How bout it Milo?! loL!
I just wanted to share this story, sorry for the long read.
Anywho... I never had anyone show me how to shoot a bow. Been shooting since I've been twelve and my dad is a recurve guy so he had no knowledge of compounds. I essentially taught myself and ended up teaching myself wrong... Last year I posted up here about my target panic and looking for suggestions. Back in spring of 2013 I bought my new bow and was stretching out to 50 and 60yds shooting and was killing it. Well August of 2013 kicked me in the nuts. I started shaking, flinching, randomly letting the bow down, slapping the trigger, couldn't get the pin on a paper plate at 10yds without ripping the trigger, etc... It was driving me nuts to where I wouldn't want to shoot my bow and I had a low drive to go hunt. What didn't help was that I had to drive 35 min after work to shoot or drive 25min and pay $8 to shoot for an hour.
I realized I was just shooting and kept shooting, I wasn't changing anything... Well this january I decided to make some changes. I bought "idiot proof archery" by bernie pellerite and he really opened me up to what I could be doing wrong and what I should be doing. Next I bought a carter squeeze me release(to teach me back tension) and a new bag target and some hooks and hung the target up in my bedroom. From March to June I blank bale shot every day, wake up shoot, come home shoot, brush my teeth then shoot. I then put my sight on and was shooting at 3yds at a bullseye then 5 then 10(max in my apt). I was focusing on getting my pin on the bullseye (bernie calls this calibrating) then I'd focus in on the bullseye and blur our my sight and just aim harder and harder and harder until the bow went off. My range was in the back corner over the ktichen table over the couch to a bag that sat on the arm of a couch on the other side of the room. I told my roommate to declare he was coming out of his room prior to coming out. Here's my shooting at 10yds in the apt...
![IMG_6340[1].jpg](https://theohiooutdoors.com/data/attachments/31/31780-b06d774fa1566d389b7ce81d0a4ea56a.jpg?hash=sG13T6FWbT "IMG_6340[1].jpg")
About June came around and I was comfortable and CONFIDENT. Still haven't shot over 10yds and not yet with a normal release. I then switched back to my old release and starting back with the blank baling and getting back tension to set it off. I went home for a weekend in june and decided to shoot at 20yds, after some minor hiccups (not getting the back tension to set the bow off) My shooting wasn't amazing but I was confident and focused on getting the true back tension release. I was dropping arrow after arrow in a 2" dia dot at 20yds. Much better than missing a pie plate at 10yds... Then I decided to take it back to 30yds... This was my first 3 shots at 30yds in over a year. And my next three on a 3d target.
![IMG_6370[1].jpg](https://theohiooutdoors.com/data/attachments/31/31781-9a6e001d334207e7d74324b20de349af.jpg?hash=mm4AHTNCB- "IMG_6370[1].jpg")
![IMG_6650[1].jpg](https://theohiooutdoors.com/data/attachments/31/31782-c1a017ea50384e95bd669a728c4bbfb0.jpg?hash=waAX6lA4Tp "IMG_6650[1].jpg")
Well after that weekend home I was on cloud nine. The next week my shooting was still amazing, here's at 20yds at cardinal camp ground....
![IMG_6436[1].jpg](https://theohiooutdoors.com/data/attachments/31/31783-a72c8cc76bcb6efd31dad9ebdd90a313.jpg?hash=pyyMx2vLbv "IMG_6436[1].jpg")
Well just as the going gets good.... I was tripped back up into reality and knocked back down to the ground. One day I was shooting and dealing with a teething puppy on a tied lead who barks at me at full draw and my head wasn't into it and I starting getting flinchy again and not being able to get the pin on the target. I should have packed it up and gone home but I was forcing myself to shoot. Through this entire process of beating target panic my concept was if I could not get the back tension to set the bow off i'd let down and start over. Well this day I said screw it and just started pulling the trigger.... this set me way back because I did it the next day and the next day and so on.... I was frustrated beyond belief again. Back to the drawing board..... Blank bale, blank bale, blank bale, blank bale.... for 2 weeks straight. Brought me to august and I shot at 10yds with pins, every day 20min drive to obetz archery range after work just to shoot for 15-20min. Well within the last week it all came together, and once again i'm on cloud nine. Here's my shooting yesterday at 20. I have a LONG way to go but just being able to draw and be comfortable and confident and then float the pin on the bullseye while letting back tension do it's thing is the best feeling ever. Oh and hearing those arrows slap together is music to my ears, except when I gotta refletch em lol
![IMG_6732[1].jpg](https://theohiooutdoors.com/data/attachments/31/31784-6a98ff8c3ef5723d6bf107d6ff0cf744.jpg?hash=apj_jD71cj "IMG_6732[1].jpg")
P.S. Huge thanks to Milo for dealing with me, coaching me thru this, and not saying you're fugged stick to gun hunting.
Thanks for reading!
T.J.
Ugh sorry for the rotated pictures too.
I just wanted to share this story, sorry for the long read.
Anywho... I never had anyone show me how to shoot a bow. Been shooting since I've been twelve and my dad is a recurve guy so he had no knowledge of compounds. I essentially taught myself and ended up teaching myself wrong... Last year I posted up here about my target panic and looking for suggestions. Back in spring of 2013 I bought my new bow and was stretching out to 50 and 60yds shooting and was killing it. Well August of 2013 kicked me in the nuts. I started shaking, flinching, randomly letting the bow down, slapping the trigger, couldn't get the pin on a paper plate at 10yds without ripping the trigger, etc... It was driving me nuts to where I wouldn't want to shoot my bow and I had a low drive to go hunt. What didn't help was that I had to drive 35 min after work to shoot or drive 25min and pay $8 to shoot for an hour.
I realized I was just shooting and kept shooting, I wasn't changing anything... Well this january I decided to make some changes. I bought "idiot proof archery" by bernie pellerite and he really opened me up to what I could be doing wrong and what I should be doing. Next I bought a carter squeeze me release(to teach me back tension) and a new bag target and some hooks and hung the target up in my bedroom. From March to June I blank bale shot every day, wake up shoot, come home shoot, brush my teeth then shoot. I then put my sight on and was shooting at 3yds at a bullseye then 5 then 10(max in my apt). I was focusing on getting my pin on the bullseye (bernie calls this calibrating) then I'd focus in on the bullseye and blur our my sight and just aim harder and harder and harder until the bow went off. My range was in the back corner over the ktichen table over the couch to a bag that sat on the arm of a couch on the other side of the room. I told my roommate to declare he was coming out of his room prior to coming out. Here's my shooting at 10yds in the apt...
About June came around and I was comfortable and CONFIDENT. Still haven't shot over 10yds and not yet with a normal release. I then switched back to my old release and starting back with the blank baling and getting back tension to set it off. I went home for a weekend in june and decided to shoot at 20yds, after some minor hiccups (not getting the back tension to set the bow off) My shooting wasn't amazing but I was confident and focused on getting the true back tension release. I was dropping arrow after arrow in a 2" dia dot at 20yds. Much better than missing a pie plate at 10yds... Then I decided to take it back to 30yds... This was my first 3 shots at 30yds in over a year. And my next three on a 3d target.
Well after that weekend home I was on cloud nine. The next week my shooting was still amazing, here's at 20yds at cardinal camp ground....
Well just as the going gets good.... I was tripped back up into reality and knocked back down to the ground. One day I was shooting and dealing with a teething puppy on a tied lead who barks at me at full draw and my head wasn't into it and I starting getting flinchy again and not being able to get the pin on the target. I should have packed it up and gone home but I was forcing myself to shoot. Through this entire process of beating target panic my concept was if I could not get the back tension to set the bow off i'd let down and start over. Well this day I said screw it and just started pulling the trigger.... this set me way back because I did it the next day and the next day and so on.... I was frustrated beyond belief again. Back to the drawing board..... Blank bale, blank bale, blank bale, blank bale.... for 2 weeks straight. Brought me to august and I shot at 10yds with pins, every day 20min drive to obetz archery range after work just to shoot for 15-20min. Well within the last week it all came together, and once again i'm on cloud nine. Here's my shooting yesterday at 20. I have a LONG way to go but just being able to draw and be comfortable and confident and then float the pin on the bullseye while letting back tension do it's thing is the best feeling ever. Oh and hearing those arrows slap together is music to my ears, except when I gotta refletch em lol
P.S. Huge thanks to Milo for dealing with me, coaching me thru this, and not saying you're fugged stick to gun hunting.
Thanks for reading!
T.J.
Ugh sorry for the rotated pictures too.
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