Shooting A Bow

You may have thought you were "in the zone", that is, completely focused on what you were doing. Or it could have been a time when your emotions were extreme, an emergency, with the adrenaline flowing.

I believe we have capabilities far beyond what we normally use.

My first memory of such an event was when I was about sixteen. My cousin Bob and I had been out driving around on a Saturday with our .22s. To call it hunting would be a huge stretch. It was two boys messing around. We usually had our .22s with us.

We were driving an old car and couldn't really go off road, but we did drive out in an uncle's field. I thought we'd plink at something for a few minutes.

As I got out of the car I saw a blue heron fly to the top of a dead tree in the pond. We often fished at his small pond which was about two hundred yards from us.

< Note: This is not the same place, bigger tree, bigger crane, but it looks similar.

I had a six inch High Standard .22 revolver in a holster on my belt. I laid across the top of the car hood and said, "Watch this Bob!"

I remember getting the sights lined up and simply elevating the barrel until the sights completely hid the bird. I was very relaxed, just messing around. I couldn't even see the bird as I pulled the trigger.

Bob said, "WOW! You-got-im!" We had to walk down to confirm the kill. I thought; maybe it had flown straight down. Maybe it only appeared that I'd hit the bird. But it was dead!

I remember other shots, not as impressive, but still...

My brother-in-law and I were walking along with a steep ridge to our left. Doves flying out of the field couldn't see us, and several flew right over us, very low.

I had a single shot .22 Contender handgun with a scope; not good for wing-shooting. I loaded a .22 bird/rat shot in it, and casually dropped the next dove which came over. I'd never shot at a flying bird with a handgun before that.

On another dove hunt I was holding his gun and mine while he crossed a fence. A dove flew over and I shot it using my .410 pump like a handgun. I didn't know I could do that either.

I never thought too much about those lucky shots until I began to shoot a bow.

Shooting my bow almost straight up I once knocked a squirrel from the very top of a good sized tree. I cut a running turkey's throat with a broad-head at about fifteen yards.

Many times I've hit dime sized targets at twenty yards or more. The shots were easy, seemingly without trying. But! I have more often completely missed close-up, easy shots.

I've been a gun nut all my life. I was very reluctant to try the bow.
I thought it would be a huge step backwards. It is, but that's not a bad thing. Now I love shooting my recurve bow or any good stick bow.

Shooting a bow or a rifle using sights is more mechanical.
Shooting a bow without sights is somewhat like a shotgun.
It can be a natural and beautiful thing to watch and do.

Shooting a bow well requires skill, but for some of us it's a mental game. Thinking too much or trying too hard seems to destroy the natural flow and the result is seldom good.

It takes a lot of practice before your bow shooting form becomes second nature. When you have to think about your shooting it will seldom help you to make a good shot.

Some say they look down the arrow and aim. Some say they visualize the arrow going where they want. Others believe you only need to concentrate on the target...

I'm not sure exactly what I do, maybe a little of each. But when it's right. It's so right! When it's right, I know the shot is good as the arrow leaves the bow, it feels so right.

Shooting a bow might be compared to a good wife, few things in the world are so good, but also so frustrating at times.

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