Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Left Eye Dominant & Right Hand Dominant - Dilemma

Trying to venture into bowhunting after I leave Afghanistan early this summer and retire. Will finally have the time to dedicate to learning the proper techniques and application of them during hunting seasons.

My problem (or perceived problem) is being in my early 50's, I learned how to shoot weapons at a very early age of five left handed due to being left eye dominant, going through 24yr in the Marine Corps shooting left handed and countless hunting seasons, so shooting is ingrained in my head as a left handed task. However I played/play all my sports that require physical exertion (as pulling a bow would) right handed... everything; all throwing sports, football, baseball, basketball, golf, even non-sports like bowling, darts, etc. I shoot, write and eat left handed everything else is right handed. I may be making more of this than it is, but welcome the expert thoughts and opinions of the Fire.

So my dilemma is buying right or left handed equipment to get started as I am pretty sure my left eye domination will take over any aiming required but my left hand is less coordinated at physical efforts, not necessarily weaker, just less stable/coordinated and less hand-eye coordination with the brain center.

I suppose time, practice, practice, practice and patience will be necessary to just do it left handed but looking to see what some of you veteran bow hunters have to say about my situation.

Thanks in advance for any comments, tips and advice. Regardless of how it works out, I'll take the next year for practice as I have a couple rifle hunts planned for 2015, and possibly get that first bowhunt in the 2016 season.

I am right handed and shoot a bow and rifle left handed due to eye dominance.

I golf, bat, write, swing an axe and shoot pistol right handed.

Practice will improve your physical issues.

I'm in the same boat - very right handed, very left eye dominant. I found archery to be much easier to pick up left handed than rifle/shotgun shooting lefty. I didn't pick up a bow until I was in my 40s. I started out "holding" the string with my left while pushing the bow away with my right. Over time, you build muscle and technique to pull with the left while the right just holds the bow. Either way, pretty easy to get in the game.

It seems easy to hold the bow steady with my dominant hand and focus the trigger pull with the left.

Bow manufacturers make it much easier for lefties as well - much better coverage of left handed equipment in bows and accessories compared to rifles or shotguns.

I am left eye dominant and right handed. FWIW, I shot righty from 12 yr old to 38. Switched to instinctive lefty at age 38 by practicing the draw and release in my basement all winter! Now in my 60's I am trying a compound with a sight and release this year, still left handed. My biggest issue will be using a sight, and the different draw curve, NOT my right handedness.

IMO, I would go lefty and then IF you wish to ditch the sight you will be good to go.

Thanks for the replies everyone... I think going with the lefty option makes the most sense and probably best (only) outcome. Can't get over a dominant eye so hopefully with enough practice the physical movements and repetition will become a strength and not a hinderance to the hand-eye-brain connection.

Now, digging through all the options for bow hunting equipment... haven't even started and already have a headache!

I am most likely the last person that should be commenting. I also am left eye/right handed. I was given a right handed bow for Christmas and when I found out I was left eye dominate, you would have thought I told the local shop owner that his wife was a whore. He wouldn't even help me on anything.

I pieced together arrows and stuff and decided to shoot what I have. It has been cold here but I still manage to shoot 20 or so arrows before work, 20 at lunch and 20 after. Guess what? I close my left eye and shoot decent groups out to 20 yards (as far as I practice). Can't imagine that I can't kill a deer or bear at that distance this Fall. Been shooting with my left eye closed on all manners of firearms for years.

ALWAYS go with the dominant eye. Muscle memory can be easily erased. Eye dominance can but it's extremely difficult and will typically revert unless there is some physical damage to one eye or the other. I was an untutored left handed right eyed bowman into my mid 30's when an astute shooter noticed my struggles (actually really horrid accuracy).

Switching to a right hand draw sounded absolutely insane, but after just a week of practice, it was the best thing ever. Significant improvement. Now I shoot with both eyes open and don't have to think about a thing.

Fortunately, I started on the right side with firearms. This is one of the most frequent oversights when folks are introducing youngsters to the shooting sports. Don't let them even handle equipment until eye dominance has been established. Never even ask them about handedness, just go with the eye. There is absolutely no biological link between eye dominance and handedness. Offside sighting with scopes, shotguns, and bows is a terrible impediment.

Yes, there are folks that have overcome such hardships, but one rarely sees them in world class circles. Closing one eye with either firearms or a bow eliminates half of ones field of view (a safety issue), eliminates depth perception, and takes time consuming conscious effort. There are also times with sights when the off eye will pick up on obstructions etc that are missed when the dominant eye is concentrating on the target and one sight or another. One example for me is shooting playing cards (which one usually can't see when they are edgewise).

My right eye lines up the sights, the left can see the edge of the shadow left by the card, and brain can merge the two images. No way could I execute that with only one eye open.

Go forth and play,