One of the biggest obstacles in archery is the constant battle with the elements while shooting outdoors. Successful archery in the elements is definitely possible, but it may need some specialized gear and/or tactics to adapt. No matter what type of archery you’re doing, sooner or later you will most likely be outdoors and forced to shoot in the elements.

Archery In The Elements

Archery activities such as field archery or bowhunting take place entirely outdoors. While outdoors during a competition or in the woods bowhunting, you are subject to different weather conditions. This can greatly affect your accuracy.

Different weather conditions like wind, rain, snow, or intense heat can all change how your bow performs and its accuracy. It is always a good idea to know how these adverse weather conditions affect you and your equipment so you can be better prepared. This includes extra pieces of equipment to some simple tricks and tactics. With these things, you can handle the conditions and shoot just as well, regardless of the weather!

Archery With Wind

Wind is the most common outdoor element that archers face. Shooting in heavy wind can do two things to your arrow. A headwind or a tailwind will cause the arrow to hit high or low of your aim point. A side wind will cause your arrow to hit to the left or right of your aim point.

A headwind or tailwind will raise or drop your arrow’s point of impact by altering its speed. When shooting into a headwind, the arrow will slow down and hit low on your target. Shooting in a tailwind will decrease the drag, pushing the arrow towards the target and making it high.

How much the wind affects your arrow will depend on how hard the wind is blowing and the weight of your arrow. Many archers also wonder if a lighter arrow or heavier arrow will perform better in the wind. In almost every situation, heavier arrows perform better in the wind. Lighter arrows have less mass and get pushed by the wind easier than heavy arrows.

To better shoot in the wind, an archer must compensate for their aim. For example. If the wind is blowing strong from left to right, aiming to the left of where you want to hit can help you more accurately put the arrow there. Your best bet is to exercise some patience and wait for the best conditions. Either by letting down or waiting for the wind to die down, you can execute a better shot with less wind.

Archery In The Rain

Rain and moisture will not have a huge effect on your archery equipment or accuracy. Most modern bows and their equipment are completely waterproof and will not get damaged. You must still be aware of potential issues that extra moisture can bring when you are shooting.

For example, rain can get inside of your peep sight and make it near impossible to see through. This can be fixed by blowing the water out of the peep before you draw back the bow. So while rain will not damage your equipment, it can make it a little more difficult to shoot.

Extra moisture on and around your bow can also do things like make your arrows and bow grip slick and slippery. Keeping things like this in mind, you can better prepare. You can do your best to keep your bow and other archery equipment as dry as possible to avoid potential problems. But how does the rain affect your arrow in flight and your accuracy?

Light rain will not affect your arrow in flight, but heavy rain can cause your arrow to drop faster. As the arrow travels to its target, the rain beating down on it will force it downwards at a faster rate, making your shot hit lower than intended.

Archery In The Sun

A bright, sunny day is often considered one of the best conditions to shoot in. Very bright sunlight can be an issue as it can be blinding when shooting. To combat bright sunlight in your eyes, bring a good hat or shoot from the shade when possible. You may also consider having a friend block the sun in your face with a hat, hand, etc.

If you can help it, try to place the sun at your back while shooting. This will help you avoid shooting with the sun shining directly into your eyes. While this can be a quick and simple fix, it is not always possible when shooting in competitions or while bow hunting.

Bright sunlight can also cause problems with your bow sights. Many archers will use fiber optic sights that are designed to absorb the light and glow brighter. On a sunny day, these sights can be a little too bright. To avoid this, you can do things like placing a rubber band around the fiber optics to cut down on the glow. This can then be easily removed later in the day when the sunlight levels drop.

While shooting in the sun is often ideal, it can sometimes come with a few challenges depending on the brightness and angle of the sunlight. Always having a good hat or sunglasses can help, but don’t be afraid of moving somewhere in the shade to completely avoid it as previously mentioned!

Archery In The Shade

Speaking of shooting in the shade, many archery ranges have covered shooting areas. These will allow you to avoid some of the elements such as bright sunlight, rain, and snow. Even the shade from a simple tree can help avoid many of the different elements. This can provide some better shooting conditions.

Shooting in the shade and into bright sunlight can bring a small challenge of distance estimation. The same can be said for the opposite when you are shooting from the sunlight and into the shade. This stark difference can throw off your depth perception and make it more difficult to accurately judge distance.

The best way to overcome this challenge is plenty of practice. The more time you spend shooting from the shade, the better you will become at estimating distances under these conditions. If all else fails, you can always step out from the shade and shoot as well!

Archery In The Snow

Shooting in the snow will have many of the same effects as shooting in the rain. While light snow may not have much of an impact on an arrow in flight, heavy snow will also cause the arrow to drop and hit much lower than you intend it to. You can compensate for this by aiming slightly higher or by waiting for the snowfall to slow down before shooting.

Snow will also result in additional moisture getting in, around, and on your bow and other archery equipment. While damage is not a major concern, it can make your grip on things extremely slick.

Snow can sometimes bring extreme temperatures, which can affect your shooting. Bow limbs and strings that are exposed to temperatures at or below zero degrees can affect the range and accuracy of said equipment. Sights or other equipment may need to be adjusted to compensate for these effects. It is very important to test how your archery gear performs if the snowy weather also brings along extreme temperatures with it.

Lastly, snow can greatly affect your visibility. Always be sure of your target and what lies beyond it. The decreased visibility, while it is snowing, may cause you to have to reduce your effective range. You might not be shooting as far distances in the snow because of this reduced visibility as well as the loss of arrow velocity.

Final Thoughts

No matter where you might find yourself, you are going to be exposed to adverse environmental conditions at one point or another. Shooting in these elements, however, does not mean you have to suffer any negative side effects. From the rain and snow to heavy winds, with plenty of practice and a little bit of preparation, you can prepare to shoot archery in any of the elements!