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Otto
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Thanks to a great deal through the Real TC III I have a new to me left handed bow.  (Mathews Derenalin) 

Today, I went to Wildwood Archery near Syracuse and the owner helped me set it up with the rest and sight.  He gave me some very basic instuction  and I shot my first ever arrow at a target from 15 feet away.  I actually hit the board!  Ha ha.     Someone else there was also a lefty and he let me use his bow (a Bowtech) from the 20 yard range, and I actually hit the dam target again, a little low and left, but I hit it very close to where I was aiming.   Pretty happy with my very first attempts.  I plan to head back Monday evening when they are open to try a few more arrows.  

All new and everything is strange.  Almost like learning a new language.  

TurkeyFeathers - YOU’RE UP MAN!! 

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19 minutes ago, Otto said:

Thanks to a great deal through the Real TC III I have a new to me left handed bow.  (Mathews Derenalin) 

Today, I went to Wildwood Archery near Syracuse and the owner helped me set it up with the rest and sight.  He gave me some very basic instuction  and I shot my first ever arrow at a target from 15 feet away.  I actually hit the board!  Ha ha.     Someone else there was also a lefty and he let me use his bow (a Bowtech) from the 20 yard range, and I actually hit the dam target again, a little low and left, but I hit it very close to where I was aiming.   Pretty happy with my very first attempts.  I plan to head back Monday evening when they are open to try a few more arrows.  

All new and everything is strange.  Almost like learning a new language.  

TurkeyFeathers - YOU’RE UP MAN!! 

Youre on a journey now!

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19 hours ago, Otto said:

Thanks to a great deal through the Real TC III I have a new to me left handed bow.  (Mathews Derenalin) 

Today, I went to Wildwood Archery near Syracuse and the owner helped me set it up with the rest and sight.  He gave me some very basic instuction  and I shot my first ever arrow at a target from 15 feet away.  I actually hit the board!  Ha ha.     Someone else there was also a lefty and he let me use his bow (a Bowtech) from the 20 yard range, and I actually hit the dam target again, a little low and left, but I hit it very close to where I was aiming.   Pretty happy with my very first attempts.  I plan to head back Monday evening when they are open to try a few more arrows.  

All new and everything is strange.  Almost like learning a new language.  

TurkeyFeathers - YOU’RE UP MAN!! 

just a little advice, remember its the archer not the bow .don't let the so called elite archers tell you that  you need the latest and greatest to shoot well, enjoy it and don't take it to seriously and you will enjoy it for a long time...

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Rob-c, that is good advice, thanks.   The owner there showed me several rests and sights, but told me that he would set it up very basic so i could shoot arrows and develop form.  He said later on you can always upgrade.  He also suggested that I shoot other bows as much as possible.  He doesn’t sell Mathews, but he said it is definitely one of the better bows and in great shape.  One guy there said, “If you’re going to learn to drive, it might as well be in a Mercedes.”  

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One piece of advice , don’t chase your arrows, what I mean by that is, if your shots  one Day are off a bit, don’t adjust sites , rests and such. Put it away and come back out the next day and see how you shoot .

I’m in Rob C’s camp. 30years two bows , my “new “ one is 12 years old lol .

 

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20 hours ago, Otto said:

Thanks to a great deal through the Real TC III I have a new to me left handed bow.  (Mathews Derenalin) 

Today, I went to Wildwood Archery near Syracuse and the owner helped me set it up with the rest and sight.  He gave me some very basic instuction  and I shot my first ever arrow at a target from 15 feet away.  I actually hit the board!  Ha ha.     Someone else there was also a lefty and he let me use his bow (a Bowtech) from the 20 yard range, and I actually hit the dam target again, a little low and left, but I hit it very close to where I was aiming.   Pretty happy with my very first attempts.  I plan to head back Monday evening when they are open to try a few more arrows.  

All new and everything is strange.  Almost like learning a new language.  

TurkeyFeathers - YOU’RE UP MAN!! 

Nice! So awesome that you decided to become a bowhunter! If you're anything like me, it will become a lifelong passion. I picked up my first bow, about 40 years ago, and the love of bowhunting, is as strong now as it was in the beginning. That Mathews you picked up from TheRealTClll aka, Tacks, is a solid bow, that will serve you well. My Mathews is 18 years old, and still killing deer! Got my grandson's first bow from Tack's too!  He's also got TF all set to go, as well as a few others! Great guy! There are many different brands that shoot so nice today! 

You will be all set, and good to go by October 1st. Get out to practice as often as possible. Shoot with experienced archers whenever possible as well. They will help you develop correct form and technique, to build a solid foundation. You will have good and bad days shooting. Thats all part of the learning curve. And like Larry said above, don't chase your arrows, every time you don't hit exactly where you are aiming. Make up little games to challenge yourself when practicing, to keep it fun and interesting. And try to not get too frustrated on the down days.

Please keep us updated on your progress!  There are plenty of really good archers here, if you should need advice with anything. Have fun, and good luck, come October! 

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Congrats as a fellow left handed shooter you will find some of what you want will not be available. I have the same bow and an older Mathews. Once your pins are set and you have muscle memory 60 plus yards is quite doable on a range.. the let off is about the same as holding a feather.. very well built bow if you aim right and can judge distance correctly you can be deadly.

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3 hours ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

One piece of advice , don’t chase your arrows, what I mean by that is, if your shots  one Day are off a bit, don’t adjust sites , rests and such. Put it away and come back out the next day and see how you shoot .

I’m in Rob C’s camp. 30years two bows , my “new “ one is 12 years old lol .

 

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Ok, I do have a question regarding “sighting in”. When I sight in a shotgun I put it in a solid gun rest and shoot at a target , usually 50 yards.  When you sight in a bow - do you just shoot as normal?  I don’t think Ive ever heard of a bow rest for this.  It seems that even a slight movement of my right arm would cause the arrow to be off the target aim point.  My arm is just not solid enough.  How would you know that the sight and arrow rest and peep were all in alignment correctly? 

PS: I’m a month shy of 57 - hell of a time to pick up a new hobby, but better late than never. 

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23 minutes ago, Otto said:

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

Ok, I do have a question regarding “sighting in”. When I sight in a shotgun I put it in a solid gun rest and shoot at a target , usually 50 yards.  When you sight in a bow - do you just shoot as normal?  I don’t think Ive ever heard of a bow rest for this.  It seems that even a slight movement of my right arm would cause the arrow to be off the target aim point.  My arm is just not solid enough.  How would you know that the sight and arrow rest and peep were all in alignment correctly? 

PS: I’m a month shy of 57 - hell of a time to pick up a new hobby, but better late than never. 

 As you shoot more and more your muscles will strengthen ( I always say archery muscles are like swimming muscles you don’t know you have them till you start using them ) ok so when you start you will most likely have arrows all around the spot and this is okay. As you get more strength and muscle memory your arrows will start hitting in a group , now let’s say your group is low right (THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT )

do not touch your sight until you are consistently shooting a group then move your sight and remember in archery you follow the arrow so low right move your sight down and to the right.  but only one adjustment at a time and small adjustments and walk you arrow into the center. As you shoot more and more you will eventually shoot a Robin Hood , you have to keep your first one and hang on your wall . but after that it’s one arrow per spot or it will get expensive. And remember we all were new at one time and a lot of good guys are here with good advice. 

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Start out close at 10 yards. Once you start getting good groups and feeling comfortable, move back to 15 yards and so on. When sighting in your bow, know that the pin will never be completely still. It will always 'float' around the target. Through good form, you will learn to 'trust' when to squeeze the trigger of your release. Remember to 'pull the bow apart'. That is, to always be pushing forward with the bow arm, towards your target, and pulling with the string arm.

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sounds like TC broke you all ready. so much for mental and financial stability. lol  i just hope he let you ignorantly enjoy it and didn't explain how it works too much... the arrow that's supposed to bend when shot that you're trying to get to go lazer straight.

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I went to Wildwood tonight and shot 40 or so times. After some adjustments by someone experienced I was hitting paper in decent groups. I did have 3 bulls, so I would say this was a successful first outing. b688c45894b1e27a6721d31419f66df8.jpg

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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