By Jason R. Wesbrock

One of the best things about barebow shooting is its diversity. There is no one "correct" way to do it. Spend a day at most traditional shoots and you'll see people differing in how they hold the string, hold their bows, draw, anchor, and aim. Over the past 26 years I've tried countless different barebow shooting and aiming methods. String-walking is just one.

String-walking is simply the act of sliding (or "walking") your fingers down the bowstring a predetermined distance below the arrow nock depending on the yardage of the shot. The amount of distance between the arrow nock and your fingers is sometimes referred to as the "crawl." The closer the shot, the more the crawl distance. Essentially what you are doing is raising and lowering the rear of the arrow so that you are always aiming "point-on," no matter the shot distance.

Tabs such as those made by Black Widow are popular among string-walkers, who use the stitches as a reference for different crawls. Although string-walking can create tuning issues and prove too cumbersome for many people in bowhunting situations, there is a simple way to utilize this shooting method for the hunting woods.

Back when I used to walk the string for bowhunting, I tuned my bow for my 20-yard crawl. I then secured a second nock point at that location so that I could get my hand on the string properly without taking my eyes off the animal. For minor distances variations closer or further than 20 yards, I simply aimed slightly lower or higher.

This is somewhat of a hybrid system between string-walking and gap shooting, but it eliminates some of the potential pitfalls of pure string-walking in bowhunting situations. Your tuning and finger placement never changes, and you simply draw, point, and shoot. If you're looking to change your shooting method, you may want to give this system a try.