I was at archery last night and my dad was looking at my groups and he leaned over and said I was doing well. Anyway this sparked a conversation on the way home he said the best he ever shot was without a release and it was like 287. I was just amazed.

Ask any bow shop owner (I did) what they make their money off of. It's not the bow...its all the accessories. Now anyone starting thinks he has to buy all the add ons to shoot well ( follow the money as they say)

How many trick shooters that shoot pennies out of the air, or birds for that matter, use ANY accessories? None. They all shoot bare bow, instinctive.

I've shot both ways. I've gone back to fingers without sights after years of triggers and sights, for many reasons. There are pros and cons to both, as with anything.

what part are you amazed about?

Just how good his score was

Ask Dad if he ever shot competition at Buckrub or Westtown- I was probably shooting next to him wearing this bad boy.

Hunting, the trade offs are about equal in my experience. Compounds and gadgets will get you a bit further reliably (compared to most traditional archery shooters, there are traditional shooters who are exceptionally good though), but the traditional gear gives you quicker shots, shots from odd positions, and is just a lot more fun in my opinion. In the end, for my own deer hunting, I found traditional gear to be maybe a bit more effective overall at bringing home the meat, but I practice daily. And I most definitely enjoy hunting more with a stick and string. After 150 deer or so, bringing home the meat is not in question anymore, I want an experience that is unencumbered and simple, not a crazy contraption. But I have a lot of friends who assess it all differently.

I personally shoot deer a whole lot better than targets…Jon

I shot many Deer over 25 years finger shooting
With 7 different bows
Before my Stroke ....although the last compound I killed deer with I used a release and an arrow rest set up to flip away upon the release.

I enjoyed finger shooting most.

I gave up wheels a long time ago. Hasn’t hurt my hunting efficiency. My best indoor score with wheels and release was 298, with a 95 lb bow and only 65% let off.