Why I Blog

I am a sort of specialized hobbyist. The act of shooting a traditional bow in and of itself has placed me in a sub-category or "specialized" my hobby and set it apart from the generic term "archery". Further, I have specialized on the term hunting also, because I don't hunt in any sort of big woods or travel to exotic places. Instead, I hunt out the back of my suburban home location and choose small woodlots, where convenience is premium. Local small woodlot or backyard hunting grounds allows and affords me the versatility to take up my hobby and do it as often as desired within season, while applying state and local ordinances and restrictions. Thereby actually participating in my chosen hobby and not becoming a spectator.

I hope to include all the things associated with traditional archery and hunting. For example, yesterday I was building arrows, because I destroyed one. I was having trouble shooting left. Please see the November 8th and 9th posts "Shoot to the Left" and "I figured out Why I am Shooting to the Left" respectively. I will soon post pictures and a summary of the process that I took to build replacement arrows. I'll also post about my equipment and the shot cycle. I hope to post about being in the woods and my hunting adventures outdoors.

Please feel free to comment, so we can get to know each other and bring this awesome sport to more potential archers.

Shoot Straight,

Suburbanstickbow Hunter

ACE ARCHERY TACKLE SINCE 1927

"The Oldest Name in Broadheads", brass points 175 grain. I got my field points in the mail, so I can finish my arrow build.
Remember when I destroyed the arrow, while inadvertently shooting left? Not exactly an accident, because I was plucking the string upon release. Well, it is time to get into arrow building and I will shortly post regarding that subject.

Shoot straight,

Suburbanstickbow Hunter

Cleaning up a Ground Stand for the Hunt

On Thursday Nov. 15th I was free to go to my woodlot and clean my ground stand. I began by removing all the dead leaves that had accumulated on the ground from the previous year. I used my boots to kick them into a pile, then physically removing them with my hands, Next, I roamed close by the stand locating hemlock boughs that ranged from 2 feet to 4 feet in length. Each branch should still have it's needles attached. I continued to do this until I had 15 or 20 boughs collected. Taking this bundle back to my cleaned ground stand I stuck the severed ends into the ground around a large tree, which over looks my shooting alleys. The arrangement of boughs should be a semi-circle starting at the left side of the large tree arcing around giving plenty of room for the occupant and ending on the right side of the tree. This allows the hunter to sit down and be hidden from the sight of the deer, I also add a small dug out pit in the front end of the blind for my bathroom, so I can remain within the confines of the blind, which keeps me hidden and out of sight from my quarry. Please view my video that I have attached for a more visual example of the type of ground stand, which can be used as cover giving the hunter an advantage for a closer up shot on a whitetail deer.

Thank you for watching and reading.

Shoot straight,

Suburbanstickbow Hunter   

I Figured Out Why I Am Shooting to the Left

I figured out why I am shooting to the left. It wasn't an over spined arrow. It wasn't a bad anchor point. It wasn't my new contact lenses suddenly giving me left eye dominance. After 216 shots and a damaged arrow. It came down to complete human error. I was plucking the string. The pluck was so consistent that it gave the impression that it was a mechanical error. A testament to repetition. Well, repetition was the only cure to discover the error of my ways. Fight fire with fire as they say. Once I chose to slide my release hand against my cheekbone and secondarily touch the back of my neck as an additional anchor point, then and only then did the shot straighten out  and find it's mark. In addition, I started to question my shot cycle (in a good way). I've began to relax my grip with my left hand as well. The relaxation with both hands has put the arrow on the mark more consistently. Tightly gripping the bow with either hand is a no, no. The zen philosophy of it makes sense, if you relax and just release at the top of the shot cycle, then the shot cycle becomes nothing. A wonderful release of tension both physically and psychologically. The archer using the general arrow length as a directional, then letting go, as if time has stood still and the only thing to do to get it moving again is to release. One's back muscles are the only engaged thing under tension and the hands are two instruments calibrated like a torque wrench to hold for the time being until at the top of the cycle... sweet release!

Photo of my broken arrow

Shoot to the Left

I have been shooting left recently. I thought it was because I am torquing the bow. Where the grip is in such a way that the shot goes left consistently. I do not think this is so, because I've changed my grip to compensate for my tendency to shoot left. I think my next opportunity is to shotgun sight my shot in order to see if my visual alignment has changed. I've resently acquired new multi focal contact lenses. I wonder if they could be altering my perception of the target? Another possibility could be I've over-spines arrows, which could push the shot left.
I will look back into these issue once free time is available to me.
Shoot straight.

I will report my findings.

The Beginning of Something Wonderful

Suburban hunting is a joy. A small woods has unique challenges. I hunt them out of necessity. My resources namely cash are of limited supply. Therefore without a 4WD, I cannot get into any remote big woods. My time in  the woods  is also limited, so I must maximize my stay by ranging close to home. Traditional archery is tackle that is intrinsically used for close up kill shots that aren't more than 20 yards away. This range is perfect for small wooded areas that are near or adjacent populated homes and buildings.
This blog is dedicated to my experiences with this type of hunting.