Cold Bow Challenge 2020!

[jlaner0408]

Decided to shoot this with my backup bow since I got a new sight for the primary and haven’t had the chance to go shoot that one yet. This will be a very cold bow challenge considering it has been since the fall that I’ve shot. I usually practice out to 100 so my MER of 60 seems like a chip shot once the season rolls around

Xpedition Denali 65# at 30”
Gold Tip Kinetic 300
100 grain G5 Montec out front
450 grains of total weight
Spot Hogg Fast Eddie Double Pin
Vapor Trail Limbdriver Pro-V
Tight Spot 7 Arrow Quiver

Day#1
36 degrees and sunny, crosswind of 15mph- I’ll let you guess which direction it was going...

Day#2
35 degrees and cloudy, 9mph tailwind

Day#3
44 degrees and cloudy, 4mph headwind
Getting better!

Day#4
35 degrees at dusk, 14mph tailwind
Coming to the realization that I need to bump my sight a bit to the right to move my impact points over to the left a couple of inches.

Day#5
38 degrees at dusk, 7mph tailwind
Ended on a good note!

 

[Spence14]

Glad to be in again this year. I’ve used this quarantine time to get acquainted with my new recurve. Last year I used a compound for the challenge. I’d like to take the recurve on a few doe hunts this year. Here is my setup:

Bow: Greatree Regency 62” 35lb Recurve

Arrow: To start I used some old G-tip Black Label 340’s and attached 3” Feathers with right helical and offset. Arrow weight at about 425 gr.

Broadhead: 100 gr. Slicktrick Vipertrick

MER: Currently set at 15 yds on an 18-1



Day 1: About 4-5” High. I think I was a little excited. I still think I would have been in the kill zone though. Left and Right was just fine.

Day #2: I shot low right about 5” off center. I believe I didn’t pull through the shot with the right back tension. Need to invest in a clicker. Still not an absolute terrible shot. Questionable if it made it in the vitals though.

Day 3: I think the low shot from yesterday was heavy on my mind. Hit just above the 18-1. Still got some work to put in! Also, always frust

Day #4: Ahhh it feels good to put one back in the kill zone. I slowed things down a bit on this one and tried to fix my previous mistakes.

Day #5: 2” high and probably the best shot of the challenge. I’m pretty excited on how this turned out and I’m glad to get back to practicing every day. This challenge really shows how important the solid foundation is when you only have one shot to make it count. Thanks Rokslide!

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Gearhead Archery B20
65 lbs Draw Weight
27” DL

Copper John TST 6 Pin Sight
Schaffer XV Rest
Tru Ball Fang Release

Victory VAP TKO Expert 350
Grim Reaper Micro Hades 3 Blade 125 gr.
415 gr. Total arrow weight.
Shooting with a full quiver and will be leaving all 5 arrows in target.
Kill zone slightly smaller than the yellow circle of Rinehart 18-1.
Shooting a bow for 12 months. I have taken a Moose and a Sitka Blacktail with this setup, with hopes and dreams of a Sheep.


MER 60 yards
Conditions: Ice and snow on ground. No wind.

Day: 1

Day: 2

Rain covered ice, no wind.

Day: 3

Slush on the ground. No wind. Not feeling focused for this shot. High and left.

Day: 4

No wind. This shot came in pretty much right on top of yesterday’s arrow, slicing a vane off and glancing off the shaft. Still managed to stay within the kill zone though.

Day: 5

No wind. Still left of center, but within a 4” group. Think I need to adjust my sight left slightly. Overall I’m happy considering I havn't shot outside of my garage since hunting Kodiak in early November.

 

[Dharris7]

Cold bow challenge- first time doing something like this. I was surprised with the adrenaline and pressure when it wasn’t a true “hunting situation”

i got on some private ground and walked around ranging different spots trying to get a clear flight path.

stats are as follows

Equipment:
matthews halon 32- 70 lb draw
MER- 67.4 yards
Muzzy trocar fixed three blade 100 grain
Easton Carbon axis arrows 5mm

paper plate has always been my goal, (i drew a deer heart on it with a crayon i stole from my kids Easter haul)

Day 1:
conditions: noon, 70 degrees 5-7 mph cross wind (right to left)

i held on the target edge, expecting more play from the wind but struck just high and right of plate. Held a little too aggressive. Clean release, everything felt good.

day 1:

Day 2:
76 degrees at 7:20, but breezy! Almost too windy. 15 mph right to left again. I held too aggressive yesterday with less wind so i figured right edge of plate for a center punch or heart shot if it drifted further. A little high again and just left of plate.... in other news, Feild point target behind target is not going to fair well when this challenge is over .



My paper plate at 67 yards mocks me at the end of day 2....we can’t all be @Muleyslayer1

day 3:

80 degrees, close to 7pm. Gusting breezes, right to left this time, pretty nice conditions honestly. Clean release, smooth shot. Held on target and released between gusts.


day 4:

literally the perfect day. 76 degrees, no wind....perfect!!! So perfect! I was so stoked when i was putting on my release, full intention to center punch my blue heart, i was taking my time, controlling my breathing, settling on target and......released early! Nooooooooo! ‍

Day 5:

great weather, pretty windy but died down as i was getting set up. 80 degrees, 3 mph towards the target, i held center plate. Clean release, good follow through. Hit the plate, but very clear that i have missed the mark as a sportsman, and honestly hadn’t realized that until completing this challenge.

I spent thousand of hours, as a kid, flinging arrows in most every weather condition year-round in southeast Idaho. I had the luxury of a 60 yard range in my back yard and neighbors that didn’t mind a stick of aluminum going 250 fps, dressed with a field point, zipping hour after hour through the air on the other side of their bushes. The time i spent behind terrible risers, pawn shop equipment and Walmart clearance arrows growing up, made me work twice as hard for every animal i was blessed to harvest.

My abundance of practice and training in my adolescence, with inferior equipment gave me a false sense of confidence. After being able to finally afford what i always dreamt of as a child, i have leaned more on my equipment and less on my craft as the weilder of the weapon. I have only spent 20-25 hours shooting my current set up and have had success in the field and at home, but this challenge severely humbled me. The name on arrow rest, machined aluminum riser, and split limbs can not compensate for the lack of shooter discipline and consistency.

To compete this challenge, i had to drive to some private ground 20 miles from my home in California, set up, shoot one arrow out of a “cold bow,” and pack everything up and go home. This was very hard, but mostly humbling. I had lots of drive time to think about my shot and the shortcomings i have allowed my self to slip into over the years as an archer.


My five shot group for the challenge at a 8.5” plate at 67.4 yards yielded a 13 inch group, I am ashamed, honestly, of the risks i was willing and confident to take in a hunting situation. Previously feeling like a 70 yard shot was a stretch but very doable and 80-85 under perfect conditions, with the right animal, would be worth trying. This challenge has recalibrated me and severely shifted my paradigm.

I will be doing a few things to prepare to better honor my animals, my sport and myself as an archery hunter

1. shooting Broadheads way more often than the night before a hunt
2. Closing distance and becoming more disciplined on what ranges i am comfortable (emphasis on “able”) to shoot at game animals.
3. Reverting to my habits in my earlier years, and shooting often and with much greater intention, rather than just grouping a nice set and putting the bow away for weeks/months in the offseason.

thanks @robby denning and all the other Rokslide staff for putting this together. I’m humbled by this experience and acutely aware of the gaps in skill and mental preparation i need to close, to become a better hunter and archer.

 

[StopMakingSense]

Compound Bow
Mathews VXR 31.5 @ 73.8lbs (28" DL G Mod 85% 75lbs)
Carter Like Mike Index Release
Gas Strings
Hamskea Raptor Peep
Hamskea Trinitity Hunter Pro
Fast Eddie XL 5 Pin
Mathews Flatline 10" Front Bar 2oz w/ Shrewd 10deg disconnect
Mathews Flatline 8" Back Bar 5oz w/ Shrewd Atlas Single V-Bar
Mathews Q-Lite Quiver

Arrows
Black Eagle Spartan 300
28" Carbon to Carbon
30gr brass insert
4 Fletch Left Helical Q2i Fusion X-II 3"
Nockturnal X-Nock
Ironwill 125s Broadhead
Total = 513.9gr

Trad Bow
Samick Sage 40lbs 28"
3 Under Tab
Bear Weather Rest
Clicker
Fur String Silencers

Arrows
Black Eagle Vintage 400 (All standard components)
32.5" Carbon to Carbon
4" Trad Vanes 4 Fletch 75/105deg X-Wing Left Helical
Ironwill 200s Broadhead
Total = 565.6gr

Compound Broadhead - Cold Bow - MER 90 yards

Day 1 - Overcast conditions, unsettled weather, low 40's in the mountains. Consistent 10mph winds, 20mph gusts. Held until the wind presented itself with an opportunity. The shot was clean and felt great but ended up low.



Day 2 - Partly sunny, high 50's, crosswind 5mph, shot broke clean



Day 3 - Woah, a storm came in as I was about to shoot. Target was out in the flats but I was behind a building. Shot, super high I was pretty dumbfounded. Second I came out from behind the building the wind was GUSTING. Anywho, this is why I love this challenge.



Day 4 - Sunny, calm, just a beautiful day, the pressure was on me to make a good shot in my head. It wasn't the release I wanted.



Day 5 - Partly cloudy, sun in and out, some winds but hit the same spot I did yesterday... hmm... all felt good but I did rush the shot. Overall pretty happy with it as I'm aiming for the size of a lung on an elk. Making me rethink my mule deer yardage though. Definitely looking forward to getting back to bare shaft tuning the bow.



Trad Broadhead - Cold Bow - MER 20 yards

Day 1 - Conditions Above, still getting used to gap shooting, I've been shooting it since November of last year. The release did not feel clean, slapped my face



Day 2 - Conditions Above



Day 3 - Conditions Above



Day 4 - Conditions Above



Day 5 - Conditions Above

 

[GFFRLEO128]

Cold bow challenge 2020 out of central MT! Newb here. Shot my Hoyt red worx today at 63 yards.flinging Hunter 340 GT XTs with the slick trick four blade on her. This distance is what I missed a trophy bull at last year. Cold 14 degree day here with no wind! Thanks for the opportunity

 

[wadestew]

This is my first year, Stoked! So...

Bow Setup:
Prime Black 5 (66 lbs, 30.5” draw)
Black Gold Pro 3 Pin adjustable sight
Crossover 12x33 stabilizer
Black Eagle Spartan 300 spine arrows with 50 gn brass insert
G5 Striker V2 Broadheads
Tight Spot 5 arrow quiver
Spot Hogg Whipper Snapper release (just went to a thumb release 4 days ago, always shot a wrist release, loving the change so far.)



MER is 40 yds. 27 degree slope:


Day 1: (4/12/2020)
66 degrees, Sunny, 5 mph NW wind. Shot high, but good windage. Was playing it safe for first shot.


Day 2 (4/13/2020)
62 degrees. Sunny, 6 mph NW wind. Shot a bit high from where I wanted. Better than day 1, getting closer!




Day 3:
70 degrees, sunny, 5 mph WNW wind. Pulled it a bit left. Still getting used to the accuracy of a thumb release. I think I’m trying to force the shot into an area like I used to with a trigger. Getting better though.

Day 4:
Sunny, 62 degrees, 3 mph SW wind. Yikes!! Torqued that one hard with my grip hand. Sight was dancing quite a bit today, too much coffee! Lol

Day 5:
Sunny, 70 degrees, 4 mph WNW wind. Was able to get my shot back toward center from yesterday but still getting the hang of shooting this release and shooting over the crest of the hill is little tough. Not much room for error, makes me shoot high.

Day 6:
Overcast, 61 degrees, 7mph S wind. Really tried to relax today, take my time, go through my anchor, level, grip and then pull through the release. Much batter outcome than the last couple days.

Day 7:
Sunny, 50 degrees, wind SSW 4mph. Most likely a dead animal, but not happy with that shot this morning. Same exact spot as day 5.

Day 8:
Sunny, 59 degrees, 7mph SSW wind. I made an adjustment and redid my 1st, 2nd and 3rd axis yesterday. They were off. Seemed to help a lot.

Day 9:
Well that’s embarrassing. Real life, just wasn’t as focused as I should’ve been.

Day 10:

 

[Beendare]

Ok I will play..... but warning i know my first cold arrow is not my best.
Thus i always shoot an arrow or two every morning On a hunt.
It will be interesting for my own knowledge to see how I do on this.

Bow: LH 64”ILF recurve: Dryad 19” riser and long Uukha limbs, right at 50# 30” DL, Arrow: Axis trad, 31 1/4”, 3-4” feathers, 75 gr insert and 15gr VPA 3 blade ( slightly modified) that has 3 kills already. Total arrow weight is 585gr. I haven’t Chrono that but it’s probably in the high 170s low 180s.

My first shot Easter sunday 12th, 23 yards, and sure enough i pulled it a little right.


Heres the arrow


Day2: this shot 30 yds, up to my old tricks shooting right. Time to work on a better stretching or warm up exercise for tomorrow because this first shot thing does not work I shoot a lot better than this after I’ve shot a half dozen arrows.

day 3: FWIW, this whole exercise is going to help my cold shot routine: today- still not quite feeling warmed up for my first shot but better. This is 28 yards standing- solid 8!

Day 4: 30 yds, this warm up with bands Is better
Day 5: 30 yds, LOVING my new cold shot warm up!
Glad its over- now i can go shoot!

 

[DKlaty]

Thanks for putting this on Rokslide, happy to be able to participate! This will help drive home the need to put in the work before season to be effective at the range I would like. Since I haven't shot my bow since November I decided to pick 55 yards as my MER. The kill zone I will be aiming to stay within is the center replaceable unit of my Rinehart target.

I am shooting my 2017 Elite Option 7 set at 29" draw length with two piece Elite quiver. I've got the Vapor Trail GEN7 dropaway rest with a single pin CBE adjustable sight and 7" stabilizer. I'm using the Spot Hogg Wiseguy release.

My arrows are Gold Tip Hunter XT 300 spine with 50 grain inserts up front and 125 grain 2.1" SEVR broadheads. Total arrow weight is 492 grains. The last time I had my bow chronographed it was shooting right around 270 FPS.

My first shot really reminded me how important it is to do the necessary pre-season work. The pin settled in nicely and shot felt clean and imagine my surprise when the arrow sailed wide right and missed the entire target by a good 12". I was so disappointed as the shot felt good that I pulled out a field tip and shot again and it ended up in the same place. Closer examination of my setup revealed that my sight must have been bumped really hard either on my last hunt or since the season ended as it was pushed hard to the left. I didn't have any allen wrenches with me so i went home and shot in my garage moving the sight back to the right till I was hitting center again.





Day 2 after adjusting the sight my arrow came back closer to center. Shot was high but fairly centered. Weather was low 60's with very little wind.


Day 3 Weather was 60 degrees with a gusting winds up to 15 MPH. There was a constant breeze from right to left so I held on the edge of the center replaceable unit. Shot drifted back left to center but was low.


Day 4 Weather was low 60's again with little wind. Arrow drifted left off center.


Day 5 weather 70 degrees and slight breeze 5MPH.


This practice helped highlight some changes I will need to make for this season to give me a better chance of being successful. Right now I only have a soft sided bow case that may have contributed to my sight being bumped by so much. I will also be adding marks to the adjustable portion of my sight that I can quickly verify that everything is lined up as it should be. Thanks again for putting this on, it was very helpful for me to get a quick gauge of where I'm at several months before season starts.!

 

[sneaky]

First day, first shot. 30yds MER with the ol trad bow. Temperature is a balmy 32 degrees with a 5-10mph wind. Setup is as follows:
Stalker Coyote 64" 53@30 for about 55# at my 31"draw.
Black Eagle Rampage 350 shaft w/75 gr HIT insert, 2114 footer with Easton BAR ring.
160gr Ace 2 blade head with aluminum adapter at 190gr total
4 fletch left helical Trueflight 4" feathers
7in wrap
Easton X nocks
Thunderhorn quiver
Total arrow weight is 578gr
I made the string on the bow out of 8190, 16 strands
Scott Teaschner 3 under tab and a hand tooled arm guard from his as well.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Day 2 even the blind hog gets lucky occasionally. 32 degrees, winds swirling and gusting to 15-20.

Day 3 4/14/20 winds are all over the place, kinda glad to get today over with. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and snowing so I'll probably pass on shooting tomorrow.

Day 4 weather man was spot on as usual... not. Temp in mid 30s, lightest wind so far. Knew the shot was a little off at the release but don't feel too bad about it. The deer body I'm shooting at is 6" from belly to back, the shot is 1.25" high off that. Still in that 8" magical circle range. I'll take it!

Day 5 4/16/20 light swirling winds, sunny, mid 40s. Inline just a tad low. This finishes up my 5 arrows. Now I can get ready to run one through a turkey or bear.

 

[Stephmae]

First post! My boyfriend @Ucsdryder put me up to this. He said based on my performance last elk season (my first ever), I needed to do this for practice. (I accidentally shot a tree, the ground, and a bush...oops!)

bowtech carbon rose
Gold tip kinetic 500s
Magnus stinger 125gr
75 grain brass inserts
Whisker biscuit
Spot Hogg wise guy
My pins go from 20/25/30/35 with my MER at 30 yards (more like 20)

shot 1...cold, snowing, and windy, and almost dark!

Day 2...I had a cheering squad!



It’s hard to tell from the picture but it barely dented the target. I’m calling it a hit! I was sore from working out and holding steady was hard.

Day 3

Happy to hit the white on this one. The wind was blowing hard to the right.

day 4...

It was a really nice morning. No wind or anything. I just missed!

day 5...back in the white!


A few days between shots. Weather was great. I’m ready to go shoot a few arrows now!

 

[Tag_Soup]

Cold bow 2020

Setup:
Bow - Hoyt Vector 32, 29” @ 71 lbs
Sight - Axcel Armotech 5 pin fixed with extended rail - 2 x 0.019, 3 x 0.010
Quiver - Hoyt 6 arrow removable
Rest - Code Red cable driven drop away
Arrow - Easton Axis 340 w/50 grain brass HIT
Broadheads - shuttle T lock black ops 100g (using terminal T lock blades due to inability to get the right shuttle T blades)

Max Effective Range - 60 yards
Target - Reinhardt Rinoblock - 8” insert (kill zone)

Comment:
This year my first archery hunt will likely be antelope, so I’m pushing my max range a bit. I’ll be using the 8” Reinhardt insert as my kill zone. I have been shooting all winter with a hinge release, but hunt with a trigger so these are my first shots with it all year. I may be changing arrow setups and broadheads this summer, but haven’t decided. The main reason would be my broadheads are obsolete and I’m almost out of replacement blades. Shots are taken with my broadheads and current hunting setup.

Day 1: Sunday April 12 - 8:00 pm
Wind: Left to right 10-15 mph (not ideal but it’s what I had to work with)
Temp: 43F

Result: clean kill, 1.75” right. Shot felt great but didn’t hold any for wind.

Day 2: Monday April 13 - 8:48 pm (5 minutes visible light left)
Wind: 3-6 mph shooter left to right
Temp: 37F
Exercise: 1 mile light jog prior to shot

Result: Clean kill, 2.25” left. Pins were floating a bit more than I like and breathing was elevated from the exercise. Feel like this is a great representation of real world situation except I only have flat ground to shoot from. Happy with the results

Day 3: Tuesday April 14, 8:52 am
Wind: 5mph gusting to 15, directly at my back.
Temp: a beautiful sunny 36F
I couldn’t take it any longer and snuck away from my home office to make my shot. Not putting a couple quivers of arrows down range the past few days has me antsy.

Result: Looks like ill be tracking this one. 1” low and 4” left. I decided to take the shot from a kneeling position. Shot felt good but I felt my bow arm drift left as I watched the arrow. Slight pull left.

Day 4: Wednesday April 15, 7:40 pm
Wind: wind was ripping all day. Finally calmed down to about 15 mph gusting to 35, mostly back right to front left. Glad I could finally take the shot
Temp: 50F and cloudy, spitting rain

Result: clean kill by my defined “zone” but 3.5” low. Had to take the photo from an angle to see the impact spot. I held for at least 75 seconds waiting for a break in the wind. My mind was screaming at me to punch the trigger but I waited and executed my shot process. I noticed my bow arm drop after the shot which likely caused the low impact.

Day 5: Thursday April 16, 7:55 am
Wind: None
Temp: 34

Result: Killed it, but not thrilled. 3.5” left. I really really wanted that perfect shot this morning. Everything felt good and conditions were excellent. I may have peaked to see where my shot went

Broadhead proof photo

I send 6 arrows down range to once I was finished and all were better than my cold bow shots...amazing how only having one changes the mental game!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bsturner]

MER 60 yards
Equipment:
Bow- Hoyt Pro Defiant 34 - 70# with 31" draw.
Release - Nock2it
Sight - Spot Hogg Fast Eddie XL Double Pin .010" pins
Rest - QAD HDX
Stabilzer - 10" beestinger
Arrows - Easton Axis arrows 300 spine - 510 grains (150 up front), 4 fletch AAE Stealth 23's. Shooting this challenge with field point (I've never been able to have this bow tune to have same impact with broadheads and field points without major cam lean or moving rest so far I hit the riser. So I am not sighted in with broadheads right now)
Target Size - grey ring 9.5" - I'd say this is fair size for a whitetail.

Day 1:
Wind - 10mph blowing at a 45 across face toward target
Felt like I punched it a bit, I felt the pressure. Shot ended up looking good.

Day 2:
Wind - 5 to 10mph blowing perpendicular to the target (right to left). Bright sun rise directly into face made aim a bit difficult.
Felt like I punched it again.

Day 3:
Wind - 5 mph in the direction of the shot. 29 degrees out today.
Pin was floating everywhere, trusted it and executed a good shot. I was pretty stoked to see where the arrow ended up based off of the pin float I was seeing.

Day 4:
Wind - 10 mph in the direction of the shot. 27 degrees out.
Caught my front shoulder collapsing before the shot broke. I was able to pull it together and shot broke great. I would have thought I was in the bottom of the target but the placement looked great.
Day 5:
Wind - 0 mph, 33 degrees. Couldn't have asked for better conditions.
Shot execution felt great on the back end felt great. I heard my string hit my jacket which usually means I collapsed my bow arm. Impact WAY high and left, this shot was embarrassing. What a way to finish the cold bow challenge.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Yay made it.
Haven't shot the bow since Nov
Grabbed a still bloody arrow that went frontal on a black tail and came out behind rib cage.

Hoyt Rx1 Ultra 70lbs 29.5
Titespot 7, ss1,qad, hogg it 5, bowman stops.

Easton axis pro 300 spine, 50 brass, 100 grn Grim reaper mini mag 4 blade. I think 504 total sounds familiar.
Wrist rocket.

Mer 60 yrs. Orange is 6".
Day 1 clear, sunrise, 25
And I whiffed it pretty bad.

Day 2, Clear, no wind, daylight but before the sun was over the hill. Got lucky.
Day 3, was hold good so held on, back to where it was day one, definitely have some tuning after the challenge.
Day4 Evening held 4" high and left.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Well, looks like I made it...Robby was right after all I was clearly overthinking things with the compound, a bear in thick coastal reprod is not a moose in the Chilcotin hills, my MER would definitely change in that situation so I'll have to sit out the compound game due to municipal bylaws...I commend everyone making a daily drive to shoot their one arrow but I'm 90 minutes each way from a legal place with more than 36 yards to shoot my bow now that the range is closed and I'm "essential" so unfortunately don't have that kind of time on my hands at the moment...very happy to still have a job though.

I literally just picked up a stickbow for the first time about 6 weeks ago so still real wet behind the ears, first day of the CBC went well though I think. Setting my MER at 15 yards, bow is a 43# 68" custom longbow made by a friend of mine, target is a small 3D bear with 8x9" vitals. Arrows are 400 spine carbons with a 100gr insert and 100gr head, shooting field tips as I haven't done any tuning with this thing yet. Gonna suck only being able to shoot one arrow a day with the stick now but the concept of this challenge is well worth it!

Day 1:


Day 2: 42° with clear skies. Slammed a large black coffee before the shot, might make it two tomorrow, trying to simulate a bit of adrenaline. So far so good, I had fully planned on bringing out my compound for spring bear in a few weeks but if all 5 arrows are in the vitals at the end of the challenge and I'm getting the same POI with broadheads I just might bring the strugglestick...15 yards is close but I was within 15 of an absolute beauty last spring, would have been a frontal shot and he caught my movement drawing back though. Less movement with a stick though right?

Day 3: 1.5 large black coffees within 10 minutes and a slow "stalk" before the shot, crouched down like a Cossack dancer, freezing with my weight awkwardly on one leg every 5-10 yards until I was in range felt like I collapsed a bit on the shot but still caught low lungs.

Day 4: No bueno. 2 cups of coffee, a quick "crouch jog" to get the heart rate up and another mock stalk. Think I let the coffee get to me, made a sloppy release and shot way left but that's exactly why I added that to my routine, a bit of caffeination has nothing on a good squirt of adrenaline. Back to plan A for spring bear but at least my vertical was on point I guess

Day 5: Another no bueno, at least after my last arrow I was able to do a bunch more shooting and try to diagnose where I went wrong. Still inconsistent with my anchor point I think, have been shooting 3 under, middle finger to the corner of my mouth and had just recently started using the corner of a fletching on the tip of my nose as another anchor point before this challenge started...the last shot I definitely didn't touch my nose with the fletching, definitely need a lot more practice with this thing before I shoot at any healthy animals with it but I already knew that. Loved this challenge and will most definitely be doing it with my compound for my own personal benefit after this virus business is all said and done.


Thanks again for putting this together Robby!

 

[bow_dozer]

Bow
Carbon Defiant Turbo 29"
QAD Ultrarest
Tightspot 5 arrow
Blackgold 5 pin ascent
Arrows
Easton Axis 260
75 grain brass inserts up front
AAE 3 fletch
550 grain finished weight

In honor of the MAN himself, i am digging out the ULMER Edge's for this. 50 MER. Shooting for size of elk vitals, inside the perimeter of the 4 smaller/outside tagert outline.


Day 1.
15 Degrees, no wind.


Day 2:
Definitely more of a "realistic" scenario this morning. Went up and ran/hiked 5 miles on the mountain this morning. Was between 15-20 degrees + 5ish mph wind. Very close to how the elements are any September or October morning. Hands were cold as crap and had the pain as blood was thawing them out. One of the reasons I shoot a carbon riser, anything helps with poor circulation hands! Shot felt pure, little close for comfort depending on how animal would have been standing/direction facing.


Day 3:
Cold bow challenge is turning out to be very literal this year lol. Snow and cold keep comin! Ulmers are flying right, will compensate tomorrow and hope to get her back to centermass. Again shooting for elk vitals so have some room, but in "real life" that is too close to shoulder depending on the way animal is facing.
Good snowfall, 20 degrees not much for wind.


Day 4:
Again, we are in the arctic apparently this spring. Got up early and put 6 miles on the mountain. Conditions were calm and 20 degree. Drawing my bow back felt terrible, I was cold and stiff from being on the mountain all morning (again, pretty realistic for conditions come fall). Settled in the anchor and went thru the mental list, this time remembering to hold shade left. Break didn't feel the best, but it hit home.

Day 5: Glad to get this over so i can now shoot gophers again. Beauty of a morning, no 12x but considering not sighted in for the ulmers ill take it. Thanks for the fun and the humbling reminder of my abilites. There are some strait KILLERS on this CBC this year.

 

[lak2004]

Bow: 2012 Mission Venture 27.5" 70lbs. Ripcord Code Red rest; Trophy Ridge React 5 pin sight; Beetstinger stabilizer; Scott Little Goose Release.

Arrow: Easton Axis with Realtree wrap and 100 gr field point. Weigh about 420 grains.

I'm shooting my current max effective range of 40 yards at a deer target. Trying to stay within the 8" ring.

Day 1: Windy (around 10-15 mph) and about 45 degrees at 11am. Shooting 40 yards from my deck on a slight downhill angle to my deer target. Hit at top of leg, out of vital zone. First shot I have taken with my bow since October. I noticed my arrow did some crazy things in flight, so I am guessing my rest got moved or something. Ill compensate next day by aiming at top of back (aimed center mass, straight up from front leg).

Day 2:
9am about 40 degrees, slight breeze. I felt really good on this shot, spent more time going through my mental checklist and pulled off a better shot. I think on day 1 I let off a slight amount and didn't hold back pressure and that may have been why my arrow flew erratic.

Day 3
Boy, what a terrible shot! The crosswind of about 10-15 mph did not help. But I felt myself drop before the shot.

Day 4
Shot around 12pm after a busted turkey hunt this morning for my bosses young daughter, she had fun though. Temp was around 50, light breeze. Made sure to stay in the back wall and not let off early. Good shot finally!

Day 5
No wind finally and a half way decent release and shot. Excited to shoot more now and get this bow tuned back up. Got a new set of arrows to try.

What did I learn and gain from this challenge?

Well, I am still mostly confident in my setup, though I think it can use some additional fine tuning. I also got a new set of arrows a few months ago and have yet to shoot them, basically the same arrow but with 4 helical fletchings. It will be interesting to see how this changes my POI and what further tuning I need to do. I am likely going to put a new set of strings on this bow ASAP, and have my shop help me get back to shooting better. I appreciate this challenge because it incentivizes me to shoot and set some goals for the coming months.

Goal 1: shoot at least 1 arrow a day.
Goal 2: spend some time getting my rest and sight more dialed.
Goal 3: setup my targets at different ranges to shoot from multiple angles and pitches.

Thanks everyone for a great 2020 challenge!

 

[sandhillhunter]

Mathews Heli-M (aka Old Faithful)
67 pounds
Easton Hexx Arrows w/ 50 gr inserts
125 QAD Exodus Broadhead
Carter Wise Choice Release

50 yard MER
Goal is inside the center insert (8.5 inch muley vitals).

Day 1:
Swirling wind


6 inches right. Missed the vitals by just over an inch.

Day 2
Slight right to left breeze. In the vital circle so I’ll take it.

Day 3 Compound
Calm
Got the windage figured out for today at least.

Day 4 Compound.
Right to left wind got me.

Day 5 Compound
As my Grandad would say, “That’s good enough for the girls we go with!”

Broke out the old longbow. I have no business shooting this at any living creature but oh well...

Hornes 66” Longbow 44 lb draw
Carbon Express Heritage 90 arrows
175 grain Woodsman 3 blade broadhead.

20 yards MER

Would like to hit somewhere in the brown deer-looking target.

[IMG ]//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200416/79eb661569b21d57cd0eef44ce240e06.jpg[/IMG]

Hard miss Day 1.

Day 2 longbow 20 yards
Minute of pig.

Day 3 Longbow
Getting closer...

Day 4 longbow.
Need to bring it down (or back up about 10 yards).

Day 5 trad. Missed the target and shattered my arrow. Not a good day for the longbow.

Thank you Robbie, Rokslide, and all the sponsors for putting this challenge together!

Here’s to a great 2020 season if I can just draw a decent tag!

 

[19hunt92]

Bow: Bowtech Assassin maxed out at 70 lbs
Rest: QAD Hdx
Sight: Spott Hogg Hogg-it
Arrows: Goldtip kinetic 300 spine
Broadhead: Slick Trick Mag 125s

MER: 60 yds

Day 1: 41* F, right to left wind at ~10 mph
Aimed to the right side to compensate


Day 2: 48*F wind straight from behind, very little though. Aimed dead on


Day 3: 57*F swirling wind with gusts up to 20, shot in lull. Aimed dead on


Day 4: 54*F no wind. Aimed dead on. looks like i have a slight left side adjustment in the future


Day 5: 58*F slight wind from the back and swirling. Aimed dead on. confirmed the sight shift i can now make the move. More practice for this fall (assuming we can travel out west for some elk this year)

 

[canyonhunter47]

Setup:
Hoyt PowerMax, 70#
Gold Tip Hunter XT
Quik Fletch
Trophy Ridge 5 pin sight
"Block" target

Target MER: 50 yards (probably would do better, but haven't been shooting lately)

Day 1 (4/13): Haven't shot in months. Tried to start yesterday (4/12) but clean miss of my paper plate on first shot so I spent a little time tuning up and started for real today. Light breeze at archery range, 50 yards. Hit the edge of my plate but I guess lungs are a pretty big target.



Day 2 (4/14): Pulled left. Wind was negligible so no excuses there unfortunately. Not real crazy about my shooting, proves I need to practice more. (Once this is over of course. )


Day 3 (4/15): Doing an experiment to simulate a hunt. I went on a long bike ride last night and ran a mile this morning, right before going to range. Not sure if I’ll be less steady or less fidgety. About to see:

Somewhat improved


Day 4 (4/16): Quick shot right before sunset



Day 5 (4/17): Slight breeze, improved shot