Using an Archery Shooting Stick
People of lesser strength, the disabled, and the elderly often have trouble holding a bow steady out at the end of their arm. This limits their accuracy. Those who use a draw lock because they cannot draw their bow in the traditional manner have the additional weight of the draw lock to contend with. (Some of the draw locks add as much as two pounds to the weight of the bow compared to the half pound weight of the Lock-a-Draw.) A shooting stick can help to steady the bow and support the weight of the bow and the arm while aiming and shooting. It doesn't have to be fancy, a plant support found in Wal-Mart's garden department, a 6' Sturdy Stake, work just fine. The pictures below illustrate shooting from a sitting and standing position using the Lock-a-Draw and a Sturdy Stake. One might think that because the shooting stick touches the limbs of the bow it
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would affect the trajectory of the arrow, but at least with my level of shooting accuracy it doesn't seem to. In using the shooting stick I bring the bow above the target, let the bow slide down the stick until the sight is on target. Body movement makes the fine sighting. The bow is more when stable shooting from the sitting position. Instead of a chair, the shooting could |
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One problem you need to avoid when using the shooting stick is twisting the bow handle as you grip the stick and handle together. Totally relax the wrist of the bow hand to avoid this problem. When using the Lock-a-Draw this is easily done because you are not holding the draw.
The shooting stick may also be useful for physically fit archers, particularly when setting their sights.
As useful as the shooting stick is for holding the bow stable, it is not adaptable to hunting from a tree stand. The next page, Disabled Bowhunting, introduces the Compound Bow Rest and Holder. It is the ideal companion for the draw lock when hunting from a tree stand.