I picked up a trad bow last year, and I got pretty serious about it for a little while. I learned how to use a fixed crawl, and became consistent enough to bare shaft tune my arrows. At some point after deer season I put the bows down to focus on other things. I picked it back up right before deer season, and it felt like starting over from zero. So I picked the compound back up and that’s been my tool of choice this year.

Well, I have been shooting the stick whenever I can this year, and I am beginning to settle into my groove with this thing. Taking time off might not have been the worst idea in the world, because I had some bad habits to unlearn.

For starters, I plucked the string pretty bad. I was consistent- consistently bad. That combined with shooting a fixed crawl, and I was pretty much stuck shooting a 100 grain point on a 340 spine shaft with like a 16 grain insert to bare shaft tune. That has changed, and so has my nock point and my draw length.

I learned to use split vision to gap shoot. That is a total game changer. Also, i shoot 3 under with no crawl, and I anchor on my cheekbone in line with my nose with my head up instead of craned down. I release with strong back tension and relaxed muscles in my arm, when I drop the string my hand comes straight back. That puts my draw about 31 inches, and I love that because it’s more power.

Once I learned this, I had to lower my nocking point more than 1/4”, plus the same bare shaft showed stiff. I added 50-60 grains of point weight to bare shaft tune basically the exact same shafts I used last year. Even with a new RPS insert sticking out almost a quarter inch longer than the old ones. My point weight just went from 116 grains to 173 grains

When i used to use the fixed crawl, I had a lot more precision inside of 15 yards, but past that my arrows dropped like rocks. I could shoot 3 under but with the nock set for fixed crawl, some of my broadheads were pretty iffy in flight. Now that I am learning to use gap with split vision, I have every bit of 20 yards of solid range even with a 2 blade Zwickey on there. And I can cant my bow! In fact, I shoot better when I cant the bow a little. That is also a game changer when it comes to hunting, when you are shooting off the shelf.

One more thing about using back tension and getting that good, deep, natural anchor point. It is a lot easier to draw and hold. Drawing and holding 50 pounds this way compares to drawing and holding 35 the “wrong” way. So now I feel like I could easily handle a heavier bow. Plus with my shot sequence, I start to aim before I even start to draw.

Anyway I just felt like posting about this stuff, from a new trad shooter that is starting to learn, for the other new trad shooters. Maybe give some of the older guys a opportunity to say i told you so.

There’s definitely a lot to learn and a lot of tweaking that goes into a trad bow. What DW/DL are you shooting? That 340 spine may be giving you a lot of fits. I have found most of the charts and such tend to recommend a shaft that is too stiff.

FWIW I draw right at 28” and shoot 500’s off a 58lb bow, with 150gr up front.

31” draw, shooting 50 pounds @ 28”. My bow is cut to center, maybe just a teensy bit past center. I put a 1/16” strike plate on there. 340 spine is the place to start. I am on the weak end of the charts with a 340 spine shaft, 23 grain insert, and 150 grain head. 500’s, holy carp. They REALLY come out sideways.

It's a journey. Most people are "tweeking" form and fit all the time. After a decade of this I still find myself learning.

Well, at least everything checks out in the 3 rivers calculator this time, within 2 pounds on dynamic spine. So I know I am not doing something completely crazy. Now, if I could just get good flight with wood shafts. I trimmed 70-75 spine ash to 30” and it still shows weak with a 125 grain point. I plugged it in and it says a 100 grain point should be good. But i don’t have enough shaft left for broadheads on them. I ordered some 100 grain field tips to try.

If that works, I might be able to get away with a Zwickey Eskilite due to the shorter ferrule.

I will probably have to start with 80-85 pound wood shafts next time I try this. I like the heavier ash shafts. I can’t hit anything past 20 with my longbow anyway, so might as well keep my point on close as possible with more mass.

I was working on tuning the woodies again tonight and I tried a 100 grain point, then I tried that with about a 25 grain arrow wrap I cut myself, on the nock end. Well, that still showed weak. The others snapped. So I pulled out the carbon 340’s again, and today I an getting perfect bare shaft flight with 125’s. So about 153 grains point weight. Down 20 grains. But it still flies pretty darn good with 150’s on there.

I measured my draw length with the clothes pin method again today and it’s closer to 31.5”. That is what happens when you take a week off for work.

What is important is that I can hit the center with two or three blade heads 100, 125, or 150 grains. That’s money. Even the old school Muzzy 3 blade flies good.

Three things I have learned:

First, the more center shot you have, seems the more forgiving your bow will be. I have heard this and I believe it.

Two, it is way better to be over spine than under spine with a broadhead. I tried the 110 Eskilite on one of my underspine wood arrows, they hit way right and I can’t even hit my full anchor with them. Vs my carbon shafts, which are way more forgiving.

Three, you have to shoot like a robot to bare shaft tune your arrows. For me, that means I have got to be having a good day to make it work.

I have really been exaggerating the back tension, and I think I am over drawing the bow this evening. So now, I am trying to learn to hit my anchor and let her rip.

I feel good enough to hunt though. I got me a doe and a turkey with my compound this year, so it might be time to put the skills to the test with a trad bow.

Yeah that sounds about right then. That extra few inches changes a lot

Yes it does when you start stacking 3 inches of draw onto it.