Beginner Mistake?

[Deb]

It's cool that you are strong enough to do that, but unless you are hunting elephants you really don't need to. Our shoulders only have so many shots in them. Hope you decide to pick up a lighter target bow. We would like to have you around shooting with us for a long time.

[froghunter]

I think one of the biggest beginer mistakes is thinking you are "ready" to hunt. takes time and practice to get to that point. Cant just pick one up and instantly be a bowhunter.

[Deb]

I think one of the biggest beginer mistakes is thinking you are "ready" to hunt. takes time and practice to get to that point. Cant just pick one up and instantly be a bowhunter.

x1000

[jerp]

Like with any new endeavor that is difficult I think it is important to manage your expectations. As a trad newbie (six weeks) I am trying to set realistic goals. For now I am doing all my practice at 10 yards or less. My goal is to by October, be able to hunt over hand-thrown corn at 12 yards. I've decided that means being able to consistently shoot 4" groups at that distance. If this goal turns out to be too ambitious I will hunt with my compound and keep practicing with the recurve.

[Deb]

Jerp, I admire your ethics. Move around while you practice. Avoid standing in one place at one distance. Stay in close like you are doing, but change up. Shoot some from the knee, some sitting, ect. Vary the distance some without getting out to far. It seems to me, from my own learning experience and teaching others, that practicing from the same spot and distance results in your eye/brain "taking a set". Then it is confused when things change as they must to become proficient.

[Chasin Bacon]

It's cool that you are strong enough to do that, but unless you are hunting elephants you really don't need to. Our shoulders only have so many shots in them. Hope you decide to pick up a lighter target bow. We would like to have you around shooting with us for a long time.

Well with enough money I could probably get a 60 or 65# bow with the same fps, but I have more muscle than money.

A target bow would be nice because now that I caught the archery bug, 3D is looking like a lot of fun.

[Deb]

I promise, you have never had so much fun sober! The 3d shoots are a hoot for sure. With your long draw and that cannon you are shooting you are gonna be knocking the targets DOWN. You are going to be one tired puppy if you go all four rounds. At some shoots that is 200 arrows. Plus your warm-up shots.

[bubinga]

I think one of the biggest beginer mistakes is thinking you are "ready" to hunt. takes time and practice to get to that point. Cant just pick one up and instantly be a bowhunter.

Boy, I have seen that way too many times on this site.

[Txnrog]

Jerp - you should be able to get there in that amount of time. Like Deb's suggestions. One practice I'll do is to set a couple arrows at 10, 15, 20, & 25 yrds. I'll walk forward or backwards taking a shot at each for the round looking for a good grouping at all distances. Spend plenty of time shooting at 20 & 25 - it'll make you better @ 12.

[Samiel2d]

my biggest mistake in traditional archery was basically over-excitement.. and i didnt realize this until saturday. a woman who was at the local shop buying her first bow (wheel bow) asked me how many arrows i shot a day. my answer was between 60-100 a day. which is correct when the weather permits. when i first picked up a trad bow i shot between 300-400 arrows a day. (i was unemployed and it occupied my free time.) the arrows i had werent properly spined for the bow. i didnt have a proper glove, or a proper bow for that matter, but i shot all day, every day (late fall of 09) i think that the culmination of all of these things was my biggest mistake. i know now that i was just flingin arrows and really not practicing.

[RTC]

Great Input, I sure has help me and hopefully many others will find this ifo useful.
Thanks,

[bountyhunter]

Getting a bow that is to heavy for you. Trying to shoot to fast. Using cheap equipment. Not matching your tackle. Listening to everything everybody tells you and constantly changing styles, arrows, strings ect. Never checking your brace/noch height. Not listening to anybody and doing it your way. Those are the first ones that come to mind.

Deb hit the nail on the head with changing your shooting style and equipment too much. I've been shooting a lot of years and have never seen two people or two bows for that fact shoot totally alike. You have to find what works for you, but the big key is what feels comfortable to you. If you shoot and feel comfortable with your form and anchor then don't change because someone else does it different. Once comfortable then a lot of practice will get you to where you want to be...

[RickBarbee]

when drawing back always put your finger behind the trigger on your release....

OK - I LOLed on that one

[one2bowhunt]

Im still a newby. The BEST thing you can do is find a local that has been shooting awhile even better find a group or club. That way you can use there equipment to see what feels good then go find a bow for you. If you have a bow you can find out what set up is best for that bow, finding someone that knows this kind of info is a HUGE help. I got lucky picked up a nice bow went to a friends house and he taught and helped me with my set up. I had no idea that much went into setting up a trad bow. ( spine, weight forward, FPS dosent mean crap, form etc ) Now I shot wheels for a LONG time. I could take a bow off the rack and kill deer with it in about an hour, so i was very use to it all just coming natral and fast. I havent hunted with my recurve the past two seasons. So take your time, start short, and the biggest thing is have fun!!! 3d shoots are alot of fun and a great way to get lots of good practice.

[cjgregory]

Changig equipment. I'm siding with Deb on this one too. I could pin mongoose to the ground overseas with my Doug Kittredge take down but for some reason I changed equipment and went a different direction. I've killed plenty of elk with a compound and I've never used anything but instinctive but somewhere along the line I missed something. I call it the pure joy of just shooting.