Tips To Master Aiming And Sighting In Your Bow

Whether you’re out in the field hunting or shooting at targets, it’s important to be able to hit your target. For archers looking to take their skills to the next level, it’s important to master aiming and sighting in your bow. This is a learned skill, so practice is important to become an expert at it. Here we’ll discuss some tips for shooting a bow that will help you improve your accuracy.

Make good use of your local bow shop

When you are getting started with shooting and learning how to aim, get some expert advice from your local bow tech. They can work with you and help evaluate what level you are at. The bow shop should also have a variety of different equipment to help with aiming, like sights and peep sights. If you’re shooting a compound bow and don’t have a peep sight, adding one can help with accuracy. Having a skilled tech install one is a great option if you aren’t well-versed in working on your bow.

Work on your technique

When people first start shooting a bow, they often tense up too much, especially on the tops of their shoulders. Beginners and novices alike may struggle with these common mistakes:

• Drawing the bow with too low of a draw elbow. This can be an indicator of your draw weight being too heavy and can lead to injury.

• Hunching, leaning, and arching your back. This can make it difficult to be consistent. Standing comfortably and relaxed at full draw can help avoid injury and protect your back and joints.

• Gripping the bow too hard. This will make aiming difficult and can change shot impact. The grip on your bow should be as relaxed as you can get your hand.

Pro tip: If you’re worried about the bow falling out of your hand, try adding a finger or wrist sling to keep from dropping your bow.

Prepare for changing lighting

When shooting or bow hunting in low-light conditions, it’s important to have a plan and to have practiced in low-light conditions. Trying a light or light-kit on your scope or aperture can be quite useful, especially when your light kit can be adjusted to different levels. While shooting in the early morning or late evening, you may need to adjust the brightness level of your pin. In low-light conditions, you may need a lower brightness setting. In brighter conditions, you may need a brighter light setting. If your light is too bright, you won’t be able to see the target, whether you are shooting at foam or at an animal. If your light is too low, you won’t be able to see your aiming pin or dot.

Aim a compound bow

On a compound bow, there is typically a peep sight and a sight/scope that are used together to aid in aiming. The peep sight is a ring that is placed in the middle of the main string and tied into place. The sight/scope is what holds your aiming pin or multiple pins. When at full draw:

• Line up the peep sight with the sight/scope housing

• Check that your level bubble is in the middle of the two black lines

• Put the pin or dot on the middle of the target, or on the vitals of your target buck

• Make a smooth, clean shot

Sight in your bow

One of the last steps is to make sure your bow is ready to take into the field or to the range is sighting in your bow. Start by shooting at a close distance, like 15-20 yards, and get a good group of 5-6 arrows. Move back by 10 yards at a time and continue to get good groups. For a single pin sight, once you have your desired group, mark your sight. For a multiple pin sight, once you have your desired group, make sure to snug up each pin.

Pro tip: If you like to do what the pros do, you can use several websites to make sight tapes that you can tape onto your sight that tells you exactly where to put your sight for each distance.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The final step to honing your skills into mastery is to practice and get comfortable with any changes that you have made. Practicing the way you plan to shoot for real is necessary. If you are hunting:

• Shoot in a tree stand

• Practice in your hunting clothes

• Shoot at 3D targets

This will help you on your way to a more successful hunt. If you are a target shooter:

• Shoot at your competition distance target face

• Put yourself in the competition mindset

• Wear your competition jersey

• Practicing the way you shoot will make it feel like the real deal.

All in all, learning how to aim your compound bow is about finding what’s comfortable for you and how you can see your target the best. You may have to try multiple configurations to find the perfect fit for your eyes and facial structure. These tips should get you on the right track, so grab your equipment, get out there, and start practicing.