Friday, February 23, 2024
Being a competent shot with a traditional bow means knowing your limits, and then excelling within them.
Bowhunting is a different game than target shooting.
FOAM (3D targets - do not move) it is critical that you move to set yourself up for shot success on wild game
Sight picture - Both eyes open!
Hold & Grip...
Focal Point intention - Focus training- point & Shoot!
There is an anchor point with your hand, an anchor point with your grip, and an anchor point with your rear shoulder that you're following
through to create your own Anchor pocket! It must be comfortable & repeatable and consistent. Shooting is all about building consistent patterns & adding pressure.
Traditional bows, recurves and longbows are often thought of as being a handicap in comparison to other archery weapons such as compound bows and crossbows. Indeed, the need for routine maintenance and practice are a factor when shooting a recurve or longbow but therein lies a driver for success and understanding the weapons effectiveness. The bow is limited only to how you apply the skills that it develops; enter the hunters mindset.
The mental game - A lot of people do their shot process, and they go through a process or a shooting style, or whatever you want to call it. And what they forget about is that mental application to the game. And a lot of the mental application when it comes to target panic, specifically with animals, like deer, bear or even moose, some of the more common wild game animals in North America that some folks just are not used to being around the animals. When I was guiding off and on one of the most evident issues was folks not used to being really close to game animals. This is where the predator’s mindset comes into play.
I am always making comparisons to the difference between an archer who does not hunt and a bowhunter- there must be a synthesis for the HUNT part to work!
Shooting a bow is a skillset, hunting with one adds a completely different dimension that is far from a sanitized range and target butts. Applying the ability to hit a living target is not the same as a target face. Just as boards don’t hit back, targets, bullseyes, and 3D do not move! This is precisely why I am so adamant that bowhunters practice under similar conditions with the same equipment and clothing and shot presentation they will be hunting under.
You’re mental process will develop with this form of training and with time - yes TIME in the woods you will hone this mental fortitude. For it is time, process and application that will develop the bowhunter - this is a game of inches - a game of getting close, a game of stealth and
silence. As you develop along this path, so to will your patience. Things will slow down when an animal approaches, not speed up.
CEO Of The Ethical Predator
Grant Richardson is from Ontario, Canada; he was raised into traditional bowhunting and bushcraft from a young age. Born into a family that has deep roots in both the bowhunting and fly-fishing community. Grant has developed a unique method of shooting, specifically for bowhunting and instinctive archery based on pressure testing for hunting situations and runs a mentoring program for those new to traditional bowhunting. Creating a fusion between functional martial arts training and archery, the program is specifically geared towards people making the switch from a compound bow to traditional. Grant is a featured writer in The Traditional Bowhunter Magazine and Compton Traditional Bowhunting Magazine and the author & host of The Code of Traditional Archery.