This probably won’ t help at all but I have a little bumper sticker on my Jeep that says “Life is a lot easier since I gave up”. Read into that what you may but I take ” give up” kind of like pretense. I’ ve been where you are many times but am too slow and stubborn to give up, at least so far. There’ s tons of advice and people willing to help but if you feel you’ ve exhausted yourself for now either tàke a good long break or go another way. I banged my head for years thinking I could learn to play guitar well. It ain’ t in me and I don’ t miss the frustration of getting nowhere. Lotta help I am huh? Good luck!

You have to learn the difference in trad equipment accuarcy and compound accuracy. And yessir, there is a huge, huge difference. You will never have the accuracy you have with a compound when you shoot trad equipment. You just have to learn the difference, thats all. I have a great friend that was a top finger shooter for Mathews before he switched ove to a Black Widow. He had a hard hard time cause his accuracy just wasnt there. It took him a few years to understand what I tried to tell him, and now he is comfortable with his shooting out to forty yards.

One of the things that really helps me when I’m shooting is to shoot just one arrow, not to sit in one spot and shoot three or four arrows. Get outside and just walk and shoot, from point blank to twenty or thirty yards…

I shoot both compound and recurves and longbows, but i also know my limitations with my trad bows. And that sir, is something you’ll have to learn also.

Get the basics down, good, consitant form, good arrow flight, and just relax and shoot and have fun with your trad equioment. If that point work, try shooting point on, or gap shooting. Thats the way most of the 3D champs are shooting these days.

If you can’t hit at 20 yards move up to five yards. Work on form (consistant anchor, consistant release). As you improve move back.

What weight bow are you using? Better to hit with a 40# bow than miss with a 60# one.

shag wrote: I just dont think I can shoot by instinct.

Then don’t.

Instinctive is one of many ways to shoot a bow. Barebow aiming methods aren’t “one size fits all.” If they were, there wouldn’t be so many different ones out there. If one of them doesn’t work for you, throw it in the trash, grab another, and give it a whirl.

I’d hate to think how many folks have given up recurves or longbows over the years because someone got it into their head that they had to shoot instinctively, and it didn’t work out for them. I know a number of excellent archers who shoot instinctively, but I know a lot more who shoot with a conscious aiming style. I think the most important step most folks could take in their quest for accuracy is to pick an aiming style based on results, not fashion.

Some things that I noticed in your message and speaking from my own experience; When I shoot to the point of exhaustion I have found myself practicing poor form. I read somewhere that Instinctive Archery is 40% Form 30% focus and 30% attitude. If any of those three is lacking so will your marksmanship.Your expectations feed into that. A year is not a lot of time, especially with three different bows. So chose a bow, do not worry about the target as much as the group. Do not practice to exhaustion. Once you are satisfied with the group work on your aim. It took me years to get where I am and I am still learning. I would say maybe give up some of those expectations and see what happens:wink:

Bear

Lots of really good idea’s here. I’d like to 2nd them all, especially the question about weight. If you are shooting a trad bow in the same weight range as your compound, that’s a formula for failure.

Move up, shoot a lighter bow, don’t shoot too long, drink a beer, and have fun. It’s supposed to be fun. And it is fun.

That said, I have felt the frustration caused by bad shooting. There is no magic cure or cookie cutter solution. Every person has to work through it their own way. Good luck and I hope you stick with it.

And contrary to what some of the experts say, we can’t all be as good as howard hill. But I do think we can all get good enough to kill a deer at 10 yds.

100% What Jason said !!

Have you checked for cross dominance? No, it’s not anything kinky :shock:, it’s when a right handed shooter has a dominant left eye. It’s difficult to get consistent results with this situation and it usually means learning to shoot left handed. Here is a quick tip we did a few years back that might help you. Dominant Eye

Good luck!

Shag

Don’t give up.

As someone who converted from a compound to a longbow a few years ago I understand your frustrations. You will have to adjust your expectations as you begin this process. While you and I could both cut fletchings any time with a compound, it should have been that way due to all the mechanics, aiming points, mechanical release, etc. In other words, it couldn’t not be that way due to the machined-in and foolproofing of it by design. As a result, it is man and machine entering the woods, or backyard.

With a trad bow it is man and his skills entering the woods, or shooting in the backyard as it were. While the trad bows today are excellent, they can only do what you make them do. Conversely, the compound bow was very forgiving and could at times do what the shooter was unable to do on his/her own, again by design.

I shoot instinctive, but it fits me. Like Jason said, try other methods of “aiming” and see if one of them fits. But, please do not give up yet.

I can tell you that after a few years following my change to trad bows, I can shoot out to 22 yards with my longbow almost as well as with my former compound. It took a while to get there, but it is so much more fulfilling and thrilling! Sound advice (like from the good folks on this site), proper tuning of your setup, and practice are the key, but relaxing and enjoying it can accelerate your progress greatly. Relax and have fun, don’t overthink it. Most free throws at the end of a ballgame are missed due to nerves and overthinking it, not form, practice, or ability.:D

And remember…there are good shooting days and bad ones, just like anything else.:?

Jody

Shag,

Here’s my $0.02…

I am in the same boat as you. I have only recently picked up traditional archery. I am absolutely awful. I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if you nailed me to it. That said, I really enjoy the learning experience. Also, I guess I really see how much (little) of a true hunter I am. Not saying this is the case for you, but I have said “If only I had my rifle” so many times this year, I am thinking of getting a t-shirt made. But another thing I like is the surprises. For example, I cannot shoot a 3D target. I get everything from snout to tail, leaving out the vitals. That’s at 10 yards. On a regular ring-style target, I get in the colors over 90%, also at 10 yards. Then, I was really bored while waiting for some suicidal deer to come along and stand next to me broadside, so I started shooting dead branches (that fell to the ground). Amazingly enough, I am getting groupings that are tighter than any other type of target practice. I am not saying I am splitting arrows, but getting vitals-sized groupings. I am talking 10/10 at 10 yards, and 8/10 at 20.

Point I am trying to make is have fun. Make it an experience. Forget what you know about the compound. I found that gets in the way for me. Start from scratch and have some fun. Traditional archery was the first time I ever shot sitting with my back to a tree, kneeling on both knees, on one knee, leaning, etc. I have a blast. I still am not that great, and would not shoot out past 10-15 yards at an animal, but targets are different. Then, with time, I get a little better, but more importantly, I start to be able to tell what mistake(s) I made when a shot goes bad. Doesn’t mean I am good, but I am enjoying the journey. I will never get to the level I was at with my rifle or compound. Truth is, I don’t want to. This forces me to HUNT, not sit 300 yards away until something crosses my shooting lane. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that. I know a bunch of guys that do it that way, and they are some of the most ethical hunters out there. It’s just not for me.

Sorry to ramble. Point is, have fun. If you do, the accuracy will come naturally. Try 3-under, play with your arrow’s spine, fletching, etc. Talk to archers who have done it for a while. Get tips, try them out, do what works, don’t do what doesn’t. Just have fun, it really is that simple. Be well.

Alex

😀

Hi Shag,

I started shooting a Bear “Cub”42# a few months ago. I started out shooting right handed like I did when I was a kid and I was just as horrible as I was way back then. I switched to left handed as I’m left eye dominant and was astonished at how silly it was to even try, but I kept at it. At first it was all I could do to draw the little bow and I spent more time in the woods behind the target hunting arrows than I did shooting. I bought T.J. Conrads book and read it, then asked some of the members here(Mostly Ol’ Elkheart himself). Eventually, I worked my way up to 100 shots a day and for the last four consecutive days my first shot is an X ring at 25 yards. Now, that could be a fluke, I follow it up with some doozies, but, I can move my shots around now to all three of the targets on the paper, always with an occasional wild shot.

I don’t think I’m anywhere near ready to hunt yet, but if I keep asking questions and practicing with the intention of hitting exactly where I’m looking, I just might be confident by next years season opening. All the advise you’ve got here is good stuff. I think maybe that intention is the primary thing to focus on. At least it is for me. Every shot is a kill shot even if I’m just killing paper. Good luck and don’t quit,

Gary

I was still learning trad shooting as a young man when compounds came on the scene so I was convinced to try the new bows. After hunting that way a couple of years I went back to my tradbows. So I had some experience that many crossover shooters don’t have but the one thing I realized after awhile which surprised me was that all the while I was shooting a compound I was developing form which I was able to carry over to my trad bow. The only thing I did different was I did not use a peep, just a kisser button and a 2 pin sight on my trad bow. Soon I realized form mattered more than the sights and I removed them and I’ve been without sights for 30 years. It is form that matters and try a lower weight bow. I used to shoot 62# with 50% let off. My trad bows were 47# and 50# and I had trouble with the 50# bow but years of shooting fixed that. To repeat others, start at 10 yds until you can stack em then move back to 15 and so on. This might take awhile but it is worth it. And it works. Pick a spot and don’t look away until the arrow is there. Don’t move your bow hand to see where it hit. Hold our form through the shot. That’s all I’ve got. Good Luck

Two Cents Time. When I first got my old Browning Wasp out of the attic after about 30 years or so of collecting dust I was thrilled. First time out stumping with friends it seemed like I couldn’t miss. Man it was all down hill from there. The more I read and studied, the worse I got. Then gradually I started bringing it back. I’m definitely a one bow man. I think switching bows is for guys with years and tens of thousands of arrows under their belts. Not for us guys who are young at this.

I’m waiting for George or Moebow to chime in on this. No one has suggested blind bale yet, but I think that’s a good place to start. I have a pile of wood chips that is big enough that I can shoot into it in the dark. Before dawn or after dark, shooting into a big blob so that you are not aiming, but working on your form has been good for me.

I know that if you really were not interested you wouldn’t have asked. Give yourself some time. Make peace with the fact that you might not hit a bullseye for a while, but know that you are definitely on a journey of a lifetime. Yep, have a beer and have some fun. dwc

I have to agree with dwc about practicing on the blank bale. While you have talked to people locally and watched videos. Have you ever videoed yourself to watch what you are doing. If you have that can be a starting point. I find it helped me as a visual person to look at my own results instead of just having someone explain it to me. Also once I realized I needed help, I searched for a local coach who really focused on teaching basic form to the local shops joad team. With this my hits are a lot tighter and more accurate consistently. The one benefit of this is I now can shoot 2 hours at a time and never get tired, like I used to when trying on my own.

being a fellow compound to trad shooter i went through a lot of frustration and was ready to give up for the same reason but a freind had me try something all i can say is it worked for me first pick a spot what i did was go to your local store and buy a bag of water ballons blow them up tp about five inches pin on your target then i started at five yards and shot for a whole week week after move back a couple yards and have fun it took a while but i now have confidence that i can make it in the zone out to around 20 yards but the big thing if you start getting frusstarted step a way for a few mins

“I shoot 70 pounds with a compound so I haven’t over-bowed myself.”

UH, YES YOU HAVE! Your are used to pulling through 70# and then holding what(?) 15#? You are now trying to pull a bow that gradually builds up to 45#. That’s about 3 times the holding weight you are used to.

You also mention that you have “spent” a lot of money trying to figure this out. Again, that is a “compound” mentality. I AM NOT bad mouthing C bows!! BUT when you are shooting traditional equipment, you cannot buy results! It is FORM, FORM, FORM!!!! Learning correct alignments is a fairly lengthy process and takes some amount of dedication. C bows give you alignments with peeps, sights, and a mechanical release.

Traditional REQUIRES you to learn alignments without outside aides. Here is what I mean, if you came to me to learn to shoot a recurve or longbow, we’d start with a rubber band pulling about 8#. You would learn the correct motions and techniques to draw, anchor, release and follow through with the rubber band. Once you had that, we’d probably go to a 15# bow and do the same while shooting arrows. Learning the “FEEL” required. All shooting at his time would be at a target butt about 4 feet in front of you. NOT trying to hit a target (bull’s eye) just using it to catch the arrows.

Then, once you “got” that, you could start to shoot at a target but at maybe 5 yards. this is when you will

START to develop a feel for instinctive shooting. As you gain proficiency, we would move the target slowly out, a couple yards at a time.

Starting to get the idea? There is no “magic” in “instinctive” shooting, just hard work AND going at it correctly. Frankly, it doesn’t, hasn’t ever, and never will be a “just pick up the bow and look at the spot, shoot and hit.”

This isn’t as hard as I probably have made it look. But just expecting results too quickly will lead to your self proclaimed frustration. Can you learn on a 45# bow? Certainly! I suggest though that there are easier and safer ways to learn and most likely less frustrating too.

Arne

There is a ton of good advice going on here. I gotta say the same as most, and that is to stop stressing about it and enjoy the time in the wild! When I hit my year mark, I was upset about my shooting as well. There was no way I was going out in the woods to try to take a deer. It takes time. I started shooting a 46lb recure in 2010. It is right handed and I am left eye dominant so I had to learn instictive. When I got my lefties, I had to learn again. Now, I can shoot both right and left. I also took the advice of one of our beloved TradBow writers and started practicing at longer distances to improve my shorter ones. In doing so I have seen great results. I also started to shoot at smaller targets to help me focus in on it a bit better (like a small piece of trash or plastic bottle) and this has helped as well.

It has been almost 3 years now and still haven’t trusted myself enough to try for a deer. I have hunted coyote, coming close but no cigar. I am getting there, and so will you. Just have fun with it. Work on the fundamentals, but have fun doing it.

Here’s some advice from a newbie like you!

These fellas on here have more experience than I can ever fathom having!

But..

I’ve become quite comfortable shooting my recurve.

This is my 2nd year of trad shooting/hunting.

I got off to a rocky start in the hunting arena… 0 for 3 last season… Two misses and a wounded deer not found….

Target shooting isn’t a problem for me.

This season, I’ve shot my recurve once and killed my first big game animal with my recurve. A 6pt buck here in my home state of Ga.

I also shoot my compound as well. I’ve been bowhunting for 21yrs. I killed my 2nd deer with a compound. So I’ve pretty much started out shooting deer with a bow and arrow.

I’ve killed a 8pt with my compound this year too.

Now with all that said, I was trying to lay out some ground work coming from a newbie to trad and from someone who hunts and shoots both types of bows.

As others have said, there are huge differences in shooting well with each type of bow.

First and foremost: When you pick up your trad bow, take everything you know about shooting your compound and throw it away..

You have to be completely and utterly focused on your traditional gear to shoot it well.

I’ve found the biggest key for me to hit the target consistently from 20yds and closer is to be completely focused.

You have to draw and anchor in exactly the same place every time to start. Then the release. I shoot split finger.

I focus on my spot, draw, and when my fingers cram into the corner of my mouth, I let it go. If I do it right, the arrow goes where I want it to go. I actually hold for maybe a second, but that’s me. I’m close to being a snap shooter.

I think if I were you, I would get 5yds away from the target and practice on my form. Draw, anchor, release.

Don’t worry about hitting the bullseye. Simply draw, anchor, release.

Once you feel good about your draw, anchor, and release, back it up to 10yds and repeat the procedure.

If you get frustrated, pack it up, and come back out fresh and mentally cleansed..

Frustration leads to bad habits in any form of shooting!!

Once you feel confident with your draw, anchor, and release, then the fun starts.

Stump shooting is awesome! Pic out something on the ground and let it fly!! Aim small miss small is an old saying, but soooooo true!!!! If you have to shoot a target, focus on the bullseye or any other spot on your target.

Pic your spot and go with it. Focus, focus, focus!!

Once you figure it out, it will become “instinct”. You’ll simply do it and won’t think about it. The only time you will think about it is when you miss or start shooting poorly. In those cases, you’ll find you’re tired, short drawing, not anchoring in the right place, etc..

I’m no “expert”, but I have found confidence in shooting my trad gear. I shoot my recurve 10x more than I shoot my compound now.. It’s simply much more enjoyable to shoot!!

I’m saying all this assuming your trad gear is properly tuned and you believe the problem lies with “you” not the “equipment”.

Don’t quit!!! Once you figure it out, you’ll never put your trad bows down!!!

Good Luck!