Life should be about the process. All we really have is this one particular moment in time. Nothin else exists... it's either over or hasnt happened yet.
I love the feel of a lively bow in my hand, the flight of the arrow, and hitting my mark. I get lost in it all. There is no place I feel more at peace in the moment than with my bow in the woods.
My opinion is that choosing an aiming system makes it all about the end result and takes away from the process. I practice because I love to shoot and so I do it alot. the more I shoot, the more my brain picks up on every little nuance and my shooting becomes increasingly instinctive. I dont have to think of ANYTHING aside from the spot I intend to hit. My mind and body does everything else for me.
Now this can be accomplished over time by aiming as well. But the mental process is still there. I believe it takes LONGER to become instinctively proficient using aiming techniques because there are more conscious mental processes that one must, through practice and over time, have move to a subconscious.
Who cares you say, as long as you getter done? Well, the joy of instinctive traditional bowhunting is in the experience of the bow becoming a natural extension of the man and facing an animal in his natural environment. Equals. The man has the benefit of intellect and reason, while the animal has the benefit of instinct and far superior senses.
The more technology we utilize and the more we look to increase the odds in our own favor, the less traditional is our experience.
I would encourage anyone who is beginning in trad archery to NOT stand in front of a target... to NOT aim... and to THINK as little as possible. Further, I recommend choosing a bow that is physically light enough that it can be carried all day long without even being aware that its in your hand, aside from the joy of it. I also recommend a bow that has a grip that fits the hand so perfectly that there are no noticeable pressure points. It should be an extension of you. A part of you. Ive never had a bow that I didnt have to carve at a bit to fit me perfectly.
I recommend that you resist the urge to shoot more than one arrow at any given target from the same distance. The more you change up the distances and positions and settings the better.
The first time I hunted the open tundra was a real eye opener. There is NOTHING to use as a point of reference. The brain is a wonderous thing. We dont realize how much it takes in. One day we were shooting our way across the tundra to reach a river. We were taking turns picking spots, usually these littel cotton ball things that sit atop little stems. At about the same time, we realized that we were shooting 60 and 80 yard shots and hitting what we were looking at. That wouldnt happen in the woods at home. Too many distractions for the brain to totally focus enough at those kinds of distances.
The point is that only by getting out in the woods and shooting with the distractions, do we force the brain to pick up all the points of reference and use our depth percetion to begin to develop the unconscious calculations the brain makes for us, instinctively. By putting the time in where I want to be anyway, it just becomes second nature. You look at a spot, draw, and hit it.
I just cant see shooting 6 arrows at a time at a twenty yard target for that tight group, and that readily translating into proficiency in the field.
Just my opinion. Sorry for the long rant.
Topic: Instinctive, or aiming for hunting (Read 6959 times)
