As the title states, I shoot instinctively. I 'guess' and am usually right on the money or way off. I have tried using sights on my old bow (father's old bow so it's...old) and they just screwed me up. I ended up taking them off.

Now, the more I practice, the worse I seem to shoot. My first couple shots are usually in a fairly tight group then the rest are all over the place and get worse as I go on.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Is the pull way too much for you? You may be getting tired after a while and you cant keep it steady.

its definitely possible but i dont think so. i'm pretty strong but i think the let-off isnt that much. i usually dont hold at full draw for too long. just pull back and release. i never hold for more than 5 seconds max. the longer i hold, the farther off the shot is

Are you left eye dominant? If your are shooting right handed and your left eye is dominant, shooting well instinctively would be difficult.

Iwould suggest shooting some other bows at this point. If the bow is old, there may be a problem you cannot visibly see and it gets frustrating.
Are all your arrows the same? Shoot the arrows that group best and see if there is a problem with some of the arrows. Good luck.

Hey, i shoot instinctively as well. I got an old compound bow for my first with very little let off(maybe 20%) and the draw is around 63. sights made me shoot worse, so i took them off and shot. The first couple shots were great, but, like you, i had the same problem. A couple things that are good to change is, after a few shots, you start paying less attention to what you are doing and start focusing more on strength to pull the bow back. Be sure to watch how you are releasing(if you shoot fingers) or make sure you dont jerk the trigger(if you shoot with a release). Also, you might just want to practice more and build those muscles it takes to stabilize a bow. They arent muscles you use everyday, so naturally, they wont be as strong as others. Take Care and let me know if you have any more questions.
Mark

thanks for all of the input. all are good suggestions

is it a bad idea to practice the same day you hunt?

I usually practice between the morning and evening hunts. Having jsut shot the bow I know all is well. Are you an experienced bowhunter and just stepping to instinctive shooting? Maybe the suggestion of shooting something new is a top shelf idea! I can't even imagine how having pins can deter ones shooting ability?

As far as instinctive shooting groops go, It might be that the first shots are aimed at the target and then you start aiming at the arrows in the target resulting is a large spread in your groups. Think of it like shooting a rifle. Say it hits 1" high and 1" left when you hold dead nuts center. Then you aim at a bullet hole and now your 2 more inches off each way. Shooting with a release will improve consistancy also.

thanks for the tips. i don't have the money right now to come up with new sights, bow, and release. i have 2 old compound bows (one is too small and doesnt have a knock) and a recurve

i'm going to practice now then im going in my stand about 3