How to Choose a Bow Sight
Bow hunting requires practice and skill in order to place an arrow on target effectively. The most critical part of a bow hunter or sport archer's gear is the sight. The sight is a fixed point of reference that the shooter relies on to place the arrow on target. Without an appropriate sight, you will experience the frustration of missed shots and might even lose that prize buck that you have been stalking for hours. Choosing a sight should be a process dictated by the type of bow hunting or target shooting that you perform. You should also consider purchasing multiple sights for multiple types of shooting.
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Instructions
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Note the particular design of your bow. Certain sights might or might not be effective with your bow. Typically upon purchase, the bow might come with a sight or a sight reference chart for sights that work appropriately with your bow. Review the sights recommended for your bow design. Compound bows with curved or contoured grips might only take a sight in one or two positions, and longbows might take many different sights of multiple lengths.
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Identify the type of hunting or bow shooting that you most often perform. Bow hunters that stalk rather than sit in tree stands typically prefer sights that are short and lightweight. This is for ease of carry, and shorter protruding sights won't catch on brush while walking through the woods. Tree-stand hunters might want to use a pendulum sight, which is sighted in at the ground and is good for short downward shots of 30 to 40 yards.
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Choose lightweight or heavier designs based on of your shooting needs. Heavier sights generally will allow for greater shooting stability and reduce trembling and are most preferred by long distance competition shooters. Lightweight, compact sights typically do not require a tool-kit to make adjustments, and these are preferred by most bow hunters.
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Choose laser sights or fiber-optic sight pins if you desire an easier target acquisition--as with laser sights--or greater visibility of reference point at dusk or dawn lighting--as with fiber optics. Ensure that you check your local bow hunting ordinances to see if laser or fiber optics are allowed for your bow if hunting.
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Tips & Warnings
Always exercise extreme caution when handling a bow and arrow.
Never point a bow and arrow at anything that you do to intend to shoot or kill.
References
- Photo Credit Men bow shooting. Amateur competition in the sanatorium image by Igor Zhorov from Fotolia.com
