When Do Bowsights Work Best? Something You Don’t Know

When it comes to bow hunting, there are many questions that need to be answered about the way you aim your bow. One very old, reliable, and hence, a popular approach for aiming bows is instinctive aiming.

This method has been a part of bow hunting for as long as the activity of bow hunting itself. But there are always new methods coming up, right? And thanks to our ever-evolving, technological world today, we now have what archers and bow hunters like to call bow sights.

So when do bowsights work best and how to handle the bow with a bow sight? Each and every point related to bow sights has been explained below so you can clearly understand the difference between hunting with a bow sight and instinctive aiming.

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What you should know about bow sights?

You simply can’t deny the fact that the sport of bow hunting has now become even better with modern equipment. Bow hunters consider this change and progression in bow hunting to be a very fortunate occurrence since it gives them an edge.

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Credit: huntersfriend.com

So when do bowsights work best? It’s a simple concept. When do bowsights work best?

Bow hunters use bow sights to their advantage only when they know their approximate distance till the target. Let’s say that you locate your game from a tree or blind spot and want to take the shot. And somehow you know the approximate distance between the game and your current standing point.

Once that’s been figured out, the only thing left to do is line up the sight pin on point, and you’re all set to go.

How to Use a Sight on a Bow?

And instead of knowing when do bowsights work best, if you want to know when they don’t work best, then here’s the answer. The situation is exactly the opposite of the one described above.

Let’s say you locate the game from the same spot and decide to take the shot. But you don’t know the approximate distance between the game and your current standing spot, either a blind spot or a tree, doesn’t matter anyway.

The point is that you don’t know the rough distance, so you won’t be able to line up the sight pin on point in order to get an accurate shot. So what’s the point? Or rather where’s the point?

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Credit: hunter-ed.com

Amateur bow hunters don’t normally use bow sights as they need to have some experience in bow hunting. This experience enables them to easily guess the approximate ground space distance between their standing point and the target.

But bow hunters with a considerable amount of experience are quite conveniently able to use bow sights to their advantage even in the most worthless as well as profitable circumstances.

What is instinctive aiming as opposed to aiming with a bow sight?

Instinctive aiming is an approach that is solely dependent on the bow hunter’s action and not judgment. In simple words, instinctive aiming is a technique that doesn’t require the bow hunter to know the approximate distance between himself or herself and the target. In fact, this aiming method is far more flexible than using a bow sight.

But you should also know that instinctive aiming is as complicated as it is flexible. Since you have to carefully look and completely concentrate on the target and absolutely nothing else in order to release the arrow accurately, the arrow is more susceptible to flying in the wrong direction. One needs a lot of patience to be able to aim instinctively. And that only happens with experience.

On the other hand, you know when do bowsights work best? When instinctive aiming becomes a tad too difficult for you to master. Instinctive aiming may be more flexible than using a bow sight, but the latter is much easier to use than the former when you want to improve your bowhunting skills.

The difference between bow sights vs. instinctive aiming

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I hope now you know what instinctive aiming is and how it works. This technique requires the bow hunter to release the arrow only when he or she has carefully evaluated the accuracy of the shot.

In order to achieve the best results, one has to keep both eyes open and assess whether the target is being accurately aimed or not. And such accuracy can only be achieved through constant practice and some experience in bow hunting.

So beginners might fail at exercising instinctive aiming when it comes to hunting smaller sized targets. Because, obviously, instinctively aiming larger sized targets is easier due to the added advantage of being able to cover more space with the shot. But aiming for bull’s eye in a smaller target requires higher probability. And that only comes through the use of bow sights.

Hunting with bow sights can make your shots more accurate and enhance your chances of being able to take down the target successfully. So it’s very important and absolutely necessary that you hone your bow hunting skills in terms of being able to tell the approximate distance between the target and your standing point.

Because once you can do this quite easily, there’s nothing stopping you from making the most of a bow sight. In the end, all that will be left to do is line up the sight pin on point and simply release the arrow.

Read more about the traditional method versus the modern method of hunting with a bow.

Handling the bow properly

It goes without saying that no matter what technique you choose to aim your bow, whether it’s instinctive aiming or the use of a bow sight, if you don’t know how to hold your bow properly, neither technique will be of any good use to you. So it’s very important to know how to handle the bow properly if you want to achieve better results.

  • If you’re a right-handed bow hunter, then you’ll be holding the bow in your left arm. Extend this arm forward so it is completely parallel to the floor. The right hand is used to nock the arrow on the string.
  • Next movement is very crucial so make sure that you carry it out properly. Once the arrow is in place, pull it back as much as you can or till your chin. This position is known as the anchor point.
  • The aiming comes after you’ve established the anchor point. And depending on the type of technique you’re most comfortable using, you release the arrow. Since the technique of using a bow sight is more fixed and defined than instinctive aiming, beginners prefer this method to achieve more accurate shots.

Tips to Help You Improve Your Accuracy:

Conclusion

Bow hunting is undoubtedly one of the most adventurous outdoor activities. And the thing that makes it more fun and exciting is knowing that you can achieve better shots at your target. This is made possible with the help of useful equipment like bow sights.

So when do bowsights work best? When you know the approximate distance between the target and your standing point. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking the shot from a tree or blind spot, bow sights work best once you have that kind of knowledge and experience to make a skilled judgment.

So now you know when do bowsights work best. It’s time to finally get on the field and let it go.

What aiming method do you prefer, instinctive aiming or using a bow sight? And have you tried both the techniques in order to know which one is better than the other?

Please feel free to leave a comment below.

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