Nuge Factor: Q&A with Uncle Ted

Nuge Factor
Uncle Ted, whats the answer?

By Ted Nugent

Question: Uncle Ted, I have an old Fred Bear Hunter recurve that used to be my dad’s. It is a beautiful bow that has a 45-pound draw at 28-inches. My buddy Jerome shoots a Hoyt compound at 70 pounds and the thing smokes! He says hunting with an old recurve is unethical and that I must get a powerful compound to do it right. On your TV show, you shoot lightdraw bows in the 50-pound draw range and kill everything you shoot at. Jerome says it’s because you edit out all of your wounded animals and that you’re not a real hunter, just a rock star wannabe. Do you really kill all that game with a light bow? Do you edit out your bad shots? I don’t believe him. Mike W., Mesa, AZ

Answer: I’ve been bowhunting more than fifty years, Mike - since I could walk. I’ve cleanly killed 100’s of head of big game with 40-pound recurves and longbows, as well as 45 to 55-pound compounds. I assure you, what you see me kill on TV and video is the real, 100% honest deal. Do I miss shots? Of course. Do I make bad shots? Not often, but once in awhile. In fact, on Spirit of the Wild, I not only show my bad shots, I analyze them to help others avoid ‘em. I never hesitate to share my human error and shortcomings in my hunting life. Nobody practices more than I do and nobody puts more heart and soul into being the best hunter they can be. That being said, as a human being, we all are quite apt to blow it on occasion. But, as long as we intelligently dedicate ourselves to maximum proficiency, we have no reason to feel bad or hide anything. My wonderful wife Shemane cleanly kills big game every year with a 35-pound bow. My killer bowhunter son Toby whacked one monster Yukon moose with a bow under 50- pounds. His 450-grain arrow and scalpel-sharp Magnus Stinger sliced clean through the halfton beast. Your buddy is flat wrong, and appears to be one of those holierthan- thou, self-appointed experts that should be told to shut up and do a little heart and brain searching before he opens his yap. Follow your conscience Mike. That old Bear recurve, with a properly placed, razor-sharp, two-blade broadhead is capable of cleanly killing any North American big game animal I assure you. Good hunting, BloodBrothers, Ted

Question: Uncle Ted - First of all, I am stationed at Offutt AFB south of Omaha, Nebraska. It is encouraging to hear you speak on behalf of the servicemen and women around the world, thank you for the support and spirit you arouse for us. I watch your Spirit of the Wild and other TV shows as much as possible and learn something new every time. I try to apply your suggestions as much as I can into my own tribe. I am in my second full year of hunting and still consider myself to be a beginner. Currently, I shoot a PSE compound bow at 52-pounds and 28-inch draw. Occasionally, I have a problem locating my front sights through the peep. However, I am very accurate. I have considered shooting bare bow. Is this too radical of a change? What are your thoughts? I have noticed that you have switched to a laser sight device from the bare bow. Can I practice efficiently without removing my sights? I’d hate to take them off and then re-attach them, especially after I have everything all dialed in. Once again, thanks for your support.

Answer: It’s always inspiring to hear from the American Warriors Rob. Thank you for all you do for America, my friend. Is the discipline of archery killer or what? Glad to have you as a BloodBrother. I shoot every imaginable bow on a daily basis simply because I love ‘em all. This past season, my 57-year old eyes began to give me grief, so I switched to the amazing CP Oneida with Claude Pollington’s wonderful red dot sight. It is not a laser, but rather a simple, small, electronic, red-glowing speck that does not project out of the tube or onto the target. Like a sight pin of any kind, it is simply a reference as to where to hold for the shot. But, its real advantage is that it forces the shooter to align their body, hands and eyes for definitive alignment with the natural flight of the arrow. By eliminating the need for a rear sight (peep), it is a real training device for ultimate archery form and killer accuracy and consistency. I still shoot my recurves and longbows along with my Martins and Ross bows instinctively, and my time with the red dot has made me the best archer I have ever been. I believe the more a guy shoots old-fashioned bows, the better we will be able to determine the natural feel of the mystical flight of the arrow. Go for it. Enjoy. Godbless, Godspeed and good hunting! A m e r i c a n Blo o dBrothe rs, Ted & family

Question: Ted, I have a question about your string set up. I noticed on a couple of your TV shows that the serving below your nock point appears to have some additional material built up on it. It also looks like you attach your release well below the nocking point of the arrow on the string. I assume that this is done to accommodate your style of instinctive shooting with a compound and release. My question is this - what are the set up measurements on your string? I am curious because I am an instinctive shooter myself. I currently shoot both longbows and recurves, but I also enjoy shooting compounds. I have been primarily using my sticks because, with today’s shorter axle bows, I get too much string pinch to shoot comfortably. I am always looking for new ways to play. If you could give me the run down on how to set up with yo ur style and maybe some tips, I’d appreciate it. Thanks, Bryon Miller

Answer: I am more than pleased to share my adventurous archery style with as many people as I possibly can Byron. I am quite sure many others will get an increased kick out of this natural hand-eye shooting touch that has served me so well for so long. Being raised in the wonderful world of the rebirth of the mystical flight of the arrow as brought to us by Ishi, Saxton Pope, Art Young, Chief Compton, Fred Bear, Howard Hill, Ben Pearson, Roy Case and so many other great men, my early youth with the longbow taught me the purity of instinctive shooting. As I discovered the new fangled compound bow in the 1970’s, I found that this new mechanical contraption had its pluses and its minuses. Through much diligent and oftentimes painful trial and error over the years, I got my mojo back when I improvised, adapted and overcame the raised arrow shelf dilemma. I did this by adding a series of small rubber eliminator buttons on the serving below my nocking point, thereby bringing the relationship with the arrow departure back closer to my gaze with my three-finger, under-Apache drawing style. Like most longbows and recurves, all compounds are designed a little differently and I experiment with varying numbers of eliminatory buttons based on the flight of the arrow from each bow. When you find the right elevation you will be amazed at how natural you can point and shoot, just like a perfectly fitted old stickbow. Try it, you’ll love it! Goodluck, Ted

Question: Hey Ted, Kind of an off the wall question for you. I shoot instinctive. I am right-handed, but I am left eye dominant. This tends to throw my shot off a little, not a lot, but as everyone knows a few inches can be critical. I have tried shooting left-handed, but that is out of the question. I have tried a number of things to correct this, but so far nothing has worked. First of all, have you ever heard of this kind of situation? Second, do you have any suggestions that might help me compensate? Thanks for your time Fred Hamblen, Terre Haute, Indiana p.s. I am a career firefighter in my hometown and I worked backstage at the show that you and Toby did here. I just want to let everybody that might see this letter know how absolutely down to earth, cordial and genuinely great of a human being that you are. Keep fighting the good fight and God bless you. Support our troops and remember 9-11.

Answer: Thank you much Fred for the kind words, amigo. I tend to get along swell with all my fellow Americans of goodwill and decency. We are BloodBrothers. Cool! The ying-yang twixt opposite eye dominance and one’s stronghand dexterity has always been a serious issue with archers and shooters of all pursuits. No fun usually. I am a bit surprised to hear you state that your shots are only off a little! Usually a left eye dominant, righthanded shooter has arrows way off to the left - like 10 inches at 20 yards! OUCH! There’s only two paths of hope my friend and, to provide positive confidence for you, I have seen both systems work perfectly on numerous occasions. Move #1 - Either close or patch your left eye, and have at it! Over time, you can actually train the right eye to take over. Much diligent practice is necessary, but it can be done. Move #2 - Put more effort into switch hitting and dedicate yourself to discover the lefty within! It is extremely awkward for a long period when attempting this switch over; but again, we are capable of this adaptation. I’ve seen it bring much joy to fellow archers in the same boat as you. Goodluck and let me know how she goes. BloodBrothers, Ted

Question: Hi Uncle Ted, I noticed that you use a Scott release. I am interested in knowing which Scott release you actually use and why. Thanks again, Terry Mraz

Answer: My dear old friend and bowhunting BloodBrother, Bill Scott, did indeed invent the ultimate caliper archery release aid. The market is saturated with mostly high quality, reliable releases that serve archers well. I am continuously experimenting with every different one I can get my hands on, but I still rely on my good, old, simple, standard Scott caliper. I prefer the hand-held concho grip over the wrist strap version, but I do play with ‘em all now and then. The whole Nugent tribe uses various Scott releases and we all love them. Try them all and find the one that feels best for you. Goodluck, Ted & family

Tags: HI31, Ted Nugent

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