Utah Fishing Reports
HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL YOU FATHERS OUT THERE!
I was way too busy to post my results from Friday evenings shooting so I will do it now…
I decided early on in my practice I would take pictures of each “end”, shooting 6 arrows per end. The reason is to show you new shooters just what happens when your body gets fatigued from shooting. Now perhaps I’m not the best one to be showing you this, mostly because my groups are so wide anyway, but you should still be able to see what happens to my already wide groups.
The weather is hot and a slight breeze blowing as the daytime temps begin to cool (like from 100 to 99). We are shooting at 20 yards still. As of right now I can’t see me moving back any. 30 pound bows are really not designed to shoot past 20 yards in my opinion. Even though I can shoot it close to 100 yards, there isn’t any way I could hit what I was aiming at out that far. I’m pretty lucky to be able to hit my target at 60 yards. So, for all practical purposes, I’ll stick to 20 yards.
Ok, let’s get on with the pictures:
End one: Not too bad, clustered low and slightly right. What does this tell ME? I just have to concentrate a bit more on the yellow. I feel good about this as only one arrow went to the left. That means I’m not anticipating the arrow hitting anywhere special and looking around the bow to see it fly.
End 2: 3 out of 6 where I want them and the other three just somewhere else. Still not too bad for me and only one that didn’t hit within the scoring rings. Notice the ‘odd’ arrow, lower right. I only have 5 of the arrows with the big white feather fletchings. I’m beginning to like these arrows shooting from my bow. I shot them at the indoor range before, but I think the one or so pounds different in my draw length then and what it is now is making a big difference in how they are flying.
End 3: 3 shots blue-in (which means hitting the blue ring or toward the yellow), one black and two just outside the black. My goal at this point in time is all 6 black-in.
End 4: 4 of 6 black-in, two in scoring rings outside black. I feel pretty good about this end.
End 5: The upper left two arrows almost Robin Hooded…in this case 4 of 6 blue-in, 2 outside black but still in scoring ring. My confidence level is rising.
End 6: There you go! Goal reached for this time! 6 for 6 inside the black, but even better than that, Blue-in!
End 7: 5 of 6 Black-in….What the heck happened with that one arrow? In this case it was the first arrow I shot at this end and it missed the entire target backing. After shooting that one, I concentrated like I should have in the beginning. They say every arrow is the first of the rest of the arrows you are going to shoot and you need to treat it as importantly as the last.
End 8: Goal! 6 for 6 Black-in! The upper arrow is that “one” that doesn’t match the others. It is a lighter arrow and so to hit high is not out of perspective for me. Another note here is the cluster low. I think I might be getting a little fatigued. This is end 8 and 8X6 is 48 arrows shot on a hot evening.
End 9: 5 for 6 Blue-in! And one still in the scoring rings!
End 10: Almost a repeat of End 9. Notice especially the “odd” arrow placement. Almost a same hole hit. I’ll take this!
End 11: Here it is folks! I’ve already shot my 60 arrows and now I shoot 6 more. 4 Blue-in and two complete misses! I’m getting tired.
End 12: 4 of 6 blue-in, one black and one miss. Not really too bad for having just shot 72 arrows.
End 13: Looks like it is time to call it a day of practice. When I think about it, this group would have made me giggly silly two months ago! Time and perspective makes things different.
End 14: My last for the day. I had to see what would happen if I concentrated harder than I did on end 13. Besides ending on a positive note is always a good thing. So, they are all clustered low just like end one. Let’s go have a beer!
14 X 6 = 84 arrows for tonights practice session. I could have shot more just to wear out my muscles some more, but I had to go get supper ready. If I can continue to shoot at least 60 arrows and keep up with the 60 arrows a day, keeps the zeros away, thing I’ll be doing good.
Bears Butt
June 21, 2015
Wynn why not a compound bow?. instead of the curved bow. Is the draw back to hard to do? And what are the green feathers for on the string> To make it more quiet when you release the string??
Rick, it’s my choice to shoot a recurve bow because it is more traditional. On my bucket list is to kill a buck deer with a recurve bow. Compound bows let off the draw of the bow so the shooter can hold the string back longer. Some bows even let off over 70% of the draw weight. Recurves and long bows do not let off any of the draw weight, making them harder to hold at full draw and so more of a challenge to shoot and/or hunt with. Also, you have to get closer to your game, preferably under 20 yards.
The green things on my bow are bow silencers. They are nothing more than yarn that has had the wind taken out of them while I shoot. Yes they are to quiet the bow string noise.
My boys gave me 55 pound limbs for my bow for Fathers Day and I can’t wait to go down to the field and shoot it! I’ve been shooting a 30 pound bow since January.