Curtis Jayjohn shoots "three under." He aims instinctively out to 30 yards and gap shoots at longer ranges.

Shooting barebow means shooting a bow that has no sights. This technique is used mainly by recurve and longbow enthusiasts, but it can be done with compound bows as well. Many archers think that shooting barebow and shooting instinctively are the same thing. In truth, they are not. Shooting instinctively is one of three primary barebow aiming methods. The other two are gap shooting and string walking. Which aiming method should you use for barebow shooting? Ohioan Curtiss Jayjohn suggests that you experiment with all three of the methods and then use the one that works best for you.

Jayjohn is an expert recurve shooter, especially on live game. He can pick off bottle caps tossed into the air and zap 2-inch-thick Styrofoam targets tossed sideways like a Frisbee. After trying different sighting methods, you might combine elements of two styles, as Jayjohn does. He shoots instinctively out to about 30 yards and switches to gap shooting at longer ranges. However, he rarely shoots at game farther than 25 yards.

INSTINCTIVE SHOOTING
So much has been written about instinctive shooting that it has become the Holy Grail for many barebow enthusiasts. True instinctive shooters focus only on the target and pay no attention to the arrow in the sight picture. Newcomers are told to "burn a hole" in the target and let the arrow fly. The result for most newcomers following that advice is inconsistency and frustration.

Jayjohn demonstrates the split-finger hold, most widely used among bowhunters.

I believe many of those who claim to be instinctive shooters subconsciously see the blurred arrow in their peripheral vision and use it to aim. Legendary archer Howard Hill consciously did this and called it "split vision" sighting. It is a cross between instinctive shooting and gap shooting.

"A true instinctive shooter has learned from hundreds of hours of practice where his arrow will fly and land at a given distance," Jayjohn says. "I compare it to shooting a basketball. Some days you can't seem to miss; other days you're on the bench."

Jayjohn draws the string with three fingers placed directly beneath the arrow, called shooting "three under." Most instinctive archers prefer to shoot "split finger," which is placing the index finger above the arrow's nock and two fingers below the nock.

page: 1 | 2