Does Canting make a difference?

[Txnrog]

I still haven't quite figured out for myself if it does - in terms of accuracy & Point of impact. I tend to slightly cant my recurve, and strongly cant when shooting a longbow - of course, the amount of cant also depends on position in relation to the ground (kneeling or sitting=stronger cant). Seems like I am not quite as consistant with a strong cant as not - so, for you really good shooters. . . does it make any difference if you cant?

[meangene1969]

Let me start off by saying Im not really good shooter but I dont cant at all (recurve or longbow). When I have tried I tend to shoot high and left. I know some guys who do and they shoot well doing it. I think it could give you a better sight window. I know that when you cant you normally will shorten your draw length.

[bob sarrels]

Hey Roger, I am certainly not one of the better shooters buy here is my two cents worth. I cant the bow a bit, to about 1:30. It inproves my sight window and being left eye dominant and shooting right handed it lets me drop my left eye a little more over the arrow. I think most shooters cant to a degree, the trick is going to the same spot each time. The only time I shoot with a fairly vertical bow is at longer distances. Don't know why this helps , but it does.

[Deb]

Hey Roger, I am certainly not one of the better shooters buy here is my two cents worth. I cant the bow a bit, to about 1:30. It inproves my sight window and being left eye dominant and shooting right handed it lets me drop my left eye a little more over the arrow. I think most shooters cant to a degree, the trick is going to the same spot each time. The only time I shoot with a fairly vertical bow is at longer distances. Don't know why this helps , but it does.

What Bob said. I am also left eye dominant and shoot right handed. On some downhill shots I will lay it over almost flat.

[muzzlebrake]

Well, I'm just the opposite of Bob.
Left hand shooter with dominant right eyeball.
I cant about the same way Bob does except opposite hand.
And I ain't a good shooter either
I believe it takes us handicapped shooters a bit more concentration to make a consistent shot by doing all the little things required and that's my biggest downfall---lack of concentration!
Some days chickens, other days feathers.

[Live2Hunt]

Ok, my suggestion is to read all the stickies at the top of the traditional forum. There are nuggets of gold in there about how to stand, anchor, cant or not and so on...

I do not cant, shoot three under, use the middle finger and close my left eye; still cant hit a barn from inside.

[Txnrog]

The consistancy part is what gets to me. I shoot alright - I just did my first ASA 400 round and got a 301 (whatever that means) - I 'killed' most of my targets. . . just would've had to track a couple. I tend to naturally straighten up when I am at full draw, but have a couple degree cant - when I change positions, that changes significantly. For some reason when I shoot a LB, I feel like I get a much better looking sight picture with almost a 45 degree cant.

Other thing I am concerned about is most of my popups would probably require me to cant significantly to get a clean shot - just wondering if I shouldn't practice to get myself used to that.

[Bisch]

I think that the consistency thing is the most important. If you can learn to cant the same each shot it will not be a big deal. I was having some troubles shooting last year and went to a more straight up and down with little to no cant. It helped my target and 3D shooting a bit but I found when I go hunting and sit in a tree stand or ground blind I had to go back to canting my bow to make the shots work. As the hunting is the most important to me, I switched back to canting and have (I think) worked most of the bugs out.

Bisch

[JEFFRO]

ok. ya'll, stay with me here....

if your arrows are spined right for your bow. and you shoot upright like meangean, your arrow goes stright to the target," just like meangean's"...
now close your eye's and cant your bow. when you shoot, your arrow should go alittle higher and to the right a little.. when i'm shooting at any target higher than me i cant alittle more, and i tend to hit better, it's the paradox and the shaft clearing the shelf...

also if your arrows are a little to heavy spined and you cant thay will fly stright to the mark but when you get upright thay will shoot left......

jeffro...
this is just my humble opinion, and i'm just a new guy at this also...will 20 or 30 years ago i was.....LOL

[Bowtechlady]

Good information Jeffro! I have been working on my form and I have noticed I shoot better when I do not cant it.

[jreyna920]

i agree with jeffro and bisch on what they said, i believe that standing very strait and having little to no cant is a easier way to learn because i fell it is naturally easier to pull stronger, anchor better and just the whole shot process is easier on the body. by no means am i saying it is easy but just more natural and easier for the body to learn and repeat. in my experiences, the stronger the cant the more the shooter is leaning over to square himself with the bow. and because of this i think it introduces more varibles to the shot sequence that will have to be learned and made natural. in my shooting i find i get a tad shorter draw with a cant, and find it harder to mimic the exact amount of lean, cant, and anchor. this being said i shoot with a about a 2 o'clock cant and find my groups tighten when i shoot with less cant, but the poi changes. i feel like shooting with a cant is better for hunting and train to just shoot that way because of it.

[Draco]

If you shoot 3 under, the amount of cant won't matter as much as the arrow is closer to your eye. I practice from straight up to flat. Straight up I am a couple inches to the right and all the way flat I am a couple inches to the left.

[huntinpool]

I can never cant the same way twice. After 10+ years of compound shooting with a level in my scope, I have found it easier to hold the bow upright. If I do cant the bow it shoots right of where I'm looking. The further I cant the further right it shoots. I just feel that I can repeat upright more consistantly so that is how I shoot.

[widdler]

I have always canted my bow it gives a better sight picture and to me a better feel of the bow. Hunting out of a tree stand I need to cant the bow to make the shot being short the bottom limb tends to hit the bottom of the tree stand.

[Mike Murphey]

It depends on how your bow is built...(center shot) and how comfortable you feel when shooting. Being consistent is the key to good shooting. If you feel confident that your bow shoots better canting than cant the bow. You will never shoot well if you cant the bow in different degrees each shot, (unless you compensate for a special shot that requires you to cant differently.i.e. tree stand and you are shooting straight down). If you are shooting a custom bow that is made for you, and you have it made so you can shoot either canting or straight up and down, that should shoot the best for you.