Light (Mass Weight) Bows

[D.Rose]

Any secrets or tips on shooting a lighter mass weight bow? I have a Toelke Chinook that I have been shooting for almost a year and really enjoy it. I shoot it well but I am about 15-20% better with my ILF set up. Is there any way I can close the performance gap between the two or will my ILF setup generally always outshoot my Toelke? I have been shooting traditional gear for a year and a half and have really fallen for one piece wood bows. That's really what drew me to traditional shooting to begin with. So with ample time behind the bow can I be as good with my Toelke as I can with anything else or will my ILF rig always be a better performer? 

[McDave]

I think you're just going to have to shoot the bow you want to shoot, and let the chips fall where they may.  You've already done that, to some degree, by deciding you want to shoot a traditional bow rather than a compound bow, so this shouldn't be as hard a decision for you as someone deciding whether to shoot a 7 mm magnum or a 308.

The hard truth is that some bows do shoot better than other ones, by design, but another hard truth is that if you stick with the Chinook, you'll be shooting it a lot better a year from now than you are right now, and you'll be able to outshoot some folks shooting an ILF that haven't practiced as hard as you have.

[Squirrel Hunter]

A higher mass bow will always be easier to shoot accurately at stationary targets. That’s why target bows, as well as target rifles and pistols, are always heavy. For a lighter bow, you must pay more attention to form, and especially to keeping a rock solid bow arm. I recommend doing some blank bale drills concentrating on that as part of every practice session.

[Zeebob]

A friend built me a very light short long bow.  I had the same issues you have, but then I added a 4 arrow bow quiver to it.  That quiver with one or 2 arrows was enough extra mass to make my bow less twitchy and easier to shoot.

Z

[D.Rose]

So with the lighter bow should I feel like I'm pushing in to the bow or just set a strong bow arm and not really push any?

[McDave]

The problem with pushing with the bow arm is that it encourages people to move their shoulder out of alignment, leading to injuries.  Instead, focus on rotating your shoulders as a unit using your back muscles so that your shoulders end up pointed toward the target, rather than being open to the target.  This movement will push your bow arm forward, and creates the feeling that some people describe as pushing with the bow arm.  But it's not the bow arm pushing; it's the bow arm being pushed.

[D.Rose]

That's an excellent description. I know the exact feeling you've described.. So to keep pulling through the shot do you just keep slightly rotating your shoulders slightly after anchor is set?

[M60gunner]

At almost 77 years light weight bows appeal to me. But I have gone to shooting a longer bow, 64”vs60” because I have issues like you with shorter light weight bows. For whatever reason a longer bow still gives me the accuracy I need. Then of course I get a smoother draw which I think helps as well

[achigan]

I have “The bow I like best” and “the bow I shoot best”. We just shot 3-d today and I used the Thunderchild. I shot ok but usually shoot a little better with my Black Widow PL. I sent Big Jim wood from my property and he incorporated it into the TC, so it’s my favorite. The pL has slightly more weight and I like I plenty well. I’ll hunt this year with the Widow.

[McDave]

That's an excellent description. I know the exact feeling you've described.. So to keep pulling through the shot do you just keep slightly rotating your shoulders slightly after anchor is set?

You're describing one of the common ways of triggering the shot: after coming to full draw and anchoring, the “expansion” phase consists of rotating the shoulders into alignment with the target, and the shot is triggered as bank tension is increased.  Ideally, the trigger is not anticipated and is a surprise, like squeezing the trigger of a rifle.  Another alternative is to use an external trigger, such as a clicker, that clicks at some point during the expansion.  However, since you've chosen a Chinook rather than an ILF bow, you probably would prefer to use your own internal trigger rather than a clicker or the like.  Either one is fine, but unless you have target panic, I see no reason to complicate your life with more gadgets.

[PrimitivePete]

I primarily shoot self bows and as long as I maintain an even push/pull I don't feel the difference in the weight of the bow because I'm more engaged in the back than in the hand if that makes sense

[Wilderlife]

Compared to shooting my Widow with a 6 arrow quiver on it, or my ILF bow, my ASLs are much harder to shoot and I think part of it is they're just so much lighter in the hand. The way I try to work through this is by trying to maintain my physical strength. The more stability and strength I have in my body, the less the bows tend to move around. Right now, after skipping the gym for a few months, running myself down through backpack hunts, and then getting COVID, I'm weaker than I have been for a long time and it shows in how poorly I'm shooting my ASL's.