aiming

[crooketarrow]

   I think PAT said you can not shoot or aim instintive'lly with out both eyes open. VERY TRUE
 
  Only a bow with a sight can be shot with one eye.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Not VERY TRUE at all, Roy. Go put an eye patch on and shoot a bow. 

[make-n-break]

I like both eyes open, split vision method. Split vision is best described by Howard Hill, as Eric mentioned.

[ty_in_ND]

I think it comes down to personal preference and how much you practice with either one eye or both.  For me, whether it's instinctive, sighting down an arrow, peep and sight, open sights, or through a scope, I have both eyes open.   If anything, it's just more relaxing having both eyes open (if I close my left eye, I tend to squeeze it shut, which then leads to me tensing up a touch throughout my body).

[crooketarrow]

  Both eyes open,mussel memory, pick a spot,  There's only one aiming spot that increases your odds. Use the crease of the front leg.

  This really helps, instinctive aiming,shooting. The horizontal plan of a deers back will draw your eyes at last min. in the excitement everytime if your not really contrating. Think about how many times you've shot over a deers back or you spined him. Some people just can't get over it kinda like target panic. But but 100 times easier to be taken care of.

 Cooketarrow taught me to forget about every thing else. And when you pick that spot to aim. Make it the vertical line, crease or shadow of the back of the front leg.

 He said all Iroquois way before him was taught to aim like this. Boy did I fell stupid,I'd been bow hunting 10,12 years. And really thought I was a buck hunter. A 60 year old looked like he dressed out of someones dirty laundry. Could or would know such a thing.

  He amazed me the way he still hunted TRAILS TO OR FROM FOOD TO BEDS. Until he'd see a deer coming. He wouldn't stalk the deer but a place to where the deer go past him. For a easy 10,12 yard shot after the deer go's past.

 BREAK  I use to work for a surveyor knew and hunted with HOWARD HILL. That was early 90's I had target panic. He was a HILL freak. Had 5 bows build by HILL. If HILL had it he did also. He killed a amazing 13 pointer with a HILL BOW.

 I told him about target panic. He said shit I've got your salvation. I learned to shoot Hill way of aiming. It's SWEETTT with a few draw backs. You have to KNOW your distance, but with a range finder. Hill used aiming rangefinder using a hand

 I could shoot foot groups at 50 yards with a selfbow, little better some days. I thought I'd found that little edge everyones looking for with all the 100's of gadgets you have to have to kill deer bucks for some.

 Second and worst a selfbow hunter with a range finder.

   Anything around 20 and under. You shoot instinctive. My way of setting up it's all 12,15 yard shots. Out of 40 selfbow bucks farthest was 17 yards. Closest 3 yards couple under 10, but mostly I like to set up 12 to 15 yards.

  But I went back to instinctive naturally. I didn't take the step back to selfbows. To kill my BUCKS at 50 yards. I have no desire to ever kill my bucks at 25,30 yards. Not how my set ups work.

  But for what ever reason I cured my target panic. I know for a fact shooting longer distances is one of the main reasons for target panic. Another reason is when the time comes down to that last 5 seconds. And you know your going to get a shot. Target panic sets in because you think your going to let the BUCK pass before you get a shot off. So you hurry the shot forget about everything.

  It took me years and a lot of shots at BUCKS. To be totally calm For years I'd just do it. Bam the arrows in the buck. What really helped me was when I start picking the exact spot I wanted him to be when I took the shot.

I've shot 9 bucks at the exactly where I picked where he's be standing, or moving past.

 Sorry everytime I do a few shots of that clear stuff. I'll go on and on.

[Chief RID]

I have got more instinctive in the last 3 years but I still try to get my eye over the arrow and hold that alignment through the shot. I am a horrible wing shot with the shotgun and I think it spills over to my archery. I had to aim (gap shooting) to get he feel of hitting where I wanted to and then just do a checklist of things to maintain form and shoot instinctive at hunting distances. When I am shooting a lot and want to move beyond hunting distances I can but when not shooting a lot I have to revert back to gap shooting. A lot has to do with set-up and I am working on that now. I think it is hard for older folks. Not only does the mind slow down but the body too.

[crooketarrow]

  GAP SHOOTING ONLY WORKS IF YOU KNOW THE DISTANT.

  Not a hunting metod of aiming. Target across the yard when you know the distances.

  Dont beleive me go's stump shooting and try gap shooting.

[Pappy]

I know it seems I always disagree with you crooketarrow and I really don't mean it in a bad way but sometimes you are just not correct in what you post, I don't gap shoot but know lots of people that do and it is a very effective way to hunt or shoot a bow. Yes you need to know distance but you also need to know distance with any sight system type bow, compound with sights for example . Though you may not agree it's hard for anyone to say they aren't an effective way to hunt and so is gap shooting.  Some including me may not want to use them but they are still very very effective. 
 Pappy

[Chief RID]

Yea. It would be hard to argue with some proficient bow hunters that gap shoot. Jimmy B. is an inspiration and sure has a lot of info that has helped me hit where I want to when I do my part. Having a hold that puts the arrow in the kill zone, aiming at the same spot for 15 yds is huge. I don't think my set up is doing that. That is what I am striving for now. I feel like if I can get that set up I will be really effective from 15 to 25 yds. I am already very effective inside 15 yds.

[Pappy]

Ya Chief Jimmy was one of the ones I was talking about, most times a deer or anything else gets with in 20 yards of him it is going to be a bad day for them. He misses like everyone else, just not very often.
 Pappy

[loon]

I don't get what you mean by the front leg crease or line... ah, the front leg of the deer? but how does that help with shooting over the deer?

I guess for gap shooting you have to get good at estimating distances

[Chief RID]

We should all be really good at estimating what our hunting distances are no matter what kind of shooter you are. How else would you know the animal is in your predetermined hunting range? If you know that your point of aim is the same throughout your prescribed hunting distance then you are golden. Very effective. It makes this much easier if your equipment is set up for the flattest part of the trajectory of you arrow is at your hunting distance. Watch some of Jimmy B's Youtube stuff and it will open a whole new world of accuracy. Or at least you will have something fun to watch and make you think at the same time. Simple stuff that he presents very well.

[bradsmith2010]

if your hunting shots are less than 20 yards there is not alot of estimating to do,, or even 15,,,

[bow101]

+3   keep both eyes open focus on the target and arrow tip.

I like both eyes open, split vision method. Split vision is best described by Howard Hill, as Eric mentioned.

I read that article about Hill in a recent bow mag.  Even if I was younger I dont think I could pull an 80# bow relentlessly and do it for most of the day.