# Gap Shooting With A Recurve Or Longbow For Bowhunting



## Night Wing (Feb 4, 2009)

For you bowhunters on here, I found this excellent 14 minute video on "gap shooting". This video will help anyone, thinking about taking up bowhunting, learn how to gap shoot with a recurve or longbow. The info presented is clear, concise and in detail. Don't forget to enlarge the video. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgm-oErUEQM&feature=player_embedded


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

AWESOME video. Very well done!

Ray :shade:


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

Interesting--at least what I saw of it (not enough time to watch it all yet). He seems to incorporate at least part of Bob Wesley's technique.

One thing I'll note--I've heard for years that "gapping is no good for hunting, moving shots, etc." It is if you practice enough to make it automatic, as noted in the video. Many (most?) "instinctive" shooters gap in one form or fashion, conciously or not. The best shot I've ever seen on aerial targets is a known gap shooter.


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

The one thing I questioned was when he was talking about uphill shots.

From what I remember doing when I was learning to do those shots was shoot them as if they were closer...similar to shooting downhill shots. Just not making quite the same adjustment by as much.

As far as the name of the different aiming techniques....each aiming technique has been defined. The problems usually arise when people leave out words or don't fully understand certain words and how they are used that help specifically describe each aiming technique.

Some Instinctive shooters gap off the arrow...but they do it at the subconscious level...which is quite a bit different than doing it at the conscious level. 

Some archers, like myself who use Gap shooting as their primary way to aim, have been doing it for so long...it has become almost instinctive. When I Gap, I never take my eyes off of the target. I'm aware of my gaps consciously through my periphial vision. They are felt rather than an analysed for their exact measurments.

IMO...Gapping is the best all around aiming technique. It's great for hunting...especially when it has been mastered to the point it has become almost instinctive and great for competitive target acrhery.

Bottom line...do what works best for you based on your personality, abilities and goals.

DO NOT let an aiming technique define who you are as a person. Just have fun with it!

Ray :shade:


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

I caught that uphill thing also. The way I do it is to imagine a pole straight up or down from the target and judge your distance to the pole. Less than the actual distance along the diagonal both ways. Nice little video though.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Gents -

Caught the uphill thingy as well. The salient feature is that you have to dope each distance for yourself. If it's farther or closer, it will become pretty obvious pretty quickly.

The other thing to remember, is that the guy doing the shooting is a very good shot with top notch form. Using gap to that degree is effectively the same as using a sight, meaning it will be very unforgiving to shooter (form) error. 

Bottom line: if you do try gaping (or using a sight) and your groups don't improve, maybe aiming isn't your primary concern. The flip side is that being able to gap can be very telling about form errors and it's easier to correct them, once you know what they are!

Viper1 out.


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## pokynojoe (Feb 2, 2006)

I may be incorrect, but I believe that gentleman placed 5th in his class at the recent indoors in Louisville with a composite score of 537; 18X, average around 270. I'd say he's a "pretty good" shot.


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Yes he did... the uphill thing threw me also... I shoot them as closer also like mentioned above... found if I shoot them for the same distance as known, even with correct form (bending at the waist) I will shoot high...


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## J. Wesbrock (Dec 17, 2003)

The gentleman who made the video caught his mistake about the uphill thing and corrected it over on the Leatherwall. And yes, he's a heck of a good shot; he's more than proven that over the years. A heck of a nice guy too from what I can tell.

Chad,

I've heard that too about gap shooting. I guess all those animals I've put in the freezer didn't get the memo...lucky for me.


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## WindWalker (Jan 23, 2005)

There is no such thing as a hard and fast rule that all uphill shots require a lower aiming point. Whether or not you need to lower or raise your aiming point for an uphill shot is totally dependent upon the arrow's velocity, distance to target, and angle of shot. There is a degree of (uphill) angle where gravity will still affect the trajectory; and throw in friction (drag) and loss of arrow velocity, the arrow will tend too hit low just as it would if you were making a level shot. Chief reason why you need to shoot-in under various (simulated) conditions to determine how your setup performs under various hunting conditions.

As for the uphill target that the gentleman is shooting at, I would classify the area more of a _ gradual slope_, and though difficult to tell from the video, the slope doesn't appear to be much over 15-20 degrees. The shaft is not going to evade the effect of gravity at 15-20 degrees. 

In addition, he said the target sat at 30 yards. At 30 yards and shooting a heavy and slower moving shaft (than what a wheel bow will produce), he is also calculating how much weight and drag will shed off velocity, causing the arrow to drop. He obviously knows how his setup is going to shoot under certain condtions.


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## Sanford (Jan 26, 2009)

Windy, no angle evades the effect of gravity. That is a constant. By standing in front of a target, you are the same distance from the vertical plane of the target to the earth at horizontal as you are shooting at any elevation, but the arrow has to travel farther on the angle shot than it does on the horizontal shot as the angle creates a longer distance to that vertical plane. The net effect is that the arrow drops the same over the distance to that vertical plane even though we see and know the target as being farther due to the angle. That is because the arrow is traveling at an angle to the vertical gravitational pull as it travels farther. That is why we shoot the horizontal distance and not the angle distance.


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## Eldermike (Mar 24, 2009)

It's a right angle trig problem; cosine Theta times the hypotenuse. It's what Sanford said. IOW as the crow flies.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Mike -

Actually, the Pythagorean theorem (a^2 + b^2 = c^2) makes it easier to do the calculation and as Jim said in the video, all it really takes is a guesstimate (ie aim slightly low for both downhill or uphill shots). For example (assuming level ground) if your tree stand is 30' (high stand!) off the ground and the deer is 40' away from the base of the tree, your line of sight is 50'. However gravity is directly working on the arrow for 40' not 50'. Ditto if the deer is 30' above your position on a hillside. Line of sight may be 50', but gravity is only working on it for 40'.

Viper1 out. 

Viper1 out.


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## steve morley (Dec 24, 2005)

The tricky part isn't shooting the angle but figuring out what the angle is in the first place and making the right cut, here is a chart to give an idea of how much to cut depending on the angle and distance, it's just a demo and you would have to work your own cuts depending on Bow speed and arrow weight.

Under 40y and 20 degrees I'm not too worried anyway as shooting Gap I doubt it will impact on overall scores but the longer shots it does make a difference.


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## trapperDave (Mar 12, 2005)

think Ill stick to instinctive shooting LOL


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## steve morley (Dec 24, 2005)

trapperDave said:


> think Ill stick to instinctive shooting LOL


Thats great, whatever works for you. 

With Gap and marked Field shooting they both go together very well and have a big advantage over Instinct, once mastered it's really no harder than any other aiming method (as Jimmy states in his Vid) and works just as well on unmarked shots once the Gaps are ingrained into the subconscious.


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## 2413gary (Apr 10, 2008)

Some archers, like myself who use Gap shooting as their primary way to aim, have been doing it for so long...it has become almost instinctive. When I Gap, I never take my eyes off of the target. I'm aware of my gaps consciously through my periphial vision. They are felt rather than an analysed for their exact measurments. 

This is so true Black Wolf If you focus on the spot and not the arrow you are shooting a gap your subconscious sees the gap. and imprints it in your brain. I learned to shoot the same way Jimmy Blackmon show's us in the video. That does not mean I shoot better. I was also taught to see the gap in the window of the bow. Kind of like having a pin just above your arrow. I have a 45yd point on so at 40yds. I have a 1/4" gap between the spot and the top of the arrow 35yds a 3/8" gap 30 yds 1/2" gap. Never taking my eyes of the spot seeing the gap in my secondary vision. My wife learned how to see this by taking a post card and cutting a 1/4' slot in it to look through. Holding it at arms lenth looking through the slot putting the top of the slot on the spot then seeing where the bottom of the slot is on the target. this will show you a 1/4" gap. you must always focus on the spot. this is what call a sight picture in the window or some call it the California Gap A lot of the top Bowhunters in NFAA shoot this way it verry accurate. we are making small adjustment to aim with Instead of inches or feet like Jimmy Blackmon Please don't think that I am a better Archer than Jimmy I am not I just know that making small adjustment than big are better for me. And makes me very accurate. If I execute the shot right. 
OK YOU GUYS CHEW ON THIS. I am sure there will be agood responce.
Gary


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

2413gary said:


> I was also taught to see the gap in the window of the bow. Kind of like having a pin just above your arrow.


That's another good way to do it also.

I never got as analytical as some Gap shooters have at learning their gaps.

I just found out what my Point On Distance was and than just felt my gaps.

I never kept a log or thought about exact distances. It was more like...OK...that looks about right.

There's really no right or wrong way of doing it...unless you're not happy with your results. The same thing applies to form. The key is developing consistentcy. Some of us won't settle for anything other than perfection...whereas others are able to accept good enough.

As long as you get the job done, it shouldn't matter how you do it...unless you are trying to convey your technique or meet certain rules and requirements in competition.

Ray :shade:


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## FORESTGUMP (May 14, 2008)

trapperDave said:


> think Ill stick to instinctive shooting LOL


Thanks trapperDave. They were really starting to trip me out. Some of them must be really good at guessing distances. Personally I don't think I can see the difference between 1/4in and 3/8in at a glance.:embara:
I suppose that means I'm stuck with "just do it".:set1_polevault:


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

FORESTGUMP said:


> Thanks trapperDave. They were really starting to trip me out. Some of them must be really good at guessing distances. Personally I don't think I can see the difference between 1/4in and 3/8in at a glance.:embara:
> I suppose that means I'm stuck with "just do it".:set1_polevault:


Absolutely nothing wrong with that...unless you're not happy with your results.

As I've said before...our style and technique should be based on our goals, personality and abilities...which is one of the reasons it's great we have so many choices 

Any archer who wants to be accurate at unmarked distances has to be good at guessing distance...whether it's being estimated consciously or subconsciously 

Ray :shade:


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## FORESTGUMP (May 14, 2008)

BLACK WOLF said:


> Absolutely nothing wrong with that...unless you're not happy with your results.
> 
> As I've said before...our style and technique should be based on our goals, personality and abilities...which is one of the reasons it's great we have so many choices
> 
> ...


I go with conciously.

Wow,that's close,better shoot low.
OK that's about dead on
thats a little long,shoot a little high
Whoa,that's really long,shoot a little mo higher.

It's veeery complicated.:help:


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## BLACK WOLF (Aug 26, 2005)

FORESTGUMP said:


> It's veeery complicated.:help:


Yes...for some it is...and for others it isn't 

The solution is...find a way to understand it...either research what you don't understand until you do...or find a description or a way to simplify it so that you understand it. It's that easy.

Neither is right or wrong. We all learn things differently. To each their own.

Ray :shade:


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