Clicker - Joel Turner

[Mudd Foot]

After returning from Colorado to feast on tag soup, I decided to return to shooting my longbows. Am thinking I could have killed my 15 yard elk easier with the longbow than holding a compound for a minute thirty seconds only to be shaking so hard that I bounced the arrow off of a limb that I knew was there and trying to avoid. This led me to Shot IQ. Damn if I don’t have a classic case of Target panic albeit occasional not constant. By occasional I mean when my 320 class public land elk saunters in and has no idea I’m there.

Anyway, I listened to every video and podcast I can find from Joel Turner. Wow is all I can say. Can you say Pre-shot routine?! What did Yogi Berra say? “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” So Joel’s teaching hit me like a freight train and I have a mantra, a cadence (it’s a song right?!) and can occasionally back down. Mind you this is all since the middle of September.

Today the clicker arrived from 3 Rivers. All I can say is this little devise has done more to tighten my groups than anything previous. By anything I mean all of the form checking, recording in slow-Mo, and rereading form instruction from the lessons I took.

If you are having struggles, please save yourself some time and invest the $17 with 3 Rivers. Almost immediately my groups shrunk to the circle of your index finger and thumb. Repeatedly. One time the clicker didn’t go off. I let down (thank you Joel) only to see the clicker screw had come loose and the spring steel had slid to the side! Tightened her up and grouped my fourth arrow! Crazy how quick this brought everything together.

Joel, if you are listening, you are the man. Best instruction I can remember hearing.

Thank you,

Mudd foot


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[Gerard Marcaurele]

Agreed. I put a clicker on a couple weeks ago and it has really helped out. At first I was ripping through it and my arrow flight showed it. I told myself to use the clicker as a “start” to my release. That slowed me WAAAAAYYY down. After just a week with that, my expansion is better and my groups are tighter.

 

[sveltri]

Did you replace the chain with d-loop material? If not you’ll start to sing up your limb.

 

[Mudd Foot]

Did you replace the chain with d-loop material? If not you’ll start to sing up your limb.

Yep. Used 1.3 mm Dyneema cord.


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[Beendare]

Put me in the didn't like a clicker category. I have a pretty good consistent anchor so it was one more thing for me.

Re elk hunting with a stick bow, it was a big learning curve for me this year. Drawing was the main sticking point while calling and hunting solo. I muffed multiple opportunities with only one actual shot. I had a couple bulls I drew on before they moved into an opening....they hesitated, I had to let down and then they saw me drawing and blew out. I had one where I drew as he was coming into an opening...he caught the movement and stopped with only his head visible.

My one shot the bull saw me drawing....and he jumped the string on the shot catching the arrow in his back hip with no penetration....the arrow just fell out. [And it was a perfect shot until he moved]

IMO, having another guy calling for you....or setting up a decoy and having them focused on that is a good strategy if you are going to call elk with a stick bow.

I did have one other crazy screwup; I was in my tree saddle on a remote wallow and had a 6 point come in just before dark at 25 yds....only to be spooked by a bear that walked into the tiny meadow just after the bull....5 more seconds and I would have had him.

...

 

[Mudd Foot]

I thought I too had a consistent anchor, but the constant 1/4 inch expansion shrunk my grouping to where I’m disappointed if I’m not slapping at least a couple of arrows.

Am feeling your pain on the Elk hunting parts. What I learned this year was the need to create side angles as best as possible. They come straight into the calls. Had an elk attempt to circle to smell the cow that he couldn’t see. His circle was about 10 yards to the downwind side of his original starting line. Wish I would have gone 15 yards to get outside of his circle rather than be head on. He saw me and spooked.


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[Wilderlife]

A bloke sent me a home-made clicker recently. I haven't found anywhere in Australia that sells the two popular clickers that you blokes in the USA talk about, but this one looks like a perfect copy.

I've been reluctant to put it on, but after experimenting with my shot sequence a little last night at indoor archery, it's become obvious to me that while I feel I'm fairly consistent, I'm really not.

I'll put the clicker on and see what happens.

 

[sveltri]

I just took mine off this week so that I could shoot indoors, they're not allowed in the Trad Division. Its amazing how dependent I've become on that thing and how much it improves my accuracy. I feel pretty confident that my draw length is consistent, but dividing the aim and the release is overwhelmingly difficult. With extreme and intense focus I can do it, but the second I slip its right back.

 

[Mudd Foot]

This is a follow up to the clicker post. These were the first and only two arrows shot tonight. Have never had this type of “cold bow” accuracy prior to the clicker.

Am taking the evening off... cheers.


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