I’ve dedicated many years of my life to finding the most accurate method for releasing the bowstring day in and day out – facing both foam and flesh. I’m here to tell you that if fingers were the best I would have calluses like rawhide on my fingertips. But they’re soft as a baby’s behind. Instead, when I draw my hunting bow an old worn Fletchhunter mechanical release aid is strapped around my wrist where it, or one exactly like it, has been for the last 20 hunting seasons. If you aren’t using a release aid you’re limiting your ability to shoot an arrow accurately. Here are five reasons why this should be the year you switch to a mechanical release.

BEATING TARGET PANIC

Target panic is the inability to hold the pin steady while aiming at the spot you want to hit. Invariably those fighting the disease find themselves twitching and lunging at the trigger as the pin approaches the spot. It’s hard to beat target panic if you’re a finger shooter. The cure seems more like psychiatric therapy than archery instruction. But, with a mechanical release you can use a systematic method that doesn’t rely as heavily on the archer’s ability to control his or her nerves. Beating target panic with a release aid is all about selecting the right tool and technique that permits the mechanical system to trigger by surprise. Using a little self-discipline you simply follow the proper steps.

Several of by buddies that switched from fingers to a mechanical release did so to beat target panic. In fact, come to think of it, I’ve never known a buddy who gave a release aid an honest try that later went back to releasing with fingers.

EASIER TUNING

When you release the string with fingers it moves to the side as it clears your fingertips and this set up a series of side-to-side oscillations of the bowstring. As the string moves to the side it causes the arrow to flex sideways. It becomes critical that you use the perfect shaft stiffness so that the flexing arrow bows around the arrow rest and riser rather than crashing into them. Arrow companies do a good job of providing useable stiffness charts for bowhunters, but I’d rather eliminate this dynamical altogether.

With a mechanical release the arrow flexes very little. Not only does the string leave the release’s jaw exactly the same way every time, it also travels more or less straight forward; the thrust of the string is right down the centerline of the arrow. It is much easier to get bullet-hole arrow flight with a release aid than with fingers. Also, a release shooter’s arrow flight is much less sensitive to shaft stiffness – increasing your options and further simplifying the tuning process.

LESS PRACTICE TIME

We all live busy lives. No matter how much we may love shooting a bow, it is hard to find the time to practice on a regular basis. It is generally acknowledged that it takes more practice time to keep a finger release fluid. However, you can be a very good shot with a release aid shooting only 15 minutes a day two or three times per week. If you find it hard to shoot the number of arrows required to keep your fingers working together, you will be impressed with how easy it is to maintain acceptable accuracy with a release aid.

BETTER IN THE COLD

If you’ve ever sat in a cold tree stand for three or four hours when the temperature is below freezing and the wind is blowing 15 mph you know that cold weather performance is a big part of bowhunting. Regardless of the temperature, a release aid will drop the string the same way every time the trigger is pulled. A good finger release relies on two or three fingers working together to get off the string the same way every time. When fingers get cold and stiff they lose their feel and they become less fluid. The possibility of making a poor release increases.

With a release aid it is easier to make a good shot when wearing heavy gloves. Again, the jaws do the same thing regardless of how the trigger is pulled - they drop the string and get out of the way just as effectively if you are wearing thick gloves or thin jerseys. As long as you practice with heavy gloves prior to the hunt your accuracy won’t be affected. Even a finger that’s completely numb can still be commanded to curl – that’s enough to get the job done with a release aid.

RELEASE AIDS ARE MORE ACCURATE

I saved the most important reason for last. You’ll discover greater accuracy with a release aid. It’s an emotionless machine; as long as the trigger is pulled, it does the same thing every single time. Regardless of circumstance, it frees the string with amazing consistency. In archery, consistency is synonymous with accuracy.

If you are releasing the string with your fingers and are not totally satisfied with your accuracy - or if you’re tired of fighting target panic – right now is the perfect time to switch to a release aid. At first the whole system will seem foreign, but by hunting season the release will feel like an extension of your hand. Your newfound accuracy will astound you and your confidence will soar. A confident bowhunter is a better bowhunter.