Agree with @nphunter, ATA and (for me) reflex, or lack thereof, seem to be the biggest factors. I had a short stint with a >30” ata bow, and while I could shoot well in controlled situations, the cold bow challenge and a botched chip shot on a turkey showed me that it just wasn’t working as well in less then ideal situations.
Obviously I suck and those misses are mine to own as the shooter, but when I switched to a longer ATA bow with less reflex, I saw immediate improvements and am just far more comfortable. My bad shots are closer to the center, and when I miss I can tell what I did wrong. My shorter bow felt like I’d make a decent shot, but it would be way off sometimes.
Grip is funny; some of the bows with what felt like the most comfortable grips ended up shooting the worst for me, or requiring the most tuning/screwing with to shoot decent.
Obviously I suck and those misses are mine to own as the shooter, but when I switched to a longer ATA bow with less reflex, I saw immediate improvements and am just far more comfortable. My bad shots are closer to the center, and when I miss I can tell what I did wrong. My shorter bow felt like I’d make a decent shot, but it would be way off sometimes.
Grip is funny; some of the bows with what felt like the most comfortable grips ended up shooting the worst for me, or requiring the most tuning/screwing with to shoot decent.