10 Best Archery Hunting Tips To Shoot More Accurately

Written by Tim Rhodes Last Updated: Mar 1 2024

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Here we have gathered the top archery hunting tip for you, a go-to guide that will help you plan and execute accurate shots and useful strategies.

Different factors affect the accuracy of shots.

While perfection lies in practice, you should never stop learning and absorbing any information regarding any aspect of hunting.

Keep trying and keep looking for tips and tricks, techniques, and how experts teach us for enduring successful experiences.

Learn from their experiences and mistakes.

10 Best Archery Hunting Tips To Shoot More Accurately

Listed below are some of the most useful archery hunting tips that will help you shoot more accurately.

1. Invest In A Good Bow

First things first; invest in a good bow.

The bows used for archery hunting are simple machines with no technicalities whatsoever.

Knowing the necessary details will help you select a perfect bow for yourself, which in turn will make sure that every arrow that flies is accurate.

As the general rule, a faster bow is usually harder to draw. 

So if you decide to go for a faster one, you’re going to burn some extra calories. 

It’s a give-and-take.

The aspects that make the bow faster might make it harder for you to shoot spontaneously.

It would help if you were prudent enough to pick out the perfect bow and know what compromises to make.

You see an Elk; there is no way you’re going to miss it out only because of faulty equipment.

When you look at the different aspects of a bow, your expertise level should be the mainstay.

If you’re a beginner, you must go for an easily adjustable bow and fit your requirements.

For accuracy, beginners may opt for bows that are more forgiving of manual errors and are more stable.

On advanced levels, bows that are small and fast would be ideal.

Bow draw weight is another factor to consider while purchasing the bow. 

It is the force required to draw the bow to the full extent.

The more difficult it is for you to dip the bow towards the ground or the sky while drawing, the more the bow has the draw weight. 

So pick a draw weight that you’re comfortable with.

2. No Compromises On The Accuracy

You must be wondering, ‘who would do that?’ But believe me, some hunters make this mistake of giving up accuracy for speed or sometimes making mistakes that affect accuracy.

Try to focus on the details that might affect your shot’s accuracy, no matter how perfect you think you’ve hit it.

You should practice and find your comfy anchor point for maximal accuracy.

The Anchor Point is the spot on or near your face that you should be touching when you have fully drawn the bowstring.

If you’re inconsistent with your anchor point, your accuracy is going to suffer.

Finding your anchor point and then sticking to it will increase your efficiency and accuracy with time.

Some hunters draw the bow too long to maximize arrow velocity and, in turn, compromise with the accuracy of the shots.

Drawing the bow too much tends to occupy too much of your face making it difficult to shoot accurately.

Also, improving your posture and working on your grip on the bow will help you become more precise.

Your posture influences your accuracy a lot.

Frequent practice will help you attain a helpful posture.

The more relaxed you perform, the more good shots you’re expected to take.

The experts warn that you may become too occupied and nervous when you aim, focusing on the target, the draw, posture, or other details that you may find yourself holding your breath.

That’s, again, unfavorable.

You should relax your mind and body to improve your accuracy.

3. Comprehend your Stance

The stance is the manipulation of mostly the lower half of your body. 

Bringing out the most proficient and comfortable stance will facilitate your subsequent strategies.

The basic stance usually comprises each foot on either side of the shooting line approximately 15”-18” apart.

You should put your feet such that they are parallel to the shooting line.

 A natural way to take your stance would be to place your left foot forward for a right-hand dominant and right foot forward for a left-hand dominant.

A good stance also requires your chin, shoulders, arms, chest, hips, and lower body to be well settled.

Developing a consistent stance makes sure that there are lesser adjustments for shot execution.

With time, you’ll find out the perfect stance for yourself, and practice and consistency will help you stick to it.

The continuous practice will develop muscle memory, strength, and ease, and you’ll master the stance quite easily.

4. Observe the Bubble Level

Build this healthy habit of observing the bubble level before releasing the arrow.

It is a small indicator inside your scope, or sometimes outside, that helps determine your arrow’s landing position.

A bubble floats inside the level, which moves relative to your bow.

If it’s in the exact mid, you’re aiming straight.

If it’s to the left, your arrow will land on the right of your aim.

Likewise, if you see the bubble to the right, the arrow will land on the left.

So you see how this indicator can help achieve desirable shots.

Vaguely checking the bubble level before you shoot will prove to be a good habit, yielding good results.

It proves to be a lifesaver in many conditions.

For example, shooting on slopes sometimes tricks your mind to the wrong center and focal point.

Here comes the bubble level to the rescue.

Aiming straight with the bubble floating in the middle will be much more precise.

Occasionally, the bubble level is also going to help you out-of-the-box.

In windy conditions, you may want to aim slightly out of the center and then let the wind do the rest of the work.

Here too, calculating your aim will be assisted by the bubble level, which will indicate how left or how right you’re aiming.

5. Discern the Arrow Spine

Two different bows with the same bow draw weight and length may still require different arrow spines.

 The Arrow spine is the stiffness of the arrow.

With the appropriate know-how of the arrow spine, you can take your aims and planned shots to the next level.

You can easily find the spine guides at the stores you buy from.

The higher the magnitude, the lower will be the stiffness.

For example, a 500 arrow is more flexible than a 300 spine arrow.

Selecting and knowing the spine is paramount; lacking the correct spine arrow for your bow will prompt poor shooting groups and off the mark arrow flights.

An under-spined arrow will deviate to the right, while an over-spined will veer to the left.

You will not want bad grouping of your arrows and finding out that each arrow you take out of the bag has a different spine number, requiring adjustments and modifications for every shot.

What is essential in finding out the correct spine is knowing the exact measurements of the bow weight and the draw length data.

The arrow manufacturers and the shops assist in selecting the perfect spine.

Also, pay a visit to an archery shop and try different arrows with variable spines and look for what fits you the best.

6. Avoid Over-Aiming

When you aim for the target, what’s the compulsion you feel? Stop already!

You want to make the pin stop and keep your hand steady.
That’s where you’re overdoing it.

You should trust your instincts and abilities and let the sight-pin float a little bit.

Let the aim come more naturally to you rather than wasting your time and energy on setting the sight-pin constant.

Somehow, if you manage to fix the sight-pin for a couple of seconds, the next thing you’ll want would be to release the arrow before the pin moves again.

This will again mess with your execution.

The urge to let go of the arrow before further movement interferes with the other aspects that you’ll be overlooking then.

So forcing a steady hold is never the key.

Focusing more on your draw length, stabilizing yourself, and getting a good grip will automatically yield a good aim.

To attain easy aiming, practice shooting on a 40-centimeter target from a distance of 6 or 8 yards; aim at this oversized target to relax and relieve your mind of the pressure.

7. On Your Knees

Many experts swear by this plan of attack for a good chance of an accurate shot.

It is the best shot to consider when there is less time to aim, or there is a need to aim from behind a bush or grass that’s blocking the target, and the target seems difficult to go for while in a standing position.

They recommend staying on your knees and aiming till your target approaches and then gradually rising and drawing your bow at the right moment.

It’s an easy position to take, with your upper body staying the same when you rise, having little or no effect on your aim while switching between positions.

Kneeling will accentuate the camouflage, hiding you from animals as they might suspect you otherwise.

Thus it becomes an ideal position for stalking and still-hunting your target.

Lock in your aim in this position and wait for the right moment.

This position will make it nice and easy for you to go for the release, either kneeling or transitioning to the standing position.

For kneeling, you can use the butt-to-heels approach as it provides good support and keeps you from swaying, and prevents any undesirable effects to the accuracy.

Another stable position would be placing your dominant knee on the ground, making a right angle with your other knee.

Rest your elbows on your knees, manipulating the fleshy part above your elbow.

However, the best kneeling position is a judgmental call.

8. Ease That Bow Grip

A good grip is efficiently the lightest grip you should have.

The improper grips will invite unwanted torques during your venture.

While the amount of stress and nervousness is obvious when you hunt, one of the best practices is not letting the stress affect your grip on the bow.

Avoid this at every rate as you will likely end up holding the bow tightly, and that white-knuckle grip is certainly going to affect your accuracy.

On the contrary, most of the best shots touch their thumbs lightly to their fingers while gripping.

The inflexibility of the bow will disable you to calibrate your shot.
To eliminate this reflex, you should practice more often.

Use the pad of your thumb to rest and push against the throat of the bow, the deepest part of the bow.

Make sure to not cross the lifeline of your hand.

Stay in the formulated area that is the pad of your thumb and the lifeline.

This will ensure that the least number of muscles are in contact with the bow, resulting in the lightest hold.

You can also practice this art with a wrist sling, keep your hand open and relaxed.

The wrist sling will make sure that the bow is set and doesn’t plunge.

The wrist sling is good for practice but can be bothersome in the ground.

The sling may refrain from performing in quick shooting situations.

Make sure not never to go for an open hand without the wrist sling in any circumstances.

The best tip here would be consistency.

You should make sure your grip is the same each time, so you don’t muddle your strategy with different grips each time.

9. Work On Your Release

You’ve now given your best in stalking, anchoring, drawing, aiming, and positioning your bow.

Now is the time to release the arrow.

This is another critical stage that’ll either pay for your hard-work or will dissipate it.

The release is supposed to be smooth and swift without any pullbacks.

When you’re ready to shoot, you need to let go of the arrow without any interventions.

The force has already built up a lot while you drew the arrow and held on to it.

The arrow will move forward with great force once the string is released.

 Relax your fingers of the gripping hand, all at once, when you release the arrow.

But that’s not it! With the release comes the follow-through, which is often overlooked by many.

You should make sure you do the right things following the release.

The follow-through is a bit natural and a bit simulated.

Your hand will flow back; naturally, your chest will expand, and the muscles of your back will contract as all the accumulated tension is relieved.

To simulate a conducive follow-through, keep aiming and resist any changes in your position until the arrow hits the target.

There’s no need to rush.

Immediately moving after releasing can deviate the arrow and your focus in assessing your shot.

One pro for the compound bow users is the plenty of aids available in the market that assist the arrow release.

They include wrist straps, finger releases, or automatic releases. 

They ensure a smooth and clean release.

You can opt to go with one of these for any reason.

While using the release aids, be cautious with the trigger of the aid.

You wouldn’t like to release an arrow by mistakenly initiating the trigger.

To do that, keep your finger behind or away from the trigger.

When you’re willing to draw, move your hand back to the trigger and release the arrow.

Never try to push the bow after the release.

Some archers make that mistake and mess up their shots.

Just try to keep your bow clear of any external forces until the arrow completely clears it.

10. Master the Prompt Use Of A Rangefinder

Calculating the ranges for executing a shot has always been a challenge.

Thanks to the rangefinders, we’ve got our backs.

Carrying a rangefinder to your expeditions is very much emphasized.

However, it would help if you also learned the art of promptly using the rangefinder, that is, using it without causing any delays due to the lack of proper storage and carrying methods.

It is recommended that you discard the factory provided cases as they are usually noisy and challenging to manage.

Invest in an agreeable case that is easy to open and easy to take out things from so that you don’t get caught up in rushing or hasty moments. 

Also, place the bag at an easy-to-reach spot.

You can carry it around your neck using a strap, which will make sure that the rangefinder is hanging near your hands, ready to be picked up anytime.

 You can also carry it in belt bags or crooked horn holders.

If you have a rangefinder relatively small in size, you can use a chest pocket to tuck it in.

Some binocular harnesses provide a clip to attach the rangefinder.

 This is another easy-peasy option to carry it comfortably.

Pros Of Having A Hunting Partner

There are many pros to having a good hunting partner with you.

Who wouldn’t like to have someone to share all the joy and a high-five with when he hunts down a deer.

A good compliment would be someone expert in all the things you’re not.

His strengths will conceal your weaknesses.

Likewise, he may also enjoy some perks of your expertise.

Sharing expenses comes by as another reason to go for a partner.

Both of you might be willing to share the expenses of the motel rooms or the transports.

There are many other small expenses, too, so you can find a partner to make the trip more reasonable, financially speaking.

Moreover, in such open wild fields keeping oneself safe is always a priority.

When you know someone is by your side, it will boost your confidence and be quite reassuring.

Having a partner will make sure you have someone who knows your whereabouts and can reach you in case of emergencies.

He may even warn you of dangers that you may accidentally overlook.

Besides, carrying all of your stuff by yourself can also be sometimes hectic.

Your partner can come to the rescue here yet again.

Dragging your quarry, hauling and setting the stands, and other little tasks are all divided so you can take more time to focus on hunting.

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages too.

Study your hunting requirements and carefully consider having a partner with you.

Final Thoughts

In your journey of learning the best archery hunting tips, you’ll come across things you’ve never heard of or haven’t been informed about, all adding up to your expertise.

Look for drills, practice, work hard, and strive; all of this will help you out and make you a better hunter with every passing day.

While practicing and real-time performances, try to stay as tension-free as possible.

Your nervousness is easily perceived in your body language and performance, so just relax, as it will help you learn quickly and perform efficiently.

At some point, you’ll need to trust your instincts.

For example, selecting the correct bowstring, arrow spine, and other easy-to- manipulate equipment is a thing to go for naturally and totally on personal preferences.

Don’t get discouraged if you’re making any mistakes; learn from them, so you too have all the stuff to become a mentor someday.