bow position while waiting

[Steve J]

#6243

while sitting on my bucket shooting & trying to emulate hunting,,, I see if I lay my bow across my lap ,, and then bring it up to shoot ,, that I make a LOT of motion,,,, but If I hold the bow upright between or to the side of my legs& touching ground I just have to bring it up,,,, not across & up.
I guess Im overthinking this stuff, but I want to give it my best,

[Chris Shelton]

#49602

nope not overthinking it at all, that is important especially when hunting from the ground. I dont know, but it sounds like you are hunting from some kind of ambush spot, like natural cover or a blind. If not then you should practice from your knees. Unless you hunt off the bucket?

[Steve J]

#50253

Steve Sr. said he hunts off a bucket in front of a tree , so Im following that. Shooting from my knees is my fav. position. But I wont be stalking , I will be waintng & I dont think I could get from indian style sitting to knees w/o making a bunch of movement. So I wa figuring bucket.
My shooting is getting better, especially since I added some cant to my bow , and not hold bow perfectly vertical.

Thanks Steve

[RRZESCH]

#57077

I have an answer for this question. I hunt from the ground and have always had problems keeping the bow still. If you are holding it vertical at the riser a little motion and the tip of the arrow is moving all over the place.

My solution took a 4 inch piece of 2×4 a band saw, a drill and about 15 minutes. Wish I had a picture to show you guys. You end up with a small block about 4 inches wide and 2 inches deep. This block fits just under my limb bolt/riser (take down reccurve) and supports the bow in a vertical postion on my left (I am right handed). Two sticks about the length of my arm are also required, I don’t carry these I cut them each time and leave them in case I return.

This works great guys, cheap, easy, and takes very little space in the pack. If anyone is more interrested I will try and post some pictures.

RayMO

[Steve Sr.]

#57760

Copying my “tactics” probably will get you busted a LOT like it gets me. 😀 Twice yesterday. Sitting out in plain sight works but is indeed a challange. I’ve had more trouble this year than normal so might rethink things some before next year for some “stands”.

I have developed ( aka found this to be my best position)a method of holding my bow that isnt perfect but seems to be working ok.

I have a bow tip protector on my bottom tip so I set that on the ground in front of or left of my left boot out about a foot (right handed), lean the bow back at me and it rests against my left knee and against my right shoulder with my bow hand staying in contact and a finger over the arrow.

While the broadhead is then pointed up and telegraphs ANY movement, the bright fletching is closer to me and the string is in line to grab quickly near my right hand.

To shoot, I tip the bow forward and draw as it becomes more up into position.

Each has something that would work as well if not better since we are not all the same or shoot the same but, works for me.

HOWEVER, when looking the “other way” like I was yesterday, it does little good when one pops out of the corn RIGHT in front of your bow. My problem with this area is that deer can come in and be 25 yards from me and I’ll not know it most times.

Shots have been few and far between this year. I saw 10 walking in, 6 walking out, and two in the stand (that saw me first) so….food for thought.

Bow holders like Ray mentions making above are a choice many use successfully, I just get “nervous” if my bow isn’t in my hand in some of my really close contact areas where I may have 3-4 seconds to shoot.

I haven’t given up, nor will, but firearm season is saturday. Argghhhh! Things REALLY get tough after that but Dang, ain’t it fun?

I’ll pop a few for the freezer then be back at em with my Super K (amongst the 😯 looks of the other hunters I see then).

God Bless
Steve Sr.

[RRZESCH]

#57875

Steve Sr., like most things there is not a perfect solution to this issue. Last Friday I was setting against a large tree with the wind to my back hoping to let a deer pass by for a quartering away shot, bow on my left using a support as described above. A very nice 8 pointer comes on my RIGHT at about 15 feet (what a rush) did not have a clue I was there. No quartering away shot nothing but BUT end LOL. Then he turns at about 20 yards and gives me a shot, I proceeded to send the arrow sailing over his back. The point is I don’t think it would have made any difference how I was holding the bow as long as it was not moving.

Your method works well and I have used it from time to time, I just can not seem to sit still enough to stop the arrow from moving all over, at least not for any length of time.

RayMO

[Steve J]

#57919

I didnt even think about the broadhead moving around,dang, I see again , I dont even know ,, what I dont know.
Ray Mo ,,, yes if you could make a pic, I can give you email , or whatever. Usually if I can see something I can make it {bows excluded}. and this sounds like a good thing to try out.

[RRZESCH]

#59007

Steve, I will try and get a picture up, may take a couple of days. It is very simple and cheap if you like it great if not you want have much invested.

RayMO

[Steve J]

#59099

RRZESCH wrote: Steve, I will try and get a picture up, may take a couple of days. It is very simple and cheap if you like it great if not you want have much invested.

RayMO

Thanks Ray!!

[William Warren]

#61908

I do the same thing Steve Sr is doing except without the tip protector. I was thinking today about taking along a small square of carpet to rest the tip on. Gun season started today here. I forgot about it but a nearby hunter reminded me about 30 minutes before dark. 😯
Duncan

[RRZESCH]

#8164

I have not forgot guys, just been busy…

[RRZESCH]

#14208

OK, here is a pic of what I was talking about.

And here is a close up of the simple block.

Obviously, I have a rubber nock protector on the end in the mud. I have found this to work well for natural ground blinds when you a sitting for a long time.

[William Warren]

#14322

Ray,
That is really cool! I’m going out to the shed to make one tonight! Maybe I can test it tomorrow if it does not rain too much.
Duncan

[Bert]

#15313

Ray- Brilliant solution with minimal material- they definitely need your American mind and expertise in Washington DC! And it’s GREEN!-in more ways then one- have you contacted Cabelas yet- there’s got to be some way you can complicate it up- make it “sexier” and more expensive for the wheelies!
Out to the shop to make one- hope the rain stops up here in soggyland as tomorrow is late season archery for those elusive blacktail- I wish all PNW archers luck and
Good hunting-Bert

[Steve J]

#15347

Excellent , thanks for the pic . Simple , but effective .
Thanks

[Snakeeater]

#15493

Make it out of plastic or machined steel with holes that you could put arrow shafts into, then Cabela’s would go for it!

Seriously though, a couple of old broken aluminum or wooden shafts would work fine with the existing block.

Great idea. I thought that was what you were talking about from your description.

[RRZESCH]

#17163

Thanks guys, hope it is of some value to you all. My objective was cheap/simple. I don’t always use it, if there is a sapling to rest the bow on I do that if I am going to be in the same spot for a long time I use the block to hold the bow. These days I tend to be a little forgetful so one of the things I like best about it is that it did not cost anything.

I probably should have painted it red so I could find it.

My son shoots a compound sometimes, he also made a recurve (with my help) and he is using the recurve this year mostly. Anyway he purchased a new release aid for the compound and lost it the first time he used it. Those things are not cheap, anyway here is the point…the dumm thing was painted in camo to make sure you can’t find it if you drop it!

RayMO

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