Greetings, friends!
This be my next archery report after another long pause. Again, we practiced together with 
For instance, we increased the distance too much. Too much for amateurs with a bow that has no sighting system at all. It's up to the individual idea of each one of us to think of a way to aim.
One thing that we know was... We should shoot lower.
The distance was 21 of my longest strides or what I would very roughly call 21 yards. In fact, it should be more. But I took those uphill.
Our target this time was smaller than before. An A4 format paper which came out from the back of a premade frame for pictures.
At least smaller than the last time we had practiced together, I mean. Not my coffee cup report that you can find some three weeks back. The piece of paper was pinched and rolled a bit between a couple of wooden branches. The photograph above shows a series of some of my most successful shots. Two consecutive ones that went right under the logs.
This is how far the target would look to the eye if it were the equivalent of a 23 mm focal length instead of its approximate 35 mm on full-frame or 42.5 mm on the camera I used. Smaller than the notch of the arrow. In fact, to our eyes, it looked about double that size in both dimensions.
Since we had left out leathery finger-protectors back home, the string started hurting the tips of our fingers soon enough. We made about 21 or 24 shots each in series of 3, taking turns.
My first and only true hit that punched through the A4 paper was Shot Number 6. I had that couple of arrows go right below the target about Shot Number 14 and 15. And Shot Number 19 sounded like it had hit home but it turned out it struck the wood an inch or so to the right.
Again, we used arrows with bamboo bodies because they are easier to track and to find after the shots. The carbon ones fly faster and further. Easy to lose in the wild.
Conclusions:
I should have paid more attention to technique rather than properly sighting the target. I released the string in different ways. Which is bad. But that's also because of the lack of protective leather pieces for my fingertips. If I were shooting a few times each week, my skin would be more accustomed to the friction.
I think that I should be focusing on the target itself with my leading eye, instead of on the tip of the arrow. Too late that knowledge came back to me. Right now, in fact.
Yup, time takes its toll on those with not enough previous repetitions. Some basics were neglected this time. I shall strive to improve next time.
But then, the target and the terrain will certainly be different.
Anyway ;)
Good luck and have fun, people! Also, take care. Always.
Yours,
Manol
