Finding Elevation

09/08/1380

After shooting hundreds of thousands of shots over the years I realized instinctive doesn't cut it. My left to right was excellent but my up and down wasn't as consistent. I've heard hunters say many times they were shooting at a deer only 15 yards away and they shot over the back. The reason for this is that we usually anchor level with mouth or chin. This places the arrow nock lower than the eye so when we simply angle the arrow so it looks to be pointing towards the target, because the back of the arrow is low, we tend to hold the point high and the arc of the arrow lifts it over the back. I realized I needed a system of finding elevation.

Howard Hill, the greatest American archer of the last century, used a gap system. He looked at the center of the target with direct vision and raised the arrow to the gap in periphery vision. I found this to be difficult as the target is clear but the arrow being lined up is fuzzy, so judging where it is exactly is difficult.

Horace Ford, the greatest English longbow archer of the 19th century, wrote a book in 1850 in which he describes his system which is called Point of Aim I find it easy to do and extremely accurate. In Point of Aim we focus on the gap, not the target center. The target is fuzzy in the periphery vision and the gap spot is clear in the direct vision. We draw and put the tip of the arrow on the gap spot. The gap and arrow are perfectly clear. It's easier to line up a clear little arrow to a big fuzzy target than as in gap shooting where you try to line up a fuzzy little arrow that you're not looking at to a big clear target.

Do this:
Look at the target. Draw a line straight down to the gap. Focus on the gap spot. Draw and put the tip right on the gap. You'll see the the target in the periphery vision. Just line it up. When you release, the arc of the arrow will carry the arrow into the bulls eye.

Have fun Friar Tuck
You're on your way
with a little luck