The Total Bowhunting Manual: 261 Essential Skills (Field & Stream)

by Scott Bestul

RETURN TO BASICS Stand in front of a target. Draw your bow and settle your pin on the target—but don’t shoot. Just visualize a perfect shot, and then let down. This process alone has all but cured some top shooters.

SHOOT BLIND Follow the blank bale practice regimen (see item 94), which removes the target face and therefore eliminates the fear of missing. GET UP CLOSE After shooting blank bale, take a single arrow and stand 10 feet from a target. Focusing on the perfect form, drill bull’s-eye. Take several shots and end on a good one—it’s very important to finish on a positive note. TAKE BABY STEPS When 10 yards becomes easy, step back, but only 5 feet at a time and over the course of a few days. Don’t shoot more than a couple dozen arrows per day. Even a little shooting fatigue can wreak havoc. FLOAT THE PIN Many panic-stricken archers seize up because they’re trying to lock the pin on the bull. Forget this. Remember to float the pin on—or trace little circles around—the bull as you execute a smooth release. PULL SMOOTHLY If you’re still having trouble, try a no-punch release such as the Golden Key Futura Answer. This model will simply not fire unless you are squeezing the trigger smoothly. It’ll be maddening at first, but it’s an excellent teaching tool.

Shooting Drills

SHOOT BLANKS Students of well-known archery coach Terry Wunderle have spent endless hours shooting “blank-bale”—at a target butt with no target face—from 10 to 15 feet. And his world champions are the ones who spend the most time doing it. Here’s his suggested routine 30-day routine. DAYS 1–10 With the target at chest level, shoot blank-bale for 30 minutes, focusing on form: Draw and let the pin float and settle; then pull the bow apart (unless you shoot static, in which case focus on a smooth release). Do not aim. Your goal is consistency. You want each shot to feel like the one before and the one to come. If you can safely shoot with your eyes closed, try it. It helps some guys feel the shot better. DAYS 11–20 Shoot blank bale for the first 10 minutes. For the next 20 minutes, alternate every other shot between shooting at the blank bale and shooting at a dot or other small target. Even with the latter target, do not aim. If you’re in good form, the pin will find the target. Judge success by how good your form is. DAYS 21–30 Continue to shoot blank bale for the first 10 minutes. Spend the remaining 20 shooting at the target. You should be settling into a rhythm where once you begin the shot process, the arrow goes off within a second or two each time. If you have any hiccups, go back to the blank bale.

Shooting drills routine (shooting blank)