is this stupid

[nkw880]

the other day i was reading traditional hunters handbook and was reading about the dominant eye test well after sitting int he car doing the test i was perplexed to find that i am left eye dominant and now after shooting today i realized it  may be true because i kept hitting to the right about two inches i have always shot right handed guns bows i cast right handed throw right handed but now i want to try to shoot left handed problem is i dont know any left handed shooters so i was wondering if anyone had a bow that i could shoot thats a lefty i dont care what poundage condition would just like to try    thanks  Nick

[lpcjon2]

It may be easier to adjust the bow to compensate for the right side arrow hits then to train yourself to shoot a whole different way.IMHO I would keep with whats worken and fine tune it.

[Ken Taylor]

Wish I could help you out but I guess I'm too far away.

I am right-handed and left eye dominant too. I started shooting right handed as a kid and switched over about 21 years ago.No regrets!

Both sides were o.k. (as a few knowledgeable people claim) but left is better for me.

[Kanuck]

I think I read somewhere that Howard Hill shot right handed but was left eye dominant.  Didn't seem to hurt his shooting any!

I think that hitting to the right might have more to do with the spine of your arrows than which eye is dominant.

[Covey]

A fella I used to shoot with, was left handed and right eye dominate. He shot left and was one of the best, most natural shot's I ever saw. Shooting 4" group's at 40 yard's was nothing. He made me jealous every time I shot with him!! Jason

[reddogge]

Shooting a rifle would give you the same problem as a bow, hitting left of the target unless you closed your left eye.  If you are left eye dominant shooting right handed your arrows should hit left of the target.  Try it once.  Close your right eye and pretend to aim a bow at an object.  Open your right eye and close the left and your front hand will jump to the left which is the path of the arrow.

[bowmofo]

Where is Greenville, Ohio ? Im in NE Ohio and have a few lefty you can shoot

[ChuckC]

I think you would be shocked how quickly you might take to shooting lefty.  I can shoot either way, for the same reason as you stated.  The hardest part for me was getting over the weird feeling of anchoring lefty.  Shooting was no problem.
ChuckC

[30coupe]

I have heard that it makes little to no difference if you are shooting instinctively. If you shoot a shotgun right handed, shooting a bow right handed shouldn't be any different.

My daughter is cross dominant too, but she shoots right handed. When she started, she would shoot well for a few shots, then one would take off on her (to the left by the way...and high too as a rule). After she worked on her form (blank bale from about two yards), hitting was no problem. She loves her bow and doesn't want to change.

If you have the bow you want, I'd work on form, make sure your arrows are spined correctly and not worry about it.

By the way, Fred Bear was right handed and I believe right eye dominant, but switched to lefty due to an injury. He did okay.    

[Raging Water]

I am right eye dominant and right handed. My Dad is left handed. He wanted to try Trad Archery so, I bought him a couple of left handed bows. Before I shipped them to him, I tried it out. I got real close to the target, maybe 10 feet away. I shot no where near where I thought I was shooting. Then, I used three fingers under to bring the arrow up high on my cheek and I closed my right eye, bam! Bullseye!

The important part of the story is..... you can shoot either side, you just have to make adjustments to how you shoot. Find out what works for you.

I keep one lefty around for fun. Plus, I think it helps me draw a RH bow because I am strengthening  both sides of my back muscles. Marlon Torres suggests this as a way to increase your draw power.

BTW, its kind of cool to be able to shoot both sides. I did that at a 3 D Shoot - on the range - and then everybody tried it.

[Encino Man]

I,m in the same boat your in Nick. Right handed and left eye dominant. Although I generally agree that when shooting instinctive it doesn't make a difference. On occasion I will focus with the wrong eye and I will miss by a good 6".

I do find that I shoot more naturally left handed. I have a friend that shoots left handed for just your reason. Ironically, I can pick up his bow and generally out shoot him with his own bow.

I'm just too darn cheap to spring for a new bow. I would like to find an old 40-45# left hand re-curve to play with though.

[bofish-IL]

I have shot right handed left eye dominant for years. I had to learn to adjust my shots. Then I thought the heck with it and switched left handed. My shooting improved and everything felt more natural. It took a couple weeks to stop pulling the arrow off the shelf as I pulled the bow back. Several people I know that had switched told me I would not regret it and they were right. Within a couple days I was shooting better than I ever did right handed. I still get the right hand bows out and shoot some just to see if I can.

[hunt it]

Your shooting will improve if you make this switch. This has been proven over and over with shotgun shooters. Many a young person that is right handed and left eye dominant got SHOWN to shoot right handed as pops was a righty as well. Great to have ability to shoot both ways. I think once you make the switch you won't go back. Good luck.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

You can always shut your left eye to shoot. It isn't a sin, and it works.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I meant if you want to learn to gap.

[Al Natural]

A person looses depth perception by closing one eye. Shooting instinctive requires both eyes open. I don't know how long you have been shooting but the sooner you switch the easier it will be.
Al

[mickeys4]

I read where Fred Bear was right eye dominate shot lefty.Compensated by building out the strike plate.

[jonathan creason]

I just made the switch to lefty for this very reason.  It really hasn't been too hard to shoot, since you're using the bigger muscles to draw.  The hardest part for me has been the dexterity in my left hand when trying to nock an arrow.