I've been involved in archery as a hunter mostly but I consider myself a pretty good shot. Since I turned 60 my shooting has got a lot worse. It really has got worse the last couple of years. I was wondering if you fellas were having the same problem.

I used to be able to hit a golf ball at 15 yards, now it's more like a basketball.lol

Not really, one of the few things I haven't lost with age. LOL

Will. Maybe you're pressing a bit. Sometimes the more you worry, the worse you do. If you haven't changed anything physically in your form, it may be between the ears. I've been there for sure, and a little layoff helps. Really hard to say though. I don't think it's an age issue, I'm 73 and still can hit those golf balls at 15 yards....well, a good bit of the time anyway. Worry wears you down, so try to keep it fun and stressless.

I have to agree with George. Sometimes I think we over think the whole process. I also believe that most older shooters tend to let their selfs get over bowed which can be a problem. Also, we can tend to neglect our eyes. Just some food for thought.

I am 72 and its still fun for me !

Funny you should bring this up. Got into a discussion at the range Wednesday about the shooting stakes and backstop alignment on the practice range. Seems I have acquired leftitis. I am standing at the 30 yard marker but staring at the 35 yard butt swearing I am square to it. I have trouble with shooting left but it’s usually at 40+ yards. Been wondering if I should try the “indirect” method of aiming?

Agreed Will, Arthritis the biggest culprit. The aerial targets fly way faster and the dots are getting way smaller nowadays:( Actually can still shoot pretty well on a good day, for me, just not for as long.

Maybe time to go down in weight?

Time is not our friend when we get older. As 4t5 mentions maybe use a lighter bow. We lose muscle strength as we get older whether we want to admit it or not so it makes it harder to control the bow. Our eyes aren't what they use to be either, harder to focus on a spot that we use to see clearly, now fuzzy, or it just blends in, arthritis affects our hand strength and our release, our focus concentration and keeping it focused, probably isn't what it use to be either. We are all different, how any of these affects us all can be different, some more than other. Thing is just keep shooting and having fun for as long as you can. DANNY

I am 71,and shoot a 35 lb. bow for target or 3d.Was not long a go I was shooting 45lb for target.I still hunt with 45 lb. bow ,but shooting all evening wears on me with a 45 pounder.Still shoot good enough to compete locally, and have fun doing it.

At 83 I can still do pretty well, especially since I had Cataracts removed a year ago and do not need glasses. I take longer to sight and get my alignment than I did years ago. The Morrison Max 5's are a God send for an "old guy" if it's not too cold. Joel

I am 70 and my shooting has improved every year since I attended one of Rod Jenkins shooting clinics and dropped in bow weight.

If your eye sight is good and mussel tone O.K. There is no reason you can't shoot well. Check your your rig for tune and go down in weight if not comfortable. Then there is also the big thing MEMORY We tend to remember the good shots and forget the misses. 8^) >>>>-----> Ken

I'm in my mid 50's and my dominant eye is getting old faster than my other eye. After about an hour the vision in my right eye (dominant) begins to blur.

I'll go along with Linecutter.Additionally,balance may be harder to maintain as we get older.Also stamina and fatigue can be a problem.Without the stamina we practice less and in my case without practice my shot deteriorates.

I'm 75 and I'm shooting a lot better than I did at any time in the past...that's an improvement so it can't be genetic.

Take reasonably good care of myself, eat and drink wine/beer, mostly prudently (more prudently than in years past). Drink espresso coffee, now decaf due to prostate. Don't smoke anything anymore.

Gym at least once a week for a fairly intense, uninterrupted 45 minutes...I'm lazy about that. Free for me thanks to Golden Sneakers, a program that's common in gyms for people on better Medicare programs.

Big advantages: I'm not superstitious about food, allergies, meds (I don't like em) and I don't take supplements, or even gummint (I vote character, not "policy"). I never played football, never lifted, never did much hard labor.

I love my 60# LB but I'm more accurate with 50#.

Giving thanks, silently to myself, is rewarding in itself. I don't ask for anything but I've been given a lot.

Yep. What line cutter and Sake3 said. Coming down in draw weight helps me stay in the game, but at 73, I'll never be as good a shot as I was in my 30s and 40s.

you have to stay ative walk, shoot your bow if bad outside, then just pull it every time I walk to back of house, I pull bow 10 times, outside, I do 15 leaning pushups on side of 4 wheeler, do springs anything, my father quit, wouldn,t even walk to mail box one day I went up there, he said my legs don,t work no more whats wrong, I just said I do not know, I had done preached all enough, now I know some time health issues will jump on you but as long as you can be active dr

I'm only 61, and I don't think my accuracy has suffered any as long as my endurance isn't taxed.

I'll generally start out shooting about as good as I ever have, but if I do a large amount of shooting, or if I am having to do a lot of walking to get the shooting done, then my accuracy starts to suffer.

My conclusions is (baring the age & old injury symptoms), I just need to get my fat butt back in shape.

Rick

"Old" keeps getting older the older I get. :>)

I noticed two of the guys in the Lancaster Barebow shootoff were 72 and 64 years old. Not just a "young man's sport" apparently.

With that said, my shooting has gotten worse since I got into my 60's. I went from target panic to "people panic". When I'm alone in the back yard or stumping in the woods, I shoot great. Put me with a few people and I fall apart. Go figure.

I love shooting though!

I'll be 83 in March so I don't buy green bananas anymore. I still shoot pretty good but I think the first thing to go as you get old is your memory....I can't remember what the 2nd thing is. 8>(

For me it was hospital stays. Muscle atrophy work faster as we get older. Every time I get strong enough to shoot well illness or injury weakens me so I have to start over. So no I probably dont shoot as well as the younger me

It’s a thing Ron, and it’s all between are ears. Like the saying if the mind wonders so does the Arrow.

I'm 72 and still shoot well. I did go down in poundage. I shoot 45 to 30 lbs. On the dark side, 65# with my wheeler.

I hear you. Bifocals don't help either!

Will the first thing that crossed my mind reading your post was Will (Clint Eastwood)in the movie Unforgiven having a bad day shooting a can with his pistol. He got the shotgun out and blew it off the post! I'm bumping that age also and have days of not hitting very well and would be bummed out if I stopped there and went back in. I'm lucky enough to be able to walk out back with a judo shooting at Basketball size clumps and throw in that golf ball size occasionally while forgetting about how is was back at the house on a target butt. We're not getting any younger and really need/ should take to heart the recommendations stated above, mentally and physically.

Will the first thing that crossed my mind reading your post was Will (Clint Eastwood)in the movie Unforgiven having a bad day shooting a can with his pistol. He got the shotgun out and blew it off the post! I'm bumping that age also and have days of not hitting very well and would be bummed out if I stopped there and went back in. I'm lucky enough to be able to walk out back with a judo shooting at Basketball size clumps and throw in that golf ball size occasionally while forgetting about how is was back at the house on a target butt. We're not getting any younger and really need/ should take to heart the recommendations stated above, mentally and physically.

I am 67 and can shoot well enough every day to do whatever I wish to do with my bows. Some days I shoot really well and I just enjoy those days a little more. Baseball size groups will kill anything other than very small targets. I practice by hunting ground squirrels so that an elk or moose appears like a huge target. And I still try to hit the imaginary ground squirrel on their vitals. Aim small;miss small applies no matter what your age.

DDave

I am the same age as Kenny..Two bears..real old! But i am shooting better now than i ever have. Sandy

Ps 77

I'm 71, and I would guess that there are a few of us older guys that could be in a little better shape than we are. I know for a fact that I don't shoot the bow as well as I did in my younger days, but I love to shoot a few arrows everyday if possible, and if I'm having one of those days where I'm shootin bad, I always blame it on old age, that's the best excuse I got.

At 74 lots of stuff has happened but it seems what bugs me the most is I seem to have lost a bit of my concentration. As a result of that my arrows wander a bit off target as my contractions takes a hike.

I am 59 and feel like I have lost some strength. I had a serious back injury 20 years ago and see a chiropractor on a regular basis. I still shoot bows from 35 to 45# but I can not dominate any weight and I can feel pain in my back if I shoot a lot. I am at a cross roads about what to do.

I’ve actually gotten better with age(68), but I’m forced to concentrate way more if I want to hit anything. But like George S said you need to keep it fun. Enjoy the process too.

We all age differently and as mentioned it can come on suddenly. I am not that old at 63, my brain thinks my body should be in its 20's, my body sometimes thinks it is in its 80's, in the way it feels. Arthritis sucks! Doctor tells me he can't do anything more for my left shoulder (really bad bone spurs with the arthritis) other than a replacement. Now I am beginning to feel issues with my right shoulder. I have had to change the way I draw and dropped draw weight, so it doesn't hurt when I draw, if I forget it lets me know in a hurry. I envy you guys who are older and don't have issues. DANNY

As was said, folks age differently. My dad was a construction carpenter and carpenter foreman for years, so he was stronger than average. He never lost a thing as he aged. He was an archer of the 50's and 60's though so he had impeccable form and I think that makes a huge difference.

I'm 70 and still shoot bout as good as I ever did. The days I don't shoot very well is due to lack of focus and concentration. The days my concentration and focus aren't up to snuff I just stop shooting and wait until the next day.

There are many things that are lost with age and injury. I do not consider myself old, but I would definitely trade my archery accuracy for other lost privileges and abilities.

There are 3 things I have had to battle as I get older.

1. I am not as steady as i used to be.

2. My eyesight and focus has gone downhill.

3. Not because of age but I been at it long enough to fight through several years of target panic.

Strange things happen as we go west!

Regards

I'm 75. My buddy is 76 and we generally put it on all of the younger guys in the group.

I am the old guy--83 that posted earlier. I might add that stretching and some light exercise will really help decrease pain and injuries, especially if you have arthritis, like myself.

Age is a handy alibi.

Arthritis isn't age, tho that's when SOME people suffer from it. Be careful about your ancestry.

Bad health practices accumulate with age: heavy labor, heavy weights, heavy drinking, smoking, bad driving etc.

When I was younger I was more careless. I had more endurance but maybe that's because I was intentionally working on that (running, longer workouts, hiking further and more regularly).

Most of us did have choices about our athletics, work/education, women, how we eat, where we live. If we're negative, that will feed on itself: that includes our politics, our radio/TV/online habits.

We'd all be healthier and happier if we gave thanks for the good small things (thanks for the beautiful morning), rather than praying FOR most things. I'm 75.

71 and shooting as good, and better now.

Age should increase confidence.

Like the guy said if I knew I was going to live this long I would of taken better care of myself:-).

"I was wondering if you fellas were having the same problem."

Yes, and I've narrowed it down to three things, strength, vision and confidence.

I'm seventy, and I say that not to excuse myself, but to clarify my position. I've always maintained some exercise in my lifestyle and it has rewarded me on numerous occasions. However, a certain laxity revealed itself as I approached sixty-eight and retirement. Activities that I thought were sufficient, were not, and hastened my decision to stop working. In particular, my shoulders started hurting after some jobs involving the pulling of large wrenches.

With more time available to me, I determined to work through my weaknesses and restore strength where it was needed. My weight slightly dropped, but more importantly, I began again to build muscle. For the last two years I competed with a 48# or 50# bow, which required me to adjust my aim, as a gap shooter. It worked out and I did just fine. However, I did shoot my heavier, 55# bow, a little better also, and since it was my hunting bow, I now want to compete with that one, at that poundage, against younger competitors.

My vision is not what it was. I have a prescription, but seldom wear glasses for distance. This is where I am unable to self-correct and may be forced to wear them while shooting targets, someday. At twenty yards I can still define the spot I want to hit with reasonable clarity, but I do sense the difference.

To offset my vision limitations, I rely on my strength to hold at anchor and confidence in my past performance. At anchor I aim and focus on getting the best sight picture I can muster. After all, I'm not making this shot for the first time, why should I miss badly? This discipline has helped me greatly.

Archery is not the most strenuous activity I engage, but it does help define the extent of my ability, which I understand will diminish in the years,all too soon, to come, Lord willing.

I agree with what George said,he has alot of common sense in his comments along with the others,more rest, less stress,more enjoyment in doing whatever we do. Bill

Well, I'm keeping track and will comment when I get old!!!

Bowmania

I killed two deer with my recurve at 65 but haven't got a shot since. Broke ribs and collapsed left lung this August and missed this season. But I did shoot a 11 point buck this year with my muzzle loader. The half mile drag was tough on my ribs but worth it at 69 years. Hope to start shooting again soon. If I get a shot or not, I love being in the woods.

I've had more time to practice since being retired so my shooting has improved. But have to admit it is with lighter draw weight bows.

I shoot better than I did twenty years ago. I have lost some endurance. A 300 round would take all afternoon. I still manage to kill a deer every year or so. Ladder stands only. No climbers or lock on. Mild exercise and maintenance on our property keep the joints and muscles good. I just turned 74

I won the nationals at age 68 with a longbow and wooden arrows from 7 to 101 yards, with bifocals. - lbg

I'm 70 and can't miss even with the chicks...don't hate lol.

"can't miss even with the chicks"...should read "can hardly miss even with the chicks"...

with sincere humbleness, Man from La Mancha

I think a lot of it is because we get in worse shape and shoot lighter bows.

67 years old. Have dropped down a few pounds, but shooting as well as I ever have, maybe a little better. Since retiring and casting off a lot of life's baggage, I am more focused and concentrate better.

I’ve definitly gotten better just Shooting 35# now instead of 65# LOL! I attribute improvements to knowledge and serenity between the ears. But I’m only 53. Still really bad shoulders have created problems.

J.

Poor vision and an accumulation of old injuries :) are certainly affecting me.

Poor vision and an accumulation of old injuries :) are certainly affecting me.

I’m 71 now and I’ve increased my weight lifting, aerobic and balance training for the last several years. Hard work and harder every year, if I wasn’t retired now I certainly couldn’t do it. I’m shooting the best of my life. Agree with several of the other posts that attitude and confidence are extremely important...don’t overthink this

X-2, john Kelly, lots of wisdom for sure.

I am shooting as good as ever. What has changed is the collapsible walking stick in my back quiver. My favorite game, cottontails, and my favorite roving practice require me to pick arrows off of the ground. The ground is getting further away every year.

You have to find the reason(s) for worse shooting, and then deal with that. Is it really age related? If so, what aspect of aging? You need to go down in bow weight? You don't shoot often enough to maintain strength? You're not eating enough protein to maintain muscle strength (requirements go up with age)? Joint pain? Vision problems? Tremors? And so on.

It could be a combination of one or more of those factors listed above, combined with a mental issue once you started not shooting as well. If there's a physical problem, find it and fix it. Then see if the mind improves if you shoot better. Maybe move closer to build confidence, at first.

I'm 65 and started using a rotational draw 2 years ago. Almost all my best shots have been since then. I can shoot heavier bows than I used to without shoulder pain, and I shoot better than ever. I've also had to work with my vision; targets were getting blurry for a while. That doesn't help.

Getting older doesn't have to mean worse shooting, but it might mean you need to change some things!

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