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Drawing bowstring into my bridge when hunting

A

Awpk03s

New Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2021
Messages
13
I’ve hunted out of a saddle for two seasons now, the this past season I killed my first buck from a saddle, and had a couple of doe opportunities I could not connect on.

One thing I have noticed, is I am drawing my bow, pointing anywhere from 1-4 on the tree (lefty) I will pull and draw only to be pulling my string into my bridge and then I have to adjust position, let down, draw again, or point my bow to the sky and yank the string down and then aim.

Anyone else experience this? How did you overcome with setup/practice/form/position?

I typically set tether at forehead height.

I don’t have a whole lot of opportunities to practice climbing/hanging and shooting from a tree outside of season - not real frequent anyway.

just appreciate any tips. Thanks
 
It’s not really the weight, but the angle of my string pulling back contacts my saddle bridge.
 
I never had an interference issue so can't help ya there... I do know that I've had to draw in very awkward positions while elevated in a saddle and lower draw weight is more better IMO

So what is happening exactly? The lower half of the string contacts ur bridge? U gonna have to be more specific cause as far as I can tell ya, u are kinda alone on this problem...i can't remember anybody else ever commenting on that issue
 
Awpk03s said:
It’s not really the weight, but the angle of my string pulling back contacts my saddle bridge.
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Are you bending at the waist to get into proper position for the shot? Sounds like you are standing straight up or maybe even leaning back some.
 
Yeah, the lower half of the string will pull and contact the bridge, and the bridge is pulled taught as I’m leaning against it, so it creates a pickle for me.

Yes, I’m either leaning at a 45 or standing….
I’m 10-14 feet up typically too.

Probably just need more practice and experimentation with different angles and moving/rotating my body in different ways?
 
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It sounds like maybe you aren't rotating in the saddle to maintain proper form or bending at the waist to point downwards.

Your upper body and how you bow and arms and shoulders and hands interact should be same as if you were standing on the ground at a practice range.
 
bowhunthard88 said:
I would make sure that you're rotating/bending at the waist while making angled shots and not dropping your arm. Everyone may have a bit different form, but I can shoot with a chest rig on, etc., and never make contact if my form is good!
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Are you lowering your bow arm, or leaning into the shot, over your bridge? Maybe you can tweak your form and resolve this issue.
 
raisins said:
If I were OP, I'd video myself shooting feet on the ground and then from a saddle.

My string never comes close to my bridge.
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Agreed plenty of folks to help correct it. There should be no issues…. Curious what’s your bridge length?? Sounds like long bridge / high tether
 
Bigterp said:
Agreed plenty of folks to help correct it. There should be no issues…. Curious what’s your bridge length?? Sounds like long bridge / high tether
Click to expand...

you want to know mine or OP's?

mine is very mundane......maybe 24" bridge (guessing) and tether is anywhere from nose to top of the head high (depending upon tree and other aspects of setup)

i'm a leaner in a big pleated saddle, so everything is comfortable for me
 
Brad Khunert (inspiration for Lone Wolf's foray into saddle hunting) mentions this as a reason he has been using a rather unconventional harness in lieu of a traditional saddle. The LW Assassin and now LWCG Ambush are platforms he's been involved with.

So, are you using a platform or Ring Of Steps?

I would think platforms would offer more freedom of movement and clearance.

Personally, I like the big platforms or micro-treestands because they let me shoot in positions that are more repeatable. Haven't experienced this problem, maybe that's why?
 
raisins said:
you want to know mine or OP's?

mine is very mundane......maybe 24" bridge (guessing) and tether is anywhere from nose to top of the head high (depending upon tree and other aspects of setup)

i'm a leaner in a big pleated saddle, so everything is comfortable for me
Click to expand...
Sorry OP, but yeah my bridge is adjustable & I have about 4-6” slack behind the tag . I’m estimating 26-27” but it’s all relative…..
 
After I got into saddle hunting I practiced shooting from every conceivable situation. I still occasionally encounter things I couldn’t have dreamt up; but all that practice gave me a tool box full of tricks so that in the heat of the moment I don’t need to do a lot of thinking. Practice might be the best solution to your struggle.
 
I shoot a pretty long compound (45 ata I believe) I have had issues in the past of my string hitting my bridge when the shot angle is steep. The solution is to be able to get my feet under me and not to be leaning away from the tree. Then bend at the waist as others have said. As plebe mentioned above a larger platform will help a lot in certain situations.
 
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