Learning to shoot at longer range

[LONGSTYKES]

I shoot well at 20yds and under for hunting. But I would like to start shooting 3D and tighten up my grouping. I am blind in my left eye and therefore have no depth perception. Don't know if this will hinder me in my quest to shoot longer ranges. Any input Thanks Don

[Covey]

I don't realy have any input, but I wish you all the luck in the world. Hope you can hit at 50 same as 20! Good shooting, Jason

[crunch]

I don't really know what to suggest, but maybe a gapping method of aiming. Is there some way to do a relative comparison of the size of different critters and some sort of frame of reference on your bow?
I'm not sure this makes sense.
I guess as quick a setup as possible might help too.

Good luck

[stevewills]

if you can shoot light arrows,that way you have less dropout.i shoot heavy arrows for hunting(712 grain)out of a 56lbs. bow that i use no form of sighting.now for 3d i shoot a 45 lbs.ilf with a 370 grain arrow and i string walk..i shoot ibo so i have to shoot the aided class..some thought on some options

[bendbig]

I would take along time before a shot and look at something around the target to get a reference to size comparison between it and whatever the target is.

[J-dog]

Are you shooting right handed? It was your left eye you lost?

I think you'll actually smoke targets. I THINK?? Know the depth percetion thing will be rough, but if your good eye is above the arrow I think you'll be great with practice.

Dan Fitzgerald - (love him or hate him, no business here), was a one eye shooter. Look him up.

J

[bigugly1]

I have no info for you but I will say have fun. I love shooting long range with my recurve. Club I belong to has a lot of trad shooters and many times we will shoot from compound markers and we have a blast!

[Van/TX]

Don, it won't hinder you in the least.  The depth perception thing with the one eye is a myth as far as I'm concerned.  Good luck...Van

[Bjorn]

A friend of mine has a blind eye and is a very good shot -hunting and 3D. Takes practice for all of us.

[DaveKing]

Judging distance with a single eye can certainly be done as there are cues other than binocular reference.

  A doctor I knew some years back was a paratrooper type in the Army and had vision in but one eye.  Children with Amblyopia may take some time to learn distance judging but they often eventually come around well using other cues, "... in the environment, such as size, overlapping of images, and speed of objects in relation to more distant objects".

[Archer Fanatic]

Just to give you some encouragement. A young guy use to come to our shoots from Dayton, Ohio area and he was blind in one eye and he won most of the time. He always said that his blind eye did not hinder him at in judging distance. His shooting form was outstanding.

[Steve Clandinin]

Lighten up the arrows abit ,then practice,practice,practice,You'll be surprised in no time how your groups will shrink.Form is everything.The instinctive mind is a wonderful tool.

[reddogge]

I was born with amblyopia but it never hindered me shooting a bow, rifle, pistol, shotgun.  Now judging a baseball coming at me....that is a different story.

[stalkin4elk]

Masters Of The Barebow video series discusses a variety of techniques mixed with some distance shooting. Great learning aid.

[capt eddie]

I am blind in my right eye also. Shooting a bow right handed at longer ranges is no more of a problem then close range.  As a matter of fact, If I want to make myself feel good I will back up to about 50 yards and call my son and grandson over so they can see me lobbing the arrows in the target.  It is like cheating having the arrow point to use in gaging elevation. Depth problems come in play when I try do pour a cup of coffee and can't hit the cup. Not at 50 yards.

[LONGSTYKES]

Thanks for all the encouragement fellows. I'll try shooting  from various ranges, lots of practice. And yes I am right handed. Don

[Flying Dutchman]

I am right handed. I shoot 3D. Distances till 60 yards. A year ago I lost my eyesight on my left eye, due to MS. It recovered a bit but I am still not looking good with it.
All you need is practice, program your brains. Make the distance bigger step by step. On short distances I shoot purely instinctive, looking at the target only, at bigger distances, I shoot split-vision. This happened automaticaly with me. I think my focus is for 75% on the target then and 25% on the arrowpoint. I "put" the arrowpoint on the target.

Another thing to remember is your FOC. Where you use for hunting a large FOC, like 20% or more, we use for 3D in the range from 7-9%.
Most 11/32 wooden arrows with a 100 grains fieldtip will give you this. You can also use Stu Miller's dynamic spine calculator.

Any questions left? Shoot!

[LONGSTYKES]

Ad: Thanks for the information. Sorry for the loss of your eye. Mine is from birth so I probably will have an easyier time learning the process. I'll try the lower FOC. Thanks for the help Don

[Flying Dutchman]

Don,

I never experienced the lost of my eye as a handicap as far as bowshooting is concerned. As we shoot instinctive it doesn't matter much. Your aiming device is in your brains. If you trust that, you can come to amazing results. Today at training I hit the nock of an arrow which was in the pack already.It exploded and all I found back were fragments.This was on 25 yards. On the back side of my arrow, where the nock was, you can see a deep grove of the point.

If I can be of any further help, just contact me!

Ad

[ren sarns]

WHen I shoot, I close my left eye.  Get good at judging distance using a method such as 20 yard intervals,  that should get you in the ballpark on the distance and then have fun.  Learn to use a gap technique for aiming,  that will help immensely.  I know my point on is at 50 yards, and then my gaps short of 50 and beyond are learned from practice and more practice.