Petersen’s Bowhunting – September 2019

http://www.bowhuntingmag.com PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 27

BY RANDY ULMER

were the rules, and we had to follow
them. Looking back, though, that lit-
tle cloud had a silver lining: Shoot-
ing without a level burned into my
brain just how important a level is
for maximum accuracy! Without this
device to help me keep the bow at
a consistent angle from shot to shot,
I could spend much of my practice
time chasing my groups from left to
right across the target.

Sidehill Solution
When we were shooting on a steep
sidehill, for example, nearly every-
one in the Bowhunter class shot to
the downhill side of the bull’s-eye.
Some unknown force seemed to pull
our top limbs (and arrows) that way.
I discovered one trick that seemed
to help a great deal: If I drew my bow
while canting the upper limb toward
the uphill side and then, relaxing,
allowed the bow to ease into a ver-
tical position, I would consistently
hit the middle of the target. Howev-
er, if I drew the bow while canting
away from the hill and then forced
the bow back into a vertical position,
I would shoot to the downhill side
nearly every time.
I still use this trick even when my
sight has a built-in level. I pull my
bow back with it leaning into the
hill and then relax until my bub-
ble is in the middle of the level. If
I do it the opposite way, pulling
my bow back with it canted toward

the downhill side and then mus-

cling it to center the bubble, I seem

to “spring load” my form. Once I

shoot and the entire system is “free

floating,” the bow begins moving

toward the downhill side, causing

me to miss in that direction.

The next time you’re shooting

with your buddies on a sidehill,

watch the bubbles in their levels as

they shoot. Many people will ignore

it completely. More often, though,

they’ll start out with the bubble

centered in the level and then, as

the shot progresses, eventually lose

focus on the bubble as the bow

begins to cant to the downhill side.

Don’t Forget

The biggest issue I run into is for-

getting to use the level at all in the

heat of the moment. That’s been

tough for me, so now when I’m on

a stalk in steep mountains, I desper-

ately try to remind myself before I

draw to check my level.

One last thought: Simply placing

a level on your sight and then using

it in practice will train you to keep

your bow in a consistent position.

You must practice using the level on

every training shot in order to make

it an integral part of your shooting

routine. Even if you forget to look at

your level when you’re shooting at

game, your training will most likely

take over and keep the bow in the

proper position.

In summary, learning to use your

bubble level in practice will help you

consistently shoot with the same

bow angle. Again, this training will

carry over into your hunting shots

even if you forget to check the level

during the moment of truth.

Incorporating a bubble level into your
sighting system will prevent you from
canting your bow; all that needs to be
vertical are your sight pins (or sight bar if
you’re using a slider).

Canting the bow isn’t a

problem as long as it’s

done in exactly the

same manner and

degree for every shot.