Poor beginner college student looking for advice

[jimhead88]

Hey guys,
I very recently got into traditional archery. I have been interested in it for awhile but never found the time to get around to it, but where there's a will there's a way. I have been trying teaching myself how to shoot, and well, it is not going swimmingly. I am looking for some advice here because I really don't have an outlet to get it from, so let me give you my story and maybe you guys can help.
I am 20 and I work as well as go to school. I have shot a compound all my life as well as the rest of my family, and I would say I am pretty good at it. I hunt a lot and would love to hunt with a traditional bow but I just can't find the time to practice, much less find time to shoot during day light hours (730 to 530 in Michigan this time of year). I have done some research and could probably set up a maximum of 10 yards to shoot in my house, but the main problem with that is, I STINK. I have promising days and I have discouraging days, I just don't want to shoot an arrow into the wall on those discouraging days.
A friend of my Dad's friend gave me the bow, because he never uses it and he has no kids to give it to. It is a Howard Hill, 'Half Breed', signed by Howard Hill and someone else (I don't have it in front of me I am in the library), he gave me the impression that this is a nice bow, is it? It is 60 lbs at 28" and at my 31" draw length (I'm 6'5") is a heavy load. I don't have too much of a problem pulling back since I've been pulling heavy bows back for awhile and would like to think of myself as pretty strong. However, pulling it back and being accurate are two different things. I know this is all kind of rambling but I wanted you guys to know what you were dealing with so you could hopefully better answer my questions. So what I am trying to ask is:

A) Should I get a lighter bow to practice with, if so any suggestions? (keeping in mind I am on a shoe string budget)
B) Not having a membership to an archery club (yet), and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to get there every day. How do you guys find a way to shoot every day? I leave at sunrise and come back in the dark in the winter, I have to shoot inside. What is the best way of doing this? This may sound stupid, I don't know, but what if I hang a thick blanket or piece of carpeting up as a back drop for my target, which I will inevitably miss?
C) Any suggestions on books? 'Instinctive Archery Insights' By Dr. Kidwell looked promising.
D) Do you think I would really benefit from some lessons? Or should I just practice practice practice? Because practicing more is free, lessons aren't. But then again time is money.
E) My local Sportsmans Club has a winter league, which my dad has been apart of on and off during the years. I know there are a couple guys who shoot traditional. Should I go even though I will probably make a fool of myself cause, lets face it, I'm not very good.. yet.

Thank you so much in advance to anyone that answers. I have poured over this forum for some time and you guys have been very helpful thus far. I am sorry I couldn't make it shorter, I really am. BTW I will be at that Michigan bunny stomp some day; that looks like so much fun. I love rabbit hunting, but with a bow? I might have to practice more…

[hunt it]

Jim,

First off, sounds like a nice bow you have been given. I'm no Hill expert, but I would guess your bow has some collectors value as well with old Howards signature on it. You are a big guy but physical size and strength does not mean much in this game. In my opinion it's heavy for learning. I would suggest you attend the winter league shoots and seek out the other trad shooters for help. You can lean a whole bunch in a few evenings from experienced guys. See if they will help get you going and perhaps try their bows as well. If their bows are lighter, see how you shoot at the lighter weights. You should have no problem working up to the bow you were given. As for time and practicing indoors, 10 yrds is good if it's all you have during winter. It's your form and muscles you are wanting to keep in tune. Flinging a few arrows each day indoors is much better than no shooting. During the winter it's dang cold up here and snows deep so I shoot indoors all winter at 29' thats all I have for room. There is alot of trad shooters in Michigan, perhaps someone close by can take you under their wing and get you started. Tell us where in Michigan you live.

[PrarrieDog]

Pawn shops, garage sales, trad shooters, friends, neighbors. Get the word out that you want a 40 to 45 pound bow. Practice pulling to full draw and holding for 5 to 10 seconds. Every night. Form is important at this stage, pullin weight comes later.
You can be creative as to actual shooting.
Big foam targets inside the house, Garages, sheds, barns, shooting from inside to a lit target outside, I have tried most all of them.
Locally I have a archery club that shoots several nights a week. Indoors, lit and heated.
Let us know where you are and maybe there is a tradganger close by that can give you a hand up, I know I would if you were here. Good luck!
Prarrie Dog

[IronCreekArcher]

Jim PM me...I am a college student in Michigan as well.  I go to Eastern Michigan...where do you go?  I have been shooting traditional gear since I was 3...so thats 23 years.  I have been hunting with trad gear since I was legally allowed to at 12...so thats 14 years hunting.  I would like to think I have a couple of things figured out.  If you are close enough I would be more than happy to help you myself.  I second 'hunt it' though...that bow draw weight is probably to much to start with and the collectors value is probably high.  Developing good form from day one is key in traditional archery.  Don't over bow yourself.  Send me a PM maybe we can get together for some shootin...ttyl

[Ranger Rick]

Where in mich are you? A number of guys in the holland area that could help

[Matt Stuckey]

Is the Kalamazoo Expo scheduled for this year, you could easily get set up there, if you are close.

[Dave Bulla]

Yup, I'd find a lighter bow too.  I don't know what length your bow is but at a 31" draw, you are likely hitting the stacking point before your anchor and as a fellow knuckle dragger who started out learning on a 60# 64" longbow I can attest to the fact that it can and likely WILL cause form issues such as short drawing and or target panic.

Being a big guy, you may not have to drop all the way down to 40 or 45 pounds but rather, find a longer bow around 50 at 28" that pulls smoothly to about 33 inches.  You'd be suprised how easy a smooth pulling bow will feel to pull compared to one that stacks before your anchor point.  I have in mind either something like a 66" hybrid longbow (heavy reflex deflex) or a recurve of about 66 or 68 inches.  My personal "go to bow" is a Lonetree Ocelot by Ron Castoe but he is no longer alive.  Any good name heavily R/D bow of 66" should work fine.  You should be able to pick up the bow and easily and smoothly pull it a good 2 inches farther than your normal draw.  Recurve wise, I have two old Root Targetmasters that are both 68" long and I guarantee that they will pull easily to 34 inches without stacking.  When you can find them online on the auction sites like the "_bay" place that can't be mentioned here they go for about $75.  There are plenty of other brands that fall in the same price range but 68" recurves are not overly common.  You could get by 62 or 64 inches easily and there are tons of them for sale.

FYI "stack" that I mentioned above is the term refering to the point about where the string hits 90 degrees to the limb and you loose any mechanical advantage and suddenly the draw gets harder.  Whatever bow you buy, it should not stack before you hit anchor.

[Swamp Pygmy]

A much lighter bow will solve many of your problems learning.

Unless you are a very slow learner you can teach yourself. There is pretty good archery instruction on the internet. The clock that shows proper form is good too.

Don't let me down play it because it took me more than 6mos to learn to shoot a trad bow well. But when you finally get it it's sort of a "Duh!" moment. You are just drawing up the arrow in a perfectly straight line with your target and under your eye. If the arrow is straight, you only need to figure how low to aim under it.

It is really about IMHO 2 things. Back tension. The familiar pinch that tells you that your arms are where they always are when you aim. (There is a distinctive pinch you should try to notice as your shoulder blades become closer together). If you can learn it you'll know you are consistent.

Use an open hand and a push towards the target. Don't try to hold your bowhand steady on the target like you'd aim with a gun. During the draw try to focus it pushing towards the target and maintaining forward pressure with your hand the same way your string finger pulls the other direction to draw it. If you just aim with your bowhand then your hand will wobble. If you hold the tension both ways it works to stabilize your shot.

If your arrow is straight in your vision, form is right and consistent, and you're not giving it hand torque or anything else it'll be no time before you tighten down considerably.

[jimhead88]

Thanks for all the advice guys. BTW I live in Canton (half way between Detroit and Ann Arbor), for those that were interested. I've been searching some of the classifieds and the things in my price range and weight seem to be shorter. Is this going to be a huge problem? Just FYI, I am going to go for that book and will hopefully get something lighter when I can find it for cheap.  Thanks for the advice!

[Curtiss Cardinal]

I grew up in Belleville, Michigan, which is pretty much next door to Canton. Join Michigan Bow Hunters and you'll have a very large group of bow shooters to draw knowledge from as well as supporting this great past time.
Remember practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice does. Work on form first, in archery function follows form. Get up really close to the target and as you get confident in your form start working to get your arrows to go to the spot you want them, at a really close range. When you can cover your group with your hand consistently move back two steps and start over. Start this drill at a distance under 10 yards and work back to 40 yards(not that you'd take a 40 yard shot at game) Then train yourself to shoot at different ranges with each arrow shot so that you can train yourself to judge distances and make the little changes needed to hit where you want from where you are.

[Swamp Pygmy]

as for the short bow, that is going to depend on the design of the bow. Being as tall as you are I don't think you'd want anything under a 60-in recurve. But I'm a longbow shooter so you better ask one of them, longbows and recurves pull different lengths without stacking.

[Dave Bulla]

Jim, I forwarded a couple auctions to ya to check out.