The ever-flowing fountain of bowhunting knowledge we call  Bill Winke recently had an article published in Petersen’s Bowhunting that really struck a cord with me. His article discusses two easy changes you can make to improve the way you release your arrow. It all comes down to being able to effectively achieve a “suprise release” (learn more about the surprise release here). To best pull this off  you need to be able to almost effortlessly squeeze the trigger until the arrow, much to your surprise, is launched towards your target. In this article Bill emphasizes that small technical tweaks to your release aid can greatly effect your success in the field.

Winke’s Two Release Tweaks

• Shorten your release aid length…“Rather than using the first articulation of your index finger to pull the trigger — from the first joint to the tip — use the second articulation. This puts the trigger on the pad of flesh between the second joint and the first joint. To do this, you merely have to shorten your release aid and extend your finger a little farther forward when reaching for the trigger.”
• Adjust the trigger tension…“Trigger tension or trigger pull is a somewhat personal thing, but for most archers, a light trigger works better than a heavy trigger. A light trigger permits the bow to fire within the first few seconds of starting the squeeze, and that is important. Beyond the obvious reasons of needing to get a shot off quickly when hunting, most archers become impatient after about three or four seconds of aiming; the longer they aim, the more mentally distraught they become.”

These are two quick, yet super effective tweaks I plan to make on my release aid to improve my “surprise release” technique and in turn my hunting success.

Make sure to read Bill’s full article to pick up on all the details and explanation surrounding these two ideas.

Release Tweaks For Hunting – Bill Winke .

This concept is no different when shooting a bow with a release. You similarly must train yourself to slowly squeeze the trigger, until it releases.

Remember, SQUEEZE, not punch! This one small tweak in your shot process can pay dividends out in the field, when every small mistake is magnified.

Here is a video from Bowhunting.com explaining the basics of the surprise release and how to train yourself to do this.

For another video explaining the training process of the “assisted release” follow this link.