coocoo4coues Report post Posted February 10, 2006 I was out target practicing yesterday afternoon (preparing for the HAM javalina hunt next week) and noticed that I was grouping about 6 inches to the right at 50 yds, and slightly less at 40 yds. It seems the farther I would shoot, the farther right my arrows would group. There was a 5-10 mph breeze blowing, which I would like to blame for my "off" shooting. I was about to move my pins when I decided to shoot from 15 yds. I was dead on. Is something wrong with my bow, or does the wind have such a strong effect on arrow flight? If so, is hunting on a windy day a bad idea? Is there a best practice for adjusting for the wind? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noel Arnold Report post Posted February 10, 2006 Yes wind does have a effect.Also even without wind,The farther you shoot the more form comes in to play. Make sure you are not torqueing your bow to one side. I think if you talk to most archery shooters, they would say the biggest problem is being off left or right. Noel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamaro Report post Posted February 10, 2006 Also, if you have a quiver full of arrows remember they also catch alot of wind. That is why some people like to use cat quivers.. jason Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted February 11, 2006 I would shoot again when there is no wind, before you go changing anything. We have practiced on windy/gusty days at 70-80 yds. and have had up to 2+ ft of drift at that range. Best bet......don't make long shots in windy conditions.... Unfortunately there is no magic formula to figure how much drift. And you cannot anticipate if it is more or less windy down range. Also..... heavier & thinner arrows with smaller fletchings help reduce wind drift. Good Luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BowhuntCoues Report post Posted February 11, 2006 Smaller diameter arrows are effected less then larger diameter arrows. You would be amazed how the wind does effect the arrow flight and how steady you can hold on a spot. My best friend is awesome shooting in the wind, he lets the pin move around and times punching the trigger when it passes the kill zone, works good for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bobbyo Report post Posted February 13, 2006 The wind could cause the arrows to fly off center, but if you are grouping them I would suspect that your rest in not perfectly centered. A slightly off center rest would allow you to be dead on at 20 yards, but gradually off to the side the further you go back. For example you could be on the bullseye at twenty, 3" right at 40yards and then 6" right at 60 yards. Another explanation could be, as Noel said, you are canting your bow. You might be holding your bow crooked so that your pins are not at 90 degrees to your target. This is why they have the level bubble on most sights. Or it might be the wind. Welcome to the wonderful world of archery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
donniedent Report post Posted February 13, 2006 Thats a tough one. Wind usually isn't constant and it would be tough to shoot a group at 50 in gusting wind. You are probably torquing the bow when you shoot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coocoo4coues Report post Posted February 14, 2006 Wow, lots of good input. I'm trying not to torque my bow when I shoot. Perhaps I need to have someone watch my form while I shoot. Question, should I have a tight, or loose grip on the bow when shooting? Are aluminum arrows more stable in flight than carbon? I haven't had a chance to go back out and shoot under normal conditions to see if its still off. I'll let you all know. This forum is awesome. I wish I had known about it years ago. coocoo4coues Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coueshunter84 Report post Posted February 14, 2006 No grip at all. I shoot openhanded with a wrist sling. If your going to be punching paper or anything else past about 30 yards or so, your form has to be immaculate every shot. When I shoot, the only part of me touching the bow is the width of the bow handle across my palm. exactly the same every time.. exactly. And as someone else alreay pointed out Welcome to archery. Practice,,, practice,,, practice.... and then some more practice. Yes even in the wind, rain, snow, 110 degrees. I shoot about 2000 arrows a week, in the 3-4 months leading up to the early hunts and 250-1000 a week the rest of the year. I would go with not moving anything until you get out and shoot again in the calm. wait for a calm day and make sure your sight hasent been knocked off. As posted above , being off a little up close, compounds when you get out farther. Also a good idea to mark your sight every where it can move. I use white-out. just to make sure things stay where I put them. I mark both sides of every moving part on the sight. INcluding the pins. Good luck and hang in there. every time you watch fletchings hit a thorax... LOL.. it makes it worth it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted February 14, 2006 Wow, lots of good input. I'm trying not to torque my bow when I shoot. Perhaps I need to have someone watch my form while I shoot. Question, should I have a tight, or loose grip on the bow when shooting? Are aluminum arrows more stable in flight than carbon? I haven't had a chance to go back out and shoot under normal conditions to see if its still off. I'll let you all know. This forum is awesome. I wish I had known about it years ago. coocoo4coues I agree with everything that coueshunter84 said above... follow his direction about grip and form. I think that you will have better luck with Carbon vs Aluminum.... but I switched to ACC arrows last year and think that they are even more stable....bad thing about ACC... if you miss, your $14 arrow is trash!! You will also find that practice is one thing, but once you screw your broadheads on you will have to do more work with plaining and wind drag. Good luck.... "Aim Small....Miss Small" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZP&Y Report post Posted February 14, 2006 Here is the latest model forecast for the rest of the week - Thursday Feb 9-12th ( basically the start of the Ham Season). Not sure which part of the state that you are hunting ??? but the Wind is coming and with it a changing weather pattern. Long shots in general will surely be affected, cut down the distance and get close and STICK a PIG! - Good Luck! This is for Tucson and South: PATTERN CHANGE WILL CONTINUE LATER THIS WEEK AS ENERGY FROM CANADA DIVES DOWN ON BACK SIDE OF WEDNESDAY GREAT BASIN SYSTEM AND CONTINUES TO CARVE OUT TROFINESS ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS. MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS HOW THIS TROF INTERACTS WITH MOISTURE SEEN EAST OF HAWAII...AROUND 140W. 12Z GFS RUN BACKED OFF CONSIDERABLY ON IDEA OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT WHICH WAS ADVERTISED BY THE 00Z/06Z RUNS. MIDSHIFT DIDN`T BITE AND THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA. I HAVE KEPT SLIGHT CHANCE WORDING IN THE FORECAST FOR THIS WEEKEND AND AWAIT BETTER RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY BEFORE RAMPING UP THE POP DIAL. TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLER...BELOW NORMAL...LATE THIS WEEK Could it Rain??? AzP&Y Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
