Pennsylvania Game News - September 2018 - 60

capabilities. For the most experimentation, get one that allows you to do helical
and offset, and that allows you to change
the amount of helical and offset. Then,
you can build arrows and see how different configurations perform. Keep experimenting until you come up with a recipe
that leads to tight groups.

stabilize

The stabilizer is one of the most underutilized and misunderstood accuracy aids
available to bowhunters today.
So many bowhunters either don't use
one at all - in the name of keeping their
setups light, or they use one that doesn't
stabilize the bow.
For a stabilizer to start balancing a bow,
it must extend beyond the limb pockets.
On many of today's recessed-riser bows
that means stabilizing only starts with a
6-inch bar.
Truthfully, such a bow would do better
with an 8-, 10- or 12-inch bar.
And the stabilizer should not have its
weight uniformly distributed; it should be
concentrated at the front, away from the
bow. This resists hand torque.
How much weight you use is a matter
of personal preference and bow performance. But use enough for the bow to sit
steady in your hand.
Adding a lot of weight out front might
lead to adding a side rod that extends
behind and away from the riser. A side rod
offsets left or right bow lean often caused
by accessories.
As you contemplate stabilizers, consider looking up photos of Levi Morgan,
David Houser and Jesse Broadwater.
All are professional archers with ties to
Pennsylvania who bowhunt with stabilizers and side rods.
If anyone could shoot a bow without
stabilizers, it's these guys.
60

But they don't.

go the distance

Once your bow is tuned and stabilized,
and shooting arrows fletched to match
your shooting style, it's time to back up
and put some air under those arrows.
Most hunters with compound bows
shoot at whitetails within 20 yards. But
if you practice shooting only within that
distance, your accuracy will hit a plateau.
At 20 yards, you can have a lot of form
flaws and still hit the bull's-eye.
But back up to 50 or 60 yards on the
practice range, and every form flaw will be
magnified. A slight twitch of the hand at
release can send an arrow up to a foot off
course at 60 yards. Punching your trigger
release can do the same.
Now I'm not advocating shooting at
game at 50 and 60 yards, just practicing at
those distances. You can't wound a piece
of paper, so there's no harm shooting long
range on the range.
What you will notice shooting out to
60 yards or so is that everything must
be perfect, or you're not going to hit the
bull's-eye. You will get instant feedback
on where problems are, and you work on
fixing those problems. When you make
a good shot and your arrow hits its mark,
your brain will take note of what you
did to complete that shot. Gradually, you
should see improvement.
As your groups tighten at 60 yards,
prepare to start breaking arrows at 20. The
flaws you fix at long range will make you
a tack driver when you move in to hunting
distances. As that happens, your confidence will soar, and confidence is critical
to consistent archery accuracy. Try these
five things this year and see if your arrow
groups don't start shrinking. Even better,
see if you don't start scoring the best hits
on game you've ever had.

Pennsylvania Game News - September 2018

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