A Bowhunter's Legacy: Back to the Good

Tonight I focused. Tonight I drew myself back to the good shooting. 20 and 30 yards are dead on. My farthest shot tomorrow is 48 yards, I have my 40 yard pin set and my 50 eye balled, here is to hoping that I've finally go it figured out!
I even had a brief conversation with Bowman and conducted myself with Grace and didn't become distracted. I know somewhere Sonny is smiling... Wish me luck tomorrow I may need it!!!

A Bowhunter's Legacy: 2012 season opens!

Tomorrow is the first shoot of the season! We all know I've been struggling with shooting. I thought I had it all figured out in Omaha, then I came home and lost almost all my sense. I've set a goal for myself to break 300 and to stay focused on my shooting.
Big Rick and Ty are my two shooting partners for this tournament. They are positive shooters and help me adjust my yardage and shooting style. In the end all I really want out of this shoot is proof that I can keep my level head in competition.

Pull, Pull, PULL!

I had my pro lesson up at Black Hills Archery today. It was great, my pro is a really great teacher and I walked away from my lesson with no frustration. He properly fit my bow to me and helped me work on my bow arm. I have been having a problem with dropping my arm, it took five shots and that was fixed. Then we moved on to the more difficult thing, back tension.
I must say I really like shooting back tension. It does make my muscles sore, but I'm hoping that once my muscles develop my back won't hurt so bad. So now I need to invest in a reliable back tension release, with a safety.
Right now I'm not so worried about where I am hitting. I'm worried about my form and pushing and pulling. I have to set myself up then close all conversations with myself and think, pull, pull, PULL! It works and I just love the surprised feeling, I'm not sure why but I do. Maybe it's because its not frustration!
Well I'm off to shop for a release. Any recommendations?
Becks

Season Close

The 3d season at my local club closed this past weekend. I shot three out of four sets of tournaments this year. I had a blast doing it, I learned a lot, and made some good friends. It was an up hill battle all the way, but I fought tooth and nail to get it done. I thought about quiting more then once, but I fought with myself to keep going. It helped to have encouragement by those new friends of mine.

I've got a couple of months before the season starts again, which means I have a lot of time to sort my shooting technique out. C taught me to do what's right by me. So I intend to shoot and shoot and shoot some more until I get consistent. If that means 40 arrows every single day, then that is what it means.

There are several hunting trips planned for me this year. I'm pumped about all of them, but I do need to build confidence in myself. I feel like if I walk into the hunting trips without being prepared and being the best shooter I can possible be by then, well then I've not only let myself down but I've let everyone pulling for me down too.

So I've set some goals for myself to accomplish by the end of summer.
I want to have a consistent draw and anchor. No more changing anchor points every shot.
I want to be able to have a grip on the bow that doesn't inhibit it from shooting the best it possibly can.
I also want to be shooting paper at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards.

My goals for next season? Well I haven't set any yet. I'm just focusing on the next couple of months. But seriously I HAVE to get my act together...

What Shooting Taught Me About Myself

First off I wanted to share my tournament results. I didn't break my personal best, but I did break 200 both days, I'm extremely happy. Friday night I shot a 202 and on Saturday I shot a 222. I quickly learned what is making me jump my scores, it's the team I shoot with. When I shoot with the guys who help me with the yardage, watch my shoots, help me correct improper form, and tell me what a great shot I just made; when in fact I felt great about the shot. Then I jump my score. Positive thinking equals positive shooting.

I've decided on trying a back tension release. The shooter, C, whom I've been watching and shooting with the last couple of tournaments recommended one of them. I've watched C shoot for the last couple of shoots and today I finally asked for his help, and guess what he's set me straight. He taught me to do what is right for me and not worry about proper form. If I can hit paper at twenty yards with an open hand and back tension, then that's what I need to do. He's right of course, and I already knew it. But it took me so so long to recognize it.
I learned about myself in these last two shoots. I've learned that positive thinking really influence me. I've learned to listen to my gut. But most of all C taught me that I can stand up for myself and shoot however I damn well please!
So I guess I'm not going to let anyone, except myself, change who I am. I'm still going to take my pro lesson, just because I want to hear what he has to say. I mean I'm still open to suggestions and infact I LOVE advice but I'm not going to let anyone FORCE me to change how I shoot. I do believe Sonny told me that once, "Don't let anyone change the way you shoot. You are a world class shooter, don't lose confidence in yourself." I've spent to long letting others dictate to me how to shoot. I've spent to long letting others dictate how I live my life. But through shooting recently I've developed a spine and I intend to keep it.
My confidence is high, I don't intend to let it be broken again. The real me is back!!!
Becki

No Improvement

I'm still stuck in a rut. A deep deep rut. This weekend I spent six hours shooting. There was no improvement. Even after all the repairs to the bow. So I've bit the bullet, I made an appointment for a pro lesson up at Black Hills Archery in Rapid City South Dakota. Its a drive, that's for sure. But It HAS to be done, I have to figure out my problem.
I know one lesson isn't a guarantee that all my problems will be solved, but hopefully my instructor will be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong and tell me how to fix it. I've heard rave reviews about him, I hope he's as good as the say. This may be the make it or break it point. I'm tired of struggling, I just want mild improvement!

This weekend I'm shooting the season closer here at the range. I know I shouldn't be competing, but I have to, I can't help myself. Miss Abbie and Chief will be shooting with us. I'm really excited for her, she's a lot of fun. I've helped her get back into shooting and it makes me happy to see her hitting the bulls eye right off the bat, even though I have nothing to do with it. She's a natural and I am soooo happy she's gotten back into it!
There is talk about starting a women's league next year. I think it's a great idea and I hope we can recruit more women to shoot with us. Here I am talking about the future, I guess I'm not completely ready to give up, I'm just close...
Becks

That Explains A LOT!

When I went from shooting half an inch of the paper at sixty yards to shooting two inches off the paper I was very mad. I figured since the arrow was hitting low I was dropping my arm. When I went from shooting dead on to shooting left at thirty yards I was even more mad. I figured I was torquing the bow.
When I went from dropping and to the left back to wall shoots I was furious. And then the light at the end of the tunnel struck me like a train. MC was examining my bow, figuring something had gone wrong. Sure enough the cams were out of time. He went to reset the cams and realized that the cams weren't properly installed. So he fixed it.
I shot six arrows out of it after he repaired it. Paper all the way, dead center. The true test will be Thursday when I shoot foam once again. We shall see but so far I am relieved to find that it wasn't really me all along!!! Wish me luck I'm hoping to have solved my current laments!
I still intend to spend the summer on a blank bale, making my form top notch. I really want to shoot the Cheyenne triple crown, but I'm going to have to be a lot more consistent to do that. I have a new shooting buddy, Miss Abbie. She's picked up shooting once again, a lot like I did, after a long vacation. She is already shooting dead on at 20 and 30 yards. She'll be ready for the last shoot of the season, and I am I really looking forward to having her there with me, she's a blast!!!
As for lessons, the Big D assures me he'll teach me a thing or two when he gets here. I hope so, cause hes the best I know!
Becks

Love the Spring

Its been really nice weather for the last two weeks. Things have been moving forward at such a quick pace that I've hardly had time to breath. I've been shooting my bow a lot. I need to be practicing as much as I can, next week I'm going turkey hunting with the Big D in the Pine Ridge. I've also been shooting my handgun a lot, I have concealed handgun class coming up in May, I'm pretty excited for that. But most of all I've been riding a lot.
Today it was cold and windy with a little bit of snow but a close friend of mine came down to ride today so we rode. Boo boo is becoming buddy sour. It's going to take a lot of time and work to get him to settle back down. But right now I've got to many irons in the fire. So he may be going to a friend so he can work him for me. Ugh, I absolutely hate not being able to train my horses everyday. This summer I've lined up help to train all of the horses in the North pasture. That totals twelve. It's going to be a busy summer I can already tell.

I've been working with the archery club for a couple of months now. I've come up with some ideas I need to run past the president of the club but I'm really excited because I think he'll like the ideas too. One is to add a Ladies shoot to the season and possible add another shoot to the season. I also want to line up a end of season party for the club. My hopes are that it will attract some new members and keep the club growing and running.
In the mean time I've been shooting great. Paper all the way. We shot 3D this last week. I did pretty well. Only hitting the wall 4 times out of 20 was pretty exciting to me. They were mostly fives, but at least they were foam!!! I'm going to keep working hard. After the season ends I intend to go back to the blank bale and work all summer until deer season in September to get myself to setup the same way every time, and to make good shots right out of the box. Oh so much work. I really wish there was an archery coach close by. Maybe next time I'm in Omaha I'll have to line up a lesson. We'll see....
Becks

In Love

I told myself I wouldn't fall in love again, not for awhile at least. Love isn't for me right now, I'm not saying love isn't for me ever, but at this moment in time love just isn't right. But then again I've only shot the Pink Parker five times now and I'm in love. So maybe love is in the cards.

I've never shot such a nice handling bow. If I could get it together as a shooter the performance of my Parker would be outstanding. Don't get me wrong it performs exceptionally well, but if I was a better shooter it would be performing even better. I love to shoot. I love my bow and my custom arrows. I love how it makes me feel to have that Parker in my hand. I love the thrill of the shoot and the feeling of the bow rocking in my hand. I love it all.

After I broke myself down this past weekend I starred at my bow in it's case, the pink camo glowing in the florescent lights. I thought about what a shame it would be to never shoot that bow again. It actually made me cry. Struggling as a shooter is really bothering me, nothing has ever bothered me as much.It broke my heart to think about quiting. Much like my divorce broke my heart. But quitting archery would have been ten times more painful. Thinking about never uncasing that bow again made me cry. Thinking about all the people I'd be letting down made me cry even harder.

I called the Big D earlier today and confessed how I felt about it all. "Your in love." That's what he told me and "We've all thought about quitting. Don't I'll kick your butt if you do. We all struggle. In the end everything will work out." He's right. He always is. Besides I can hear Sonny up there yelling at me for even entertaining the idea of quiting.

So I'm not quitting. It's a silly idea. I've never quit anything when the going gets rough. I'm going to look into some lessons. There are a couple of pro shops only a few miles from here. I'm finding it hard to take MC seriously. I'm not sure why he's an excellent shooter and a really great guy, but for some reason his style of teaching isn't working for me.

But being in love feels amazing. The Parker has really made the wake of my divorce a lot easier. If I'm having a bad day I pick that Parker up and take it down to the range and shoot away all of my problems. I just have to get away from frustration and stop short changing myself. After all I've made strides of improvement from November, I can consistently hit paper now. I can draw a 55 pound bow. I can feel confident down at the range. My bow has brought me back to life. I'm beginning to remember the woman I wanted to be. My bow has given me the confidence to make moves toward the future.

I won't quit. I can't quit now. There is no going back, I'm in love. I admit it.
Becks

Breaking Myself Down

This weekend I broke myself down as a shooter. It took about 30 seconds. I rushed myself into the shoot this weekend. I've never broke myself down, I've never been so upset, I've never ever reacted the way I did. But once I broke myself down there was no recovering. But I couldn't quit, I knew if I walked away I'd never pick my bow up again, so I struggled through.

When I woke up this morning and got dressed for the shoot I was filled with dread. But I put it aside and stopped thinking about what went wrong yesterday. I adjusted my sights and warmed up for the shoot. The bow felt lighter, and my grip felt nicer. I let the bow rock in my hand after release, I didn't snatch.

My first two shots of the shoot were an 8 and 10. I held on strong with only 8 wall shots. I've figured out that if I'm relaxed and let go of the prior shot I shoot much better. I appreciated all of the support and help from my fellow archers. I've made some really great friends at the range. They know when I am upset and they know that I need support, so they give it to me.

My ending score was a 217, the first time I've broke 200 in a tournament. I'm happy, very happy. I never would have gotten there if it hadn't been for the help of my shooting buddies. You guys are excellent and I am glad to call you my friends.

When I watch the young archers on Tuesday nights I think about where they will be in 20 years. Will they be helpful to new archers. Will they understand the ethics of shooting. Will they continue on what we've taught them. Will they lead by example.

I will never break myself down like I did. It was horrible, I've never felt that way in my entire life and I never want to feel it again. I tell the girls I shoot with not to get frustrated, then I go and do what I did Friday night. I need to work on that leading by example.

Becks

Slings

In Idiot proof archery slings are a big deal. He touts on them constantly. When I shot recurve I used a finger sling, I never found it useful, it only made it a pain to get the bow outta my hand. The Parker comes with a wrist sling pre-installed. I've used it, but I didn't notice any difference, I'm still snatching.
I'm going to be in lots of different situations with the Parker. Practice at the range, target shoots, 3D shoots, and hunting situations, I just wondering if becoming dependant on a sling is a bad thing. I understand a sling is supposed to keep you from snatching the bow, so far it hasn't helped me. Maybe I'm not using it correctly.
So here is my question, do you find a sling useful?

Shot Sequence

Alright, it's going to bug me until I share this. I had MC take pictures of me in shot sequence. Lets pick them apart. Remember I'm not perfect.

Let's start right here. This is actually a different shot then the last two pictures, but here is what I think is wrong. See my grip on the bow, it's tight, and it stays that way. Can we say torque r us.

Full drawn my grip is still tight, I could choke a chicken! My arm isn't bent, My hip is forward, to bad MC cut my feet off but I bet they aren't set up right. Oh and I've really pulled that string into my face hard.



 And the conclusion, a flinch. Look my eyes are closed, I'm cringing, my arm is torqued, my hip is still in it, and I haven't followed through.

Looks like I've still got a lot of work to do. I guess I shouldn't be so tough on myself, it was the first time I shot this bow. Think I've got bad form?

Bowhunter Ed

Well I've completed bowhunter's Ed. I can offically hunt by myself! Yay for me!

Tuesday will mark the second week of my reinvention, hope it goes well!

Reinvention Part Two

My reinvention as a shooter is going remarkably well. I adjusted the poundage on the Golden Eagle up to 55 pounds. My shoulders are sore and weak but I need to crank up the poundage if I plan on taking down a moose! The Big D saw pictures of me shooting the Golden Eagle and decided it still doesn't fit me properly, so he's bought a Parker Sidekick Extreme for me. It should be here next week. I'm super excited.
My target panic has subsided. I've gotten a lot better about settling into the shot and shooting back tension. My back is still sore and now with the added poundage it's a screaming pain. A few more times and I won't have to worry because it won't be too painful. hopefully.
I'm shooting league tomorrow, five spot, here's to hoping it goes well! Wish me luck, I may need it!
Becks

Reinvention Part One

As I said before I'm reinventing myself as a shooter. It's a pretty drastic measure, but I feel it needs to be done. Week one went really well. I'm working on a blank boss setting myself up into my stance and getting comfortable with my anchors. I'm working on my release, making it back tension and consistent. I am also working on not torquing the bow, which means I have to hold it differently, I still find myself switching the hand hold and torquing the bow every few shots, but I'm catching myself. I want to be able to reach the point of no return and trust that my release and hand hold won't screw up the shot.
My back muscles are really sore. I was previously injured in a riding accident and since then my neck and shoulder muscles have never been the same. I'm not sure I'm properly shooting back tension, because it really hurts, but it could be my injury flaring up. I'm just not sure.
The main reason I want to reinvent myself is because of my target panic. Not only am I not confident in myself I am for sure panicked when it comes too shooting a target. In the 3D all of my shoots were to the right, because I'm torquing the bow at the last moment. So along with shooting a blank boss to work on my stance, hold, and release I am working on curing my target panic.
I'm happy with this weeks progress. I'm not frustrated anymore and I'm finally starting to enjoy shooting again. I've got a lot of work to do, but I've got all the time in the world to get it done. I definitely don't need to be rushing.
Next weekend is Bow hunter Ed Class. I'm super excited because afterwards I can finally start to take my hunting trips!! I get to go turkey hunting in the pine ridge in April, hog hunting in Texas sometime this summer, but what I am most excited about is my trip to moose hunt in Alaska this fall!
Sonny must be smiling down on me. I know she is because life is starting to improve, I'm starting to be happy again and become the confident young woman I once was. I just wish this stupid divorce would get a going. I really don't want to wait till June to get this over with, I'm ready now! HA!

Archery for Idiots

I'm throwing the barbie arows to the right on the boss. So tonight, after much reading and studing I've decided that I'm going to play by Bernie's rules. I've read Idiot Proof Archery from cover to cover and back again. I'm going to experiment and see how it goes. I sure wish Sonny was here, I wouldn't have developed this problem if she was.
But alas. So here goes nothing I'm going to re-invent myself as a shooter. Wish me luck!
Becks