An Addiction?

 

It's amazing how my bow has the ability to turn me into a liar. Just a few days ago I said that I wasn't going to be shooting my bow very much this winter/year. After going to the range, I changed my mind. I just enjoy launching arrows.

  I went back to the range today because I knew some of my buddies were going be there. I haven't seen them since August, so I wanted to be there to catch up on everything that has happened over the last few months. I also wanted to shoot with them since they've been shooting for about a month now. It's always good to stand side by side with guys who shoot well. It creates a little more tension and creates an atmosphere which replicates something a little more than when you're shooting alone.

  When I went to the range today, I had every intention of working on maintaining pressure on both ends throughout my shot. That was the primary goal. Everything else would be secondary. During warmups, I felt a little shaky and realized I was gripping the release and pulling with my arm instead of maintaining pressure in my back. It was causing the release to hang up longer than normal and fire inconsistently.

  Since some of the guys are going to the Lancaster Classic, they were shooting at the vertical target, so I decided to do the same. I decided to start the year with a BHFS setup in case I decide to go to Lancaster at the last minute. I figured I wouldn't have enough time to put into it to throw a scope and long bar on the bow. I figured I would be able to shoot a little bit and still be somewhat competitive.

  I'm having a hard time seeing the pin on the target. Although I use a really large pin, I'm having a hard time telling where it it on the target when I'm aiming. I think it could be from a combination of things. I'm not sure if I need a larger peep, smaller pin or larger pin. After I shoot a few more rounds, I'll figure it out.

  As I progressed through the round, I made a lot of great shots. I'm still searching for the feel, but it's early, and I've only shot my bow a few times. I feel comfortable with the process right now, which is half the battle in this game. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm shooting 9s. It doesn't feel like my shots are bad enough to shoot any arrows out of the 10. I did shoot two arrows today that deserved to hit where they landed. One of them hit dead low, and the other one hit to the right. I can understand those two hits.

  When the day was done and I added my score, I was satisfied to see that it came out to a 635. I figured it was pretty good for a BHFS setup and 23 shafts. I'm still hemming and hawing about what arrows to shoot indoors. I think I've finally narrowed it down to the same arrows I've used for the last 15 years, which are 2613s, or I might try Black Eagle PS26s. I don't really want to spend any money on new arrows, so the trusty aluminum will probably end up in my quiver. I was happy to see that I had 41xs, but I was disappointed with the six 9s. I'll keep working on the execution and improve that in the next few weeks.

  My goal of focusing on maintaining pressure worked well. I did well with the work I put in today. I found myself off track a few times, but I quickly fixed the issues causing me to go there and put myself back in the place I needed to be. I'll keep working on this and see if I can improve with a few other things at the same time.

  I'm going to see Mark Myers this week to work on a few things. I look forward to seeing Mark. He takes great pride in what he does, and he is always willing to help people of all skill levels. I'm a tough nut to crack, so he might have his hands full with me, but I have faith in his abilities and his suggestions.

  I think I'm an archery range rat. I can't seem to stay away, even if I say I'm not going anywhere near the range. When hunting season closes, I go back to what I know: shooting arrows.