'twas a good day for the bow today

the weather cleared up nicely this morning so i decided to go out and launch some aeroz.

I've been having some tough times with my archery and bow hunting lately.

ya see...I've shot a bow (recurve, mostly) for so many years SANS sights it's become second nature to me and I've had the thought that using sights would help my accuracy and hence, help prevent losing and breaking arrows...that's the main issue at the moment.

where i live has many manzanita and ribbon wood trees (not to mention granite boulders strewn about) that also contribute to arrow life thru attrition, loss and breakage; they're tough as an anvil and live just as long...woe be unto those who have an errant arrow contact one of them...odds are, they'll find nothing but carbon or wood splinters or a piece of aluminum that looks like a metal flower in full bloom...so, i got it into my head that using sights would minimize my misses, ergo, minimize my arrow loss/damage. i once made the mistake in taking an axe to cut a manzanita stump for firewood...YIKES!!! my hands stung for a week and the axe didn't even make a dent in the stump.

putting sights onto my bow, physically, was NOT an issue, or challenge of any sort...it was using them that became an issue almost immediately. after all, i do use sights on my compound bow with a great deal of success. but...the issue comes in using the sights on my recurve bow...it just don't seem right...

i seldom ever shoot my compound...in fact, my last compound was purchased in 1999 and i doubt I've shot more than a hundred arrows thru it since; too much gadgetry and technology for this country kid. (this is not meant as a 'bash' of compounds either.)

i think the biggest 'pitfall' about using the sights on the recurve bow (as far as MY application is concerned) is i must use them in an, almost, perfectly vertical orientation in order to use them properly and accurately. oh, it can be done...no doubt about it, but, i have a difficult time doing so; i cant my bow. a canted bow means a change in the dynamics of aiming using sights.

anyway...

earlier this morning, i grabbed one of my favorite recurves and headed out to shoot a few arrows.

the soil was wonderfully damp, the trees and vegetation seem to be sighing with relief and satisfaction from the last rains and the smell was wonderful...you guys who hit the woods and farmers/ranchers will know what i mean. a wonderful day to shoot some arrows.

i was going to try a 'new' way of arrow loss prevention. (or at least one that I'd long forgotten until my hunting partner reminded me of.)simply the installation of a metal washer behind the field point larger than the diameter of the point/shaft.

it works wonderfully.

since i switched to a mechanical release aid and went to lower draw weight poundage, I've also had to switch to carbon arrows to enhance the performance of the lighter draw weight poundage. carbon arrows tend to be on the costly side so loss prevention is prudent, hence the 'washer' modification.

the washer does not interfere with the flight of the arrow nor operating the bow. in fact it aids in draw length when drawing the bow. it comes up against the shelf and come to a stop insuring the same draw length each time. that in turn insures the same poundage output each shot. as most of you who shoot bows are aware of...the farther you draw the bow, the more the poundage.

with that in mind, i should be able to resume a 'normal' shooting pattern; i 'normally' shot at least once a day. maybe not more than a few arrows, just enough to keep up the form.

it seems that "what goes around, comes around." i find m myself right back to where i started from many times...but, it usually turns out good...