Shooting in the wind

[Northpark]

So I live in the only part of Colorado that is as windy as Wyoming. I end up shooting my bow in the wind a lot. Today was an exception and it was dead calm. I took my bow out to 80 yards and was looking pretty good I mean I just got this bow a week ago (new prime) so I’m not super comfortable with it yet. I was able to keep three arrows inside a paper plate no problem.

But I digress. What I got to thinking about was that i don’t shoot long range often enough due to the wind. What do you all do about shooting in the wind?

 

[nphunter]

I just shoot in it. I actually changed to more smaller fletching to buck the wind better. I shoot low profile 6 fletch vanes and they fly noticeably better in a cross wind that large three fletch.
Also I like to practice like I hunt, gives you and idea of what your arrows will do if shooting in the wind which sounds like a high likelihood for you.

 

[RosinBag]

The reality of wind; it has more effect on you and your ability to hold steady than changing any equipment does. If you can hold steady, your equipment can be dealt with. Holding off, bubbling over or any other method to deal with wind drift becomes simple. Unfortunately, we can’t hold as well, really not even close. The best wind shooters out there are punchers / command shooters that send it like a drive by.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

One thing I'll do is intentionally shoot at short distances when it's windy (under 25 yds). And I mean like 25-30mph gusty and nasty. It helps me work on maintaining a good sight picture and reduce punchiness as the wind is pushing the bow itself side to side. I find that the more I do this the more confident I feel letting a 45yd shot go in a stiff breeze. I switched to a slightly thinner shaft and a 4 fletch lower profile when I moved to WY. I get less "tail wag" side to side then when I was shooting Blazers.

 

[Skerhunter]

I block the wind/stand inside and shoot out. Wind the wind is blowing effective range shrinks fast for me. Either bow is moving too much or my favorite the tree is swinging back and forth.

 

[Terrapin]

I try not to. A windy tournament can undue months of recovery from punching. Sometimes it’s inevitable. I suggest learning to can’t your bow using the level to account for wind drift, rather than “aiming off”. This seems to help me execute the same deliberate shot regardless of conditions, rather than holding in space and punching it.


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[Northpark]

Well like many of you my range shrinks. I tend to shoot 30 yards and under sometimes less than 15 when the wind get to gusting at 30-40 mph here.

Here’s my next question though. Lots of talk about punching the trigger in the wind. Sometimes I feel like I’m inducing target panic and punching when I’m shooting in the wind and it tends to carry over into non windy situations. How many of you can switch from punching in the wind back to a nice squeeze later?

 

[FlyGuy]

Where I live (just north of Houston) I just don’t get the opportunity to practice in wind (or elevation changes) all that often so I am no expert on the topic.

I did switch to the Valkyrie arrow system a few years ago and I can say that they really do fly better in the wind than anything I used in the past. They are heavy arrows (500gr), with high FOC/heavy heads (225gr head plus collar), have extremely small diameters, and are 4 fletch with a very small profile. All those features I believe work together to increase accuracy and buck wind.

But as others have said, holding against the wind, especially gusting winds with rapid changes in speed, is what really gives me fits when I’ve had to deal with it. If I can find any type of windbreak to shoot behind (rock, bush, tree trunk) it helps but how often do the stars actually line up for that to work for a real stalk.

I also find that really concentrating on pulling hard into my back wall helps. I am guilty at times of relying too much on the let-off from the cams and only squeezing with my thumb (I shoot a Stan PerfeX thumb release). But, really trying to pull that bow apart gives me a little more structure to minimize the wind. Additionally I take a wider stance and focus keeping my abs tight.

I typically shoot with a crossroads expanding stabilizer (think of a carbon tripod or trekking pole leg, but on your bow). I find it to be very beneficial for long range accuracy but in high winds it can be a detractor as the wind tends to grab the end of it and twist the bow, so I will keep it short or even remove it altogether.

Last thing - I just saw this post a few days ago from the Spartan guys and this could be brilliant for shooting in high winds. I’ve been thinking about something like this for a few years after balancing my bow on the top strand of a bob-wire fence one time to shoot a long range target at my buddies ranch. I have their 6 oz bipod and it is an amazing piece of kit, so I have no doubt this will be top notch when they release it. I would have paid a ton of money for this last February on my NM Archery Ibex tag. 80-100 yards seem to the closest shots they give you and the wind is always howling.

(You may have to copy and paste, not sure the link will work from my phone. Put a few pics just in case)

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You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[big44a4]

As Rosin said it impacts your ability to hold more than the arrow. I agree with others and totally forgot to try and bubble off when shooting in serious gusts (I don’t know how much over 20 mph as we had storms rolling in so I say 20+ to not over exaggerate) yesterday at 100 yards. Other times when using the bubble instead of holding off I did find it more consistent.

 

[Beendare]

Wind is inevitable on many hunts It is just another one of those factors a bowhunter needs to practice in to know what your equipment is doing in a variety of conditions.

Canting and removing your quiver are a couple tricks that help.

_____

 

[5MilesBack]

I will shoot in just about anything (heat, cold, rain, snow, fog) and even wind.......but don't care for the wind so much.......even when I'm not shooting. As Doug stated, the wind affects us and our hold more than anything. I remember shooting in a 3D tourney one year and the wind was so bad the power lines were all moving a good 4 feet up and down. It was a rough shoot. But I'm a command shooter anyway, so not as big of deal for me. I always try to eliminate one of the planes in the wind (i.e. the vertical or the horizontal) so I can at least hit on the other plane consistently.

I've done some testing in the wind where I could shield myself from it, and with FP's it didn't have as much effect as I would have figured it would. But with fixed blade heads, it made a big negative difference. That's when I first started trying out mechanical heads.

 

[jmez]

I'm with Rosin. If it's windy enough to have an impact on arrow flight it's going to affect your hold more than the arrow.

I live in Western SD, 20 moh is considered a breeze. I shoot in the wind all the time. Best defense against the wind is not allowing increased pin float to bother you.

I can stand inside my garage and shoot to 60 yards. If I stand inside and shoot out into a 30 mph crosswind the point of impact only shifts 3-4 inches at 60. Still in kill zone.

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[IdahoHntr]

I can stand inside my garage and shoot to 60 yards. If I stand inside and shoot out into a 30 mph crosswind the point of impact only shifts 3-4 inches at 60. Still in kill zone.

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I think most people, especially those who don't practice in the wind enough, think their arrow drifts more than it in reality does. Each setup has it's own variables, but it takes a heck of a wind and some distance to get me to hold out of the kill zone. Especially if you can find a way to steady yourself, the arrow isn't going to drift a whole lot on most modern setups like jmez mentions above.

If possible I like to kneel for windy shots. The wind seems to affect my bow less and I make more accurate shots because of it. I think it tends to be easier to get my bow out of the wind that way.

 

[Terrapin]

Oh yeh, and have three or four of your tournament buddies stand just upwind with huge golf umbrellas to block the wind... not saying I’ve never done it, but it is kinda like riding a moped


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[RosinBag]

I think the reason most people think there is so much wind drift is because the can’t hold as well so their dispersion is so much worse.

I know several pros have shot from inside and protected to the outside with significant wind and their groups are still fairly tight.

And those guys with the big umbrellas you see on you tube or Bow Junky are shooting for a living, so using that big umbrella is what you do to get a paycheck.

 

[Zac]

Only thing that changes for me is a lot more profanity. Also I like to take my Quick Spot off.