canting the bow

[Boognish]

does canting the bow offer any benefit? i shoot better when i don't cant but canting feels more natural to me. confused as always lol

[Pat B]

The more natural you feel the better you'll shoot.

[Deno]

Cant and keep canting if it feels more natural.

Deno

[bunyan]

I think one of the true benefits of shooting a trad bow is the "fluidity" or versatility of the shot. I don't think you have to cant the bow, but I do think being able to is a good thing. Being able to shoot around, over, or under obstacles by holding the bow at any angle is a good thing! Of course i hunt from the ground where this is more of an issue and you have to practice! If canting isn't working for you is it because you're torquing the string? I believe this is a common problem, by I'm no Fred asbell to diagnose that for sure!

I think you answered your own question.  The goal is to hit the mark--right?

[RJonesRCRV]

Watch Hitting Em like Howard Hill, by John Schulz.  He covers canting.  It make short range shots easier in my opinion

[KeganM]

There are trade offs for either.

I shoot better with a vertical bow as it's easier to get proper shoulder alignment. It also offers better string clearance, which helps in a tree stand with extra layers on. That said, canting allows me to more comfortably rotate my elbow as well as offering a clearer view of the target.

Have to just find what works best for you and what you're trying to do.

[nhbuck1]

does the hand have to rotate to the angle of the string canting? so if your right handed and your canting do you have to rotate hand wrist and forearm clockwise to match the cant?

[mahantango]

Yes, or you will torque the string.

[nhbuck1]

feels like this creates tension in the wrist/forearm turning the hand clockwise

[McDave]

Originally posted by nhbuck1:
feels like this creates tension in the wrist/forearm turning the hand clockwise

You get used to it.  It's like anything new; it feels strange at first.  I give my string hand a slight clockwise twist at the start of each draw to avoid torquing the string.  After about a million times, it feels perfectly natural to me now.

[nhbuck1]

im rotating it as far as it can go i have a 2 oclock cant

[Dry Creek]

Never really thought about turning my hand to match the string. This is very interesting, can not wait to get to the house and try this. Maybe just maybe this will help my inconsistency.

[nhbuck1]

if i dont do this i get horrible broadhead flight

[bama]

Some can and some can't cant

[Fun4all]

One thing I have learned canting the bow, to avoid/reduce string torque have a loose bow hand that way the bow will naturally cant with the string hand.  This is due to the fact that the bow is not anchored in place and pivots in the bow hand.

[McDave]

Originally posted by Fun4all:
One thing I have learned canting the bow, to avoid/reduce string torque have a loose bow hand that way the bow will naturally cant with the string hand.  This is due to the fact that the bow is not anchored in place and pivots in the bow hand.

Exactly.  That's what I was trying to say.

[olddogrib]

I've had some bows that a slight cant seemed to better align the shaft under my eye...others not so much.  That's what I use as the determining factor.  The two bows I have currently shoot best completely vertical.  If I get a "flyer" about 4"inches left (I'm RH) I know I've inadvertently gone back to my comfortable 1 o'clock cant.  I think that's more of form thing...I just know to quit it, lol!

[YosemiteSam]

I don't see how you could position the nock directly under the eye without canting the bow a little.  On a perfectly vertical bow, the string blocks my vision of the arrow shaft, target & everything else.  I can hold the bow vertical but I need an arrow spined a little stiff or weak to compensate for the arrow being slightly out of alignment when I look on one side of the string or the other.  It's the same basic issue behind a side-mounted scope on a rifle in that if your eye isn't directly over the bore, you're going to hit off to one side.  The amount of the left/right adjustment will vary based on the range of the target and will cross over to the opposite side past your zero range.

Granted, I can sometimes shoot more consistently with a vertical bow since it's harder to mess up vertical but pretty easy to get 5-10% off of my normal cant -- especially on uneven terrain, under bushes, etc.  Most compound shooters get around this by looking through the string with a peep sight.

[McDave]

I doubt that many people shoot with a dead vertical bow in traditional archery.  Since we don't use bubble levels on our bows, it would be hard to maintain a dead vertical orientation.  I remember when I first got into archery in the '80's, I started with a compound bow that I shot with a finger release.  I didn't have a bubble level on my bow; they may not have even existed at that time, but I sure wanted one.  I think I may have even tried to invent one myself, but I switched over to traditional archery before that idea got very far down the road, and never looked back.

Nor would it be really desirable to have a dead vertical bow, for the reasons Sam mentions above. We can cant our bows without the same negative effects on accuracy that would be the case with a compound bow because our bow hands are much closer to the arrow than with a compound bow.  What we need instead of bubble levels and vertical bows is a reliable way to get the same bow orientation shot after shot.  Fortunately, we have that if we have repeatable anchors and string blur.  String blur can be your friend, although maybe not if it is in the exact center of your eye.  I cant my bow a few degrees until the string blur is at the edge of my vision, which is almost like having another anchor.  I try to get the same string blur in the same place every time I shoot the bow.