My Adventure In Longbow

[lpcjon2]

I think you should let me hold on to that Wesley till your ready.It's good to have set goals just don't push yourself and get burned out or discouraged.Things take time.And I used HLH book to get my draw method down,it's great way to shoot.

[HUNT 24/7]

Oh yeah, I'm using the 45# almost all of the time, I just like to shoot the Hill at the end of the shoot for strength building.................& for fun hehe!

[HUNT 24/7]

Couple new things, my bow stringer came in, is all I can say is in the demo video, he must be stringing a 30# bow or something, because it ain't that easy!!!!!!
 
 Also, this Tuesday at work I pulled my shoulder trying to reach through a small acess hole to take a 35# pump out, it wasn't that bad really (or so I thought). My shoulder didn't hurt at all for the rest of the week or last night, so  I wen't to league shoot last night & my shoulder got quite sore right away & I only had my 45# recurve with me. Needless to say I only shot a 51, I probably should have gone home when I realized my shoulder hurt, but I didn't.
 My shoulder is sore this morning & to risk hurting it even more would be stupid, I'm going to take a week off from shooting & lifting to let it heal up & see how it feels then. Hopefully it will.

I also measured my draw length with a clothespin & it is 28" right on the money, good to know.

Talk to you in a couple weeks    :(

[HUNT 24/7]

Well, after a week off with NO shooting at all, my shoulder was feeling good so I decided to go to league shoot tonight.
 I decided to take it easy & only shoot 1 round & a few practice shots (25 total) & I am happy to report that I have almost no soreness at all tonight!!!
  I plan to shoot every day untill Tuesday, but they will be short sessions, I want to work back into it slow enough to not end up hurting myself even worse.

Shot a 63 tonight
Glad to be back WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

[Tony B]

Hey Wes, Nice meeting ya this morning! I have to agree with these guys, You may want to find a bow between those two weights. Your welcome to try one of mine for a couple weeks to try it. I can bring it to the show next week if you want. I really hope it works out with us getting togeather this spring a hunt. Call me anytime and we can get togeather and shoot. I'll PM you with my phone number.
Tony

[HUNT 24/7]

Maine Guide
 
 Very glad to have met you today, your the first trad shooter I've met so far, I look forward to shooting with you & picking your brain some more.
 As far as I'm concerned, your in for a spring bear, get yourself a passport or a Nexus card so you can come over, I'll take care of the rest.
 I got your info, I'll send you mine, probably see you at the show next Saturday.

P.S I love that glove already

[lpcjon2]

Wesley with the stringer for the Hill if you shorten the string or spread your legs farther apart it bring the bow lower to the ground and makes it a little easier to pull up on from the lower point.Thats what I do on my Hill.(it's 70# to)

[David Mitchell]

Hunt24/7, I sure hope you are taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up those shoulder and back muscles before shooting--especially now that you have had the injury to your shoulder.

[Tony B]

Hey Wes thats great! I've got the Masters of the Bare bow video you can use if it might be help to you? Not sure how much help i'd be , but please feel free to call or email me anytime!Hope we can hook up at the show next weekend?Shoot straight!!!
Tony

[HUNT 24/7]

Originally posted by maine guide:
Hey Wes thats great! I've got the Masters of the Bare bow video you can use if it might be help to you? Not sure how much help i'd be , but please feel free to call or email me anytime!Hope we can hook up at the show next weekend?Shoot straight!!!
Tony

YES!!! I would love to borrow "Masters Of The Bare Bow" I'm interested in any information I can get my hands on.
 
I think you will be a great help, in anything I've ever done, it's always easier if you have someone to help you out.........I've already learned from you in that short time today.

 As far as the show, just let me know when you plan to be there & I'll be there at the same time  

[HUNT 24/7]

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
Hunt24/7, I sure hope you are taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up those shoulder and back muscles before shooting--especially now that you have had the injury to your shoulder.

Yes sir, I ALWAYS warm up before I shoot, & thankfully I've been shooting the past 2 days with absolutly no pain afterwards YEEE HAAAWWW!!!!!!!

[Sam McMichael]

You have gotten a lot of good advice on this thread, and you should be able to make your goal with consistent work. As with any other pursuit, the answer is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. If you shoot regularly, and develop good form, you will do fine. Just make sure that you are controlling the bow rather than it overpowering you. I have two Wesley Specials, both at 65# and a Bamboo Longhunter at 78# and have found that I need to shoot frequently to stay conditioned well enough to shoot them. You will enjoy the longbow experience.

[HUNT 24/7]

Heres my almost 1 month of trad shooting update.

 Well, I now have a routine & consistent anchor point. I anchor my pointer finger in the corner of my mouth & my thumb tight under my jaw. I can't wait to do some shooting with Maine Guide so he can let me know what I'm doing right & wrong, it's hard to learn without having hands on help.

 I've noticed there seems to be a couple different types of trad shooters, some that are into target style or aiming & some that are into instinct shooting. Some of it can be confusing & hard to figure out what will help me & how I want to shoot, lots of talk about back tension, clickers & several other things.

 Overall I'm happy with my shooting progress, when I started, my groups at 23 yards were anywhere from 3 feet to 1.5 feet, now they are a bad group 1.5 feet & a good group 6 to 8 inches.

 I've noticed that I sometimes struggle with hyper focusing on a spot to shoot at on every shot. When I do get focused, I shoot much better, I find this will be a very important factor in becoming a good shot.

 I can't wait to get outside & do some stump shooting, as sometimes I almost find myslf trying to aim my arrow & thats not what I want to do, I want to shoot 100% instinct. I think I do this because I'm shooting 3D or targets & every shot counts for something (score). So I don't want to take the chance on my instincts beeing wrong & not getting the points, so I kinda aim sometimes.

 As soon as I get a quiver & some more arrows, I'll be ready to hit the woods for some stump shooting. Bear season is around the corner & I plan to take my bow when I bait for some fun stumpin.

 I absolutly love shooting & can't wait to improve every day. If I think of any thing else, I'll be sure to post  

[Tony B]

Hey Wes,
Hows the shootong going? So you shot the 3d course with the long bow? Howed your shoulder feel after that? Stick with it! I have a unstrung long bow case from 3 rivers i'd like to give you. Its green and is a hard case. Check it out @ 3riversarchery.com I dont have a longbow anymore ,So your welcome to it.Good luck!!

[HUNT 24/7]

Hey Tony,
 Honestly, I'm pretty happy with my progress, I feel like I'm improving every day, & that's the important thing to me.

 Yes sir, I shot the big boy on Sunday, I was pleased with my performance considering how nervous I was haha! Honestly, I've shot the longbow for 3 days in a row & I have no muscle soreness at all.

 I'd love to buy the case from you, I'm scared I'm going to slam my bow in a door, either the car or one of the 3 doors at the bow club.

 One thing I did learn at the 3D shoot was how good you can actually get with a trad bow. There were 3 trad shooters that I shot with & they were crazy good, one guy shot a 149 in the second round!

Thanks for all the help
Wesley

[HUNT 24/7]

Started to build myself an outdoor shooting area this weekend. In the end I'll have 20 hay bale targets in the woods at different shot angles & yardages..............good times!

[Tony B]

Hey Wes, Good to see you still have the passion for your new love of traditional archery! I've been a bowhunter for a long time, But when i crossed over about 4 years ago, It changed my life forever! It brought me closer to the history,passion and the tradition of achery. Its not about the kill rather the experience. Traditional archery is a very deep and personal thing for me. Only understood by people who live it.Its what i am and who i am. I'm so glad we met and that i can help you on your journey with the stick!!!
Tony

[Tony B]

Hey Wes, How are the bears doing? Hittin' the baits yet? Man i cant wait! I'll call dave today and find out ifhe can fletch the feathers you asked about. He's done some funky stuff! I like like plain old shield cut my self. I got a dz carbon express the other day with parabolic cut and they fly very well.You need to drive over and shoot with me ! I've got a basement full of arrows. How did the case work? See you soon.
Tony

[HUNT 24/7]

Only have 2 baits out for now untill I find out what zone you draw. No hits yet, but it's very common for it to take 2 to 3 weeks before it gets hit in the spring.
 Yes, I definately need to do some shooting with you, we'll have to try to work something out.
 I love the case, don't have to worry about breaking my bow anymore, thank you so much!

Tomorrow is the big day!!!   :D

[Tony B]

Just got in from shooting, I switch to my woodies and shot great! So i may bring some cedar shafts with 2 blade ace heads. I talked with my buddy Dave tonight if you'll be around the weekend after next we would like to come over and shoot and hang out?Next weekend he'll be out of town. Glad you liked the case , it was just collecting dust in my basement. Tommorrow is the day!!!
Tony