Monday, July 19, 2010

Diamonds are a girls best friend~

Diamonds are a girls best friend~


Isn’t that what the song says? Well a few weeks ago my wonderful hubby bought me a new diamond for our anniversary. Isn’t he sweet? It’s not the kind of diamond you wear though; it’s the kind that comes with carbon arrows. It’s a new Diamond Razor Edge by Bowtech and it’s my very first bow!

I come from a family of bow hunters; my dad, my brother, my hubby, heck even my mom has a bow, but for some reason I’ve never felt like I needed or wanted to own one. That is until the last 6 months or so. After the highs of last years hunting seasons you could say that I’m just ready to take on a new challenge. As you can imagine, growing up and living with bow hunters, I’m not totally naïve to the sport. I’ve shot my moms bow many times (not in the last decade though…) and because I’m a hunter and outdoor enthusiast I have absorbed through osmosis most of the basic information about bows. I can identify and name the major parts like the cams, limbs, strings, sights, rest, quiver – you get the idea, but beyond the basics, I’m a total newbie.

Because I’m a newbie, we didn’t want to go all out and buy the most expensive model on the market but we wanted one that would give us the most bang for our bucks and one that I would be able to grow with as my skill and my strength improves. After visiting some of our local bow shops and trying a few out, we determined that the Diamond Razor Edge would be the best fit for me and our budget.

Going into this I had no idea what to expect, and let me tell you, there is so much more to buying a bow than grabbing one off the rack and purchasing it. I was measured for my draw length, and then an acceptable draw weight. I started off light at 35 pounds just so that my arms and upper torso wouldn’t get fatigued while I was just starting off and practicing as often as possible. I’ve already increased to 50 pounds so that I’ll be legal come hunting season!

The next thing I discovered is that the slightest change in my anchor points and suddenly my arrows are all over the target! Trying to determine what my anchor points are going to be and then doing it the same way over and over has been a challenge.

I’d actually gotten some good patterns and started adjusting my 20 and 30 yard pins (baby steps!) bringing my patterns into the bull’s-eye, when I got the clever idea that a kisser button would help. Who knew that what seemed like a miniscule change would have such drastic results!

Since having the kisser button put on my string, I’m back to square one. And square one = 10 yards. I can get a group on the bullseye at 10 yards but any farther than that and I’m all over the board again. At this point I’m wondering if I should take it off and go back to my “old” anchor points. Not to mention the kisser button has been ripping at my bottom lip and now I have a lovely blood blister. Surely I’m doing something wrong!

Luckily I’m not planning on hunting until the late buck season which is in November, so I’ve got time to figure it out!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! I'm impressed that you are already at 50 lbs. :)

    I don't know what to recommend to you regarding the kisser button. I don't have one on my bow and do just fine without one. However, everyone is different. I can relate to the challenge of finding your anchor points. I struggled with this when I started shooting and still need to be reminded of it from time to time.

    Good luck this season!

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  2. I will second Emily's "Wow!" on your 50 lb draw weight! That's amazing that is what you have to be legal. In Wisconsin it's 30 lbs.

    Don't worry about finding your "grove" it will come. One day you and your bow will be one, and taking a shot will be second nature. My advice, just use what works best for you because, just like Emily said, we are all different. Take me for example. I use a kisser button but no peep site! ;-)

    Best of luck hunting to you and ENJOY your new addiction!

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  3. Thanks for both of your comments and advice. I'm quickly learning how different everyone is when it comes to shooting their bows! I'm confident it'll all come together, hopefully sooner rather than later!

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