I'm very interested in learning archery and to eventually get good enough for bowhunting. I took a free lesson at a club nearby my house recently. First they asked if we were all left handed, then they started to take us through the dominant eye drill. I immediatlely cringed as I'm right handed but left eye dominant. I've always shot right handed and even competed in skeet shooting closing my left eye which isn't the best technique. I went ahead and shot that day left handed with a recurve and did pretty well. However, I'm looking to learn for hunting and am curious with the sights available for modern compound bows if hunters would still recommend I learn left handed? My inclination is to shoot right handed if that wouldn't be a huge mistake. Do others that are right handed/right eye dominant close their left eye with any modern sights available? Should I just lump it and learn left handed? Any advice would be much appreciated. I have about an acre at my house and am eager to set up a range I can practice on but have not purchased a bow yet.

thanks,

Sean Browne

If you found you did ok left handed, you might be best off shooting that way. You'll be amazed how much your field of view and depth perception improves when shooting with both eyes open. Since you're fairly new to shooting a bow, you won't have any habits to overcome.

On the other hand, you'll probably find a lot of shooters close one eye when aiming, even some real good shooters. If your right arm and shoulders are significantly stronger, you may want to stick with righ handed, although with lots of shooting left handed, you'll develop the muscles you'll need. (How's that for firmly straddling the fence?)

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Tony D ><>

You might try instinctive shooting without any sights and see if you could do it that way. Maybe try a couple of different ways and see which one feels the best.
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Sean,
I have the same problem. It wasn't a big deal with a wheel bow using sight pins. I shoot a recurve now and it's a little tougher shooting instictively righthanded. What I did is shorten up my draw where I anchor on the left side of my mouth. So far it seems to work for me. I found with shooting instinctively, throw the books away and go with what style works for you.

Rem. 222

Welcome to Bowhunting!

You've selected one of the oldest & purest forms of hunting.

I'm right handed & left eye dominate. I suggest you use your dominate eye and shoot lefty. I believe you'll will find you pick-up form & target accuqusition much faster by not fighting your natural eye dominance.

It's worke well for me.

Best of luck. Please feel free E-Mail me if I can help in anyway.

Thanks to everyone that responded. I went back to the shop yesterday and they let me try a bunch of bows. I ultimately decided to shoot right handed after all. Wayne Piersol at Archery Only (Newark, Ca) was great in helping me pick out a bow and getting me started.

I ended up buying a PSE Enforcer which is the bow he hunted with in Africa so I feel well equipped for pigs and ca blacktail (at some point : ) I think it's set up for about 50lbs right now. It came with trophy taker fall away rest and Archer's Only 3 pin sight, 8 arrow quiver. I was amazed that I could already shoot really tight groups with this set-up on their indoor range, that was really encouraging. I shot for a couple hours and didn't want to stop.

Hopefully I can get to a nearby outdoor range this weekend and sight in the other pins.

Thanks again to all who responded!

-Sean

I too am right handed and left eye dominant. I would suggest that you learn to shoot left handed, I found that I shot far better left handed than right handed with an eye patch(i can`t close just my left eye). By the way I have lots of used left handed equipement for sale

I realize I am going against the prevailing wisdom here, but I taught myself to use my right eye. It took practice, but it was much easier than learning to shoot left handed. I tried both.

Sounds like you got youself a nice starting rig.I was faced with the same dillema about 10 years ago and opted for learning to shoot lefty.Mostly because a friend had a lefty bow for sale cheap.I have never been sorry.I think that because you are new to archery that it would have been a good time to shoot left handed.No habits to break.I needed to strengthen my draw arm and it felt awkward at first,but now I am very happy that I did it.I took my first bull moose with the bow after three unsucsessful seasons.Easier to draw on a moose in the rut than a whitetail at any other time.Bigger kill zone a moose for beginner as well.
Good luck to you.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here... ALL THAT RIGHT HAND/LEFT HAND, RIGHT EYE/LEFT EYE DOMINANCE IS A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!

(Oh boy, I better be able to back this one up!! )

There are more than a handful of archers at my club who shoot the oppisite of their eye dominance or handedness or both! Not because they don't know any better, and not because they can't afford a 'correct' bow. These guys choose to shoot this way!! What's more, some of them are among the best shots and most successful hunters!! A couple different fellas can shoot a right OR left handed bow with equal precision. Most of these guys shoot traditional, but a few are wheely bow archers. Most, if not all, these guys will tell you their accuracy and consistancy improved after making the switch.

What I believe after talking with these guys is that while eye dominance is real it need not define how you shoot. More importantly, I think that shooting opposite to your dominant features heightens your focus and concentration. And for that reason alone, I may try to make the switch from my right hand/right eye dominant shooting in a year or two.

FWIW

I to am right handed and left eye dominant and I shoot my Bow right handed. I have found that over the years that I can shoot with both eyes open but it takes some mental eye adjustment and still gets me into trouble on occasions. I usually just close my left eye. I do however shoot my shotguns and rifles left handed without any troubles but I just can't nock arrows etc with my left hand it kinda makes me feel like a bear cub wearing boxing gloves if you know what I mean. I also shoot a recurve right handed with no sights no that was a challenge. I would recommend that if you have never shot a bow and can learn to shoot left handed you will be money ahead. I just simply can't or maybe it is that I'm to stubborn to try. Anyway Good luck on your shooting and welcome to the grat sport of Bowhunting.

i just picked up the no peep sight eliminator. with it i am able to shoot with both eyes open and use my pins. it took forever to set up but there is no more peep to make extra niose and slow the bow down. i also am shooting better than i did before because the eliminator forces me to shoot the same way every time. two years ago i missed an opportunity because i could not see my pins, not any more. i don't know if any one else has tried one but i am hooked . something like this may help with the eye dominance problem. .02

Sean -
Ideally you would want to be able to shoot with both hands. I shoot left and right just for fun. I find that when you do this it helps the "feeling" become more and more familiar. To take this a step further try just getting a cheap stick bow with no sights stabilizers just nothing but a string. You will find that you can hit from both sides and you will also start to get those muscles in shape.
Geese .... Opening deer day is less than a month away.

DOA