Archery is more than a sport; it’s a precision-driven art that requires focus, technique, and practice. From smoothly drawing your bowstring to nailing the perfect follow-through, mastering how to shoot a bow and arrow involves understanding and refining every step. Whether aiming for the bullseye at the range or preparing for a hunting expedition, this guide breaks down the five essential elements of accurate shooting. Learn how to draw, anchor, aim, release, and follow through like a pro—making each shot count, even in the most challenging conditions. Bowhunting, on the other hand, often requires us to adapt. Only by practicing to make our shooting as perfect as possible can we increase our accuracy and success when we’re hunting. Straightforward it is, but subtle details in form can mess with your shot at the range, and especially when we are hunting. Screw up any of these five crucial steps, and shot opportunities can go south in a hurry. How to shoot a bow and arrow with accuracy requires technical expertise. Several muscle groups are engaged, demanding mental and physical commitment. Pulling the string, maintaining consistent and proper form, controlled breathing, concentration, and anchoring the same place, along with a fluid release and follow-through, all play a vital role in delivering an arrow with downrange accuracy. Shooting at a fixed range, or even at a dynamic 3D target, can be tough enough. Transfer this procedure to a hunting situation, and a multitude of variables bombard the senses, compounding the number of variables that could cause an errant projectile. For bow hunters, the goal is to make this five-step process of how to shoot a bow second nature.
I was reminded of this as I sat through a bitter-cold week in November. With temperatures hovering around -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius), the early mornings, and the daily grind of hauling gear in and out of my stand and sitting statuesque for hours on end, several realities set in. Even the easiest shots become more difficult under extreme conditions. Fail to draw at the right time, anchor correctly, aim precisely, and release fluidly, and I may as well kiss my hunt goodbye.
1) If and When to Draw
At the range, we have the luxury of drawing at will. If we want to wait, we wait. If we want to draw, we draw. In a hunting situation game dictates if, and when, we get to pull back the string. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that many bow hunters draw too much weight. In other words, their poundage is set too high, and this causes additional problems. If you don’t believe me, visit any range, sit back and watch for a while. A good many archers struggle to get their bows drawn, even at the range. Imagine how they cope when the pressure is on in the heat of a hunt.
Now consider your own situation. Have you ever had difficulty drawing your bow? Remember, hunting puts us in unique circumstances. We often have to sit motionless for hours on end in cold conditions where our muscles get tense, and then mobilize on cue, often under less-than-ideal conditions, i.e., leaning forward, backward, crouching, twisting, and sometimes contorting in unnatural ways to pull off a shot. The solution? Turn down your poundage to a manageable draw weight. When I first began hunting, my bows were set at 72 pounds. Not long ago, they were set at 64 pounds. Most recently, with the high-speed compound technology, I have turned them down to 59 pounds, and my accuracy has improved dramatically. But enough about poundage, let’s talk more about when to pull.
We eventually decide to draw our bow when a shot opportunity appears imminent. For some, this is well before an animal is in range, but others choose to wait until the game is within range. Our decision about when to draw is a personal one dictated by two things. First, can you get to full draw undetected and second, how long do we think it will take for that game to present a viable shot opportunity? Draw too soon, and holding at full draw may become problematic. For most of us, fatigue sets in if we have to hold for over a minute. If you can hold for longer than this with any degree of comfort, you’re in the minority. Draw too late, and we risk spooking the game.
Even more important is the necessity to draw smoothly with minimal movement. Muscle tone and repetitive practice in the off-season help a lot. We’ve all seen archers raising their bows high above their heads and straining to pull back the string. This is usually a product of one of two things: either they are pulling too much weight, or they simply haven’t shot enough, and they’re out of shape. While it isn’t necessarily a sin, it certainly isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. In a hunting situation, this is a serious handicap. Before hunting, every archer should have the skill to draw quietly and smoothly in a way that minimizes the odds of being noticed by game. Basically, drawing your bow should involve a smooth push and pull motion, with as minimal up and down motion as possible.
2) How to Anchor Consistently
Whether you use a compound or a traditional bow, shooting accurately without a consistent anchor point is impossible. I’ve seen archers shoot well at the range where time and environmental conditions are on their side, but I’ve also seen those same individuals fall apart in a hunting situation when they have to make a shot quickly under compromising circumstances. If you use a kisser button or you’re a finger shooter, your anchor point might be the corner of your mouth. If you have an alternate anchor point that works for you, then stick with it. I’m a right-handed shooter, and I use a trigger release. Like most compound shooters, at full draw, my anchor point involves locking the knuckle of my right pointer finger under my ear and directly behind the back of my jawbone. It fits nicely and presents a convenient and consistent anchor point.
Bow hunting situations can present an almost infinite number of variables. Unless you actively concentrate on a consistent anchor point, those unique variables can cause arrows to go astray. For instance, in extreme cold, some bowhunters wear a full face covering like a balaclava. Know that this extra layer changes your anchor point. In turn, your arrow will hit several inches away from where you are sighted in, when you shoot without a face covering on.
3) How to Take Aim
The third step in the shooting process of learning how to shoot a bow and arrow is taking aim. Whether you use a sight pin or shoot instinctively, concentration is imperative. Anchoring consistently at full draw and then aiming at a very specific spot will take you that much closer to sending your arrow with pinpoint accuracy. It’s not enough to aim at a general area. Understanding anatomy and shot placement is particularly important. Concentrating on and aiming at a specific location on the lower one-third of the chest, just behind the shoulder, ensuring that the arrow penetrates and ideally passes through the heart and lungs is priority one. Regardless of whether you’re shooting from an elevated stand position or on a level plain, think exit. In other words, intentionally consider where the arrow will enter, what vital organs it will pass through, and where it could exit as it comes through the animal. Broadside and quartering-away shots present the highest odds for an efficient kill.
Only by repeatedly shooting, can we comfortably and consistently settle our sight pins on target. Without muscle memory, or if our muscles are unaccustomed to shooting, most of us have difficulty holding on target. Again, if we are pulling too much poundage, this too creates problems when taking aim.
4) When to Send the Arrow Downrange
In the end, the release … and then the follow-through, is what it’s all about. Mess this up, and all previous steps will become irrelevant. We’ve gone to full draw. We’ve anchored properly. We’ve taken aim. All that’s left is the release. Sounds simple, right? Indeed, it should be, but shooting a bow is a biomechanical exercise, and this is the point at which everything comes together. Our brain sends signals to our muscles in response to what we see and feel. If you fail to release properly, the arrow will be off the mark. Execute correctly, and it will fly true.
First and foremost, carefully choose the best time to release and send the arrow on its way. In most instances its best to ensure that game is standing still. Some archers have an extraordinary ability to shoot moving game, but most don’t.
Beyond timing, a fluid release is imperative. Regardless of the type of release aid we’re using, or even if we’re a finger shooter, it’s all about back tension and timing. With most archers using mechanical releases, the process is similar to squeezing a trigger on a firearm. As a rule – slow, consistent pressure prompted by back tension is required. If we’re doing it right, we shouldn’t really know the precise second that the trigger releases the string. In other words, don’t anticipate; just concentrate, tighten those back muscles, and squeeze. The principle is the same for finger shooters, but the physical action of timing the string release is intentional.
5) How to Follow Through
It’s natural to want to peak, to see where our arrow goes, but fight the urge. Properly following through with the shot involves holding on to the target until the arrow hits its mark. This critical step should be practiced in the off-season and maintained while we’re in the field hunting. Watch tournament shooters, and you’ll notice how they shoot a bow that their back tension pulls their release directly backward, their head remains stationary, and with a comfortable grip, their bow arm allows the bow to gently roll forward directly in line with the downrange target. The idea, in practice, is to make this near-perfect follow-through kinesthetic and repeatable with each and every shot so that it’s just second nature when you are in a hunting scenario.
Why It’s About Process
My hope in writing this article is that readers will contemplate these five simple but important steps and commit them to memory. Regardless of where or when we shoot, we should always draw smoothly, anchor consistently, aim carefully, release fluidly, and follow through with the shot until the arrow hits its mark. If we integrate these five things into our shooting procedure at the range and in the field, we’re sure to improve our scores and close more tags.
Read also: How to Overcome Target Panic
