Sights are the one piece of gear you focus on every time you draw your bow. You can make an old bow feel new again by upgrading your sights. If you’ve bought a new bow, don’t skimp on your sight.
Many options are available in multi- and single-pin options. Multi-pin sights come in three-, five- or seven-pin options, and are ideal for keeping your setup simple and foolproof. Sight in each pin for a different yardage – usually 10 yards per pin – and you’ll be ready to shoot. Single-pin “slider” sights are more precise because they let archers dial the pin to the exact yardage and then hold where they want to hit.
A quality release-aid promotes consistent shots and tighter groups. Choose between a handheld thumb-button release or a wrist-strap trigger-finger release. Handheld thumb releases help some archers cure target panic, a psychological problem that prevents archers from holding their sight-pin on target. Wrist-strap releases remain strapped to your wrist, which helps you execute quick shots.
To decide which model is right for you, make sure you understand the pros and cons of each model, and that you’re comfortable using it. If you choose a wrist-strap release, consider a model that secures with a buckle strap. The buckle ensures your release attaches to your wrist at the same location each time.
Your shooting preferences dictate the best arrow rest for you. If you often take long-range shots, buy a drop-away rest. When properly tuned, drop-away rests hold your arrow in a consistent position at full draw, and drop away from it almost instantly when you release. That ensures your rest won’t affect the shot.
If you don’t shoot long distances and simply want a quality rest that secures your arrow in place, look for a biscuit-style rest. These affordable rests deliver tack-driving accuracy for shots out to 40 yards.
A sight, rescued from a bow I handed down nearly 20 years ago, is probably the most poignant reminder that things have changed.
A single brass sight pin, screwed into a plate and souped up with a touch of white paint on the end, comprises the entirety of the pre-fiber-optic sight. While I can look at a few of the recurves in my office and get nostalgic about how things have changed and how technologically advanced we have become, I don't feel the same about the sight for some reason.
Truth be told, I love seeing the latest wave of bow accessories that wash upon the archery industry each January at the ATA Trade Show, because I know each year I'll find a few that will help me shoot better.
Not everything that hits the market is a winner, just as not every product I look at fondly in its new packaging ends up impressing me in the field. The opposite happens often enough to make me somewhat hypersensitive to buying into any hype until I've actually hunted a season with something.
I had a quiver attachment snap clean off while bow hunting backcountry mule deer a few years ago, and several sights that didn't make the cut through in-the-field breakdowns.
Last season, in the days leading up to a spot-and-stalk antelope excursion, my setup suddenly decided that it didn't want to shoot broadheads accurately. This is an old-school problem that I don't run into very often anymore, and as I filed through a litany of mechanical and fixed-blade heads to try to find a suitable option, I realized that I was frantically searching for a Band-Aid to cover a bigger problem.
That problem, I later figured out, stemmed from the rest. More specifically, the bar that attaches the launcher to the main body of the rest had bent ever so slightly, which means it was nearly invisible to the naked eye, but off just enough to seriously alter my arrow flight.
If you are setting up a new-for-2014 bow, or just looking to increase the accuracy of your older bow, there are some promising-looking accessories available.
Although making tough shots is ultimately up to the space between your ears, it doesn't hurt to facilitate the process by using the best equipment out there. That may mean a bow outfitted with the latest accessories designed to increase accuracy, cut shot noise, and perform better in the field, is something we should all consider.
No comments:
Post a Comment