# sight picture with a recurve?



## SnowHunter (Aug 13, 2007)

Hey Yall..
Gonna start shooting some with the recurve we got here at the house. I was just wondering how you "sight" one? What sight picture do ya look for? I'll probably figure it out when I get it out and start shootin, but figured I'd get some tips from yall since I'm a complete archery noob  

Thanks!
Nic
Oh and I'll get a chance to test the new flemish bowstring choctawlb made for me a few months ago!


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## Al33 (Aug 13, 2007)

Well, I'll put my .02 cents in the pot but there are others here  I am sure do things differently than I do so listen to all of them I guess then do what feels right or works best for you.

I am not aware of any sight picture. I simply focus on where I hope the arrow will go. I am not conscious of seeing the arrow, tip, or anything else except the target. I am of the opinion that once you have established good form and anchor your brain just tells you what to do and surprisingly enough, it works. Kind of like throwing a football, baseball, or even shooting a flip.

It would be great if you had someone to watch yo shoot and tell you what you are doing regarding form, anchor, release, etc..


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## gordylew (Aug 13, 2007)

It,s a subconscious thing but when I first started I used the tip of the arrow 3" below the target for 20 yards, 2" below for 30 yards and dead on the target for 40 yards and could hit pretty good this way.  this was using a 2 finger below one above the nock hold and anchoring high on my cheek bone.  everybody probably holds different and you may have to adjust to what feels right for you.
maybe this will help.


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## chinquapin (Aug 13, 2007)

I shoot with Al as much as I can and have to agree with him.  I can't try to aim like Gordylew,doesn't work for me.  Just look at what your shootin and it'll come to ya soon enough. I was a catcher when i played baseball so twenty yds is like throwing the ball back to the mound for me 
You just have to find what's comfortable for you, start close though and work back and don't  be afraid to let'em fly at long yardage it's fun too   WHATEVER YOU DO MAKE SURE YOU DO IT THE SAME EVERYTIME, AND WHEN YOU FOCUS ON THE TARGET YOUR SHOOTIN AT PICK A SPOT INSIDE YOUR SPOT!  AIM SMALL MISS SMALL


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## SnowHunter (Aug 13, 2007)

I'll let yall know how I do. I'm gonna try and get out later this evenin when its cooler and give it a go! I'll try and get Nathan to take some pics too! Al, I'll bring it with me next time theres a gatherin so you can see how I'm doin!

Nic


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## Slingblade (Aug 13, 2007)

I started shooting about 5 yards from the bale and then like Al said, just concentrate on the exact tiny spot you want to hit and let 'er rip.  As you get to where you hit well from 5 yards...back up and keep doing the same thing.  Have fun...it ain't rocket surgery!!


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## fflintlock (Aug 13, 2007)

Hand and eye cooridination, keep your hands, both bow and string  and eyes inline with a mental picture of how you want the arrow to impact the target. You want to keep a flat plane of all the above. That is your sight picture. Find an anchor point , (where you draw the string back to, on your face) and be concistant (sp) with it. 
Stand close at first and just keep practicing. Main thing is, folks tend to think it is really hard because you don't have any sights to use, but it is not all that hard, as Al mentioned, it's like throwing a baseball or football, hand and eye coridination.
 I'm not sure where Commerence is, but you are more then welcome to come on out this weekend and shoot with us, and it is, a family affair.
 Let us know how you are doing, and please do not be affraid to ask questions, we all had to learn something or another. Have fun practice often and don't give up to soon 
Jerald


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## 60Grit (Aug 13, 2007)

Show us a picture of your forearm after you're done....

Good luck with the shootin.


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## fflintlock (Aug 13, 2007)

60Grit, you ain't right  heheheeeeeeeeeeee


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## Al33 (Aug 14, 2007)

Nicole, what are the particulars of the bow? Specifically length & poundage. If the bow is too heavy poundage wise you will have a tough time with good form. It is better to start with a lighter weight bow you can draw easily. Of course, arrows that are not matched to the bow can be very discouraging also. They may cause you to suspect you are doing something wrong when the problem is with the arrows.

More about this brain thing: I can shoot my 58# longbow after shooting my 65# longbow for awhile and inevitably will shoot low to start with. Reason being my brain has not been reprogrammed for the lesser poundage and arrow trajectory. After a dozen or so shots it usually kicks into gear and I start hitting closer to my point of aim.
This occurred the other day even with the same bow after I had been shooting flu-flu's all day the day before. UncleT had stopped by to pick up a Blob target and wanted me to shoot the longbow. I was embarrassed that at 20 yards all my shots were 6 inches or more high. It occurred to me I had been shooting the flu-flu's so I grabbed a hand full of those and we shot at cans in the yard. I was on. The flu-flu's drop quickly compared to regular fletched arrows and my brain had not picked up on the switch. A week or so before deer season I will refrain from shooting flu-flu's for this very reason. I will also only practice with the bow I will be hunting with. Perhaps a good analogy might be putting a baseball in a pitchers hand that weighs a few ounces more than a regulation ball. It is going to drastically effect his throwing accuracy.

I hope some of this dribble helps you to better understand this trad archery stuff.


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## SnowHunter (Aug 15, 2007)

Yall, havent had a chance to shoot yet, the arrows are a bit short, or the bow isnt long enough...I dunno...It really wasnt that bad to draw, but I couldnt quite get a good enough draw, or as I hear it, couldnt get to full draw.

I'll get particulars off of it soon. 
Nic


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## SnowHunter (Aug 15, 2007)

60Grit said:


> Show us a picture of your forearm after you're done....
> 
> Good luck with the shootin.


 



fflintlock said:


> 60Grit, you ain't right  heheheeeeeeeeeeee



 no he suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure aint


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## ed'sboy (Aug 15, 2007)

Howdy boys and girls, sorry I've been gone for so long but summer's been busy. I've picked up a couple of books over the years on instinctive shooting and gap shooting.  Instinctive is throwing the football and gap is holding the arrow a certain measurement above/below the target. I like instinctive but have found certain helpful tips from all the books I've read. As previously mentioned, I started shooting at 5 yards and as I develop consistent groups move back. One thing I've read is that good practice/shooting requires such intense focus that numerous short sessions are better than long ones. Try to shoot a few times a day focusing on the quality of your shots rather than flinging arrow after arrow for a long period.


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## SADDADDY (Aug 15, 2007)

Al33 said:


> Well, I'll put my .02 cents in the pot but there are others here  I am sure do things differently than I do so listen to all of them I guess then do what feels right or works best for you.
> 
> I am not aware of any sight picture. I simply focus on where I hope the arrow will go. I am not conscious of seeing the arrow, tip, or anything else except the target. I am of the opinion that once you have established good form and anchor your brain just tells you what to do and surprisingly enough, it works. Kind of like throwing a football, baseball, or even shooting a flip.
> 
> It would be great if you had someone to watch yo shoot and tell you what you are doing regarding form, anchor, release, etc..




good post.......Instinctive shooting takes some practice and some people pick up on it quite quickly….
I’ve always shoot instinctively, and I found that I shoot better than using sights  

Another tip when shooting with out sights is every time your done shooting and retrieving your arrows don’t always walk directly to and from your line (15yrd, 20yrd, 30yrd) to the target. Take a moment to walk around it and take a different route to and from so your brain doesn’t get use to the same sequence and trained to constantly shoot from the same position, you can train your brain doing something over and over again but in a hunting situation you may under shoot or over shoot a target because your brain is trained to only shoot one way, so if you change it up, walk around to give your brain time to reset and give it a different look everytime will make you more of a proficient shooter


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