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