Rambling Archery Thoughts

It seems that every day while at the shop something comes up that I wish I could share with lots of people. I covered broadheads v. field points in another blog and have gotten some great feedback from folks that have come into the shop and talked to me about it... but no one replied to the blog. Hopefully if you read this and have any comments, questions or totally disagree with me, you will post it here and we can all learn from it.

Random Thought #1. Shooting a release CORRECTLY. I personally think that how you operate your release is the single most important part of your shot sequence. I firmly believe that there must be a "surprise" element every time your release goes off. If you are doing it correctly, you know exactly what I am talking about. Most everyone who is reading this has shot a gun before and I am sure have had someone tell them to "squeeze the trigger." While it is very important to do so with a gun, I believe it is at least 10 times more important with a bow. Imagine trying to shoot a gun with no barrel. Sounds crazy doesn't it? But that is exactly what we archery folks are doing. Every time you release an arrow it is "propelled" from the rear with nothing guiding it except the archer. (a.k.a. "the nut on the handle") When done correctly, every time the shot goes off there is an involuntary flow-through by the archer, the release hand will fly straight back, your shoulder blades will "click together" and there will be some movement of the bow arm. If you have heard the term "explosion" this is what they are talking about. It is uncontrollable.

Why is this important? Lots of reasons.... here are my 2 favorites.

First off, it FORCES you to aim. When I say aim I'm not talking about sticking your pin on the spot and "lettin' it rip." I'm talking about really aiming.... burning a hole in the CENTER of the spot, centering your pin in the peep sight, centering your pin in the center of the spot and and HOLDING it there. As soon as you get the sight aligned perfectly you begin your squeeze and you hold your sight there until the release goes off and scares the dickens out of you!! That's what I mean by aiming! After a few shots you will get used to the fact that you don't know EXACTLY when the release is going to go off but the "surprise" should always be there. It forces you to aim because since you don't know exactly when it is going to go off you don't dare let it drift off the spot because if your luck is like mine, that is definitely when it will go!! Line everything about your sight up, hold it on the spot, squeeze off the shot..... sounds easy enough!!!

Secondly, it is much more consistent. While there are a few exceptions, most people who "rip" or "punch" a release are not very accurate. The aiming sequence is usually not nearly as precise simply because they do not hold it there long enough to get things lined up as accurately as they should. As soon as it looks good, they shoot it. Many "command" shooters never even stop on the spot, they just shoot it as the pin passes through. Snap shooting will eventually lead to "target panic." If you have ever experienced it you know what I am talking about, if you haven't, it would take a week for me to explain it. Just take my word for it.... it's ugly!! Squeeze your release EVERY shot and you will never have to live through the agony of target panic.

It's easy to tell if an archer is a "Squeezer" or a "Ripper". I can spot a ripper from across a crowded room. Watch their release hand. A squeezer's hand will fly back when the shot breaks while a ripper's hand will barely move... or worse, fly out away from their face. Watch their bow arm. A ripper's bow arm will barely move at all when the shot is ripped while a squeezer's bow arm will have a definite controlled explosion when all the pressure on it is suddenly removed. My favorite ripper tipper is to watch their bow hand. Watch it closely and you will see many rippers actually close their grip BEFORE the shot goes off!

Broadheads vs Field Points

Every season I have the same discussion and see the same subject on various Bowhunting sites. The questions vary but the subject is always the same.... "Do your broadheads and field points shoot the same?" or "How do I get my field points and broadheads to hit in the same spot?" From experience I know that there are people that are going to disagree with what I am about to say, but that's the cool thing about a "blog!"

An arrow with a field point is a TOTALLY different projectile than the same arrow with a broadhead. I personally don't give it a second thought where they hit in relation to each other. During the 8 months of "off season" I shoot 99% of the time with field points in my arrows and the bow is perfectly set-up to shoot THOSE. When I start to get ready to go hunting I will shoot my Broadheads. Sometimes they hit a little right, sometimes a little left, up or down. As long as I can CONSISTANTLY shoot the same type arrow (in this case one with a broadhead) in the same spot, I know my bow is "tuned." Only you know what an "acceptable" group size will be for you, but if you can keep the arrows inside that group, you are good to go. Move your sight so that your group is now in the middle. After all, that's why they make sights that are so easily adjusted. Don't be afraid to move it!!!

Now before any of you think "Toby doesn't care about bow tuning" let me clarify some things.

1. If your bow is not "tuned" you will not be able to shoot a group with your broadheads. You now have "wings" on the front and the back of the arrow and if they are not both headed in the same direction you are going to have problems.

2. Arrow SPINE is always critical, but it is super critical with broadheads. If your arrow spine is too weak you will never get satisfactory broadhead flight. A good match between draw weight, draw length and arrow spine is a must.

3. Good shooting FORM is a must. Any flaw in your form or shot execution will be magnified when shooting broadheads.

4. An "acceptable group" with broadheads is the same size as an "acceptable group'' with field points. One person's group may be the size of a quarter, another the size of a softball and yet another may be the size of a beachball at 20 yards. While I hope the beachball shooter practices before going in the woods, thats as good as it gets!

Are you seeing a pattern? Broadheads are going to magnify any problems that you have with spine, set-up or shooting form. But if they are shooting well enough for YOU to shoot as good of a group as YOU are currently capable, move your sight to center your group eactly where you are aiming and be done with it.

It is crucial that the broadhead is perfectly aligned with the shaft. If it's not you will never achieve the accuracy that you are capable of. Just as I said above, you now have "wings" on the front and the back and if the broadhead is not straight, you are doomed before you even let go of the string. Most of the newer broadheads will spin perfectly true straight out of the package, but if they don't you need to "true them up." You can sometimes do this with plastic washers that come with some models, other times you will need to actually bend the head so that it is perfectly in line with the shaft. You will need to spin the arrow in order to tell if it is true. (no wobble) If you spin it in your palm... BE CAREFUL!

There ya go! My 2 cents worth on broadheads. Post me some comments...... agree/disagree questions/statements... let's hear it. TR

Hot Bows for 2009

There are some very cool bows available for 2009!!!

As always Mathews has some really neat stuff to choose from... The 3 new bows from Mathews are The Reezen, The Monster and The Hyper-Lite. The Reezen and The Monster are "speed" bows that really pack a punch. Both will easily achieve a "real world" speed above 300 fps at 70# and a well matched arrow. They, as all "speed bows", have an aggressive draw cycle which will only take a few shots to get used to. The Hyper-Lite is just like it's name implies. The bow (bare) weighs just under 3.5 lbs and it is a very smooth shooter..... much like last years number 1 seller at Double B.... The DXT, which is back and still very popular this year. We also have the ever-popular Drenalin, The S2 and Ignition "in stock and ready to rock!"

So far in this years most popular bow contest, HOYT is leading with the new AlphaMax. This is one bow that has combined speed, comfort, sleek looks and shootablity and as a bonus.... it is very light to carry at only 3.9 lbs. Also back for 2009 is last year's Hoyt workhorse The Katera. This was my bow of choice last year and I can tell you that it is a shooter! It puts an arrow downrange quickly and with authority. Slightly faster than The AlphaMax and a little heavier mass weight at 4.5 lbs..... but I have often joked that you could use this bow as a jackstand for your truck, it is stout! Hoyt came out with a new mid-range bow in July called The TurboHawk. This bow has many of the same features as The AlphaMax and is more affordable. I really can't tell you alot of hands on info at this point because we got our first one in and the second person that looked at it, bought it. We got it rigged out quickly and he left as a happy camper. We also have The PowerHawk in stock for an even more affordable choice. All Hawk series bows also come with a $50 Rebate from Hoyt. For the shorter draw length hunters we stock The Trykon Jr and The Trykon Sport. Both are fine bows!

PSE has been the "speed" king for the last couple of years and this year will be no different.
Their line of X-Force bows has literally changed the way bows look and shoot. We currently have the X-Force GX, Dream Season, and The SS in stock. All of these bows are screaming fast, but not as fast as their new teammate The Omen. The Omen is pretty much in a class of it's own as far as pure speed. With an advertised IBO rating of up to 366 fps, this is one bad machine. We don't currently have one in stock but can get one on special order for you in plenty of time before hunting season! PSE also has The Chaos, which in my opinion is the best short draw/ kids/ beginner bow ever made. It is a slightly scaled down version of the X-Force that is draw length adjustable from 17"-27" without a wheel change or even the use of a bow press! And don't think this bow won't shoot!!! At 50# it has an IBO rating of up to 286 fps!!!

Well there ya go!!! I had the easy part, telling you about them! You have the hard part...... deciding which one!!!!

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Toby