| First, brace your bow. To do this properly, | | | | arrow is released, the archer should hold his |
| grasp it at the handle with your right hand, | | | | posture a second, bow arm rigidly extended, |
| the upper horn upward and the back toward | | | | drawing hand to his jaw, right elbow |
| you. Place the lower horn at the instep of | | | | horizontal. This insures that he maintains |
| your right foot, and the base of your left | | | | the proper position during the shot. There |
| palm against the back of the bow, near the | | | | should be no jerking, swinging, or casting |
| top below the loop of the string. Holding | | | | motions; all must be done evenly and |
| your left arm stiff and toward your left | | | | deliberately.The shaft should fly from the |
| side, your right elbow fixed on your hip, | | | | bowstring like a bird, without quaver or |
| pull up on the handle by twisting your body | | | | flutter. All depends upon a sharp resilient |
| so that the bow is sprung away from you. The | | | | release.Having observed all the prerequisites |
| string is now relaxed, and the fingers of the | | | | of good shooting, nothing so insures a keen, |
| left hand push it upward till it slips in the | | | | true arrow flight as an effort of supreme |
| nock.Don't try to force the string, and don't | | | | tension during the release. The chest is held |
| get your fingers caught beneath it. Do most | | | | rigid in a position of moderate inspiration, |
| of the work with the right hand pulling | | | | the back muscles are set and every tendon is |
| against the rigid left arm.The proper | | | | drawn into elastic strain; in fact, to be |
| distance between the bow and the string at | | | | successful, the whole act should be |
| the handle is six inches. This is ordinarily | | | | characterized by the utmost vigor.Game |
| measured by setting the fist on the handle | | | | shooting differs from target shooting in that |
| and the thumb sticking upright, where it | | | | with the latter a point of aim is used, and |
| should touch the string. This is the ancient | | | | the archer fixes his eyes upon this point |
| fistmele, an archer's measure, also used in | | | | which is perpendicular above or below the |
| measuring lumber.Hunting bows should be | | | | bull's-eye. The arrowhead is held on the |
| strung a little less than this because of the | | | | point of aim, and when loosed, flies not |
| prolonged strain on them. Target bows shoot | | | | along the line of vision, but describes a |
| cleaner when higher strung.Change your bow to | | | | curve upward, descends and strikes not the |
| your left hand and drop the arm so that the | | | | point of aim, but the bull's-eye.The field |
| upper end of the bow swings across the body | | | | archer should learn to estimate distances |
| in a horizontal position. Draw an arrow from | | | | correctly by eye. He should practice pacing |
| the quiver with the right hand and carry it | | | | measured lengths, so that he can tell how |
| across the bow till it rests on the left side | | | | many yards any object may be from him.In |
| at the top of the handle. Place the left | | | | hunting he should make a mental note of this |
| forefinger over the shaft and keep it from | | | | before he shoots. In fact we nearly always |
| slipping while you shift your right hand to | | | | call the number of yards before we loose the |
| the arrow-nock, thumb uppermost. Push the | | | | arrow.Where a strong cross-wind exists, a |
| arrow forward, at the same time rotating it | | | | certain amount of windage is allowed. But up |
| until the cock feather, or that perpendicular | | | | to sixty yards the lateral deflexion from |
| to the nock, is away from the bow. As the | | | | wind is negligible; past this it may amount |
| feathers pass over the string and the thumb | | | | to three or four feet.In clout shooting and |
| still rests on the nock, slip the fingers | | | | target practice, one must take wind into |
| beneath the string and fit it in the | | | | consideration. In hunting we only consider it |
| arrow-nock.Now turn the bow upright and | | | | when approaching game, as a carrier of scent, |
| remove your left forefinger from its position | | | | because our hunting ranges are well under a |
| across the shaft. The arrow should rest on | | | | hundred yards and our heavy hunting shafts |
| the knuckles without lateral support. Now | | | | tack into the wind with little lateral |
| place your fingers in position for shooting. | | | | drift.No matter how much a man may shoot, he |
| The release used by the old English is the | | | | is forever struggling with his technique. I |
| best. This consists in placing three fingers | | | | remember getting a letter from an old archer |
| on the string, one above the arrow, two | | | | who had shot the bow for more than fifty |
| below. The string rests midway between the | | | | years. He was past seventy and had to resort |
| last joint and the tip of the finger. The | | | | to a thirty-five pound weapon. He complained |
| thumb should not touch the arrow, but lie | | | | that his release was faulty, but he felt that |
| curled up in the palm.The release used by | | | | with a little more practice he could perfect |
| children consists in pinching the arrow | | | | his loose and make a perfect shot. Since |
| between the thumb and forefinger, and is | | | | writing he has entered the Happy Hunting |
| known as the primary loose. This type is not | | | | Grounds, still a trifle off in form.Even a |
| strong enough to draw an arrow half way on a | | | | sylvan archer needs to practice form at the |
| hunting bow.Stand sidewise to your mark, with | | | | targets. He should study the game from its |
| the feet eight or ten inches apart, at right | | | | scientific principles as formulated by Horace |
| angles to the line of shot. Straighten your | | | | Ford, the greatest target shot ever known.The |
| body, stiffen the back, expand the chest, | | | | point-of-aim system and target practice |
| turn the head fully facing the mark, look at | | | | improve one's hunting. Hunting, on the other |
| it squarely, and draw your bow across the | | | | hand, spoils one's target work. The use of |
| body, extending the left arm as you draw the | | | | heavy bows so accustoms the muscles to gross |
| right hand toward the chin.Draw the arrow | | | | reactions that they fail to adjust themselves |
| steadily, in the exact plane of your mark, so | | | | to the finer requirements of light bows and |
| that when the full draw is obtained and the | | | | to the precise technique of the target |
| arrowhead touches the left hand, the right | | | | range.The field archer gets his practice by |
| forefinger touches a spot on the jaw | | | | going out in the open and shooting at marks |
| perpendicularly below the right eye and the | | | | of any sort, at all distances, from five to |
| right elbow is in a continuous line with the | | | | two hundred yards. A bush, a stray piece of |
| arrow. This point on the jaw below the eye is | | | | paper, a flower, a shadow on the grass, all |
| fixed and never varies; no matter how close | | | | are objects for his shafts.The open heath, |
| or how far the shot, the butt of the arrow is | | | | shaded forest, hills and dales, all make good |
| always drawn to the jaw, not to the eye, nor | | | | grounds. As he comes over a knoll a bush on |
| to the ear. Thus the eye glances along the | | | | the farther side represents a deer, he shoots |
| entire length of the shaft and keeps it in | | | | instantly. He must learn to run, to stop |
| perfect line. The bow hand may be lowered or | | | | short and shoot, fresh or weary he must be |
| raised to obtain the proper elevation and | | | | able to draw his bow and discharge one arrow |
| length of flight. The left arm is held | | | | after another. With the bow unstrung walking |
| rigidly but not absolutely extended and | | | | along the trail, often we have stopped at the |
| locked at the elbow. A slight degree of | | | | word of command, strung the bow, drawn an |
| flexion here makes for a good clearance of | | | | arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and |
| the string and adds resiliency to the | | | | discharged it within the space of five |
| shot.The arrow is released by drawing the | | | | seconds. Deliberation, however, is much more |
| right hand further backward at the same time | | | | desirable.Let several archers go into the |
| the fingers slip off the string. This must be | | | | fields together and roam over the land, |
| done so firmly, yet deftly, that no loss of | | | | aiming at various marks; it makes for robust |
| power results, and the releasing hand does | | | | and accurate game shooting.Shooting an exact |
| not draw the arrow out of line. Two great | | | | line is much easier than getting the exact |
| faults occur at this point: one is to permit | | | | length. For this reason it is easier to split |
| the arrow to creep forward just before the | | | | the willow wand at sixty or eighty yards than |
| release, and the other is to draw the hand | | | | it seems.Often we have tried this feat to |
| away from the face in the act of releasing. | | | | amuse ourselves or our friends, and seldom |
| Keep your fingers flexed and your hand by | | | | more than six arrows are needed to strike |
| your jaw. All the fingers of the right hand | | | | such a lath or stick at this distance. |
| must bear their proper share of work. The | | | | Hitting objects tossed in the air is not so |
| great tendency is to permit the forefinger to | | | | difficult either. A small tin can or box |
| shirk and to put too much work on the ring | | | | thrown fifteen or twenty feet upward at a |
| finger.If the arrow has a tendency to fall | | | | distance of ten or fifteen yards can be hit |
| away from the bow, tip the upper limb ten | | | | nearly every time, especially if the archer |
| degrees to the right and pull more on the | | | | waits until it just reaches the apex of its |
| right forefinger, also start the draw with | | | | course and shoots when it is practically |
| the fingers more acutely flexed, so that as | | | | stationary.Shooting at swinging objects helps |
| the arrow is pinched between the first and | | | | to train one in leading running or flying |
| second fingers and as they tend to straighten | | | | game.Turtle shooting, that form in which the |
| out under the pressure of the string, the | | | | arrow is discharged directly upward and is |
| arrow is pressed against the bow, not away | | | | supposed to drop on the mark, is difficult |
| from it.In grasping the bow with the left | | | | and attended with few hits, but it trains one |
| hand, it should rest comfortably in the palm | | | | in estimating wind drift.An archer should |
| and loosely at the beginning of the draw. The | | | | also learn the elevation or trajectory at |
| knuckle at the base of the thumb should be | | | | which his arrows fly at various distances. |
| opposite the center of the bow, the hand set | | | | Shooting in the woods over hanging limbs may |
| straight on the wrist. As you draw, be sure | | | | interfere with a good shot. In this case the |
| that the arrow comes up in a straight line | | | | archer can kneel and thus lower his flight to |
| with your mark, otherwise the bow will be | | | | avoid interception.In kneeling it seems that |
| twisted in the grasp and deflect the shot. | | | | the right knee should be on the ground, while |
| Then fully drawn, set the grasp of the left | | | | the left foot is forward. This is a natural |
| hand without disturbing the position of the | | | | pose to assume during walking, and the left |
| bow, make the left arm as rigid as an oak | | | | thigh should be held out of the way of the |
| limb; fix the muscles of the chest; make | | | | bow-string. When not in use, but braced, the |
| yourself inflexible from head to toe. Keep | | | | bow should be carried in the left hand, the |
| your right elbow up and rivet your gaze upon | | | | string upward, the tip pointing forward. It |
| your mark; release in a direct line backward. | | | | never should be swung about like a club nor |
| Everything must be under the greatest | | | | shouldered like a gun.Shooting from horseback |
| tension, any weakening spoils your flight.The | | | | is not impossible, but it must be done off |
| method of aiming in game shooting consists in | | | | the left side of the horse, and a certain |
| fixing binocular vision on the object to be | | | | amount of practice is necessary for the horse |
| hit, drawing the nock of the arrow beneath | | | | as well as for the archer.It is surprising |
| the right eye and observing that the head of | | | | how accurately one can shoot at night. Even |
| the arrow is in a direct line with the mark | | | | the dimmest outline will serve the bowman, |
| by the indirect vision of the right eye. Both | | | | and his shaft has an uncanny way of finding |
| eyes are open, both see the mark, but only | | | | the mark.When it comes to missing the mark, |
| the right observes the arrowhead, the left | | | | that is the subject for a sad story. It takes |
| ignores it. Your vision must be so | | | | an inveterate optimist to stand the moral |
| concentrated upon one point that all else | | | | strain of persistent missing. In fact, it is |
| fades from view. Just two things exist--your | | | | this that spoils the archery career of many a |
| mark and your arrowhead.At a range of sixty | | | | tyro--he gives up in despair. It looks so |
| or eighty yards, the head of the arrow seems | | | | easy, but really is so difficult to hit the |
| to touch the mark while aiming. This is | | | | mark. But do not be cast down, keep eternally |
| called point blank range. At shorter lengths | | | | at practice, and ultimately you will be |
| the archer must estimate the distance below | | | | rewarded. Nothing stands a man in such good |
| the mark on which his arrow seems to rest in | | | | stead in this matter as to have started |
| order to rise in a parabolic curve and strike | | | | shooting in his youth.And do not imagine that |
| the spot. At greater ranges he must estimate | | | | we are infallible in our shooting. Some of |
| a distance above the mark on which he holds | | | | the most humiliating moments of our lives |
| his arrow in order to drop it on the object | | | | have come through poor shooting. Just when we |
| of his shot.If his shaft flies to the left, | | | | wanted to do our best, before an expectant |
| it is because he has not drawn the nock | | | | gathering, we have done our most stupid |
| beneath his right eye, or he has thrown his | | | | missing. But even this has its compensations |
| head out of line, or the string has hit his | | | | and inures us to defeat.It is a striking fact |
| shirt sleeve or something has deflected the | | | | that we shoot better when confronted by the |
| arrow.If it falls to the right, it is because | | | | game itself. Under actual hunting conditions |
| he has made a forward, creeping release, or | | | | you will hit closer to your point than on the |
| weakened in his bow arm, or in drawing to the | | | | target field.Study every move for clean, |
| center of the jaw instead of the angle | | | | accurate shooting, and analyze your failures |
| beneath the eye.If the arrow rattles on the | | | | so that you can correct your faults. Extreme |
| bow as it is released, or slaps it hard in | | | | care and utmost effort will be rewarded by |
| passing, it is because it is not drawn up in | | | | greater accuracy.Other things being equal, it |
| true line, or because it fits too tightly on | | | | is the man who shoots with his heart in his |
| the string, or because the release is | | | | bow that hits the mark.The Author is |
| creeping and weak. Always draw fully up to | | | | Publisher of a website containing e-books |
| the barb.If his arrows drop low and all else | | | | and great information on Bowhunting and |
| is right, it is because he has not kept his | | | | Archery. |
| tension, or has lowered his bow arm.After the | | | | |