Bulzeye

I grew up shooting a recurve and longbow with no sights using my fingers.
I know there are a good many traditionalists who shoot bare bones, and many, many shooters who choose to shoot a compound with sights, release aides and all the bells and whistles. How many of you are like me and use a compound for the advantages of power, speed, and let-off, but prefer not to use sights or a release aid?


I shoot a compound now, but I like shooting it without sights for hunting even though I shoot better with sights. I' m satisfied with my sightless 2" or 3" groups at 20 yards since that' s as far as I plan to shoot deer for now. Where I go, the woods are dense enough that it' s about the limit anyway.

I don' t think I will ever use a release aid. I love the feel of the draw and release and keeping in tune with the discipline it takes to execute a smooth release with my fingers.

benhuntin

Sounds like the perfect setup. I used to shoot the same but I did add one sight pin
and started using a release because of some joint problems in my fingers. Just too painfull to shoot that way. I also liked the feel of shooting with my calf hair tab.[:-]

Bulzeye

I like shooting with a glove. I' m trying one with the synthetic hair on it.
I shoot just fine with the plain leather ones, like a Damascus, but they get too rough and cracked after a few times getting wet in the field.

8mm/06

I shoot a 20 year old compound (35% let-off) with fingers (3 finger glove) but I doo use sights. When I first started I went without sights for 2 seasons....also went without deer. I found I couldn' t master a confident killing shot w/o sights.

If I ever went totally traditional I would " study" with somebody to develop the " instinctive" shooting method. if my instructor didn' t think I could make it in the field, I wouldn' t try it.

BTW, I' ve used the same glove (for hunitng anyway) for the past 22 years. You have to " dress" that leather occaisionally to keep it from rotting on you.

Bulzeye

8mm/06: 22 years is a long time for anything to last.
Can I ask what treatment you use to keep your glove in good condition?
I' d prefer to keep using the same glove since styles change and it' s always a pain to have to break in a new one.

Arthur P

I shoot mostly traditional at the moment but, when I do shoot compound, it' s fingers and barebow. Frankly, sights and releases place too many limitations on me. Like you, I enjoy the feel of the string. I do not enjoy having the bow in one hand and a release strapped to my wrist and clipped to the string. Feel like my hands are tied! Besides, my eyes have gotten too bad to see much more than a vague blur where the pins are supposed to be. I don' t even use sights for 3D any more. Even without sights, shooting fingers, with a slow round wheel bow, I still shoot good enough to average a shade over 9 points per target.

8mm/06

I have used neatsfoot oil, saddle soap, but have found sno-seal to be the best product. It' s the same product I use on my boots. I give the glove a very light rub of the snow seal when the hunting season is over. You have to be careful b/c it makes the fingertips a bit slippery. I work it into the leather and then rub the finger tips against some fabric to remove the excess treatment from the surface of the tips where I contact the string. While it is important to treat the leather, it is the ends that are exposed to the weather the most and as such they get " dried out" the mosts. You can always treat the backs and sides without danger of it getting too slippery, but the business end of the tips need some attention too. You just have to be judicous about it so it doesn' t become too slippery. I' d advise you to go " SLOW" with the application of any of this treatment stuff so you can see what it does to making the grip" slippery" . You may decide it is not for you and you may wish to just buy a new one when it gets weathered too much. If thats the case, when you find one you like, buy several!

Bulzeye

Thanks for the tip.
I' ll try it.