Hunting Stabilizer Setup: The Necessity of a Rear Stabilizer?

[Oseary]

Trouble holding steady is a function of 2 components; Bow arm and mentally learning pin float ( for lack of a better description)

There are ways to improve your steadiness than just buying something.

You can help your bow arm with light dumbbell exercises. A rock solid strong bow arm helps a lot. There are more qualified guys here than myself to explain the fine points of aiming- heck I’m primarily a recurve guy these days.

Personally, I think a full blown stabilizer setup is overkill for hunting…but my bet is that the guys using them would disagree- grin

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What bow arm exercises would you recommend aside from lateral dumbbell raises? Thanks in advance!

 

[Billy Goat]

I'm far from any kind of strength training coach, nothing about me echos any kind of strength. But I use elastic bands. I can sit on the couch and hold my arms out, do little circles, stuff like that. Just sitting on the bands and holding my arms out with the resistance while watching TV wears me out.


But I ain't a gym rat.

I'm sure Dudley or someone has videos on the perfect archery exercises.

 

[Beendare]

del

 

[nphunter]

I agree with Bruce that if you're looking for something to help hold steady then there is possibly another issue. Super high let-off bows can cause this, too much weight in your bow shoulder. My son just switched bows this weekend and could not hold steady at all at 80% let-off with the now bow, switched his bow over to 70% and it was night and day, he's shooting better than he ever has.

I wouldn't shoot with a back bar, to me that's a good way to get something wedge in between the bar and the bow when busting brush. I already have to dig branches out of my sight and cams and leaves between the little V's at the ends of my strings. I do sometimes have an extendable front bar on, for me it helps at long ranges by reducing form errors/torque on the bow vs not having one. If I'm in the timber 90% of the time the front bar which is on a quick disconnect stays in the bow case, if I'm hunting open country it's always on. My POI changes by about 4" at 80 yards when shooting with the stab and then removing it. It isn't enough for me to worry about in the field but it does change.

I use a 12" stabilizer on my recurve and it makes a night and day difference on my tune and ability to shoot consistently on the recurve, I think that is because it hides small form errors and those are much more critical on a recurve.

 

[wind gypsy]

I'm a shitty archer but have had a 10/8 setup for a few years now. Being as I always have a quiver on my bow, I feel like I have to actively hold it from the top tipping right without the side bar. That's enough for me. That and it serves like a kick stand when I want to put my bow down.

 

[nannychaser]

I have been using a double stab setup for approx 8 years, it would be hard for me to only shoot one stab on the front, it has never hindered me while hunting, I like to shoot a lot and I do understand target shooting is not hunting but when that moment of truth comes, all the reps u put in and the holding on target with a bow that actually holds well always help and never hurt u in a hunting situation, my bow is very balanced and I don’t have to worry about being level it is just there!

 

[Wrench]

What bow arm exercises would you recommend aside from lateral dumbbell raises? Thanks in advance!

Bodyblade.

Bodyblade: Rapid Contraction Technology through Vibration and Inertia

Bodyblade® was created in 1991 by physical therapist Bruce Hymanson with the goal of providing his patients a functional method of training the body that could adjust to the level of any user.

bodyblade.com

 

[4g0t3n1]

Def go with the bee stinger micro hex w/ dovetail in 15in, it’s really the best of both worlds.

 

[Trial153]

I am questioning needing any stabilizer let alone a back bar at this point.

 

[KineKilla]

I use no stabilizer for hunting at reasonable ranges. If your bow is well made, balanced and you have decent form one is not necessary.

I do like one when shooting 3d or at TAC shoots when shooting at extended ranges and extreme angles.

Sent from my SM-N976U using Tapatalk

 

[bojangles808]

i shoot better with one so i use a 10/8 b stinger setup. feels more stable a lessens the pin float for me esp if there's a breeze

 

[Caleb777]

no doubt nearly everyone’s bow could benefit from a couple ounces here or there and in one more locations. But weight adds up fast and so does the bulk of an additional stabilizer. I like a good front stabilizer and will play with weights until I get the desired effect. And while a side bar does help me too…I just don’t like to carry it around. So long as my accuracy is more than adequate for hunting, I don’t fret too much about 100% perfect stabilization. I’m willing to sacrifice that a bit for the convenience of a lighter package to carry around.

 

[Powerman]

For hunting it is not needed. I do use a front and rear bar but this was a carryover from my indoor target setup. Same bars on all 3 bows with quick disconnects. Found out last year shooting indoor paper that an ounce or so on either bar could change the pin float and hold while executing a shot. Gonna have to dive into the target archers head in order to really fine tune a setup. It will take a bit of time to fine tune it and may require multiple bars and weights. Good luck

 

[mayberryrick]

Very good thread on this topic!

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Zero advantage to 99% of your average shooters toting a bow through the woods, swamps, and mountains.

 

[LONE HUNTER]

My experience was I put a front/back bar combo think it was 12/10 or maybe 12/8 on my RX4 ultra. I did hold steadier, but not enough for me to really see a huge difference in groups. I run a 10" microhex and while it vibes quite a bit on my carbon bow I do feel it helps hold better. Maybe its the placebo effect.

 

[Powerman]

Here is an article from a shooting coach that might be worth a read.

Stabilizers Balance and Bows Oh My! — Archery Learning Center and Proshop

Stabilizers, balance, and bows - oh my! By George Ryals IV © 2010 Stabilizers, over the last decade or so, have become all about vibration damping. Sales of stabilizers and the perceived quality of a stabilizer are measured by how dead it makes the bow feel. Vibration da

www.archerylearningcenter.com

 

[Samdemarais]

I’m not sure what kind of bows everyone posting here shoots but if I don’t have some sort of counter balance weight to the side my bow doesn’t balance naturally very well. Once you throw a quiver, sight, rest on the bow will lean to that side and you will have to influence it to come back to level. Sure short range hunting it probably doesn’t matter much but if you are shooting out west and different angles I think the extra weight is worth a bow that balances naturally when you draw.

 

[Marble]

I’m not sure what kind of bows everyone posting here shoots but if I don’t have some sort of counter balance weight to the side my bow doesn’t balance naturally very well. Once you throw a quiver, sight, rest on the bow will lean to that side and you will have to influence it to come back to level. Sure short range hunting it probably doesn’t matter much but if you are shooting out west and different angles I think the extra weight is worth a bow that balances naturally when you draw.

The natural way a bow wants to lean in the hand for a right handed shooter is to the right. So it makes sense for those that are shooting for the best accuracy at any distance to have that counter balance.

When I say "best accuracy", I'm not talking about hunting. I'm talking about competitive shooting. Shooting little dots at 20 yards for indoors or 3D courses for score.

I can shoot nearly as well without my back bar, but I hold steadier and my bow levels out faster with the side/back bar on.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[RandyMac]

I don't think that they are absolutely necessary but I do enjoy having one. I have a 10" up front and 8" back bar. Definitely helps me hold steadier. I think its worth having and testing out, you can always take it off.