Bowguy 1

Dbhunter watch George Ryal's you tube video. Shows a new way to use back tension n it takes some getting used to but it even seems to help folks prone to target panic.

Growalot n Dbhunter imo have it exactly right. A wet dog is one of my thoughts, another is the Polock I work w who doesn't wear deodorant, he smells worse on damp days, another is turning a beagle loose, in dry woods they normally work to find one n run it flawlessly when it's misting or woods are damp. As a kid I was always told rain washed away odors, heavy rain may but I take no chances. Wet woods are no good imo in keeping scent down. I agree too w the hunting the wind, I've shot many deer, even some up close in quick hunts after work or skinnimg, sometimes bear grease on my boots. Wind direction is the name of the game so is being elusive. The deer sure are. Just something to think about after being told so long to be in the woods in the rain. It could just be the amount though. Heavy rain n dogs gotta hustle to stay w scent

How many guys believe a mist washes away your scent?

That's a big part of the point. Being in a area puts pressure on the deer, thick cover means you touch more brush n leave more scent deer can pick up on.

As I said nothing scientific. Just got to the point where I was expecting issues, remember they only need to shoot 3 good arrows n get 5 arrows to get that done. It's only 20 yards n should be easy n only take 3. The worst day ever 3 guys were down to 1 crossbow n we let em share just to finish test. They were brand new. That isn't only occasion it was fairly common. I believe the finish was coming off quite a few n they discontinued them a bit to fix that issue so maybe they handled both. They gotta know what the issues were

Good luck

Well try n look at/shoot the Carter or Stans if you can. It will help but it takes time to resettle in to a new style shooting. You may even need a few adjustments like moving a peep, kisser or sights. Another thing to consider is neck size on release. It can change things too. Many companies have lots of sizes n I'm not sure how long your index finger release is

Do yourself a favor n get a good button. Don't go cheapy, there's a giant difference. If your near orange co, I can even let you try a few

My youngest daughter shoots an index finger release n at 13 you can see her back tighten n she follows through perfect. My older daughter shoots a stan button. I use carters. Half the time anyway. The other half Im shooting a recurve w fingers. Seems I cant give either up. Love em both

I use a button using back tension style release. Fingers, index finger release, etc can/should be shot back tension

Figured while I was at giving a few shooting tips Id talk about release/follow through. Many folks, especially folks who've only ever shot a release shoot dead hand. Basically they shoot n the hand stays by face. . . Sometimes. Sometimes they throw hand out, up, etc. Not the best way for an arrow to find its mark. Best way is by using back tension, it's very simple. Don't pull the string back w your bicep, push your elbow back, once at a proper anchor (if the bow is too long you can't do this), transfer the weight to your back muscles. If someone is w you they can check your back n feel it tighten. When I was a kid we taped quarters on our spine, if that's necessary to feel the squeeze feel free to try but you should actually be able to just feel the muscles contract. Now in doing this you transfer weight to large muscles n holding a bow at full draw is simpler. As you shoot, remember to be pushing elbow back so back muscles squeeze, if shooting fingers roll them off string, your draw hand should find it's way to your shoulder naturally, release-either using same technique, pull/push through the release til it suprise breaks or elongate Palm while holding post on button/hinge and again back tension causes your hand to fly back to your shoulder. Follow through involves staying with the shot as its executed. Many people want to watch arrow, bad idea leads to low shots. One way to force yourself to follow through is reaiming as a last step. Keeps your head in the shot n your shooting will improve

Unable to get string to lock in. These were new bows w no excess rail lube or grease clogging trigger mechanism. This seems the main issue.

I've never dealt w Bowtech customer service but shot their bows for years. It's good they're on the game there cause as stated the failure rate seems high. Like from what I'm seeing 3-4 times higher than every other company combined. Hope they got it straightened out. Plus the finish issues needed to be addressed

I'm not a crossbow guy but is Stryker the ones made by Bowtech? Or is striker a company? If it's Bowtech be careful, they make good stuff imo except from what I've seen, crossbows. Don't know how well they work but in classes I've seen as many as 2 out of 3 break. They seem prone to failure. Least In my experience they are. Id say almost any other crossbow breaks less. Again limited experience, none shooting them but when I test guys using them they're failure prone

Fall is coming n so is the season. Most guys I'm sure are getting ready and shooting their bows. This morning I was getting ready to do a class while another couple was already shooting. First thing I noticed was the woman's arm guard. I told another instructor she had a bad grip. We watched Her grab her bow n she Gi Joe gripped it with her knuckles paralleling the bow. This causes the forearm to be very close or on the bow strings and is incorrect. Your knuckles should be at a 45 degree angle to the handle. To get there easily bend your pinky n ring finger in like making a knuckle. For a right handed shooter place those fingers on the left of bow handle gripping with the pointer n middle finger. The ring n pinky finger being to the side accomplish two things, one is angling your grip, the next is keeping the heel of your hand off the grip. Less hand on the bow less torque. Remember don't "choke" your bow. Hold it don't kill it. One last thing, your elbow for a righty needs to never to be pointing directly at the ground, roll your arm so the elbow is down n left. Be careful not to hyperextend your elbow or wrist that'll put em back in harms way. Hope that made sense n helps some beginning archers achieve better form. I believe I posted something similar before but we have new folks all the time

So you're one of those guys not good enough to shoot a man's bow it seems. How would you know what's conventional archer does?You wanna say something stupid, that was one for ya. Shooting an arrow into a towel n discharging into it imo would be pretty hideous practice, how far do you set it? Do you shoot for the vitals? Aim for a tiny spot on the towel or just the whole thing like a beginner? Do you do this in the dark? If so n you miss at practice yardsge which I'm sure you're perfect enough not to, how do you know a little kid isn't cutting through the farm trying to get home n in now harms way? Know your target n beyond. Maybe you come out during legal light n can see well enough to be sure it's safe. Afraid of the dark? You wanna say stupid stuff people can say stupid things back. No offense to the other crossbow folks. I'm sure your crossbows are manly

If you were taking a quad bringing a decocking bag should be easy to do.

Berger is excellant, no question but they're a little pricey I've never had great luck w Nosler cept ballistic tips in my 22-250. Hornady Ive found terrible. I know other guys love Hornady too. Interesting the difference. But in my testing n that's been a lot of guns and a lot of fanatical trying I've seen different. Will be honest in saying I haven't tried a Hornady of any sort Ina few years because of this. What type load/head were you doing well with?

Lots of guys have a preference to heads but accuracy counts and certain bullets deliver accuracy and work wonderfully on game. For mid sized animals almost all I load is Sierra Gamekings. They have tons of accuracy records for good reason, in my guns they're almost always the most accurate n I've tested most hunting heads. Best part is they aren't crazy pricey n come in factory loadings if that's your thing. Anyone else try em?

Rattler gave a really good answer. I'm a fan of more gun, more velocity n normally use a .300 but he is correct. The only thing I'll say is the meat damage thing to me is not a giant consideration if you hit them in the shoulder. Yes you will ruin some meat but hit em w a .270 ballistic tip so commonly used. A lot depends on loading

Youd mount that little deer? Ssssh you do need help. Ah just kidding. Guess it's not cool to go against the things others do. To each his own as long as it's legal, I'm old school n I believe those ways better but it's my perogitive just as yours is to do it your way

Youd mount that little deer? Ssssh you do need help. Ah just kidding. Guess it's not cool to go against the things others do. To each his own as long as it's legal, I'm old school n I believe those ways better but it's my perogitive just as yours is to do it your way

Growalot there are zero assumptions in my posts. Everything I said is based on facts n my interpretations. I speak very straight n when written w no voice inflections it can be difficult to know what I mean. You're not the first person. I respect what you are saying though, you always have good comments n speak your mind as well. It's what we're here for

No worries bud. I feel the same. In NJ where I live baiting is even legal. It's despicable. Putting out feed, your camera telling them what time you need to be there n than resting a crossbow on a rail at a bait pile is no different than shooting a dog at a water bowl. No sport in knowing it all or doing nothing to get something. Not saying all camera guys bait but how is it Gander Mt is in NY where bait is illegal yet they're always almost out of stock? Not passing judgement just feel it's detrimental to the sport and actually learning it. When I was a kid my hunter Ed instuctor told me it took an average of 4 years to kill the first deer w bow and averaged 100 hours between deer for a good bowhunter. I stayed in the woods as long as possible trying to reach the 100 hours. I wonder how many guys or gals would do that today? Ask people to read a compass, read a map, God forbid sharpen a knife, butcher a deer or carry a stand. It's a different world n to me it is enough. Again no disrespect to anyone this is just how I feel. I tell folks who use only technology to "hunt" they're hurting themselves. What happens when one goes out of state w a week to get it done? Where do they look? What do they look for?

I'm by no means bashing camera guys. If I was to recommend Id be against but that's just me. Id much rather scout a bunch of areas from afar n guys using same stands to me Id say are "stunting" themselves. If someone was committed to camera use Id say put it in an area you could get in/out of undetected. That could be a feeding area or whatever but you need to check them outside of deer movement or imminent deer movement. After work or early Say mornings like guys by me do is too near deer travel n I feel they may see or smell you. All about stealth. Throw a calf rope on a dogs neck n watch what happens next time you pick up rope. Animals learn, easide to hunt when they don't know you're after them