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how to shoot a compound with no sight
- Thread starter colin.704
- Start date
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- Jan 3, 2022
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- 4,274
Very interesting...
I can honestly say for my first 10-15 years of bow hunting (compound only) I never had a sight on my bow. I was purely an instinct shooter based on hundreds if not thousands of practice arrows sent downrange. Of course in those days I had time for that kind of practice. . . . not entirely possible as I've aged and personal responsibilities have increased. I was a better shot then, and probably a better bowhunter in those days.
It wasn't until life intervened and I had less time to shoot daily that I succumbed to putting a sight on my bow. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I could shoot dozens of arrows a day . . .
It wasn't until life intervened and I had less time to shoot daily that I succumbed to putting a sight on my bow. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I could shoot dozens of arrows a day . . .
BowhunterXC
Well-Known Member
Crap....now I gotta try this setup. 
I've been shooting a recuve with a string walking method for a few years. This compound setup is going to be very similar and I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun.
I've been shooting a recuve with a string walking method for a few years. This compound setup is going to be very similar and I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun.
You could go from any pin sight to the EZV, then go from the EZV to this style and be pretty successful. I know people here other than me shoot the EZV with no peep with great success. I've never tried a compound bow with no sight though.
I started hunting with a recurve as a kid but, I had two cousins that couldn’t let me one up them by shooting a deer without sights so they took the sights off their compounds and shot them instinctively. They killed several deer that way until they were able to get their own stickbows.
You can't take a 1800 dollar bow and not install another $800 worth of accessories on it. Pretty sure there is some kinda bow hunting law about that I think.
smcchevy
Well-Known Member
Only question I have for any "no sight shooters" is what rests can you look around/ through? I shoot a biscuit and wonder if that gets in the way of the sight picture.
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BowhunterXC
Well-Known Member
You'd definitely have to use some type of capture rest, whether it was a fall-away or just a straight fixed capture rest. Being able to sight down the arrow shaft is extremely important for this type of shooting.
When I was shooting my Oneida with no sights I cut a whisker biscuit in half. You can also use a drop away or a flipper style rest.You'd definitely have to use some type of capture rest, whether it was a fall-away or just a straight fixed capture rest. Being able to sight down the arrow shaft is extremely important for this type of shooting.
There is a good YouTube channel called Tribe Drake with a ton of videos on shooting compound with fingers and no sights.
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One day this season I was hunting and noticed my sight pins seemed skewed. I test fired later that day and sure enough my sight had been bumped out of alignment. I’ve been wondering how to move forward; this is a very real possibility.
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Me too. But only for a season because I couldn’t afford a site at the time. It was pretty wild when I just started up close when I got my first compound my dad was like just get out there and start shooting it and I did. I was pretty good out to about 20 yards. I didn’t know anything at the time and used a combo of the tip of the arrow and instinctive while shooting fingers with a glove. Man the simplicity is appealing. Check out Dan Fitzgerald’s stuff too he’s and his son have always shot their compounds (now Matthews) instinctively.
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Love his channel! I agree with him too about going back to a full quiver of arrows like 8-10!!
Even compound bows in those days were pretty primitive by today's standards. I also shot fingers with a glove, no sight and a simple glue on Bear Weather rest on my first bow, a Bear Whitetail Hunter bow (internet picture) I bought new in 1974.
My second bow (~1979-1986) was a Browning Tracker that was set up exactly the same way (internet picture, mine didn't have a sight). Unfortunately I don't have either of those bows anymore, I wish I did.
My third bow was a Browning M6 Bobcat that I still shot with fingers and no sight. It at least had a spring button, flipper rest on it though so it did have some upgrade. I actually still have that bow in the basement (I don't have a hoarding problem . . . .
).
It wasn't until I upgraded again in 1990 that I actually had a bow with a sight installed on it. This is also when I upgraded to a "real" rest and went to a release from fingers. I killed a lot of deer with those early bows. Lots of great memories.
EDIT: I also have to say, truth be told, that I was a much better archer in those days than I ever have been since or ever will be again. There's just something about shooting all the time that just made every shot instinctive and the same. I took archery as a PE elective my first year of college (1980) and we shot in the gymnasium at between 5 and 10 yds (insanely close to me at that point) and I Robin Hooded not one but two 2117's during the course of that class. Easiest 4.0 I ever received in my college career.
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My first hunting bow was a Browning Nomad II XL with the beautiful riser and hard rock maple laminate limbs. It was shame to have to camo paint it up. I used the flipper plunger combo and learned to rotate the string in on draw with my fingers just slightly to keep the arrow from falling off. I got it from mail rider from Gander Mountain. COD!!!
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My bowhunting mentor at the time was my middle school science teacher. He was from PA, hard core bowhunter who shot a four wheel Browning Xcellorator Compound. Even though you weren’t supposed to, he shot his hand made port or ford cedar wood shafts with five inch feathers and three blades bid kin broadheads. His arrows were works of art. He had several Bear recurves too but wanted to take the advantage of he let off due to his scientific background. The guy was Spock in camo but he was a great bowhunter.
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Never seen it done w/ a release but a high anchor point is nothing new. We did it for years w/ recurves and compounds with fingers. We called it gun barreling. Your cheek bone under your eye and the natural curve of your fingers make a perfect fit. 3 or 2 fingers under the arrow. They cup right around cheek bone and you look right down the shaft. Depending on the length and weight of the arrow, usually you'll end up w/ what we called "point on" of about 20 yds. You have to play around w/ it but that aiming system can be deadly. You draw back and put the point of your arrow right where you want to hit. 15 yds? aim low. 25 yds? top of his back etc. I've killed probably 30-40 deer using it. There are some real pros to this system. The biggest one is that it's simple. The KISS principle has it's advantages. The disadvantages are that it's short range aiming method and not as precise. You have to practice often. However a 20 yd tree stand shot at deer is fairly easy.