Shooting a Compound Instinctively

Any of you fellers shoot this way with your compound, or have done so successfully in the past? Just curious. Ran across a few of the older Dan Fitzgerald videos this weekend and it got me wondering how many folks do this besides them.

I couldn't hit the side of the barn trying to do it that way.

two of my friends do it that way and are deadly.

If it wasn't for taking shots past 20 yards, I wouldn't have a sight on my bow.

I played around a little with a recurve last year, and got to where I could hit a pie plate consistently at 20 yards. Never really confident enough to hunt with it. I sold it and went back to the compound this year with sights. I'm thinking about trying to learn to shoot a little this off-season instinctively with a bare compound.

You couldn't hardly shoot with fingers with the new short bows. Finger pinch would be terrible. I've shot older compounds instinctively.

One of the issues with traditional bows is consistent form/draw length. On a compound that typically is not an issue. However, release and arrow spine become very important if you shoot with fingers.

I've known several people that shot compounds instinctively and were deadly.

Good luck!

I used to have one I played around with. It was easier than using a recurve. It was an old steel cables bow though and when one of the teardrops broke I just never fixed it. It was a longer bow than some of these newer ones, put a NAP center rest on it and I was decent to 30. I shoot recurves and long bows pretty much daily though. It takes a commitment to become proficient same as with a recurve, you just have the let off and flatter trajectory of the arrow. I could keep rambling but I won't. Try it it's fun. Just make sure you have a good backstop😀

Why would you shoot with fingers? You can shoot instinctive with a release. Gap shooting you would need to revert to fingers.

what I was thinking..

I always thought "shooting instinctively" just meant you have a 30 yard pin that is on. You know you shoot this much high at 37 or this much low at 22. etc.

I used to shoot recurves some when I was a kid. Haven't touched one in years, only compounds. I wouldn't trust my instinctive shooting if my life depended on it.

I do when I'm bowfishing. But that's a 10yrd shot max.

Don't know why you couldn't gap shoot with a release.

My point was that the only reason to shoot instinctively in the first place would be if you wanted to simplify things. I suppose you could do that any way you want. People use to shoot recurves with releases and sights and arrow rests or any combination.You could do the same with a compound except that short compounds would make finger shooting very difficult because of string angle.

It means shooting without aiming or aiming devices at all/without using a point of reference. I don’t worry about distance at all when I shoot. I just know the arrow is going where I’m looking. As for the question, I only use a recurve and shoot it instinctively. I assume I could do the same with a compound, but I haven’t really tried.

My understanding of purely instinctive shooting is akin to throwing a baseball. It's something you just learn to do that is hard to explain how it works.

I'm sure there's someone a lot smarter than I who can scientifically explain what goes on, ha.

It has everything to do with hand/eye/brain coordination. An old adage with instinctive shooting is a really good instinctive shooter should be able to snuff a candle out in total darkness without being able to see his hands or the arrow. I think the easiest way to explain it is that you can point your finger at that flame in total darkness and while pointing, turn on the lights and find yourself right at it more times than not. That’s instinctive shooting in a nut shell.

But, there’s also an old adage that “I’d rather see a bowhunter shoot a compound well than a stick bow poorly.” There’s no shame in aiming.

Excellent explanation. ^^^

There's a lot of debate about instinctive shooting VS aiming. I shoot recurves and longbows without sights and without a release but I aim. I don't take conscious thought about where my arrow tip is but it is definitely a reference point for left ,right and height.

That's probably the way a majority of trad bowhunters shoot.

I shoot a longbow instinctive and do pretty good to 20 yards as well. Past 20 yards and it's a crap shoot. I'm left eye dominant, shooting right handed with both eyes open. Some of the trad guys I've shot around don't see how I do it.

Shaw that would be tough. I can shoot left or right handed but am right eye dominant so I stick with the RH bows. I'm usually 9-10 ring up to 25-30 yards but it isn't as consistent so I keep my shots on deer to 20 and below. The cover I hunt won't usually allow me a longer shot than that anyway

Don't let it discourage you. Howard Hill shot right hand and was left eye dominant.

Oh it doesn't. One of these seasons I'm going to get serious about it and kill one with it.

I did for years. Killed stuff too.

I'm also left eye dominant but shoot my recurves instinctively (snap shoot) right handed, never look at the arrow, if u do u r aiming. Consistent form very important.and yes, just like throwing a baseball, you're not aiming but focused on the target and my effective range was that distance from the pitchers mound to hone plate.

Look up Rick Welch on YouTube. He shoots a recurve, but you get a lot of info on form and how to shoot instinctively.

I don't care how anyone shoots as long as they can hit the target. I wouldn't however tell someone not to look at the arrow because that would be aiming.What difference does it make as long as they can hit the target?

There's a bunch of BS that goes on at trad shoots about how a person shoots and if it's really trad archery.IMHO most of it boils down to some guys who can't shoot trying to tell someone who can that they aren't doing it right.

Personally,I don't think it should matter how a person shoots as long as they are using the same equipment. I've seen the trad police try to disqualify someone because they were gap shooting. I mean the guy was shooting the same equipment as the instinctive shooter and took no longer to make the shot but the instinctive guy wanted the gap shooter disqualified because he wasn't doing it right. What it amounted to really was that the gap shooter was a better shot than the instinctive guy and he was pissed because of it.

If instinctive shooting is really better let the targets decide.

As a side note the thread title is "Shooting a Compound Instinctively"[b][/b].

I understand what you are saying, though.

Yea,I nearly went on a rant there.LOL

It isn't better or worse. It's just 2 different ways to shoot a trad bow. The point is, some people have practiced to shoot instinctively and do so very well while some haven't and need to stick to gap shooting. There is no right or wrong way.

In defense of the instinctive shooters, gap shooting is easier to learn. To him it was probably the equivalent of shooting against a compound shooter with sights at 35 yards. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with gap shooting, it's just different and easier to learn. It's why most people gap shoot. I can do both and I'm accurate. I have hunted trad since I started hunting at age 12 and learned to shoot instinctive so I should be able to hit where I am looking.

If you can hit what your aiming for gap shooting, then gap shoot. If you can't keep a majority of your shots in the center on a target instinctive shooting, then you have no business hunting that way. Stick to gap shooting. People in the trad community are weird about it. You're always going to have someone who is more purist than you and I agree, it's annoying.

I honestly don't see any advantage or disadvantage in either. I shoot where I'm looking too. I also shoot those thrown in the air foam discs with a flu flu, but I also use my arrow as a reference. It's just an unconscious thing most times.

Lots of trad police around preaching about what's traditional and what ain't. Some have given me crap about shooting a metal riser ILF. Those same hypocrites don't think about the fact that their string is made from one of the most technologically advanced materials on earth.

I agree with you. I have dealt with it too. I use a Black Widow and will always use a Black Widow. An older guy that used to be in our club and made his own bows gave me crap about using a bow I didn't make. Another older guy that is still in our club and makes his own doesn't care. Granted, he was my other uncle in the club and he was just poking fun, but it shows the differences even in the traditional community. I don't care what you use as long as you use it well.

But no, there isn't an advantage/disadvantage to either. It's just what you do better. If you are a better gap shooter, it's your advantage to shoot that way. If I was better at gap shooting, that's what I would do. I'm shooting without sights and a let off regardless and to me that's a skill to be proud of. Not digging on wheel bows in that last sentence.

Instinctive or GAP it doesn't matter, one has to make that individual decision.

I have always shot instinctive when using traditional equipment, I am working on range now, but even when I use(D) a compound with sights I tried keeping all shots at game inside of 20 yards and that has worked pretty well for 40 years. So basically, I am not losing or gaining anything between technology or lack there of.

At this point I want simple.

I can understand that. I enjoy all kinds of stickbows. I've got 8 or 10 . My main hunting bow is a Black Widow PLX longbow. I also shoot and make selfbows. I also own several target ILF bows. The main reason i enjoy them more than a compound is the skill and practice that it takes to shoot them well. It gives me more of a sense of accomplishment to make a great shot with a stickbow than with a compound.

RH being a fellow NW Alabaman are you familiar with Wolf Archery in Russellville? I've looked at there website a couple times, would like to give a longbow a try one day.

No sir, I'm not familiar with them. Have you shot any longbows before? One of the ASTB shoots would be a great place to try a bunch of different bows. You can shoot my Widow PL 55lbs at 28 and 62" long. PM me if you want and we will try to get together sometime and shoot.

The injuns didn't have any sights or releases. That's instinctive, they survived for years that way.

I would recommend looking up Jeff Kavanagh on YouTube as well.

I shoot a compound bow instinctively. I've used both a mechanical release and fingers, but I prefer fingers though. If you want to use a release, I would recommend a Hardcore 4 Revolution thumb release. I swapped to instinctive for a couple of reasons: less stuff to carry into the treestand, don't have to worry about a dead battery in my range finder (it happened more than once), less movement not having to range a deer, and being able to have more time to shoot in low light conditions. I am more confident in my shot making abilities without a sight than I am with one.

Nope, only shot a recurve before. Longbow just intrigues me for some reason. The Wolf Archery folks make custom longbows, not a bad price for them either. The archery pro at Shoals Outdoor was telling me about them, he has one of this guys bows. Website is www.wolf-archery.com

They look like all wood bows made by someone who doesn't know how to make all wood bows. That sounds a little bad but I absolutely would not recommend one of those based on what I can see.

I can help you build a better bow out of Osage or Hickory if you want an all wood bow. What I recommend is a laminated RD longbow that will cost you about $400 entry level. We can also make you a very good Osage bow for free if you are willing to do the work on it. I'll be happy to show you how.

This is a bamboo backed Osage I built. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner though. If you build one just build an unbacked Osage or Hickory to start.

That's a damn fine looking bow.

Great looking bow RH. Thanks for schooling me some on what's quality and not, I wouldn't know without some help. I appreciate your offer may have to take you up on that some day.

I hate to say anything about someone's work but those bows just aren't something I would recommend if they are all wood designs as I am thinking.

I wish I had some better pictures of the riser. The shelf is a glued on piece of wood covered in leather. You don't want to make a big bulky handle then cut it in half for a shelf. You want it to be small and lively in the hand. If you do that with an all wood design but cut out the shelf,it will be too weak and could break. The only way to make it strong enough to cut out a shelf is to make it big and bulky like a laminated recurve.

This guy shoot a compound instinctively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6VjVZVDxjE&t=295s

R_H, have you had any experience with Bingham Projects? I'm with you on the all wood for a novice. They sell the kits complete with laminations, black glass and maple core. I haven't researched them much but it sounds similar to the construction BW uses. You have to make the mold and press I think.

I actually ordered the Bingham plans to build one. I didn't order the materials though. If you had a few wood working tools,you can make a nice bow using a Bingham kit. Yea,you have to make a press,that uses an inflated fire hose to press the laminations. You also have to build a heated box for curing.

It would be great if you just wanted to build your own but you could buy a Samick Sage about as cheap as all the parts and building the other stuff.