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Traditional Shooters

Me. I look through where I want my arrow to go and let it fly. Too much thinking results in bad shots....at least for me. It’s supposed to be “instinctual”.

I’ve been in to archery since I built my first bows with saplings and twine. Progressed to compounds by about 12 yo. I never shot a perfect “Robin Hood” until I revisited the single string. Since, I’ve done it multiple times. Still have never done it with a compound.
 
I use a combo of point-on / fixed crawl / instinctive - if that makes sense. Out to 12 yards or so its just look and shoot. At 20 yards I kind of reference my tip while concentrating on spot I want to hit, that gives me nice accuracy. This fall is my first year primarily hunting with trad (long bow), this method is giving me the confidence I need. This is just how it has evolved for me through last winter, spring and summer. Next winter I'll start playing with focusing on purely instinctive, see how it goes. For now, another month of practice before Oct.1 opener, I'm feeling good.
 
Vtbow said:
I'm with these guys. I like to shoot trad because it is simple. Concentration, but no thinking--I know that seems counter intuitive, but you need to be focused to remain in control of your mind, but not thinking so much you mind-screw yourself.
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I couldn't agree more!
 
I just started recently and it didn’t take me long to realize that instinctive was the way to go.

It also didn’t take me long to realize that grad shooting is very unforgiving, but that’s a whole ‘nuther story
 
This is my first year hunting or even shooting trad for that matter. Prior to getting my hands on the recurve I ordered, I thought I was going to shoot the fixed crawl method, however I quickly realized instinctive just felt and worked better for me. To be honest I didn't spend a lot of time trying the fixed crawl because I seemed to pick up on instinctive faster, if any of that makes sense?
 
I’m about as much an expert as someone who’s never shot a bow. I tried instinctive years ago. My first shot of the day was almost always terrible. I’ve been playing with a fixed crawl for a couple weeks now and already like it.
 
I've killed deer with a recurve from directly under my stand as well as all the way out to 45 yards while I was standing on the ground. But, the average distance of my kill shots (105) is 15 yards. For me I need to keep the shooting process as simple as possible. I point my hand, focus on a spot, and release when I touch anchor or sometimes before I touch anchor. With lot's of practice it becomes somewhat automatic. I will admit that the actual shot is the most difficult part of bowhunting for me. I'm very calm up to about 2" from reaching anchor. That's when I feel a tremendous amount of pressure. So, snap shooting works best for me.
 
I was just kind of wondering what the majority of guys here do.I just don’t see the point of trad gear if you are not gonna shoot it instinctively.The simplicity is the lure of that type of gear for me.I hunted with a compound bow shooting it instinctively for years and killed a lot of deer that way.For me when i picked up a recurve that was the only way i would shoot.
 
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Buckhole75 said:
How many of you guys shoot purely instinctive?
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I do.
In fact, it took me several years of not trusting that my brain was really aiming instinctively. I was always trying to fine-tune my aim after I drew. My body and my mind were not in sync.
The last several years, I've just trusted what my mind was saying as I draw. I look at what I want to hit, and then I (almost) quit looking at the spot and I concentrate on my form as I complete the draw, anchor, release, and follow thru. I almost forget about the aiming part of it once I start the draw. My brain already knows at the beginning point of what I need to do in regards to pointing to that spot. Occasionally, I still slip and find myself trying to "aim" as I hit my anchor. Those are the shots that usually don't go as well.
For me, the biggest obstacle to instinctive shooting was getting over the "trust factor". I just couldn't believe that my brain would really tell my body how to point the bow. I was making it harder than it was. Develop a solid form and trust your mind. And shoot lots of arrows close up to the target to ingrain in your brain where you are pointing the arrow, then trust your mind.
Does anyone think about reaching for a door knob, or another thing we "mindlessly" do? Nope. We trust our mind.
 
I can't begin to state how much Traditional related Internet web sites hurt my shooting. Reading how all the "experts" said to shoot made me believe that what I had been doing for years was not only wrong, against the grain and also embarrassing. Seems as though each "expert" had a certain method, and if you weren't doing it their way it would be impossible to be a consistent shooter. Trying to be the best that I could be I tried them all, with none of them working, but all of them crushing my shooting confidence. This started 17 years ago when I got my first computer and I'm still trying to recover my original shooting form and style.

My advice to new to traditional bowhunters is to find a way to shoot that's comfortable and repeatable. Practice that form and stay true to what works best for you and ignore the hype.
 
I shoot more of a split vision style....Aware of where my arrow point is in my peripheral vision but focusing on the spot I want to hit....
 
WHW said:
I can't begin to state how much Traditional related Internet web sites hurt my shooting. Reading how all the "experts" said to shoot made me believe that what I had been doing for years was not only wrong, against the grain and also embarrassing. Seems as though each "expert" had a certain method, and if you weren't doing it their way it would be impossible to be a consistent shooter. Trying to be the best that I could be I tried them all, with none of them working, but all of them crushing my shooting confidence. This started 17 years ago when I got my first computer and I'm still trying to recover my original shooting form and style.

My advice to new to traditional bowhunters is to find a way to shoot that's comfortable and repeatable. Practice that form and stay true to what works best for you and ignore the hype.
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This is Interesting. I started gap shooting first and was fairly good. Then I moved onto string walking and using the point of my arrow. When I was shooting good with perfect form it was very accurate. Perfect form and saddle hunting, actually hunting in general, don’t really mesh. I find I shoot best when I relax on my aiming method and just feel for that good form. Granted that only works when I shoot regularly.


How is it that you always know before the arrow gets there that it’s a good shot? I think there’s something to that.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
. I look at what I want to hit, and then I (almost) quit looking at the spot and I concentrate on my form as I complete the draw, anchor, release, and follow thru
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Something similar to this has improved my shooting drastically. I listened to Joel Turner and the one part of his process that I took away is focusing on back tension, not the aiming process. I pick a spot, then as I draw I just "watch it to keep it" as Turner describes it but, I focus on my back tension, I don't really focus on the spot I am shooting at anymore. I am shooting the best I have ever shot this way.
 
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