I am in Lee County, southwest Florida, about 120 miles south of Tampa. I am left handed. And I have three problems for which I seek solutions.
1. I can find no archery club or bow hunting club within 30 miles.
2. I can find no place to shoot a bow, were I to begin the hobby.
3. I do not know if I should shoot left handed or right handed.
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Regarding clubs and ranges, I have searched Yellow Pages directories for Lee County and done Internet searches for clubs, organizations, and ranges in my area. Searches found nothing. Some archery specialty retailers are one county away. Since I need HELP choosing what I need, I avoid sporting goods stores or department stores that carry a couple of bows.
My muzzleloading shooting range is 89 miles away. Its excessive distance has caused me to severely curtail my shooting -- one reason to consider archery.
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Regarding item #3, I am left handed. I shoot rifles, pistols, and shotguns left handed and right handed with essentially equal accuracy at stationary targets. Rapid fire from a bolt action rifle is significantly superior right handed so long as targets are stationary.
Shooting moving targets with a long gun -- trap, skeet, rolling tire -- is a different story. Shooting right handed, I consistently shoot behind the target. I can improve my shooting by putting frosted tape over the focus of vision on my eye glass' left lens. I can still see clearly through the left lens except when I'm tracking a moving target right handed. Then I see the target hazily through the left eye and clearly through the right eye. Accuracy is not as good as shooting left handed, but I don't complain a lot.
Part of my exercise regimen is to do an "archer's" stretch-and-hold. Using layered THERABAND with 55 pounds of resistance, I stretch to beyond a full "draw" from an archer's position. Holding position is perhaps eight inches beyond that of a full draw with a bow. I hold for 20 seconds, then repeat with hands and body in mirrored position. During the course of exercise, these are repeated ten times.
While my exercise regimen is ambidextrous, I find that as I tire, the archer's stretch-and-hold remains steady when my right hand "holds the bow." Near the end, steadiness and strength erode when I "hold the bow" with my left hand.
Any assistance with these problems I will appreciate.
