Shooting one arrow

[JonCagle]

Does anyone else have problems shooting groups of arrows? When I shoot 3 or 4 arrows at a time I tend to be all over the place. But, if I shoot one arrow at a time, focusing intently on a single shot, my "groups" tighten up considerably. I cycle through arrows to make sure they are staying together and to reduce wear on a single one. So I'm just curious if anyone else has had this experience

[SlowBowKing]

I feel like the opposite happens with me. If I take a first shot that’s a little off, I can correct on the next one or two and hit the spot I was aiming for. Since I’m interested specifically in bowhunting, I typically shoot one arrow at a time. All I’m expecting is one shot at an animal, so more than one arrow during practice from any one distance, angle, etc. is not realistic practice. The entirety of my focus needs to be on the one shot that I’m counting on, so that’s what I do.

Ideally I stump shoot one day with a single judo point, then shoot my deer target the next day with a single field point. I also like getting the extra steps in going back and forth, plus it gives me some extra thinking time. I occasionally shoot 3-4 at a time for the heck of it, but it’s not part of the routine.

[JonCagle]

My thoughts were similar, that you typically get one shot at a big game animal. So I'm not exactly worried per say, just curious really

[txcookie]

I stopped grouping 2 years ago. One arrow at a time for this guy. Gives me a sec to think while I retrieve and hold my focus. When I would machine gun arrows I tended to develop issues and sometimes keep them for days.

[PhilFloyd]

One arrow at a time for me.  That first arrow is the one that usually counts when hunting.

[Pat B]

Especially near hunting season I only shoot one arrow at a time. I find having other arrows in the target prevent me from concentrating on a spot. By this time I've practiced enough so sometimes I only shoot one arrow a day or one early in the morning and one in the evening. That is usually you get at crunch time anyway.

[GCook]

The first shot is key.
But it takes significant repetition to get muscle memory, form and strength.
Groups show my ability to do that consistently.

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[A Lex]

One arrow groups for me too now, pretty much for the same hunting reasons mentioned previously.

Stumping, bouncing a tennis ball around the paddock, or shooting at my wool bale full of pallet wrap, focus on a tiny spot and whack it (hopefully) with a single arrow. Hit or miss (and lately pretty much all the miss's have still been been close enough to kill) I go collect the arrow, back up and shoot it again from a different range, angle, position etc.

Don't shoot much over around 25 meters, but lots at various ranges out to there. On days when I'm shooting real well, I don't get any more busted nocks now either 

Best
Lex

[ozy clint]

the real reason i've never had a robin hood is because i shoot one arrow at a time.....honest.

[Sam McMichael]

I have been shooting only a single arrow at a time for several years. I was finding that when shooting groups, I tended to fling arrows as opposed to paying close attention to every single shot. When shooting just one arrow, it is easy to take some time to analyze each shot as I walk to the target and back. Also consider this, if I shoot 50 arrows from 20 yards, I walk 2,000 yards. Not bad for a guy who does not get a great deal of exercise. It is not strenuous, but it is relaxing.

[imbowhunt10]

X2 Sam, my thoughts exactly.

[slowbowjoe]

One arrow at a time for me, most of the time, for many of the above reasons.

[bear mike]

One arrow for me also for the same reasons as the others above me

[pavan]

I generally have six to eight arrows in my back quiver and get my best thing going by going Zen with a 200 plus shots over several hours of continuous shooting.  I have a big target and intentionally shoot at specific different spots.  Shooting 6 arrows at the same spot or worse yet, the nock of an arrow is going destroy arrows for no good purpose.  Unless I am having some shooting flaw, I reduce to three arrows from now until deer season.  if what i need to work on is my walking endurance, I go to one arrow.  That has nothing to do with my shooting, just the walking exercise.  It is important to be able to walk a lot and still shoot good. 

[Friend]

One of my close friends is a world champion and the other is a multiple world champion. The former is a skilled hunter while the latter is a world class hunter. they both pound groups.

It is about focus and what is working for you personally is the better way to achieve your goal.

My goal is to make that arrow count when that coveted opportunity presents itself. Have taken passes on 145 solid shot opportunities on bucks, from the ground, the past 4 seasons. That one shot needs to be on the mark.

[madmaxthc]

Does anyone else have problems shooting groups of arrows? When I shoot 3 or 4 arrows at a time I tend to be all over the place. But, if I shoot one arrow at a time, focusing intently on a single shot, my "groups" tighten up considerably. I cycle through arrows to make sure they are staying together and to reduce wear on a single one. So I'm just curious if anyone else has had this experience

My dad once told me "if you hear one shot: meat. Two shots: maybe. Three shots: sh@!t"

Also told me that when he switched from a double-barrel to his first semi-auto shotgun, he couldn't hit a thing. He started loading it with one cartridge only, and the problem was gone. With time, he learned to shoot every cartridge as it was the last one 

P.S.: Yes, my dad likes Hemingway  ;-)

[Trenton G.]

It depends on how I'm shooting. Some days I can group just fine. On the days that I start shooting shotgun pattern groups, then I switch to one arrow and it works out pretty well.

[Terry Green]

Either works for me....but I'm sure it could be a problem for some.   It's basically just a psychological issue.

I think it would benefit you to be able to do both....just try longer pauses in between.

How long have you been shooting trad?

[JonCagle]

Terry, I have been shooting traditional for about 7 years. Age 16 to 23. I feel your comment about it being a psychological issue is correct. I'm an instinctive shooter, and have trouble with my mind wandering after a few shots.

[GCook]

I was shooting about 9 last night and I had a few errant arrows.  Only 15 yards, flashlight in front of the target.  The first one or two I thought maybe it was that I hadn't shot by flashlight in a couple months.  The next one I noticed that loss of focus, not the right target picture, as I released.  I bore down and focused hard and dropped the next two in a quarter sized spot on the 3D pig where I like it. 
I pulled my arrows and took a shower.
Sometimes that is my toughest shooting challenge.  Mental focus.  But it's why I love archery as well.  I have to put the rest of the world on the back burner to bring it all together and it brings me peace.

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