Drawing with two fingers...

[unregistered]

Just a tidbit for archers out there who have finger injuries (like myself) or are having trouble achieving a clean release. Try shooting just two fingers under. I found it was a bit tricky to start with, but after two months of practice I now find it easy to draw 50# with just two fingers. My releases are a vast impovement over my past attempts and my groups keep getting smaller. I think I might actually be ready to hunt big game this year after two long years of practice. Hope this helps somebody.

[Brian Krebs]

I have hunted for 50 years with a bow; drawing back with two fingers; one above the arrow; one below. When I started there was nobody to tell me it wasn't the way to go... I have been shooting an over 70 pound bow that way for over 30 years.

I shot a buck after I broke my bow shoulder - by taping my longbow to my foot; and drawing back while sitting in a chair... injuries can often be worked around        

[unregistered]

Lol you shot a deer with a Longbow taped to your foot! Thats quite creative. I still get proud just hitting the odd squirrel let alone anything that wild. What yardage was the shot and what did you use as an anchor point?

[dragon rider]

Mike Fedora recommended two under up at Denton Hill one year - said if you had the strength you were that much closer to a consistent clean release.

[pointystick]

I've been messing with alternate styles recently myself. Three under, two under, and two split. I'm seeing definite group shrinkage both two split and two under.  Three under seems to make me shoot low and hurts my ring finger, though grouping is decent. I think I like two split best, overall.

[longbow1]

I recently broke my ring finger on the first day of my Montana elk hunt. I had no choice but to shoot with two finger split. I found that I had a cleaner release with two finger split and thus tighter groups. I ended up shooting a bull at 50 yards, but unable to recover. That trip taught we a valuable lesson, don't shoot animals at 50yards unless you are prepared. With three fingers I could have made that shot but with two I hadnt practiced enough. I now practice with both three and two fingers, you never know when youre finger is going to break. Things always seem to happen at the worst times.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Recently, I purchased Scott Antczak's video
"Dead on Traditional."  He shoots two fingers under and believes it is the best way to get consistent and clean releases. I had been shooting with three under and tried two under while target shooting recently. My groups were immediately improved. Worked for me.

[Douglas DuRant]

I shoot split finger to handle the arrow, and then point the top finger at the target. I draw the bow with the other two remaining fingers under the arrow. My nock point is above the arrow nock so this works. If you use a nock point below the arrow point then you have to shoot split finger.

Two under gives a clean release.

[Trab]

This newbie just wants to know if he is the only one out there that has to deal with numbness in the fingers......I am only shoot 45 # but I get a lot of numbness.....I shoot three fingers, one up and two down......I think if I shoot with just two down, the numbness would be even worse, but I will try it this week......any thoughts ?

Trab

[Douglas DuRant]

My fingers don't get numb unless I shoot without a tab, or use a very thin tab. What do you use to shoot.

[Trab]

I use a batting glove....  

[dragon rider]

Trab, I had the numbness for a while when I first started shooting trad. Tab, glove, etc. didn't make any difference.  Over time - maybe a couple of months - of shooting regularly, my hand apparently got used to it, or got tougher or something, and I haven't had the problem since, but early on it'd take a day or even two before my hand felt right after a shot a lot.

[UnderControl16]

Don't worry trab you're not the only one, i just moved up on my poundage and i shoot two under one up and my fingers go numb after a little while

[Dartwick]

I got a new bow last week and decided to shoot 2 fingers with it(both under.) I only tried it for 1 day.

Well its a week later and Im finally getting normal feeling back in the tip of my middle finger.

[Talonzz]

I draw with a 3 finger split (2 under-1 over) then at full draw I point my index finger out of the way so just prior to release I am holding 2 under. I find it helps alot in both the strength needed to pull back heavier bows and dropping the index finger tightens up my groupings.

[MMilin]

Longbow Fanatic:

Scott Antczak has since gone back to 3-under.  He string-walks and uses a metal Cavalier tab.

I learned 2-under from him and would never go back.

Mark

[damascusdave]

I have short fat fingers and had just come to the conclusion that two fingers under might be the answer. Going to start shooting that way for a while to see how it works for me.