Just wondering if any of the more seasoned bowhunters out there know of anyone who shoots fingers/instinctive. I can see the benefits of speed in getting off the shot, but am wondering if this would be a yearound committment to keep you instinctive shooting skill honed. I' ve seen Ted Nugent shoot instinctive with a release, so there has got to be more than one person out there doing something similar.

I shoot my compound instinctively with a release, and so do a few of my bowhunting friends.

Many years ago when I was learning to shoot a bow.. my then neighbor was teaching me since my dad did not do alot of bow hunting..well anyway he taught me to shoot instinctive and with fingers and a tab on a compound and thats how I did it for a few years and actually killed a few tree rats like that but never could get close enough to a deer lol I have thought about buying a second bow after season goes out and try that style of shooting again....just for fun who knows I might even get one of thoes bows that dont have all those extra cams and cables and such.. what were they acalled again lol j/k

There' s a guy at the local archery shop that does. He' s real good too. Won some big compititions.

I shoot instinctive with my stickbows, of course, and I naturally followed suit with my compounds. The only difference is that I shoot the sticks split finger, off the shelf, and shoot the wheels 3-under with a flipper rest. I' ve shot my compounds with sights and releases in competition, but found that style leaves a LOT to be desired in a hunting rig.

For one thing, I don' t like having to pack up and leave when there' s still plenty of legal shooting time and plenty of light to see animals clearly, but not enough light to see my pins. I also have never figured out a way to silence those %$#! mechanical sounds the release makes.

I can' t stand being forced to hold my bow in a specific way when I shoot. If I need to cant the bow to get around a limb or some other obstruction, I can' t do it with sights. It' s no big deal when shooting instinctive.

Arthritis in my hands is getting worse all the time and I' m on my last leg as far as stickbows go. I have a hard time shooting sticks that are legal hunting weight. I need to just hang ' em up and go compound full time. I also need to switch to release, but I' m so dang hardheaded (I know most of you have already figured THAT one out ) that I can' t just give up.

I' ll probably go to the compound and release full time after this season is over, but sights will never adorn one of my bows again. Getting too blind to see the blasted things anyway.

As far as a year long commitment to practice, I think ALL archery deserves a year round commitment to practice. But ' practice' sounds like work. I shoot for enjoyment and relaxation and so it' s not a burden on me at all to hit the range once or twice a week.

I do have one still. I dont hunt with it much anymore, but I enjoy shooting it more that my other rig that has all the bells and whistles. Theres just a feeling when grabbing the string with a glove that a release cant replace. Not to mention, when that arrow hits the 10 ring, YOU did that yourself, a little different than putting a dot on something and pulling a trigger. You are correct about the quicker shot. You can get off alot quicker shooting instictive with a glove. Nothing to find except your anchor. As a matter of fact, the longer I hold the larger my margin of error. When I draw back, and hit my anchor Im on target. Not quite snap shooting, but pretty close. Yes it is a never ending honing of skills. Remember, you have to train yourself to know the difference between a 20yd and a 40 yard shot without a pin to guide you.

If you have never done any shooting of this kind with a compound or a stick, I highly recommend it.

I use a hybrid from the 90's with about a 55 pound pull, and its insanely accurate up to about 45-50 pounds. one tip is to have a good backstop, and learn the way your bow shoots.

Getting too blind to see the blasted things anyway? And I'll bet you have a driver's license, too, right? Scary thought. LOL.

Wow this thread is old... but, I'm going to add to it.

Why, oh why, would you shoot a compound bow instinctively? What would be the reasoning behind that?

What is the point of shooting super-modern compound bows that can be specifically set up to hit the same point within centimeters over and over and over and over (assuming you do your part) with fingers and no sights?

Why not just go all the way and grab a recurve or longbow if you want to shoot instinctive?

Because i'm too lazy to sight it in!