Instinctive shooting

Btaylor

WKR
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
2,450
Location
Arkansas
I shoot an instinctive, pick-a-point, split vision, gap...

I have painstakingly dabbled in all the aiming methods and use the one that's best suited for the shot I have in front of me.

For example, if I'm on the 3d coursr under 15 yards I instinctive aim. 15 to 30 I split vision shoot and 30 plus i gap shoot. If I'm having a rough day, I may switch to pick-a-point.

If I'm hunting and every shot is under 30, I split vision or instinctive.

If I'm shooting paper indoors I either split vision or pick-a-point.

I reccomend all of them for new trad archers. One will likely work the best for them and their style of shooting, but being able to use a different one when needed is important.
I can identify with this. I shoot 3 under against the bottom nock at 25 and there is a gap that I recognize but dont aim with. I have a crawl that covers 16-23 where the gap basically the same as the one at 25. So for shots from 16-25 the shot picture looks almost exactly the same. 15 and in is instinctive. Whitetail hunting I try to position myself for 16-18 yard shots because that distance fits my eye well and I like the shot angle from a tree.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
1,148
Location
Texas
Everyone uses something to aim with, whether it's conscious or subconscious. A lot of guys that want to shoot instinctive would benefit from trying out some type of hard gap aiming system for a few days, then going back to instinctive. The subconscious brain is good at aiming. It's better if you establish a fixed frame of reference for the shot, THEN hand the aim maintenance over to autopilot, and focus on consciously on your shot execution.
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
748
Location
Idaho Panhandle
I kinda shoot instinctive, but I’d call it more split vision I suppose. It works great for me… with some caveats.

I shoot a lot at known distances, not always with a bow and always 25 yards and in. I work in law enforcement where pistol shooting is all done at 25 and in, so I’ve gotten really good at judging that distance. I’ve adapted all my bow hunting to that range. It’s created essentially a “go” or “no-go” for me when I raise my bow.
 

Dyoung46

FNG
Joined
Jul 20, 2023
Messages
10
I have shot instinctively with a compound before... Some days I could group them in a 3" group at forty and then other times it was all over the place. As I am moving into shooting trad I will probably work on a specific aiming method initially... Especially since I don't have a lot of time to devote to consistent practice which I feel is very important for instinctive shooting.
 
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