have great successful hunts all the time so you should feel confident that you can too.
These are some tips that are really good for beginners. I know that it would have helped me out when I started bow hunting. It’s definitely different from using a gun and other forms of hunting so if you’ve hunted a different way, there are some differences that you need to know or think about. Now, let me present some tips for a better first time, or first few times as it often turns out.
My bow hunting tips for beginners
Know your effective distance – It’s important to practice shooting and make sure that you can make a good shot when it counts. The other part of that equation is knowing how far you can shoot and have it be a really good shot. Let’s say that you’ve practiced for a while and the farthest you can shoot a really good group is at 25 yards. When you’re hunting, you should not shoot at anything that is beyond 25 yards. Making a bad shot is much worse than not taking a shot in the first place.
Use markers for everything – I recommend using a marking system for lots of things. First, I use it to know distances to spots around the hunting stand to help me out. You can mark trails so you don’t get lost or can at least find your way back. You can use something to help you figure out what direction the wind is going.
Take a practice round – If it’s your very first time, your on your own, or just want to see how it will go, then I highly recommend this. Go out to your hunting stand and take a target, then set it up where you expect the deer to be and go through the motions of getting in your stand and taking a shot. The entire experience could be better if you’re more comfortable and have a better idea of what to expect. I’d really recommend this if it’s your first time using a tree stand too.
Make a small goal you can get – The goal is to harvest an animal with a clean shot. If it’s your first time or you’re trying something different, then make a small goal for that day to be something a little easier. Some goals could be, just seeing the animals, making a quiet entrance and exit, or practicing moving silently in a spot and stalk. Hunting will use many skills so you can practice more than one thing while your out.
Get a guided hunt – There’s nothing like helping your chances by getting professional help. You can get a better experience, really good information, and better chances of a successful hunt. If you are either an absolute complete newbie or will only hunt 2 days out of entire year, then I think guided hunts are a really useful thing to look into to make your time more rewarding.
Have an exit plan – It’s funny how many people have a plan to go hunting and get a deer or turkey, but have no idea what to do once they’ve actually got an animal. Be sure to plan on how you’re going to prepare the animal out in the field, how you’re going to get it out of the woods for processing and where you’re going to take it. You can either process it yourself or take it to a processor.
Try something different – By this, I don’t mean crazy different. I’m talking about common sense changes or approaches that can expose you to more opportunities. If you normally go hunt in the evening, then try going in the morning. If the wind changes directions, then try entering your hunting area from a different direction. Try building a second hunting blind location. Try patterning the deer in your area if you’ve never done that. Deer act differently based their environment and so should you.
As always, use common sense, be safe, and enjoy the great outdoors. It’s the only one we have so we have to take care of it. I hope you’ll find these bow hunting tips for beginners useful. Starting your journey can be quite challenging and that’s why I’m here to help.
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On a side note, If you found this useful, I’d really appreciate it if you would take a moment and share it with your friends or someone you think might find it useful.
