who can shoot both hands

**DONOTDELETE** · February 02, 2012, 09:02:00 AM

Shooting left handed isn't a problem... it's trying to get an arrow nocked that feels so unnatural to me.

dsturgissr · February 02, 2012, 09:24:00 AM

Shot right handed for 65 years, started shooting lefthanded at age 70 due to cronic tendonitis in my bow arm, couldn't take compresion. Right eye dominate have to close right eye to hit center. Took about 2 months to be comfortable with the change. Shooting pretty well now. Have taken a bunch of critters lefty. Seem to have a bunch of bad habits with the change. Denny Sr

dsturgissr · February 02, 2012, 09:27:00 AM

Should be seem to have lost a bunch of bad habits with the change. DennySr

MercilessMing · February 02, 2012, 09:40:00 AM

I can now. Just learned shooting LH last year because I am left eye dominant. Stronger bow arm also helped to hold the bow steadier.

Ed Q · February 02, 2012, 12:00:00 PM

I'm a RH shooter but started shooting LH last year when I hurt my right hand. I've since been switch hitting shooting with both hands.

When I first started, it felt very awkward. I couldn't even release an arrow the first few times I drew and anchored. And since I'm right-eye dominant, I had to close my right eye to make sure my left eye was lined up with the target.

After getting used to it and becoming more comfortable, I began to really enjoy it. It was like starting over again in a sense. The biggest joy, though, was that the target panic I sometimes suffered from shooting RH was all of a sudden no longer an issue shooting LH. I could hold and draw for a long time without suffering from the urge of snap shooting or premature release. I'm now thinking of trying a 3D tourny shooting LH.

Geo S · February 02, 2012, 12:45:00 PM

Switched to LH 7 or 8 yrs. ago because of physical issues. I now shoot better LH, but have to close one eye. I now try to shoot both ways every practice session.

jonathan creason · February 02, 2012, 01:38:00 PM

I'm a natural righty that switched to left handed because of eye dominance. I can shoot either way, but have to adjust where I aim when shooting right handed to compensate.

joe skipp · February 02, 2012, 01:41:00 PM

I now shoot both. Figured if I could switch hit in baseball...why not shoot a bow both ways. Especially since my right shoulder will require surgery for bone spurs and rotator cuff.

Now I need a LH backquiver or punch a few holes in the one I have now so it works either side. Set a goal for 2012..take animals with both bows.

nd chickenman · February 02, 2012, 02:32:00 PM

Im amphibious! Ive shot winter league both ways, hunted both ways but mostly shoot right handed because my righty bows are nicer!!

Anointed Archer · February 02, 2012, 02:40:00 PM

Yepper I can shoot both ways, prefer RH but last year or so been shooting LH a lot more. The last 3D shoot we where at I shot the whole thing LH and hung in the rest of the gang.

February 02, 2012, 04:02:00 PM

Today I shot my right hand 64@26 Schulz Legend and then my 66@26 pig-nut self bow lefty, shooting 620 grains out of the Schulz and 475 out of the pig nut, the casts are close enough that it doesn't matter out to 22 yards. I am ambidextrous. My tempo is a little faster right handed than left, and with my left hand Groves Spitfire recurve, I tend to hold a full second at full draw. I am a little better at flying stuff righty, but at targets my groups are a little tighter shooting left. I thought that the switch to left was going to be permanent, because of my release fingers. However, with time they have gotten better, but now I have a double arsenal of bows, leather goods and arrows.

Red Beastmaster · February 02, 2012, 04:25:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by nd chickenman:
Im amphibious! Ive shot winter league both ways, hunted both ways but mostly shoot right handed because my righty bows are nicer!!

So you're a frog?

February 02, 2012, 05:12:00 PM

One can still shoot if one is amphibious, but one needs to use a bow stringer to load ones bow, and don't stick your tongue out when you shoot. I know of someone that smoked a pipe ambidextrous, but only shot his bow right handed. While smoking his pipe, he shot his upper plate out when trying to shoot his neighbors cat, his teeth flew farther than his arrow.

Ed Q · February 02, 2012, 06:28:00 PM

One other advantage I found with shooting both LH and RH is that I'm able to work both sides of the back muscles to keep the body muscles more in balance and stable.

ChuckC · February 02, 2012, 06:42:00 PM

I found that shooting decently came quickly, after getting over the wierdness of anchoring, but I could not shake that needing to lead with my left foot in stalking and moving, making setting up for a shot very unnatural.
ChuckC

Red Beastmaster · February 02, 2012, 07:16:00 PM

I've only ever tried a few shots left handed and it scared the heck out of me. I could not overcome the urge to relax my right hand at release. Almost left the bow come flying back at my face!

Terry Green · February 04, 2012, 05:39:00 PM

I shoot OK lefty....and do have a double shelved bow....would rather shoot righty of course...but want to kill something with my Double Shelf SunBear left handed sometime.

Hud · February 04, 2012, 11:34:00 PM

Howard Hill was left eye dominate, and shot right; Glenn St. Charles and Fred Bear, both made the change to left.

Dave Worden · February 05, 2012, 11:09:00 PM

I'm probably only about 80% as accurate lefty. Of course I only shoot lefty when an injury prevents me from shooting right handed or just for the heck of it. If you're shooting instinctive, with both eyas open, it's not really a big deal. Generally, my first LH arrow is 3 feet left of the target, the 2nd 1 1/2 feet left and the third and subsequent arrows pretty much on target, though not as many bull's eyes.

Bud B. · February 06, 2012, 09:50:00 AM

I shoot lefty two fingers under and have been a southpaw since birth. I bought my daughter a 30lb RH recurve and tired it three under. Not too bad out to 15 yards or so. Shooting RH has helped me with my form as a lefty. Shooting RH forced me to think it through before release of the arrow (arm, elbow, anchor, alignment, etc.).

I too want to take a deer with my non-dominant discipline eventually.