Point of aim or aiming point ?

[BT]

These are two different things and something I had long ago forgotten about due to the fact that I don't make errors ;D

I did however do it twice in the last two days while tuning a recurve and it occurred to me that some beginners or even some more seasoned archers have not considered this.

The first sign :
It happens when you take aim with your perfectly sighted bow and suddenly you are hitting to the left or right yet the high/low remains intact.

For some , after a number of shots (which group perfectly off the mark) they just change the sight and wonder why it was needed.

Down the road (perhaps days or weeks or months) suddenly it happens again

If you had marked the original spot that your sights were set at , then most likely you would see that you are now , right back where you started

WHY!?!

Well there are times when it has nothing to do with hand position on the bow or this or that but rather it is all in the eye

The way you view the shot picture will change the point of aim and that is what happens alot of the time.

I have found that most shooters who complain of this constant changing of the sight to achieve point of impact are first setting up their sight pins by concentrating on the pin in relation to the target/bulls eye/line,ect..

Now this works just fine but what happens when you now change your point of focus and look at the target and view the pin in the secondary ?....you guessed it

I recommend (hard as it may be) to adjust the sight to hit the point of aim while your focus is on the target item.

When done properly the pin could best be described as being viewed in the peripheral.

This is what is going to happen with the majority of hunters when they draw on a deer anyway because the deer has become the point of intense concentration and the pin will indeed then be in the secondary.

The bigger the deer the more so....bet on it

Now.... there are Ice men out there (like myself) who have taken so many deer that it's like sweeping the floor.
For myself , point of aim based on the pin certainly would be just fine and perhaps better but I still don't do it because I could still be surprised once more.

[lockmaster]

Good one..

I learned years ago from an "old timer" to always concentrate on the intended target and keep the sight pin secondary. If we learn to do that whether shooting targets or stump shooting or whatever, accuracy will definitely improve and be consistent. Then when the animal steps out and presents the shot, you will be use to that kind of aiming!

Just like driving a car! If you look at an object long enough as you are driving, you will tend to steer toward it. (so the saying...keep your eyes on the road)

If you concentrate on the sight pin and try to ease off the shot as the pin passes over the "bulls eye" you will no doubt suffer inconsistency in your placement of the shots.

[michihunter]

Gotta look where you want the arrow to go. Pure and simple.

[wapitij]

I have been working on this after reading it on another site. What has been working for me is to draw and aim with both eyes open. It takes a little practice, but the rewards are great. It might cause someone grief if they do not aim with their dominant eye. I then focus on the target and the pin becomes just a Phantom that I overlay on the target. I am not sure why, but when shooting ground squirrels the "in between the pins" distances have become much easier to hit! Groups have tightened and my "target panic" issues have also cleared Now I don't know why I ever did it any other way!

[BT]

By the way...welcome wapitij !

[decoy]

Was wondering if any body else from Idaho hunted with stick and string. Welcome wapitij. Just don't get to buying land nx. to 2 Chucks2 cause I've already got dibbies on it.