Updated March 2023

As a bowhunter, increasing your accuracy is a never-ending quest. Often times, a few inches can make the difference in the outcome of a hunt. There are already many factors that are out of your control while hunting, so it is important to eliminate as many as you can. By improving your accuracy to the best of your ability will increase your confidence and stack one more odd in your favor.

In order to place an arrow precisely where you want, a lot of things need to go right. The seven tips below are some of the most common and impactful things you can do to increase your accuracy as an archer and a bowhunter.

Tip #1: Form

Your form is where it all begins and is the primary cause of poor accuracy. Starting with your stance, you should make sure that your feet are shoulder width apart. This will give you center of gravity and a stable base. You should have a slightly open stance, meaning that your body is turned slightly towards the target instead of being exactly 90 degrees to the target. This gives you a good foundation and keeps your bowstring away from your bow arm and chest. To test this, have someone lightly push you and you should be able to keep your feet planted solidly on the ground. When drawing back, make sure you are drawing with your back muscles and not your arm. This will prevent “sky drawing” which is not only inefficient, but also dangerous. If your draw weight is too heavy you will most likely have poor form when drawing. Next time you are practicing shooting, be mindful as to not introduce any bad habits into your form.

Tip #2: Grip

The second most important factor that leads to inaccuracy is grip. The biggest mistake many archers make when it comes to grip is twisting their hand which causes torque. Torque happens when you hold your bow grip too tight or incorrectly, causing your entire bow to turn. Torque can happen when you draw your bow as well as when you release. When your bow is turned as an arrow is released, it can cause an arrow to fly crooked and hamper accuracy. The way to eliminate torque is to grip your bow softly. White knuckles mean you are gripping too tight. A soft grip will help keep your bow from twisting while holding it. Some archers also prefer an open grip where the bow grip rests in between the thumb and index finger. To make your bow feel secure with a soft grip, a wrist sling can help eliminate the reflex to grab your bow after each shot.

One final thing to keep in mind as you grip your bow is to make sure your bow it completely vertical. A sight with a bubble level will help you see if you are holding your bow completely level.

Tip #3: Anchor

To ensure accuracy, your anchor point must be consistent on every shot. Your anchor point is the precise location where your bowstring touches the side of your face and/or tip of your nose. Many bowhunters rely on a kisser button to ensure a consistent anchor with each shot. A kisser button attaches to your bowstring and marks the spot where your string touches the corner of your mouth. Each time you draw back, you kisser button should go right to this location, ensuring a proper and consistent anchor. After practicing enough, your anchor point should become routine on the contact points of your face. Your draw length will also impact your anchor point. Ensuring that your draw length is correct will greatly affect how you shoot your bow.

Tip #4: Aiming

After you have your stance, grip and anchor point dialed in, you will need to perfect your aiming. When you are looking through your peep into your sight, you should be focusing on your breathing. Take slow deep breaths as you bring your sight pins on your target. Then, hold steadily on the target for a few seconds as your pin movement settles, and release your arrow.

Tip #5: Release

Releasing an arrow should be as smooth as possible. The biggest mistake both beginner and advanced archers make is punching the trigger. This usually leads to flinching and pulling a shot. Punching the trigger usually happens when you rush a shot or have excessive pin float. Executing a good release involves slowly squeezing your release trigger or releasing your thumb or back tension release slowly. Once your pins are steady and you are on target, gently releasing an arrow will result in increased accuracy.

View our guide on the best releases for bowhunters!

As you release an arrow, your follow through also plays an important role. Because you should have a loose grip, your bow should slowly tip forward in your hand after the shot. Also be sure to keep your bow arm in place during your follow through. Inaccuracy can happen if you quickly drop your bow arm after the shot.

Tip #6: Equipment

Ensuring that your bow is operating properly should not be overlooked. If you do not know what you are doing, you should have your local bow shop install your rest, sight, peep, etc. to ensure proper functionality. You may also want to consider having them tune your bow to make sure it is shooting correctly. You can even go as far as paper tuning your bow to see if your arrows are flying completely straight. Paper tuning helps to see if your fletchings are exactly in line with the tip of your arrow as it passes through a sheet of paper. Also, depending on your budget, you should try to use as best quality equipment as you can afford. Spending a few extra dollars on a sight or rest can go a long way for increasing your accuracy.

Tip #7: Increase Yardage

After you have ensured everything is good and your bow is shooting accurately as close ranges, you should try increasing your yardage. By shooting at longer distances, small mistakes are amplified and will help you hone in your accuracy. If you practice shooting at distances further than you plan on shooting an animal at, this will only make the shorter shots easier. Always work up to pushing your limits and you will be surprised at some of the small mistakes you are making and will increase your overall confidence.

Summary

As you begin to incorporate the above tips into your future practice sessions, you should start to see some immediate improvements in accuracy. Perfecting your form, grip, anchor point, aiming and release takes time and a lot of repetitions. If you slow your practice sessions down and take time to think about all of the small details that go into a proper shot, you will be pleasantly surprised at the improvements you will start to see. As with many aspects of bowhunting, consistency is key, particularly when it comes to improving bow accuracy. For more articles and buyer’s guides, please check out other articles on Bowhunting Depot!