Author Topic: Off to a bad start (Read 904 times)

JPSaxMan · « **on:** January 03, 2005, 11:28:17 AM »

I'm brand new to archery and after a friend set me up and we took a few shots, I took the bow home w/ four PSE arrows and tried to shoot at a BLOCK. Well, due to an inappropriate backstop the first arrow went into a tree. I saw the nock come out of it and I knew that arrow was toast. And the insert stayed in the tree. S*** :eek:. Oh well, moving on. Repeat of the first arrow w/ the second arrow except I got the insert out and saved a field point :x . I was down to two arrows and I managed to hit the target a few times and then it went to hell. The arrow hit something and it split in half, then I lost the other arrow. Not a great begginer's experience. Hopefully I'll have better luck w/ my new Easton ST Axis arrows and maybe my friend will let me borrow 3 of the aluminum arrows we were using

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Daveinthebush · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2005, 12:56:16 PM »

Are there any barns in the area that you can set the target in front of? :-D

Just kidding of course, don't want to endanger any cows. But seriously, if you could visit a local pro shop and pay for a shooting lesson it would really be a help in many ways:

1. Bigger backstop
2. The pro would be there watching you and could tell you how to improve.
3. He would notice if your equipment is in error.
4. Hes has a lot more arrows. :roll:

I learned by joining an archery league team. The guys got tired of being last so they taught me how to shoot. It takes time to gain perfection, we have all been there. Practice, practice, practice and remember that consistancy in how you shoot is the key.

Best of luck!!!

Daveinthebush · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2005, 04:58:55 PM »

Quote

god advice Dave,

No I am not a God. But a few women in the heat of passion have said: "Oh God, oh God." So I suppose......... :-D

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2005, 05:31:18 PM »

Well, I did forget to mention that I was @ 10 yds when I was shooting and that my bow had been rigged by a guy who has been doin archery all his life.

Sure, they have a lot more arrows, but how many will they let me break before they start charging me?

And if I do shoot in front of a barn, there might be defensless chickens and such at mercy to my stray arrows :roll: :wink: .

Thanx for the advice guys and much more would be appreciated!

myronman3 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 05, 2005, 04:28:27 PM »

be damn careful about your target and beyond. safety is number one.

after stressing that point (i think you were following that golden rule), i would guess that you need to practice.

let me ask, are the arrows penetrating your backstop, or are the arrows getting by it in another fashion?

the impression i am getting now is that arrows are hard to come by for you, so the ones you have are precious?

tell us a bit more about yourself (age, situation, possible mentors, e.t.c.). it is really hard to offer guidance without knowing a tad more about the problem/s at hand.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #5 on:** January 05, 2005, 06:33:37 PM »

Well, the tree was my intended backstop, but I didn't know about the fragileness of the arrows and that they would break, so now I'm gonna have to find another one :roll: . I have to get more arrows so arrows are nada at this point. I'll go out on a limb and guess it's just pilot error and that I need more practice (w/ out breaking arrows...them ST Axis's are expensive ya kno :-D ). I have a hell of a mentor plus a few friends who are pros at archery so I think I'm in good hands. Just need to get used to it.

myronman3 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2005, 12:27:34 PM »

Quote

Well, the tree was my intended backstop, but I didn't know about the fragileness of the arrows and that they would break,

trees are lousy backstops, unless breaking arrows is your objective. besides broken arrows, you will have alot of deflected arrows; and someone will get hurt. you need a better backstop. broken arrows will be the least of your worries then. none of us want that. work on getting a backstop.
when i was younger, i would use a couple of hay bales. or when in an area that is safe to do so, dont use a backstop. that way when you miss, you get to look for your arrows. this gives you motivation to hit your target.
another option is to get some judo points. these will snag grass and keep you from loosing arrows. two things here- 1. judos will still kill and are still dangerous. 2. bouncing judos off a tree will break your arrows just as fast.
the main thing here is that you be very safe. if in doubt, dont. good luck with your shooting, stay safe and shoot straight!

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2005, 01:30:58 PM »

I think what I'm gonna do is put my BLOCK against a large hill that's out back. This way the arrows are gonna go straight into the ground on either side and upwards. And if that doesn't work I was thinking about hay bales. Just can't find them anywhere near me. I'll figure it out...but mebe that's the biggest part of my problem at this point. Making sure that if the arrow doesn't hit the target I'll still get it back. I'll be getting arrows Saturday or Sunday and I'll keep ya posted.

New Hampshire · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:38:51 PM »

You might wanna check out the Easton HITs arrows (Hidden Insert Technology.) They are supposed to be super tough. One guy who arote up a little blurb in the local F&G paper said he was aiming at a raccon, missed and hit a rick square on. The broadhead was all magngled and he was sure the arrow was toast. But for giggles he slapped on a new broadhead and shot it.........dead on where it was supposed to be. The only problem is I think they only currently sell them where YOU cut the shaft yourself then put in the insert.....but I COULD be wrong on that.
Brian M.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:44:35 PM »

Well, the new ST Axis's have that HIT technology. And I'm not really concerned b/c my friend is getting me 6 arrows, cut and ready to shoot (he cut me arrows recently and still had the cutter set to the length needed). Can't wait.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:51:26 PM »

Field report on Easton's ST Axis Arrows

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #11 on:** January 08, 2005, 12:14:36 PM »

Well fellas, regardless of an ice storm, I made it to my friend's shop and picked up my six brand spankin new ST Axis arrows. 'Nice' only begins to describe them. But I hadn't tested them yet.

I took them home and started shooting. I put my target against that hill I had mentioned but thanx to some change of pace, either in my frame of mind or the new arrows I hit the BLOCK every time. 80% of the time I was getting 2 arrows right next to each other then a third arrow a lil off. I tried 3 arrows, then the next 3. The last set of 3 seemed to be more accurate? But my best group and most consistent out of them was a one inch group or so at 10 yards.

I don't think that's bad considering I'm brand new to archery. Now I'm gonna try to move out a lil farther next time or sometime not long but I'm still working on developing my form so I can get consistency and then adjust sights accordingly.

Thank you all for the advice and I hope I can get it again if I need it!

Daveinthebush · « **Reply #12 on:** January 08, 2005, 12:56:45 PM »

Glad to hear that the shooting is getting better. Keep it up! Confidence is a great boost to your shooting abilities any day.

Remember: Do everything the same every shot. If you find a weakness work on only that one weakness until you conquer it. Then move on and try to slowly improve the next weakness. But NEVER, make a radical change.

I used the snowblower to dig my block target out from under 4 feet of snow. I haven't shot since November and am having serious withdrawl problems. I need to kill something even if it is a tearget.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #13 on:** January 08, 2005, 01:32:13 PM »

Geez, 4 feet. That's quite a bit. Where did you get that? I heard out in the West they are having problems with the snow. I heard on the radio that 100-200 people were trapped out in some California national park b/c they had 4 feet of snow :eek: . Makes me feel thankful for the only 12 inches if that here in PA. Well, I hope you can make an animal with your bow sometime soon Dave.

Daveinthebush · « **Reply #14 on:** January 08, 2005, 02:08:20 PM »

Four feet on the ground is nothing. That is what is on the ground. We have had 200+ inches this year, average 500+ and can have up to 800".

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #15 on:** January 08, 2005, 02:48:47 PM »

I just thought you fellas might enjoy these pictures. Now you know what the bow I shoot looks like. Maybe tomorrow if I get a good group I'll take a picture in post it.

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Sorry about the extra words before and after the pics. New to the pic thing and it ain't as easy as it looks :roll: .

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #16 on:** February 25, 2005, 01:46:44 PM »

Well, we have run across another flaw in the process of this...this...venture. When I was at my pro shop a month or two ago, I was shooting my bow and my mentor said 'Stop'. I did. He said, "Draw that again". I did, and he said, "Your draw length is too long". Geez, that's great to know. And I had that suspicion because I was noticing that when I drew, I had to extend my bow arm all the way out and it got to the point of shaking. I also noticed a range of too much motion in the string hand, like I could flex the string even further back when I thought I was at full draw. So now, I have to get a new module for the cam and put it in, so the adjustment can be made. No biggie...good thing I figgered this out and not the night of bowseason :eek: .

Leverdude · « **Reply #17 on:** February 26, 2005, 07:58:52 AM »

You may just find that the draw adjustment helps alot. I started with a bow too long for me & with practice got pretty dern good too. Took a few deer with it & was very happy. Then I got another, this one a Martin with the draw length modules. The shop told me after measurments that I needed a 28" draw so I installed the correct modual & was amazed at the difference. I dont really shoot this bow much better, the difference is it all just falls into place now where as before I had to be sure of my anchor point, make sure my bow arm was out of the way ect. This bow I just draw & shoot. I reconfigured the other one to shoot fingers & for some reason it feels about right. Might be the release aid's length, I dunno but if I can shoot consistently & comfortably with it I'll still use it, otherwise it'll likely become a wall hanger. I'll not sell it as I got my first bow deer with it & that gives it a sentimental value to me.

Good luck! :-)

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #18 on:** February 26, 2005, 08:18:28 AM »

I dunno if I mentioned it here, but I did mention it elsewhere. That same day, the pro let me shoot his bow, which was at the right length. I got 4 arrows in the size of a quarter at 10 yards. I thought that was pretty good...comin from such a rookie as myself. So...must be the draw length. I did go out coyote huntin with it today just for fun. No luck. Didn't even see one. Prolly better off that way. If I shot a coyote and wounded it and lost a $7 arrow...ida been ticked :evil: . KIDDING of course bout the $7 arrow. I'd me more concerned bout the coyote, having to track it then shoot it with a real gun. Prolly won't do that again till I get the new module.