Wait for a lull. Don't shoot a bow mounted quiver. Anticipate drift and adjust aim for it. Don't change your release process because of it. Shoot the wobble. Let down if you have to. But don't punch the trigger or pluck, rip the string.

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You forgot to mention stabilizing your body using your legs and core, the same thing you need to do when shooting a bow in windy conditions.

 

If shooting compound:

Try Bubbling Off
Bubbling off is another concept that will guide your bow and arrow in the wind. It involves tilting your top cam into the wind, so your bubble goes to the left or right of the level. By slanting your bow into the wind, you can always hit the middle. If the wind flows from the right to the left, you must angle your top limp towards the right and push it against the wind. This directs the bubble inside your level to the left of the middle of your aim.

Easy Tips on Shooting in the Wind Part 1

As an archer, you’d at some point have to shoot in the wind or other challenging environmental conditions like rain or snow. As much as that doesn’t seem like a great experience, your only chance to make it a bit enjoyable is to prime yourself for it.

legendarchery.com

 

Heavy-ish arrow, short feathers (not 5”) and aiming off the target. Without an aiming method, you are better not shooting in gusty winds. Wait to calm down.

 

Skinny shafts with spin wings.

 

Short feathers and a fast arrow.

 

Learn to hold off of center to compensate for the wind. If your first arrow goes in the blue to the right of the target aim at the blue on the left side. The only way to get use to shooting in the wind, rain, etc is to practice in those conditions.

Most times when it's raining I see no one at the range. I make it a point to shoot. If you get to a tournament and it's raining or windy you will be that much better off then most shooters.

 

In order to shoot better in windy conditions, you want to use small diameter arrows with low profile, short broadhead and short fleching and low profile arrows... The best way to keep an arrow flying fast is to reduce surface area and any turbulence-producing surfaces.

 

I live in Wyoming so wind is always present. If it’s gusty over 15 mph I don’t shoot. Shooting from your knees will help you be more stable than standing. If it’s windy and I’m hunting I limit my yardage accordingly so I can make an ethical shot. I shot this WY whitetail 3yrs ago on a windy November day. My shot was 23yds and he only went 60yds.

 

I've seen target archers hang a piece of yarn on the end of their stabilizer.

 

At close range, unless your in a category 1 hurricane, it won't matter much. The back end of the arrow is first affected but the will follow the front end. If you're talking long range, well then you will need to adjust where you hold, but most nowadays don't shoot past sixty feet. I have a couple videos of myself shooting in a side wind, and the arrows hit where they are intended to out to about 40 yards, but the back end clearly moves with the wind direction.

 

Had gusts up to 45mph tonight at my local gun club archery range, found I was a bit more stable switching to my heavier ILF riser... plus waiting for a lull

 

I wondered that myself about a slow recurve bow. With my compound using Blazer vanes wind is a non issue. With my 42# recurve shooting a 600grn arrow, 250grn up front and 5” shield cut feathers, I tried that out today in 25 mph wind and I could easily stay in the kill zone on a deer target at 15 yards. My advice, get close.

 

Practice in windy conditions. Focus on your execution- use good form, or whatever YOUR best form is. Learn to know what your arrow drift is in strong winds. We had 25-30mph winds here a few weeks ago. 15 yards and in there was no difference in impact, even with 5" shields. The nock end followed the wind, but a bareshaft wasn't affected. 3" parabolics had less nock drift. 3 1/2" batwings had even less. At 20 yards there was little to no difference, and at 25 there were some that flew a few inches off, but honestly that was probably more on me than the arrow. FWIW, the bow I was using is 42# OTF, arrows have 200 up front and total weight of 420.

 

Most of us hunt in the woods, so the wind isn't quite as much a factor as in an open area. With that said, it really should be a common sense thing as to how far you're shooting when hunting. If the shot feels bad, don't take it. You should pretty well know what your bow, and you can do it varying wind situations. Where I hunt, in most cases, the wind isn't a factor at all most times, but then again, I don't hunt in open fields where it could be.

 

Guys -

You know it's kinda funny, most responses involved arrow drift, which at trad distances really isn't an issue, since it's either predictable or irrelevant. How the wind's effect on the shooter - that's a different story and frankly a little harder to control.

Viper1 out.

 

If it is really really windy, you must first put rocks in your pockets and tie down gramma. Besides knocking you around, wind direction is a major issue to consider. I have seen broad head arrows that never mis-behaved until I shot with a strong buffeting and quartering downwind. Some know it alls will claim a 'tuned' arrow is not affected by wind, I think their experience may be limited. The other day we had 45 mph gusts, too windy to shoot, too windy to fish, too windy to plant grass, even too windy to go in and take an afternoon nap.

 

I had a couple days on Kodiak where I literally had to hang my recurve up...same with my compound, couldn't hunt. I can typically hunt in a little more wind with a compound.

25, 30mph or more crosswind gusts really affects a trad hunting arrow...