• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Bought my first bow

mike.podolan

mike.podolan

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2020
Messages
73
I was finally able to get some time to go and shoot some bows for the first time. It was a great experience. The staff was very helpful and not pushy at all. After laying out my general goals and price range, we chose a few bows for me to try out. I asked lots of questions and shot each one a number of times. I narrowed it down to two that felt the best, and after another round of shooting, I landed on the Bowtech Revolt. It’s a 2020 bow and is brand new. This bow just felt the best in hand and seems to shoot very smoothly. It seems to have decent adjustability and technology built into it that should allow it to tune relatively simply. It is the 60 pound model, and it seemed to draw well for me at that weight. I was thinking about backing it down to 50 or so to focus more on form as I learn because I noticed a bit of fatigue after 5 or 6 shots. I could still draw it correctly, but it was definitely noticeable.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been purchasing the accessories for a bow off of the classifieds and other online sources. I have a Scott Echo release and a Cobra Heartland Bowhunter release that I got on the Classifieds over at ArcheryTalk. I have a TrophyTaker rest from there, too. I put a Trophy Ridge Fix 5 pin sight and a Trophy Ridge 5 Spot quiver on, as well as a K-Tech 8” stabilizer. I bought 6 Victory V Force Sport 350 arrows.

I’m super excited to get into this sport (I even stung my forearm a couple of times like a true beginner ). I’m sure I’ll have a million more questions along the way, and I hope to get some help from this forum, too. Feel free to point out any major mistakes you think I made in this process, too. The money is spent, but I’m always happy to learn!

81397ed17b3937f7044dd66fa587fd0d.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to your new addiction and stress relief program all rolled into one. Backing the weight off to preserve form isn't a bad idea at all, if you shoot daily or even a couple times a week the strength should build quickly and you can add weight as you go, there's plenty of time before next season.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
Welcome to the compound rabbit hole. Not as deep as some. Deeper than others. But a good one because you can do it year round.
 
mike.podolan said:
I was thinking about backing it down to 50 or so to focus more on form as I learn because I noticed a bit of fatigue after 5 or 6 shots. I could still draw it correctly, but it was definitely noticeable.
Click to expand...

Good plan. If u start getting tired just stop shooting...counterproductive to "learn" how to shoot with fatigued muscles. I wish someone would have given me that advice. I sat out there hammering away doing more harm than good
 
Once your bow is tuned, stop fretting about the bow and concentrate on your form and release. With a compound especially, think…. Shooting machine at all times. A machine will do the same thing the same way over and over again…. That’s the key to tight groups over the long haul. You want as minimum of human interaction with the bow as possible, especially at release. Don’t try to force the pin to stay in one spot but especially in the beginning while developing your shooting form….concentrate on the sight pin and have a blurry target and again, when you get tired…. Put the bow down. My best shooting is sometimes after a week of no shooting because I “forget” my last shooting session and start fresh. Once you’ve shot an arrow, that ship has sailed…. You can’t change the past. Always look forward in archery. I hope that makes sense.
 
It’s tough to do when you first get your bow, but I’m also in the camp of shooting fewer arrows per session with quality being your primary goal on each shot. That’s not necessarily to say accuracy=quality, but consistency in form generally leads to accuracy, and good form=quality practice IMHO. I personally don’t like to shoot more than a half-dozen arrows in one session (basically empty my quiver into the target and call it a day) but more likely I only shoot 1-2 arrows per session, maybe 3. In the summer, I’ll do a dozen or more just for fun but during season and leading into season, I shoot sparingly and for one-shot “kills” to simulate the pressure of taking a hunting shot as best I can. It’s not a strategy for everybody.
If you feel the urge to keep slocking that target with shafts, just don’t go past the point of fatigue. If you feel a little bit of soreness or stiffness, trouble concentrating on shot sequence, that’s your signal to pack it in until next time. Diminishing returns and whatnot.
 
mike.podolan said:
I was finally able to get some time to go and shoot some bows for the first time. It was a great experience. The staff was very helpful and not pushy at all. After laying out my general goals and price range, we chose a few bows for me to try out. I asked lots of questions and shot each one a number of times. I narrowed it down to two that felt the best, and after another round of shooting, I landed on the Bowtech Revolt. It’s a 2020 bow and is brand new. This bow just felt the best in hand and seems to shoot very smoothly. It seems to have decent adjustability and technology built into it that should allow it to tune relatively simply. It is the 60 pound model, and it seemed to draw well for me at that weight. I was thinking about backing it down to 50 or so to focus more on form as I learn because I noticed a bit of fatigue after 5 or 6 shots. I could still draw it correctly, but it was definitely noticeable.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been purchasing the accessories for a bow off of the classifieds and other online sources. I have a Scott Echo release and a Cobra Heartland Bowhunter release that I got on the Classifieds over at ArcheryTalk. I have a TrophyTaker rest from there, too. I put a Trophy Ridge Fix 5 pin sight and a Trophy Ridge 5 Spot quiver on, as well as a K-Tech 8” stabilizer. I bought 6 Victory V Force Sport 350 arrows.

I’m super excited to get into this sport (I even stung my forearm a couple of times like a true beginner ). I’m sure I’ll have a million more questions along the way, and I hope to get some help from this forum, too. Feel free to point out any major mistakes you think I made in this process, too. The money is spent, but I’m always happy to learn!

81397ed17b3937f7044dd66fa587fd0d.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
You’re toast!!! Welcome!!
 
I am going to also encourage not backing the weight off because it will change everything about your tune and setup. Shoot 6 shots and put it down for a while. While you are resting, watch back the video you shot with your phone and observe your form, how smooth and controlled your shot breaks, are your choking the life out of the grip, are you starting open hand and grabbing the grip at shot break, etc. Spend some time watching video on good form and then watch yourself while you rest between rounds and pick apart your weakness in your shot. Completely forget about shooting great groups. A great group is an accumulation of great individual shots. One at a time perfectly, every time.
 
BTaylor said:
I am going to also encourage not backing the weight off because it will change everything about your tune and setup. Shoot 6 shots and put it down for a while. While you are resting, watch back the video you shot with your phone and observe your form, how smooth and controlled your shot breaks, are your choking the life out of the grip, are you starting open hand and grabbing the grip at shot break, etc. Spend some time watching video on good form and then watch yourself while you rest between rounds and pick apart your weakness in your shot. Completely forget about shooting great groups. A great group is an accumulation of great individual shots. One at a time perfectly, every time.
Click to expand...
Would u give ur wife the same advice?
 
I appreciate the advice! It makes sense. I’ll try to limit my sessions and break them up a bit.

I have also been advised to use a shot trainer to work on grip, anchor, pulling through the release, etc. That seems like a good idea to help build good habits without the fatigue. Anyone have any experience with this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Camelcluch said:
Your best money will be on a few lessons. Get the solid base with a good pro watching. Good luck and enjoy.
Click to expand...
If you do this, make sure whoever is teaching you is a bowhunter, and make sure they know you’re in this primarily for bowhunting. That will focus your efforts in practice and whoever is teaching you will have the all-important context needed, instead of teaching you tournament habits for hunting or giving you goals/training that have no impact on potential bowhunting situations.
 
@mike.podolan
The best thing you could've done, is what you did by physically putting your hands on as many bows as you are interested in owning. This is the absolute best way to know what works for YOU! :) The commercial hype of owning brand _________, simply because that's what some outdoor TV show hunter is using, does nothing for what works for each individual. All the archery manufacturers make decent bows with good technology. The "key" is finding one that suits how it feels in your hands, the draw cycle, how it holds at full draw, how it shoots upon release, etc....for the person that's shooting it.

I recommend some upper body exercises to help with staying fit for good shooting performance. It has greatly improved my ability to shoot both my compound and my recurve bows better, at 3D shoots and for hunting too. :cool:
Welcome to the addiction!
 
BowhunterXC said:
@mike.podolan
The best thing you could've done, is what you did by physically putting your hands on as many bows as you are interested in owning. This is the absolute best way to know what works for YOU! :) The commercial hype of owning brand _________, simply because that's what some outdoor TV show hunter is using, does nothing for what works for each individual. All the archery manufacturers make decent bows with good technology. The "key" is finding one that suits how it feels in your hands, the draw cycle, how it holds at full draw, how it shoots upon release, etc....for the person that's shooting it.

I recommend some upper body exercises to help with staying fit for good shooting performance. It has greatly improved my ability to shoot both my compound and my recurve bows better, at 3D shoots and for hunting too. :cool:
Welcome to the addiction!
Click to expand...

I appreciate the feedback! I’ve been very happy with my decision. I’ve been shooting every day besides the past 2, due to nasty weather. I’ve been on a consistent workout routine for quite a while now, and I definitely can see the benefits. I actually just got some Therabands because I’ve had some shoulder issues with my draw shoulder for years. I started doing some specific shoulder resistance and stretching activities to hopefully help stabilize and strengthen my shoulder and prevent injuries. So far, so good!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top