Seeing the arrow point when you shoot

[Chad R]

I never paid much attention to the point of my arrow when shooting.  Then after watching both of the Masters of the Bare Bow videos I started paying attention especially on longer shots.  

I am right handed shooting a Great Northern Fireball hybrid longbow and notice that if I squint my left eye and sight down my arrow I will shoot right of the spot I am aiming at by about 8" at 25 yds.  On the videos they make it look like their point is always lined up left to right on the spot they want to hit.  

Does anyone else have this happen?  Maybe is it because I am canting my bow?  I think Rod and Larry held their bows straight up and down.

Thanks!
Chad

[Curtis Haden]

Chad, I'm certainly not in the same league with the folks on the MBB videos, but I've always "sighted" down my arrow shaft.  I don't conciously "gap" but I certainly take the windage out of the equation with my arrow shaft/point.  After that, it's just the elevation to get right.  As long as I do my job on alignment and release, it goes right where it should.

If memory serves, I think Rod and Larry both shoot 3-fingers under, which gets the arrow up higher, and closer to their eye.  I have a lower anchor point, and shoot split fingers, so like you, I tend to cant my bow some to get the arrow right under my eye.  I shoot with both eyes open, and focused on my "spot".  (I believe this is commonly referred to as "split-vision" but I just call it "what works for me"...)

By squinting with your left eye, you  may be messing up some visual references, or distorting your sight picture enough to cause the "right" misses.

Good luck, and good shooting!

Curtis

[sweet old bill]

I like to put by 2 cents in and say I have always had the same issue. I would love to see the point, but for some reason do not. If I draw the bow with 3 fingers under and close by left eye, the target does move, but then I can use the point as a sight. The bad is then you do lose some level of depth or yardage to the target. So I have been playing with looking at the target, picking a spot, draw with 3 fingers under, close  the left eye, line up the point with adjustment for distance and then release. It sure seems to help in any shot 20+ yards and over. Now if I am at a target 20 yards and under I do just as well with spilt finger draw to the corner of the mouth and shoot with both eye open..
Bill

[Deff]

Ideally, if the arrow spine is correct and everything is tuned perfectly, the arrow should line up with where it hits.  However, in the real world some sighting adjustments may need to be made. Howard Hill claimed that he aimed the arrow below and to one side of the target.  If I am hitting to one side or the other, I make sure that I have the arrow positioned directly under my eye by checking that I am looking squarely along the whole length of the arrow.  Next I will move out to my "point-on" distance and change the amount that I cant the bow until I hit right on.  I adjust the locations that my fingers rest on my face until the string is aligned in my drawing hand.  That gives me an anchor reference to repeat amount of cant required.

I alternate practicing by concentrating on aiming the arrow point one day and just "poke and hope" (looking at where I want to hit and letten loose) the next. I don't know what method I use when hunting, the shot just seams to happen. Practicing by aiming the point does help me to identify form and release problems and correct them quicker.

[wolfinshadows]

If you are hitting just a little to the right the arrow is weak. You can move the brace height up a little and that should help. My arrows were hitting a little right and I moved the cat wiskers down the string 2" braced up 1/8" and really put a lot of wax on the string. Now Iam dead on. All those little things I did  helped to make the arrow a little more stiff. Just a thought,hope this helps.

[BLACK WOLF]

Check eye dominance.

I'm right handed and right eye dominant and my arrow is directly in line with my target. If I tried closing my right eye and shot with my left eye open I would shoot left of my target...so maybe it's opposite for a right handed shooter who is left eye dominant, which could explain your right hits while squinting your left eye.

It could also be due to having to weak of an arrow shaft. Your choices than would be to decrease point weight, use an arrow with a stiffer spine, decrease your arrow's length, add weight to your bowstring, build your strike plate out, screw your cushion plunger out, and/or decrease your brace height.

Ray  

[Chad R]

Thanks a lot guys.  You certainly gave me some great things to investigate.  I'll try a different arrow and other tweaks.  I was squinting my eye a little because I don't think I have  real strong right eye dominance for a while I thought maybe I was left eye dominant.  But when I look at something far away like T J Conrads says in his book, I am right.

Chad

[zetabow]

Larry doesn't normally shoot 3 fingers under (although he may have done in the video) IFAA International Field rules Longbow has to shoot split finger.

If one eye is a lot weaker than the other you may have problems getting the arrow point on centre, I do and always shoot with both eyes open. A good example is point at something with you finger and then close one eye and see it shift over.

It's harder to get the point on with both eyes open and tend to use a blend of all aiming styles, I look at the spot and just aware of the arrow point in relation to the spot. One frustrating thing is sometimes I'm on full draw aiming on long shots and with both my eyes open they can still conflict and the arrow view suddenly shifts to the right, you have to come down and start again.

You have to experiment to find what works best for you. good luck.

[Old York]

I try & get the arrow point above my right eye, and have the point/eye/string/anchor point all in the SAME plane. In effect, the rear sight is lined up with point & target.

If the bow/arrow are spine-tuned, then that arrow shouldn't deviate much at all, left-right.