WBowhunt

Thanks for the feedback. I guess the end result is really I will not know for sure until I try it. I have tried to shoot with both eyes open. I used to shoot a rifle that way. But I shot that left handed. I can not seem to shoot with both eyes open with my bow, I had bells palsy a few years bak . got it just as season opened and could not close my left eye. I tried a patch and few other contraptions, but ended up never feeling confident enough to take a shot at a deer until it cleared up. I don't think I had enought time to practice with it.WHen I try to shott with both eyes open, my left Eye always takes over and I am way off. I may look for a cheap left handed set up and try it for a while this winter in the basement and see how it works out. Thanks for all the suggestions. It helps to know that there are others out there who have the same problems and what they have tried.

HighCotton

I was born with an amblioptic right eye (basically nothing is wrong with my eye, my brain never trained itself to use it). If the condition had been caught early they could have fixed it but no one notice until I was 6. I am right handed and my dad taught me to shoot right handed. If I had worn a patch over my left eye eventually my right eye would have corrected itself but being a young kid I wouldn't do it. Gradually my right eye went from 20/70 to now 20/150. My left eye is 20/20. Getting to the point of the story, at age 18 (I'm now 35) I decided one day I was sick of missing deer and ducks and out of the blue started shooting left handed. I had absolutely no trouble in picking it up, after a few sessions it became second nature to me. It was the best decision I ever made except that left handed firemarms are hard to find in the calibers I want sometimes. As far as bow hunting, I also had no problems at all.

Buster T

Here's my 2 cents ....... if you're going to start shooting your bow with the other hand, start doing EVERYTHING with the other hand, including eating, holding a phone, all the sports you play, writing, etc etc.

Why ? because your mind, every waking moment of its life, has coordinated with your eyes to do things.

With a compound, FOCUS and with the peep you can overcome eye dominance. I shot compound for over 12 years, and very well, and I'm strong left eye dominant and shoot right handed.

WBowhunt

Good point BusterT. After 20+ years of shooting right handed, Eating, Writing and basically doing everything except shooting a rifle ( Which I do not do anymore ) and a pool cue. ( and With two little kids, I have not done in years ) Maybe I just need to spend more time and focusing on using my right eye and shoot with both eyes open. Something to try as the winter blues set in here shortly.

Rickmur

I tried it at Len-in-Md's suggestion. I gave it a year and disguarded the idear.

HUNGAR

I shot left handed for years (about 10yrs hunting) because my brother was left handed and I shot his old bows. I just accustomed myself to it and it was what felt comfortable so I thought I did some stuff righty and some lefty (I shoot pool lefty). I then got more into bowhunting and discovered I was right eye dominant so I bought a right handed bow and started shooting it with a peep before I switched to both eyes open.

I shot good left handed, but I shoot better right handed. I have gained alot of experience and use better equiptment now so that is probably the explanation.

Sliverflicker

Wbowhunt, unless you cant close your dominate eye, have poor vision in your shooting eye,or are shooting at running targets, it wont make a difference! Wife and I are both right handed archers/bowhunters and left eye dominate, she wears a bandana over her left eye because she cant close it. A patch willNOT make your weak eye dominate! The weak eye only becomes the strong eye because its the only one you can see out of. I have taught several World, National,and State Champions over the years,Lets take myself for example,When I had a place to shoot indoors on a regular basics I would carry a 57-58x avrage on a league, the difference between good and really good shots is calling your shots, (when the bow or release goes off you should know exactly were the arrow is going to hit) Now if I get a left arrow,and feel that it was a perfect shot, first thing I do is make sure it's not equipment failure. Once that is rulled out, now you have to ask your self, was it a perfect shot?Was my hand in the grip the same,Anchor the same, sight picture, did bow arm break left due to impropper body alignment, did I pull my release away from my face because of poor back tenchion, Was I Peaking with my Dominate EYE! Me being Dominate left eyed, right hand shooter, if I peek with my dominant eye my sight will move to the right of the bulls eye, thus over compensating with the bow arm to bring it back, causing a left arrow! Well I have gotton off your question and more into what makes up a perfect shot, so you can answer your question better than I can. Which is easyer for you, to keep your eye shut or were a patch, or retrain the other side of your body to shoot! Now if your talking about Bird hunting with a shotgun, (rapid target picture, and full field of view)thats another story!

drstalker

I changed.I shot right handed for 15 plus years,then changed around 5 or six years ago.What prompted me to change was this huge buck that I shot at just below my stand.Ididn't close my left eye durring the shot, and the left eye overpowered the right ,my shot was way off.I wish that I had changed many years before.I have since taken more animals than I did in the first fifteen of bowhunting. I would never reccomend using an eye patch for bowhunting,and it's no big deal learning to shoot lefty,to me it seemed so natural.In my opinion drawing the bow is a push ,pull,and anchor motion and IMHO takes very little coordination. Go to a nearby proshop and shoot some lefty bows geared to your draw,you'll find it's no big deal and you don't have to read much into it at all.Theres no need to make it any more complicated than just getting a lefty bow in hand and shooting it!!

Sliverflicker

drstalker, Why? Why would you not reccomend someone to were a patch or bandana over their dominate non shootingeye (if thay cant simply close it), when through your own admittance missed the big Buck because yours was open? I mean, my wife has been wearing one Bowhunting for the last 24 years, and she kills 1 or 2 deer every year! With no ill side effects I might add! Plus the tail end of the bandana covers or hides the hole left side of her face while hunting, No face cammo! Your right about not making things more complicated than what thay are, if you are right handed shooter and left eye dominate, you either keep the left eye shut or cover it up! If you are right handed and right eye dominate you can either keep the left one open or closed it will not matter! Do one or the other though,It's that simple. Changing bow hands will not make a better shooter out of you unless your shooting eye is so bad you cant pick a spot on a deer or or you cant find your pinn on a bulls eye. Bottom line is, you can spend a ton of money on new equipment and switch or simply CLOSE THAT EYE!

drstalker

"drstalker, Why? Why would you not reccomend someone to were a patch or bandana over their dominate non shootingeye (if thay cant simply close it), when through your own admittance missed the big Buck because yours was open? I mean, my wife has been wearing one Bowhunting for the last 24 years, and she kills 1 or 2 deer every year! With no ill side effects I might add! Plus the tail end of the bandana covers or hides the hole left side of her face while hunting, No face cammo!"


Silverflicker,I was one that always closed my left eye when I shot righty,but on ocasion durring a shootings session I would accedently open the left eye,sometimes just to see the whole picture,other times it just didn't feel right,I know a patch could help,but for me it would be more of a hinderance than not wearing one.I am glad I switched, it feels naturaul and I can shoot both eyes open now if I want.Low light conditions especially.