Author Topic: working into a heavier bow,, (Read 9014 times)

bradsmith2010 · « **on:** May 20, 2021, 12:40:21 am »

i was pretty out of shape a few months ago,, didnt realize how little I had practiced the last year,, so my elk bow was too heavy for me,, i started shooting and was so rusty I didnt know if I could work back into it again,, Im 67 and thought I might have to drop some weight,, the first few weeks shooting it, was tough,,I couldnt feel much progress but I decided to just stick with it,,we were sharing pics of our shots,, and mine were so bad I almost didnt show them, but decided i needed the reality check to get better,, and after a few weeks it started to come together,
Im gonna tell you what I did and how I practiced to get back in shape,,now the bow feels perfect for me and Im glad I did,,but basically I shot a little every day,, and tried not to overdo it or expect to much too fast,,after 3 months of practice every day, I have my accuracy as good as ever and feel confident if I get in shape on the mountain I can execute a good shot when I need to,,
let me give this some more thought and I will start at the very rusty beginning of my process,, which I feel would work for anyone wanting to shoot a bow a bit heavier,,

bradsmith2010 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 20, 2021, 02:28:56 pm »

the first thing is not to get impatient,, progress with a bow can take days or weeks or months, and be slow,,you just have to keep working and make a little progress at a time,,
when I started back with my elk bow, I put a piece of tape at 28 inches of draw so I would know I was drawing the bow consistantly,,I shot so many different bows this year I needed that for a guide,,
I would pull the bow to full draw looking at the tape then aim and shoot,, and not so well I may add,,sometimes i would hit where I was looking and it seemed like an accident, but,,, the accicents got more consistant,,
I did warm up with some pushups and stretches, and half draws before each shooting session, I think that was key to not getting an injury,,
I shot one arrow at a time walking to the target after each shot and didnt keep exact count, but like 20 arrows a session trying to not overdo it,,
I will say I felt like giving up a couple times and trying a different bow, but then I would make a little progress and keep going,,
ok more to come let me think,,
my Main concern was consistency of my first arrow with no warm up shots,,this was a hard look in the mirror,, its easy to get warmed up and hit the mark a few times and think, ,well Im shooting great,, but that first shot is a little more telling, so I concentrated on that, keeping track each day if I would have killed my elk or not,, its takes more concentration to shoot a great first shot for me,, so that was my guage of inprovement, not if I shot an impressive group later in the day,,

bradsmith2010 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2021, 01:52:51 pm »

as I gradually got stronger, I was able to shoot more arrows and over did it, injuring my first finger, from wear and tear, so stop before you do that,,
my shoulders were a bit sore too,, i reeled back the amount of arrows I was shooting and my accuracy became more and more consistant, and pulling the bow to anchor was very comfortable,, so I just continued to shoot average 20 arrows a day till now,, and I am ready for elk season with my shooting, now I have to put my pack on and do some hiking and stump shooting,
as far as defining my accuracy,,, I feel like if I am a couple of inches from the bottle cap at 15 yards I am happy with that,that should translate out to 25 yards or so,,,, and if my first shot is consistantly close to the bottle cap,, Im good to go,, executing a shot at the elk ,, no way to practice that,,just hope that my practice kicks in and I hit where I am looking,
ok forgot to mention,, after a few weeks I didnt need to look at the tape on my arrow, my draw was pretty set, so I could just look at where I wanted to hit, draw the bow and shoot,, I did practice shooting quicky and also holding a bit,, reasoning a different lenght time in holding for the shot might depend on the shooting situation at a live animal,, I have a beatiful peace of yew, and thinking of making a bow for elk season at the draw I am shooting now ,, not sure if I have time,, but might give it a try,,

Pat B · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2021, 03:14:59 pm »

Back in 2006 I was invited out to the San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado by a PA member("Little John"...Kenneth)for a stick bow elk hunt. I had 8 months to get ready and spent much of that time getting myself in shape. I was comfortable shooting a 55# bow which I was making for this trip. I started with my back pack and 25# and did a lot of walking with my pack on all around our property, not only on the trails but through the bush, down in creeks, up steep hills and so on. Later that summer, after working up to 60# in my back pack I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway which is at 5000' and hiked up to Black Balsam Knob at 6200' a few times. That as high as I can get around here. My property is at 2600'.
In Colorado we entered Salt Creek Trail at 10,000' and hiked down to 9000' where our camp was. We hunted between 9500' and 9000'.
I was sure glad I'd put so much time and energy into the prep work. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the elk we were there and a few days in the trip I sprained my ankle and had to be hauled out on horseback. Still it was a great experience.
I went back in 2010 but the elk still hadn't been informed but again another great trip. I did have a wolf within 25 yards one day which made the trip even more special.
Looking forward to your elk hunt and wishing you the best of luck. I know if you get the opportunity you will be bringing home the meat.

bradsmith2010 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 22, 2021, 03:50:10 pm »

thanks Pat,, I will be at about 11,000 feet,, here in Santa Fe its 7000 so I am used to the lack of air a little bit , ,but need to get up there,,
with my pack to get ready, thank you for the positive support,, Ill do my best if I get a shot,, may need some help getting it out,,

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2021, 02:16:39 pm »

Brad,
Good luck on the hunt!! On the packing out, remember "Elk math", One guy 33 and one guy 66 does not equal 3 guys 33!

Hawkdancer

boomhowzer · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2021, 10:46:12 pm »

I just applied for an elk tag in Michigan. Its a lottery and I'm not likely to get a draw, this being my first year applying, but sometimes a guy gets lucky. Good luck with your hunt this year!

I loved reading about how you worked up to a higher weight and I feel like I needed a little bit of that medicine two winters ago when I first started shooting the bow. I inherited my grandpa's fiberglass recurve and shot the living daylights out of the thing. Probably 400 arrows in my first week. The next week I didn't shoot a single arrow because I couldn't draw back the bow. My left shoulder (bow shoulder) was completely useless. I could still move it around, cook breakfast, scratch my beard, etc.etc. but I couldn't hold the bow out straight at arms length and shooting an arrow was completely out of the question. It took a month before I could shoot a dozen arrows in a day and half a year before the injury left my mind.

I think reading through how you upped your bow weight before elk season is also a great way to ease into a new sport for the hungry beginner. Its easy to overdo it! Probably because shooting arrows is about the most fun you can have!

Digital Caveman · « **Reply #7 on:** May 24, 2021, 08:23:39 am »

So thankful I' still elastic, thanks for the warning though

Fox · « **Reply #8 on:** May 24, 2021, 12:15:29 pm »

Thanks for the post brad!

This is what I have been trying to do for the past several months, last season there was a deer at 25 yards perfect broadside... but I knew my shooting was not up to par for that, so I let her walk... I have been trying my best to shoot every day, except for the two days, I'm in town. some days I shoot great but nearly just as many I cant hardly keep them on the target $:-\$

If my mind wonders while shooting I won't be able to hit my mark.... archery for me tells me when im having a hard time... as my accuracy goes down it usually is directly related to not being able to focus to due to stress

Pappy · « **Reply #9 on:** May 25, 2021, 08:00:34 am »

Good luck on the hunt Brad, sounds like you are ready.

Pappy

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2021, 09:01:03 am »

I have been off my pace from shooting because of surgery issues. I have been going to the gym for over 25 years and even stopped that.

I finally felt like going back to the gym and only put #15 on most of the the weight machines and worked my way up to 50 reps on each, then #25 and so forth.

I tried some bow shooting after a month of trips to the gym and it went well, very well.

I have always used the gym and the machines that build my bow muscles to keep everything in tip top shape and work up to a higher poundage.

bradsmith2010 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 08, 2021, 06:14:37 pm »

thanks Eric, that sounds like a great plan, I think tuning up with some weights at home would help too,,

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #12 on:** June 08, 2021, 07:32:35 pm »

I have to work both sides or I will end up with one of those stiff necks from shooting a bow that you have to turn around to see someone beside you.

StickMark · « **Reply #13 on:** June 11, 2021, 01:15:57 pm »

I moved up from 45# range to 53# range. Learning to use the back muscles, finally. Much easier.
I did not get drawn for AZ elk, but I am liking the extra "ummph."

Less arrows, 25 or so, and I do not hold much at draw, so that helps. And, I upped the weight on my dumbbells, including a 50 pounder.

H Rhodes · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2021, 10:48:25 pm »

Good luck on your hunt. Glad you are getting back in “elk hunting” shape. I let things get between me and my archery practice a couple of years ago and had to build back up. I decided not to let that happen again. Shooting a little bit every morning has helped. I ordered some of those stretchy rubber therapy bands and they have helped a lot. I can do high repetition with some of the lighter ones and double them up to be like a heavier bow. I can do the very same movement as drawing a bow with those bands. Now even if I am away from home and have no place to shoot, I’m keeping my self in shooting shape. Keeping that strength is lots easier than trying to get it back.

Primitive Archer