Trad Bow: Gap Shooting vs Instintcive Aiming

I've been shooting for a couple of months using instinctive aiming. I haven't seen any improvement for a few weeks, so today I tried gap shooting. I was all over the place initially, but by the end of my shooting session I cut my group size in half. I also quit getting the occasional wild shot I usually have.

I'm going to stick with gap shooting for now. Hopefully today wasn't a fluke. I'll probably still use instinctive aiming for bow fishing.

IMO, very few people truly shoot instinctive. They have a reference point of some sort, whether its the arrow tip, riser, etc. Plenty of ways to skin the cat, as long as you have consistent form. I personally wouldn't gap shoot or string walk for hunting, but just shooting targets at known distance can be very accurate.

Atoler is right. The best thing that helped me was to ditch the block target and shoot at a 3D deer target at known distances. You'll eventually realize where you are holding and your mind will instinctively take over. Lots of repetition = muscle memory.

Im a split vision gap shooter..or at least thats what i think i am..i been doin this now for over a decade and i just have in the past couple years fojnd what i consider to be my most accurate method..and i think its the way alot of trad hunters shoot..instinctive and snap shooting is kinda silly..i have never seen anybody really be consistently accurate..some are an thats amazing..but most arent..i finally learned to basically understand exactly what i want to hunt with weight wise..thne tht arra til it flies perfect..then start backin up and find exactly where the point on is versus the tip of my arra..and scoot in..after awhile..your mind starts to adjust the gap for you..subconsciously I suppose..its like a cross between gap and instinctive i guess..where you know exactly what your arra is gonna do flight wise..you focus on what you wanna hit..and your mind kinda fills in the gap..its weird..and i cant hit didly past 25yds..but under that..realistic hunting distances..im pretty accurate.

I just recently got into traditional archery. I’m using a fixed crawl. YouTube has helped me a bunch. I got the fixed crawl idea from The Push on YouTube.

The other day wasn't a fluke. This has done more to improve my shooting than anything else I've done. I probably won't deer hunt with a trad bow next season, but that is the ultimate goal.

I was always using my arrow tip as a reference point while "instinctive shooting", but now I focus on it and use it to help guide my shot. I'm not using a well defined gap, so there is still some instinctiveness involved. I'm coming to the conclusion that I need to put in the time and find what works for my eyes and my brain. I'll spend the next few months playing with different methods and see what works best.

I plan on setting up some 3D targets on my land, but I just bought the property and probably won't get around to it this year. Does anyone how well 3D targets work as decoys during the rut? I'm hoping those things serve two roles.

Another thing that needs work is my release. The only thing that has worked for me so far is to not think about it. Do the fancy gloves offer much benefit? I've just been using a mechanix glove, since that is the glove I prefer to wear while deer hunting.

IMO a tab makes it easier to have a clean release than gloves.

Ill tell you..i thought my release was the issue for a long time..i tried tabs and gloves..i finally figured out that a poorly tuned arrow was my problem..i still have bad releases with my glove..but only when i shoot too much..somethin to chew on in the smorgasbord of trad bow piddlin

I did like the tab too tho..and i think alot of people like to hunt with a tab

Instinctive shooting takes thousands and thousands of arrows and everyday type practice. It is such a thing, but it happens without you even knowing it. Just about everybody uses something as reference. I used my arrow tip for the longest, but obviously the tip isn’t pointing at full draw where your arrow will hit. Once you get a feel for where your arrow hits in relation to the point, then you begin to only see the point in your peripheral and you’ll solely be focused on the target. Later that can translate into full on instinctive, but no body just picks up a bow as a newbie and hits where their eyes are looking.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Very good advice above

I think I'll try a finger tab. Looks more convenient for hunting than those bulky gloves do. I have nerve damage in my right middle finger from a previous injury, so I should stop using a mechanix glove, especially when I have the 50lb limbs on. I don't shoot the 50lb limbs often yet, but I put them on occasionally just to see how it feels.

I haven't noticed any issues with my release yet, but I find it hard to believe that I'm doing right without any training.

My bow is poorly tuned lol. I just eyeballed the nocking point and arrow rest placement. I plan on getting a bow square in the near future.

If my mind is in the right place, I can consistently hit a 4" circle at 12 yards. I still need to improve a lot before I'm ready to deer hunt, but I feel like that's pretty good for someone who drew a bow for the first time a couple of months ago. I've definitely been putting in the time. It's actually becoming a problem, chores are not getting done lol.

I've been thinking about paying for lessons, and should probably do it soon before bad habits set in. Any recommendations for one in the Huntsville area?

I killed my first deer with a recurve in 1976 and have shot them ever since. I had never heard of a fixed crawl until a couple of years ago but I swear by it now, regardless of your aiming method

I shoot purely instinctive. No reference points or anything. I stare a whole through the spot I’m shooting for, draw, and release. I started shoot’n traditional in the 90’s. I like the ability to pick a spot then shooting it without aiming. To me, it’s like throwing a baseball or football.

I used to could shoot my red rider from the hip and hit 2 liter bottles up to 30 yards every time lol...I thought about trying with my bow but I ain't got that much time anymore I have to use a reference just to land on the block...I just stick with sights for hunting

As some of you know. I’ve decided to try and put the fun and excitement back into deer hunting. I broke my old 50 plus year old recurve back out in hopes of killing a buck with it. I was attempting to gap shoot and my group was all over the place. I’m 65 years old and have never heard of a fixed crawl till I read this post. It has made a huge difference in my accuracy. I’m still not Fred Bear but I’m sure looking forward to bow season for the first time in years. Any buck in my 15 to 20 yard range limit will be an exciting challenge.

I shot semi instinctive for several years. Shot well some days and stunk it up on others. Was way too inconsistent and missed a pile of deer. Started shooting a gap with 3-under and it took a bit but, I was way better and even on off days I was way more consistent.

I would suggest that you go with what works for you.

In the 70s a lot of guys used sights on their recurves.
I look where I want to hit and shoot. Good form is the foundation of accuracy regardless of what method you use.

Check your eye dominance...my brother is right handed but is left eye dominant, he switched to shooting left handed.