Hey everyone.

I thought I might share an article I wrote that was in Traditional Bowhunter magazine about a year ago. I got permission to post it here now.

I spent a lot of time putting this together. It's a long one, and I'll continue it in several posts in a row here to make it easier to follow.

I titled it "Breaking Down the Instinctive Mystique." Basically, the article will give you my perspective on what instinctive archery is over my fifty years of shooting and how I got started. This is my definition of what instinctive archery is all about.

I hope you enjoy it.

Jeff

Breaking Down the Instinctive Mystique

I picked up a great read recently, “Robert Churchill’s book Game Shooting.” It’s been described by many as “the definitive book covering the Churchill method of instinctive shotgunning for game and sporting clays.” Yes, you read that correctly, instinctive shotgunning. I started young as a shotgunner, being taught the basics from my Grandfather around 50 years ago. He taught me the fundamentals of mounting a gun, stressed to me the importance of picking out my target successfully and what it means to finish a shot. Over a short period, I developed into a pretty darn good wing shot on the ducks and ruffed grouse I spent my falls hunting. When I got my first bow in the seventies, I had nowhere to turn for guidance, so I had to fall back on what I already knew: my shotgunning skills. That’s how my instinctive archery journey began. I’d never heard about Robert Churchill before a couple of years ago when I saw a post about his methods on a shooting forum I visit, so I bought his book. After reading, I realized, either purposely or inadvertently, my Grandfather had taught me Churchill’s shooting methods. What really, surprised me was I think Churchill’s book could very well be the best explanation describing what instinctive archery is all about that I’ve ever seen. I was genuinely delighted when I read it because here is this instinctive method of shooting which I’d been using for years in archery, being not only affirmed, but embraced in another respected shooting sport. It’s a method taught at countless shooting schools, by respected and revered shooting coaches worldwide. No other topic will bring up more emotions, controversy and debate in the archery community than the topic of “instinctive shooting.” Just the mere mention of the word instinctive will stir people into a frenzy of defensive posturing, hate, doubt and disbelief. Many books have been devoted to the topic and countless articles and internet posts written, debating, criticizing, attacking, and defending it. It encompasses almost a religious element in some circles, while in others, it’s considered simply haphazard and sloppy, void of any structure or discipline. “If you don’t care about shooting well, shoot instinctively,” they say. Grip it and rip it! Paraphrasing the most popular definition of instinctive archery, is to “pick a spot, the smallest spot you can focus on, blanking your mind of everything else, and then raise your bow and shoot at that spot.” In my opinion, that’s a definition of failure, and it’s no wonder instinctive archery has attained the bad reputation it has. Instinctive archery is not guesswork, is not without structure, and is not haphazard shooting. If a new shotgun shooter were to pick up a gun for the first time and attempt to shoot with that amount of insufficient instruction, I can guarantee you that the shooter would get very frustrated, but it happens all the time in archery. What complicates many new archers is the “allure” which seems to accompany it, clouding all common sense and the structure required to be successful. There’s no mystique about it, and not understanding it gives many people false ideas, eventually leading to abandonment and hatred of the entire method. Testimonies abound with those stating how they started off shooting instinctive but had negative results or those who admit they don’t shoot as well as they think they might but enjoy the process enough to keep doing what they’re doing anyway. Sometimes it’s just the word “instinctive,” which causes so much confusion. It’s easy to get caught up in the semantics and miss the entire point completely. Archery is not truly instinctive as we aren’t born with it. Archery takes many years of dedication, consistent form, and proper practice to become proficient at. What is instinctive about it is that we hold innate abilities that allow us to respond to different situations and visual stimuli. We are dynamic creatures by design, with movement being as fundamental to us as breathing. We can learn, utilize our hand-eye coordination, depth perception, and notably, concerning shooting sports, we can all point.

Archery Fundamentals

I’ve always said it doesn’t matter whether you’re standing on a 70- meter Olympic line with a tricked out recurve, sitting in a tree stand shooting at a deer with a compound bow, or trying to knock ducks out of the air with a longbow; they all require the same fundamentals to succeed. Having a solid shooting frame, employing consistent back tension under the premise of a repeatable shot sequence with a proper follow-through, is rudimentary. I would argue it’s even more important to focus on the fundamentals of shooting instinctively because you have nothing else to fall back on, no sight pins or mechanical aids. I’ve seen compound shooters with horrible fundamentals still manage to shoot well enough because they have their sight pin and all the other advantages afforded to them by the technology of their bow backing them up. Traditional archery is grassroots, and there is no forgiveness from a longbow or a recurve against poor form. There are no shortcuts. I tell new archers not to even think about where their arrow is going but work on their shot mechanics and spend the time developing a repeatable shot sequence which they can build off. It will always show significant rewards later. In his book, Robert Churchill recognizes the importance of proper gun fit and mount and economy of movement to be successful. The gun is simply an extension of the shooter. It must be in an appropriate, consistent position for the shooter to project himself to the target. “if he holds his gun properly, he will hit whatever he is looking at.” Sound familiar? In one of his videos, John Schulz advocates the same ideas of Churchill when he describes Howard Hill’s swing draw method of shooting as “a casual, fluid style of shooting, but it always got results.” He then went on to describe how Howard Hill had “unwavering principles in perfecting his shooting” and how to him, “they were absolute law for proper form.” He stressed the importance of having a good shooting frame and a repeatable shot sequence. It’s like having a solid foundation of a house you can build off.

Snap Shooting

One area which seems to be synonymous with instinctive archery and is misunderstood is “Snap Shooting.” By definition, most would consider snap shooting to mean uncontrolled, fast, reckless, and a careless way to shoot, indicative of us instinctive shooters, who pray to the wind Gods every time we release an arrow. Shooting like this is not snap shooting; it’s just sloppy. Fred Bear use to call himself a snapshooter. He also used to tell others he’d not recommend they try and copy his style. Was Fred Bear successful with a bow in his hand? I think so. As I mentioned above, one of the critical fundamentals for shooting well is utilizing a well-developed and repeatable shot sequence. I think Mr. Bear failed to give himself credit for having this. One of the first things I do when people ask me about their form, especially new shooters, is I usually have to tell them to slow down and take their time. Developing a shot sequence takes effort. It’s essential to be able to single out all aspects of your shot event to enable you to work on and practice each component individually. An archer needs to be able to isolate muscle groups and movement to be in control at all times. With practice and time, the shot sequence will likely become more and more fluid, but it takes patience and time. The trouble arises when speed becomes the goal, not the technique. The age-old saying, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” really applies here. The goal should never be to shoot quickly; it should always be to shoot accurately and in control. Being a snapshooter myself, the entire reason I don’t need to hold at anchor for very long is that I shoot instinctively. This means that I’ve already acquired my target in my brain and calculated all the variables needed to make the shot, distance, size, speed, etc., as I raise my bow to my shooting position. Any time left there holding at anchor ends up being nothing more than a distraction for questioning my own judgment. There is a significant difference between snap shooting and shooting with no control.

con't

Pointing and Visualization

For the most part, being able to point is a fundamental ability we all have within us. Seeing an object and raising our finger to it is something most of us can do best without any thought at all. If the physical characteristics of the Churchill method rely on gun fit and properly mounting the gun, then the movement and swing of the shot rely on our pointing ability. Pointing is done in archery with the bow hand off a swing draw just like John Schulz describes. In archery, we align our shooting frame, our bow hand, and our anchor point. With these points being fixed and practiced just as a gun mount is, we point through our bow hand on the target. John Schulz, in his video, “Hitting ‘em like Howard Hill, mentions how Howard, in answer to “How do you do it?” answers, “Well, you just point and shoot them where they are.” People compare instinctive archery to the act of throwing a ball. The idea behind it is that a pitcher can throw a ball successfully to a catcher without seeing the ball or his hand so he’s not aiming. The pitcher has no sight to look through and doesn’t watch his hand; he focuses on the catcher’s glove. Because of this, he throws “instinctively.” I look at it a little bit differently. When I’m throwing a baseball, in my mind, I’m not throwing the ball at the catcher’s glove; I’m throwing my hand, which happens to hold the ball. To me, that’s a huge difference. Until I read Churchill’s book, I didn’t realize what I was doing is just pointing. I can control my hand much easier than I can the ball. If I try and control the ball, it creates a disconnect between me and the catcher’s glove which means I have more of a chance to make a bad throw. Because my hand is directly attached to my mind through the fantastic nervous system we’re born with; I don’t have to look at my hand when I do it. I can envision it, see my target and be on target just as fast and accurately as I can think about it. It’s the same principle in archery, but it’s my bow hand I project. I know Byron Ferguson talks about becoming the arrow when he shoots, but he refers to his shooting style as split vision. In other words, he divides his focus between both the target and the tip of the arrow, putting them together to complete his shot. It’s my bow hand that does all the work. I can’t pretend I’m the arrow because, to me, the arrow isn’t there. Many will argue against this point to me profusely and tell me I’m dead wrong. I happen to be left eye dominant but shoot right. When I shoot a shotgun, it doesn’t matter because I shoot with both eyes open and use my binocular vision to see and triangulate my target just as a falcon does. If I try to focus on the bead or arrow in archery, even just slightly, my left eye has so much dominance that my arrow looks like it's pointing way off to my left. The only way I could shoot this way is by closing my left eye. I also happen to be far-sighted and need glasses to see my hand, so the arow is blurred out for me anyway. There’s just no way I can try to focus on my arrow or my bow hand when I shoot. In archery, the old sayings, “Aim small, miss small,” or “ bore a hole into the target with your eyes,” are known universally. I’ve heard it said before that the eyes drive the process, but I’ll have to disagree and say that the mind drives the process; the eyes are just the vessel that allows it to happen. It needs to happen in your mind first for the eyes to work. It’s not very difficult to zone out while you’re still looking at the target with your eyes if your mind isn’t 100% committed. That’s called daydreaming, and we all do it all the time. I use to play a lot of golf when I was younger. What do many people do when they come to a water hazard on the golf course? They either hit it straight into the water or so far away to avoid it they end up on another fairway somewhere. They just spent their focus on the wrong thing. Our mind won’t distinguish the difference between good or wrong when it’s performing the shot. It just sends the shot to the place our mind is thinking about at that moment. It happens whenever you’re more concerned with missing the target than hitting it. The shot we take will always be the result of what we visualize as we take it. It’s not an easy thing to learn and requires a tremendous amount of concentration, which is one reason you won’t see many instinctive archers standing on a podium collecting metals. The amount of focus it would take to shoot 60 arrows instinctively in a 300 round perfectly is far beyond what most of us could hope for. A sight pin or a string walker’s reference to their “point on” can help keep them stay focused on their task at hand. When I shoot, I have to weed out all the “noise” I see while focusing on one specific spot. I don’t have a “pointer” or a sight pin that helps do it for me. My eyes and brain have to do it alone. It’s one of the reasons I love shooting moving targets so much. There isn’t time to see anything else, so it’s more difficult for me to become distracted. I may not be your choice to stand on an Olympic line, but I’m the guy who’ll not have much of a problem hitting a dragonfly mid-air because it has my undivided attention.

con't

Faith – Be Surprised if you Miss

Having faith in your shooting means acknowledging to yourself that you have put in the time and effort in your craft, and you have the skill set required to do everything you need. Faith means having the ability to allow it to happen without conscious thought. It’s about learning to trust your subconscious mind with unconscious shooting. If you’ve ever been duck hunting, then I know you’ll have experienced a time when you watched a group of mallards off in the distance fly right into your decoys on a straight line. As you watched, you calculated lead, recalculated, and consciously went through the mental checklist in your head of your shot process, then fired three missed shots in a row? How did you miss? Your overthinking took your mind out of the present time, and when it became time to shoot, you couldn’t catch up. Or how about that time when you’ve had a single teal catch you by surprise, flying over the corner of your decoys at Mach 1, and without hesitation or thought, you raised your gun, swung, and made the perfect shot? You succeeded because your thoughts didn’t get in the way. There are two different mindsets to shooting. The first most common one is being surprised when you make a good shot. That’s just because you lack faith in your abilities. I know this has plagued everyone, including me. That’s because we get so focused on not missing; that’s what we’re actually telling our bodies to do when we shoot. It’s like that guy on the golf course hitting his golf ball directly into the water because that’s what he was thinking about the most. I will guarantee Tiger Woods doesn’t do that. The mindset you need to have is to be surprised if you miss. The old saying, “if you think you can or think you can’t, you’re probably right,” comes to mind. When I shoot, I have to know I’m going to be successful at a shot before I take it, or it won’t come true. I believe this is also at the root of most target panic. Many become plagued by target panic only because the thought of missing has become all-encompassing to them. Understanding that you’re going to hit your mark, you’ll be successful because your mind will be freed up to be focused on what’s happening at that moment. Having control of what we are thinking about when we shoot, as with all things we do in life, is the key to success.

Now you’ll have to understand that I don’t have all the answers. If I did, I’d likely be making a seven-figure income as a sports psychologist advising pro athletes, and I’m not. I struggle with these things just like everyone else. What I’m shedding light on here are the many misconceptions which “instinctive archery” holds. It’s not a style of shooting which will suit everyone or every situation. If I wished to compete in various forms of target archery, then I’d likely want to make the switch to shooting left handed and start string walking. I can do it now closing my left eye, but it really doesn’t interest me. I’m a hunter which is where shooting instinctive really shines. There is simplistic beauty and freedom to it, that unless you’ve experienced it, you’ll never understand it. Unlike what many will claim, Instinctive archery is not haphazard, careless shooting. It takes form, function, visualization, and faith to be successful. The End

I have been a shotgunner all my life. I picked up traditional archery less than eight years ago, but I always felt there was a good deal of correlation when dealing with a moving target (especially) as well as a static target at an unmeasured distance. I shoot instinctive.

Front arm, front forefinger, shotgun or bow smoothly controls movement, direction and elevation (pointing). Thanks for yourtime and efforts.

very good

enjoyed reading and believe you have instinctive shoting pegged in what you said

Thank you for that. I enjoyed it very much.

Probably the best article I have ever read on the subject. Be prepared for the haters to tell you that you are wrong as they can not fathom the fact that since they do not do it well then it is not possible anyone else could. They see themselves as the elite who are determined to deny a shooting and aiming method that has been used for thousands of years with a bow and what it was designed for, the taking of game and at one time for war fare. It is only in the artificial context of tournament archery that we have decided instinctive aiming is a failure .They will say we have no proof that our ancestors shot with a instinctive aim but the earliest writings on the subject say different. "Fix your eye upon the spot to be hit" is the earliest and often repeated phrase used.If it had not worked then history would be vastly different but that is never considered. Are there other methods that work ? Certainly there are but that neither adds to nor takes away from the fact that what we call instinctive aiming works as well for what the bow was developed for as anything else.

I started with a longbow at age 50. Nearly 5 years ago that was. I couldn’t hit shit. But I had grown to hate my compound, it bored me to death and was part of the reason why I had lost my way. I got caught up in chasing cameras, food plots, horns, and all the other stuff. I was losing my passion for the sport. Enter the epiphany - the day I shot my first trad bow and missed a 36 inch bag target at 15 yards.

WOW - I was instantly and totally hooked. Practice, this website, lots of videos, and even some instruction from others helped me down the road. I practiced for three years, and committed this year to only carrying a stick bow.

2022 deer season is now in the books - I shot two does with my longbow. Both were struck and cleanly killed with perfect chest/behind the shoulder shots. Neither deer made it 40 yards. One was about 15 yards, and one was exactly 21.

In both cases - I had absolutely no recollection of aiming! The hours and hours of pure joy practicing worked. I never get sick of shooting a stick bow. My compounds would bore me nearly to death in 10 minutes. I just remember deciding when and where I was going to shoot. The deer walked into that spot - and bam - they had an arrow go through their chest. Incredible.

This article is another golden brick in the wall. Love it and thank you for sharing it.

Fun when we make it so for sure Uncle Rico, amazing that even when we work hard at something we enjoy it is never really work.

Great article Jeff. Always enjoy your knowledge and your videos, thanks you for sharing that.

Excellent!

Good read. Thanks Jeff

Jeffer, Your shooting speaks volumes about the validity of what you say. Bowhunters that do not use an aiming technique would do well to read and re-read this and then work on the principles you’ve outlined. .

,,,, shotgunning,,,, I remember Nate Steen making that very point on here a few years ago. Very helpful indeed.

I grew up with a shotgun in my arms, shot a lot of skeet, trap and some sporting clays, lived near the Izak Walton Gun club, but was an avid bird hunter from Iowa with a good birddog, shot the recurve also as a young gent also but very few deer around and working a lot of overtime the shotgun was the game. loved the hunt no matter what weapon in hand.

Notice when committing to the bow it din't effect my shotgun shooting very little, it tended to keep my instinctive proficiency about the same but is easier on my hearing and pocket book with shells and staying at home doing daily bow time.

Present time it is really difficult to and expensive to go out and shoot a few shotgun boxes and travel to a place to shoot, the bow I can shoot out the back yard or down a hiking trail without any objections from anyone pls it still keeps my shotgun eye in form.

Sorry for being long winded but enjoy it all and enjoy the hunt.

Great article, Jeff. Thanks for sharing!

Jeffer, Thanks for the post. You do inspire and give a lot of us a direction to work.

-Bones

Thank you for sharing! This will become a classic.

Thanks Jeffer.

March Madness is on us. Players have a whole lot of shooting under their belt to get there. Once those dudes get warmed up they shoot without the slightest thought of 'how to shoot'. Instinctive shooting is all that for me. It couldn't be any easier. Look at your target and shoot it. 'Just do it'.

Bob Rowlands X2

Really excellent post/article, Jeff. I especially applaude the ideas that 1. 'Instinctive' is simply a reference term and shouldn't be taken too literally or mis-applied under the cloak of being scientifically incorrect (I always laugh at that one); 2.) Instinctive is a pointing rather than an aiming process, and is not only one of the absolute keys to good instinctive shooting success but critical to the process itself; and 3.) Although repeatable consistent form is very important, having the SAME form as someone else isn't. Beyond the basics of decently matched gear and some familiarity with the importance of focused concentration and alignment, "good form" is a personalized thing much more than it is a cookie-cutter thing and shouldn't be categorized or overcomplicated with regard to how someone else believes is 'necessary'. As rigid as some might try and characterize it, form is something one must develop using their own common sense using good practice habits and an honest personal assessment of what works/fits. What works is, to put it simply, what works for the individual.

A very well-thought-out and well-worded piece of writing sir, and definately a great read (there aren't many of those on this topic, for sure). Nice job. Thanks to you (and to the moderators) for posting it. Hopefully it will help newcomers and shed truthful light on the 'how' part of this style of shooting.

Thank You for sharing your knowledge. Always appreciate an article written by someone who has proven they have the ability to execute what they have written. Good Day

I have always been an avid wing shooter and own several shotguns with the older side by sides being my gun of choice, for pheasant and quail. I have one Winchester 23 which short barrels and straight grip, that I call my Churchill gun. I have read and owned that book for many years.

I believe in it but I personally can't shoot a shotgun that way and must actually close one eye at the last instant and aim, but it's still instinctive to a degree on the amount of lead I use to hit the target. But I shoot left handed and I am right eyed.

With the bow, I shoot right-handed so my master eye is on the same side and I can shoot instinctive pretty decently. One of my bucket list hunts is to go hunt pheasant with a bow. I think I can do it and make hits if the bird is close and holds for the dogs.

Good post! Outstanding Jeffer! I think you should of included one of your favorite shooting videos of yours though. Sometimes seeing is believing. Well done!

Excellent Jeffer. I concur.

"Faith means having the ability to allow it to happen without conscious thought. It’s about learning to trust your subconscious mind with unconscious shooting."

Yep. Imo, our potential for success with, and understanding of, instinctive shooting is related to how each of us is 'wired'. The inability to put full faith in the subconscious can be the main reason some people struggle to, or fail to, learn instinctive shooting. Trust or control issues resist the subconscious fully controlling vital learning, mediating, and executing aspects of aiming. If one is ever to get good at it and realize instinctive shooting's potential, freeeom and versatility, there needs to be trust in the subconscious without our conscious interference.

Very well put Jeff. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. I’m often reminded while hearing shooting advice about the analogy of taking exercise advice: are you going to listen to an out of shape trainer? Consider the source. In Jeff’s case his shooting is all the proof I need that with effort this style can be extremely effective.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here