Aiming, Holding, and Releasing the Bow

Aiming the Bow

There are two main methods for aiming bows—bowsights and instinctive aiming.

Bowsights work best when the distance to the target is known. For instance, when hunting from a tree stand or blind, you can measure the distance to the area where you expect the game to appear. Then it’s a matter of lining up the appropriate sight pin on the target. In hunting situations where it’s hard to know the exact distance to the target, bowsights may not work well. The key to using bowsights is to practice judging distances.

Instinctive aiming is more versatile than the bowsight method. You simply look at the intended target with both eyes open and release. You adjust the aim for different distances by instinct developed with practice. Instinctive aiming takes longer to perfect than the bowsight method, but it eliminates much of the guesswork from shooting under some hunting conditions.

With bowsights, you line up the appropriate sight pin on the target.

With instinctive aiming, you simply look at the intended target with both eyes open and release.

Holding and Releasing the Bow

• Allow your fingers to slip quickly away from the string. This gives the arrow a straight, stable flight.
• Keep your bow arm pointed directly at the target after the release. If the bow is jerked on release, the arrow will fly off target.
• Follow through by leaving your drawing hand at the anchor point well after the string is released.

A bow should never be “dry fired.” Releasing a string without an arrow nocked transfers energy back to the limbs instead of the arrow. The bow can fly apart, injuring anyone nearby.