John's Journal...

There's The Buck - Now What - with Ronnie Groom

As the Draw Is Being Made and at Full Draw

Click to enlargeEditor’s Note: Ronnie Groom of Panama City, Florida, a longtime friend of mine and hunting enthusiast, teaches bowhunting schools every year. Groom knows his stuff. You’ll learn plenty this week by reading and then implementing the important information he gives us. Click to enlarge

“Once the draw is being made, the hunter will instantly know if he is shooting a quiet bow or a noisy bow,” Groom observes. “The bow should make no noise when the arrow is drawn back. If the bow squeaks or sounds at all, then the hunter hasn’t prepared properly for the hunt and may in fact spook the deer. Although most people worry about the noise that the bow makes when they shoot, I’m not nearly as concerned about the noise of the bow when I release the arrow as I am any noise it may make when I’m drawing to shoot. I don’t believe that the deer can move fast enough to get out of the way of the arrow once the string is released. But I do know that he can move quickly enough to get out of the way of the arrow as the bow is being drawn.”

At Full Draw:

“The first thingClick to enlarge you must remember when you draw the bow is to be certain you get to full draw and come to a good solid Click to enlargeanchor,” Groom emphasizes. “Then if you’re using a sight pin, let the pin stop on the spot you want to shoot before you release the arrow. Oftentimes the archer will release the arrow just as the pin comes down to the spot he wants to shoot, and he never stops the motion of the bow before he releases. This system will often cause you to shoot under the deer. For that reason, I always try and let the pin stop on the spot I want to shoot before I release. Once the pin stops, I make certain I have a clean release. One mistake that many hunters make just before they release the arrow is they pick a kill zone on the animal and completely disregard several very important factors including…
… what bones of the deer are covering that kill area?
… whether an arrow can penetrate those bones?
… what organs will the arrow pass-through before it exits?
… how much damage will the arrow be able to do?
“I believe that the best shot that can be made on a deer is to hit the animal so that the arrow penetrates both lungs. Although many archers try for a heart shot, I don’t believe that the heart shot will effectively down the animal as quickly as the lung shot will. The heart is a much-smaller target, too, than then the lungs are. It is lower in the animal and easier to miss.”

Tomorrow:   Accurate Shooting Pays Off


Check back each day this week for more about "There's The Buck - Now What - with Ronnie Groom"

Day 1: Sequence of Events Prior to Releasing an Arrow
Day 2: Planning the Shot with Ronnie Groom
Day 3: Anticipating Wind Changes and Knowing When to Draw
Day 4: As the Draw Is Being Made and at Full Draw
Day 5: Accurate Shooting Pays Off





 

Entry 533, Day 4