What changes for you when canting the bow?

[Briar Friar]

I like stalking while hunting so I decided to work on shooting with different cants for shooting through brush, under brush, over brush, etc. I immediately started getting string slap on my forearm when canting to near parallel to the ground...where normally I dont get slap when canting 0-45 degrees. It seemed my aiming points moved too with changing cant degrees. I didnt get enough shots in to pin point before I was drawn away.

Id love to hear some of yalls experiences and techniques...please.

Byron

[Junkers88]

Hmm.. that's a good bit of information and question. I shot canted for several months with stalk hunting in mind and to be honest I couldn't make it work. Shooting purely instinctive (i.e. no sights or marks on the bow to aim with) it should be as simple as looking where you want the arrow to go and making it go there. Canted brought too many other things into play for me. My anchor was different, bow hand grip was different, heck even the way I drew to my anchor was different. I had some string slap on my forearm and would hit my face more often shooting canted. I gave it up. If I end up in a situation hunting where I have to cant my bow to take a shot I'll either move to a better position, shoot from a kneeling stance or just pass on the shot. I can't cant with enough accuracy to take an ethical shot.


Richard.

[Draco]

Canting for best results would be the same exact cant every time as it is done to put your eye over the arrow. If you have less or more cant then allowances must be made. Shooting 3 under makes these allowances less as the arrow is closer to your eye. I shoot laying down on my stomach, the bow, of course, almost flat. I will shoot 4" to the left unless I allow for the difference. Using the point as reference makes that very easy to allow for.

[60 Deluxe]

Canting the bow allows me to put my eye over the center of the arrow without having the string bump my glasses frame. I have noticed that canting more than normal changes the impact of the arrow so I try to keep the cant consistent. I cannot imagine trying to remember where the arrow will impact with different degrees of cant. I work hard to maintain consistency from one shot to the next and do not want or need to confuse my shot process. I would rather take a little extra time preparing my hunting spot to allow for my method of shooting. That usually is not hard to do.

[Tradman1971]

If I cant to much, I shoot right. If I don't cant enough, I shoot left.

[DRT]

I like how much easier it is to be on target with canting the bow but that's only if I'm consistent in it. I'm not at that point yet.

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[El Paisano]

I suspect that the slapping the wrist part is due to twisting your draw arm and hand and plucking the string. You have to bend at the waist to get your bow arm, bow, string, and drawing arm even close to aligned and it is hard to do with a hard cant. The draw arm and hand are pretty critical to a smooth release. As far as aiming, most of my bows have the shelf real close to my bow hand index finger...almost like pointing my finger, which minimizes changes in impact. A lot of bows are not made that way.
If you have the arrow in your peripheral vision it is surprising how close you can hit, even shooting with an indefinite anchor. I shoot Comanche style a lot and can do pretty good. Of course, it is not like shooting groups or target archery.
Your mileage may vary.

[SwampRabbit]

I can't cant the bow. It just doesn't work for me very well. String slap, torqueing the string, etc. I do have a very minor cant, like 5 degrees. I don't consider that really canting the bow though.

I can cant my body though and do that often enough, especially at 3D shoots. I bend at the waist (as much as I can) and lean over. But I typically will limit it to maybe 15 degrees or so... any more and my confidence drops off on the arrow going where I am looking. At a really short target, I might go farther. But usually, I will opt to shoot kneeling instead to get lower rather than canting over.

A slight body cant is a good thing to learn how to do when you want to keep a tree between you and your target and you just want to slightly lean out and take a shot.

So, to answer the question... too much changes when I cant the bow... so I don't, I opt to cant my body instead.

[Briar Friar]

Thank yall for the input and shared experiences.

My first thought as a noob trad shooter was to practice various cants and find the nuances to those cants and accomodate those nuances versus battling them. I think it ws Catholic Hack on youtube that said...Consistent shot cycle is crucial to accuracy. With that in mind...in my mind..."Dont fight it, just ride it"....practice practice practice.

I also realized that I havent been practicing with my index finger extended to keep my arrow on the shelf...everytime. Ive lost count how many times my arrow has been ripped off my compound drop away rest and string from rambling through the briars and scrub brush...especially when progressing toward presenting a shot at a Granger pig. Spending the extra time nesting a blind is probably ideal...however Granger deadfalls seem to all have their own individual fingerprint of nuances that cause each shot to be a seemingly trifled difference...but different nonetheless.

[Bisch]

I also realized that I havent been practicing with my index finger extended to keep my arrow on the shelf...everytime.

If you are pulling the arrow off the shelf when you draw the bow, then you need to adjust how you draw the bow. You should not need to hold a finger out to keep the arrow on the shelf while drawing.

Bisch

[Featherflinger]

I can't not cant because if I can't cant I can't hit crap!

[tbeak]

I also naturally shoot a little canted to the right. If I try to keep my self perfectly vertical I shoot to the left

[SwampRabbit]

I can't not cant because if I can't cant I can't hit crap!

That is a whole lotta negatives. But I get it, you cant so you can

[Straitshot]

For me the normal position of my wrest when pointing my finger will cause the bow to cant and therefore is the most natural and relaxed position for both bow and hand when I am shooting.

[El Paisano]

I suggest that you get your standing up form down pat before changing cants and adding in a bunch of other variables. If you are constantly changing things it will be very hard to get any consistency and improve.