This week was peaceful for my mind. I didn’t do much shooting and tried to give my mind a break from archery. I’m not saying I didn’t shoot, but I definitely didn’t follow my normal routine. Early in the week, I told Jacob to get a hold of me if he wanted to go to the CAA marked yardage shoot at Algonquin Archers in Connecticut. Neither one of us figured we would be going, so we decided to play it by ear. I didn’t really have anything put together that made me feel overly confident to shoot at a bunch of targets in the 50-60-yard range on uneven terrain.
On Friday evening, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do on Saturday. That’s when Jacob got a hold of me and said he was able to finally get his hunting bow together and sighted in. He wanted to see how it was going to perform since it was considerably faster than the bow he has been shooting. He figured it might be a little more critical. So we decided to head to the shoot. I picked him up the next morning at 6:30 and away we went.
Warmups
At the target butts, I figured it was going to be a long day. My sight picture was unsteady, giving me a steady and shaky type of hold. Although I was keeping everything in the white, the groups weren’t anything to write home about. When I tried a few different releases, the result wasn’t that good, so I chose to stay with the one I started with. As we walked up to road to our target assignment, I felt good about the day. I was going to be able to shoot with John Vozzy, Sean Roberts and Jacob., as well as Zeke.
The Round
We started on a long fallow deer, and both teams began the day with 12s. I led the next one off, a boar in the mid-30s. We stacked four arrows in a quarter-sized group and made our way to a bedded ram. The ram was downhill and across a small dip. It was an awesome IBO set. AlthOUgh I can never see the place I want to hit that well, I could see a shot-out spot in the 12-ring. My pin settled on it and the shot exploded. The arrow landed nicely in the 12-ring, almost like it lived there. I mentally patted myself on the back and moved on. Having to lead off the long coyote, I was happy to see that it was set up so the black dots could be seen at the top of the 12-ring. When I hit full draw, the pin wouldn’t slow down, and I didn’t pay attention to it. Although the hold wasn’t the best, I couldn’t believe when the arrow struck the target six inches over my aiming spot. Once again, that phantom high arrow out of this bow bit me. We discussed it for a bit, and the guys all agreed that the problem was probably stemming from losing back tension, creeping just a pinch (so minute that I can’t feel it), then the release fires, which sends the arrow high because the nocking height changes ever so slightly that it sends the arrows high. I had another one of these shots on the standing polar bear. So just like last week, I had two of the phantom high shots out of the 30. Now, I believe I can get it fixed thanks to good friends who are great shooters who gave me their insight on it. It makes perfect sense, and I’m hoping we found the trick. I’m going to take half a twist out of a cable to see if we can get it cleaned up and save me if I happen to lose a hair bit of back tension by mistake, like I’m assuming I have done lately. I’m shooting the bow at 75% letoff, too. Jacob and Sean both think I should go back to 70% and increase the holding weight. I’ll continue trying to figure out the best method to get this thing exactly where I need it. I’m so close I can taste it right now. The change is going to be a really small one, but when I take care of it, I feel like I’m going to jump up a few notches. I’m looking forward to the days ahead. Hopefully, they will work as I want them too.
As we moved through the round, I felt good about my shooting. I executed good shots, and they landed behind the pin. Having to lead many targets off, I had a hard time being able to tell where I wanted to hit. I've come to realize that my vision is still really good, but my ability to pick out identifying marks on targets is nowhere near what it used to be. I've seen the problem showing up regularly this year. I will have to work on getting a combination set up that will allow me to be able to see the exact spot I want to hit rather than aiming in a general area and hoping I land in the 10-ring.
Throughout the day, I had issues with my aiming. The aiming is acceptable on some targets and not up to par on others. I talked about it most of the day in hopes of having someone figure out what it might be. Sean thought it might be related to draw length, but Jacob asked me to explain what was going on. When I explained the problem, he reached in his quiver and gave me a weight to try on the front of my stabilizer. Instead of a one ounce weight, it was a 1/3 ounce weight. He told me if I screwed it on the front of my bar, it would probably eliminate the problem I was having with the sight picture.
My first attempt with the weight on my bow came on the bedded buck. The pin stopped dancing and sat like a rock in the middle. Although the pin waggled a hair to the right before it fired, it must've corrected itself before the arrow launched. The arrow landed in the middle of the middle of the bedded buck. I led off the next target, the caribou, and once again the pin sat like a rock in the middle of the 10-ring. When the release fired, I knew the arrow was going to appear in the 12... and it did. Moving to the gator, John had an arrow in the 11, so I aimed at it and let my subconscious mind do its thing. I heard a clanking noise and figured I smoked my third 12 in a row. Unfortunately, I glanced of John's uni-bushing, barely missing the 12-ring. If the arrow didn't glance, I would have gotten that one, too. I finished the day by executing a good shot on the black bear and scoring a 10.
My Take on the Day
I was somewhat unprepared for this shoot because I haven't shot at many 3D targets beyond 45 yards this year, other than the mountain lion I shoot at that sits behind my dad's target. I just randomly shoot that when I'm at his house because it sits 10 yards behind his target.
I was satisfied with my shooting. I figured some stuff out with my aiming and with the high arrows. I also learned that if I can see the actual spot that I need to hit, I will almost always get it. However, if I'm leading a target and can't find a good marker to aim at, I tend to hit behind the pin... and that didn't work out too well a few times. They are only 8s, but they should't be 8s. I need to clean that up and work hard to eliminate the problem that has been costing me some points this year. With all of the terrain and long shots, I made 28 good shots for the day. Although some of them weren't great, they were still good.
John, Sean and I all went through small patches where we struggled with a few different issues. John had some rights, Sean had some lefts, and I had some highs. We all shot well for the day. It was awesome to watch John shoot. He was in extreme agony due to some awful pain in his feet, but he was still able to grind through the course and shoot well. He has come a long way this year and has gotten better and better. His dedication and work ethic inspires me to do everything I can to improve. The things he has overcome to be able to get back to the level he's at are nothing short of phenomenal. I hope his progress continues and he peaks at the right time.
As we got near the end, Sean made a comment that made us laugh. After Jacob shot his 10th or 11th 12 in a row, Sean said, "You want to know something? I always wondered what it would be like to shoot with Levi Morgan or Jesse Broadwater, but I don't have to wonder anymore. I'm shooting with a guy who shoots just as good as them."
Over my archery career, I've shot with a lot of the greats. I've never shot with someone who is so well-rounded in all areas of competitive archery. There's not a game that Jacob can't play, but watching him shoot marked 3D is mind-boggling. He very rarely misses a 12, and when he misses, it's never by more than an inch or two. Amazingly, he doesn't shoot with a lens, and he still centers the 12s at 57 yards. I can't tell you how impressive it is to watch. It's simply awesome. Unless you have seen it, you can't even begin to imagine what it's like. I enjoy every minute of it, too. It's not often that shooters like this come around, and to have one as a teammate and friend is pretty damn cool.
We ended up winning the team event, but Jacob could have won it by himself. I was lucky enough to get four of the ones that he didn't get. We scored a 350 out of 360. I think that's what makes us good teammates. He always has a way of picking me up when I stumble, and we have a way of scoring big when we need to. It's kind of like swimming on a beach and seeing a shark coming. It's just lurking around, and everyone feels relatively safe because it's out of sight and not making any waves. Then, the water breaks open and the shark is devouring its prey, oh so slowly but quickly too. It happens before you know it, and you know the shark is going to keep at it until it's done. It's going to devour you, smile and go on its way. You want to dislike it, but you just can't. You just throw it a few chum fish and walk up the beach while saluting it.
Back to Unmarked Yardage
I shot a local shoot today with George Connors. We had a good time and met up with my buddy Nate. We swapped a lot of stories and shot some arrows. My judging had some ups and downs, but overall, it was really good. I was satisfied with the day. I made 29 good shots and many great shots. Here's the card for the day. Hopefully, things will continue in the same direction in the coming weeks.
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