gap shooting and self bows

[deermaster]

i am a gap shooter and after i reach full draw, i hold for about 3-5 seconds to be sure of my gap.  will this cause a major loss of cast and string follow in a self bow?  and also, i use the tip of the arrow as my windage reference on center shot bows.  can the spine of an arrow be lowered enough to allow this on a self bow tha is not center cut and still allow good arrow flight? thanks for any info!

[Kegan]

You should be fine. I shoot Hill's split-vision (insitinctive, but checkig yourself with the arrow point in your peripheral vision), and generally hold for 3-5 seconds myself. Cast loss comes at 5-10 seconds. String follow comes from over drawing/over stressing. Not sure about what you mean, but I know you can make a flatbow center shot by offsetting the limbs to the side and giving it a narrow handle (3/4" or so).

[Pat B]

The longer you hold a self bow at full draw, the more stress you are adding to the limbs.   Pat

[Coo-wah-chobee]

......Like Pat said. Also, ifn ya hunt from the ground ya gonna get at most 3 er 4 secs ta get an arrow off......bob

[a finnish native]

to me 5 sec is way too much. even 3 feels bad to the bow in my opinion. I usually hold about 0-2 sec.
What pat said is true.

[Pappy]

I have a good friend that shoot like that and he will wear a bow out a lot quicker than me.
I touch anchor and she is off.He makes his bow a little longer and wider and they hold up pretty good but do take more set.
    Pappy

[Justin Snyder]

My style of hunting sometimes requires holding for a long time.  If you are calling predators you have to draw before they come into the open, then wait for them.  If they stop, you could hold for 20 seconds.  I dont immagine it is good for a bow, but I have one that I shoot all the time that is 3 years old and has no string follow.  I practice snap shooting, but I also hold a lot while practicing.  If you have to hold 65# for 30 seconds when hunting, you better be able.  This also gives you an excuse to make another.  Justin

[adb]

Hi,
For me, the more I route it through the grey matter, the worse it is. As soon as I come to full draw, with a good anchor, the arrow is gone. No measuring, no looking at anything, except the target... including until the arrow hits.  My shooting is truly instintive. To me, it's like throwing a baseball... there is no way to measure. Look at the glove, and subconsciously, let your instincts do the rest. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and whatever works for you!!

[Sidewinder]

Good post. I am still trying to figure out what I am doing when it somes to shooting. These types of discussions are very helpful. Danny

[Otoe Bow]

It's kind of like the old saying, "Most misses are by 6 inches".  (caused by the distance between each ear).     Instinctive seems to work best for me with bows and shotguns. 

Otoe

[Kegan]

In Hunting with the Bow and Arrow, Pope does a test on the cast and holding time. I can't find it though .

[1/2primitive]

No, I don't think that your bow would take a whole lot more strain with a 3-5 second hold. If that method works for you, use it.
       Sean

[Glenn R.]

I respect all of your shooting techniques, but I also shoot Hill style----sort of. I detest the swing draw method which I've seen taught for recurves----I raise my arm, fully extended before drawing, and execute a slow draw--again with the Hill style--this way when I reach full anchor shes ready to go. I always figured this sssslow draw was better than holding for very long at peak weight. Sometimes a snap, swingdraw is neccessary---I use it maybe 1 out of 8 times when whitetail hunting---not much.

[Sidewinder]

It seems to me that the swing draw requires a minor pause 1-5 secs in order to orient yourself with the target line. This is the way I was initally shown. The way GlennR just described about extending the shooting arm and then drawing to anchor is the way I am trying to change to. When I started shooting a little heavier bow than what I was used to this was neccesary in order to insure proper alignment and form and still reach full draw. I think that it is also for me at least more stable than a swing draw and allows me to focus on the target more,  rather than " am I properly aligned with the target" It seems like swing draw caused my bow hand to drift more and the longer I hold it the more likely I am to move it. Like I said before though I have ALOT to learn here.   Danny