Gray light shooting.

[Brandonkinchen]

Practice for every hunting single hunting scenario so when a situation happens you have already done it. Rarely do we get a shot where you can use perfect archery form. I used to practice in pitch dark by moonlight only. Not because I plan on shooting a deer after dark but to prepare for those last minute shots when shooting light is waning. Early season with heavy leaf cover is where this really helps out. Really helps you become more confident in your equipment.

x2

of course with my trad gear if I can see it I can kill it :)

Have you heard of Acadian Woods? It's here in Louisiana. I'm on the list for a custom recurve. I should get it in January or February. I'll miss this season with it but I'll have the entire off season to practice! Can't wait!

[DaveT1963]

Practice for every hunting single hunting scenario so when a situation happens you have already done it. Rarely do we get a shot where you can use perfect archery form. I used to practice in pitch dark by moonlight only. Not because I plan on shooting a deer after dark but to prepare for those last minute shots when shooting light is waning. Early season with heavy leaf cover is where this really helps out. Really helps you become more confident in your equipment.

x2

of course with my trad gear if I can see it I can kill it :)

Have you heard of Acadian Woods? It's here in Louisiana. I'm on the list for a custom recurve. I should get it in January or February. I'll miss this season with it but I'll have the entire off season to practice! Can't wait!

yes Tim makes extraordinary bows

[Bowhunting Brian]

A big peep and shooting with both eyes open works well for me.

This.......O.P. you may want to go up in size with your peep sight.

[Brandonkinchen]

A big peep and shooting with both eyes open works well for me.

This.......O.P. you may want to go up in size with your peep sight.

Will do!

[Weaver.b]

A big peep and shooting with both eyes open works well for me.

This.......O.P. you may want to go up in size with your peep sight.

Will do!

I love mine. When you look through it its a decent amount bigger than my sight housing. It just becomes natural to evenly space the gap and honestly its almoat like the peep isnt even there.

[mauser06]

The others are right on about the peep. Either ditch it, or go-to a bigger one. I went to a bigger one. Just keeps my anchor points honest.


I had a pretty good buck on a farm for a couple years. He was bedding just over the ridge from where I could hunt. One evening I went after him...wind was right...moon was right....the rut was nearing and activity was picking up...i knew he was heading down to the fields...it was my best chance before he started his rutting...right at last light, here he comes. 15yds broadside. I hit full draw and couldn't see anything.

I thought my facemask was in my way or something. I let down, removed it drew again and still couldn't see. He's walking closer. I thought my peep was twisted or something. Drew again and it looked fine. He's now 7-8 yards broadside. All I could think about was "I can sit between his antlers!!!" I just couldn't see. In my eyes, there was plenty of light. I could see the pins...but it just didn't feel or look right. I knew I would hit him...but wasn't confident I'd hit where I wanted. I let him walk.


After a lot of thought and such, I decided to try a bigger peep. That was the problem for me. I was shooting a small peep. It was pretty useless when light was low. Im glad I didn't release the arrow..I really think because the peep was essentially closed, that I was looking above it or around it.

[ndtim]

I try to practice in low light until I can't see any more as well. In my experience, a single pin sight is much less cluttered, and most people today are shooting bows flat enough that they can work with a single pin adjusting their hold high/low to hit accurately to 30 yards without changing the sight. Also, with lots of practice and form repetition, you should be able to draw your bow and have your sight within inches of your spot with your eyes closed. With that knowledge, you should be able to draw and center the whole peep and sight housing behind the shoulder and make killing shots at close ranges. Be very careful the animals are not walking or moving though. A single step or two can be the difference in a bad hit and sometimes it's tough to see them make small movements in low light.

I've tried the 1 pin and didn't like it. I wanted to like it but the area I hunt has so many hogs that I want to shoot as far as I can. 47 yards is my longest hog kill. 23 yards is my longest deer kill. I like having the yardage options. Now my buddy just got a single pin that you can adjust yardage depending on your target. Not sure if I like it yet.

Last year I shot a doe right at last light and I'm pretty sure she took a step as I shot. She was at 28 yards and the blood trail looked like a liver shot. I tracked her through the snow and she crossed the creek to the neighbor's property. He wouldn't give permission to get her. I feel if I'd made a better shot maybe she'd died before the creek. Who knows!....

That's brutal of your neighbor.

[ghoasthunter]

big peep and a 2 inch housing on my sight helped me a lot also shoot a dark target with a dark spot on it

[hambone]

Once my eye sight tarted failing, I discovered that going to a single pin sight helped remove some of the clutter and made low light shooting much easier. I do most of my multi shot practice sessions in low light conditions.

[headgear]

Yep I always fling a few right at dark, gives you a good idea about the kind of light you need to make an ethical shot. You get some cloud cover and those last 5-10 minutes of legal shooting light can be pretty dark, even worse early season. I've had to let down on a really nice buck one time because he was at 35 yards and I couldn't see well enough through the peep to let one loose, at 20 yards in a little opening he would have been in trouble. Would have been my biggest buck by bow at the time but what do ya do.

Edit: like others have mentioned, a big peep can be huge for last light shooting.

[CrazyBaldArcher]

I had a very interesting conversation about gray light my new hunting buddy (Greenhorn Brother-in-law) we talked about when can he quit my response was when you can't see well enough to make a good, clean, quick kill or 30 mins after sunset.

What about one of those "peep-less" sights anyone ever try one of those?

[d_rek]

Nothing to do but practice. Wait until light is seeping out quickly and skeeters are all but unbearable to practice over the summer months. Bring bug spray.

[hokiehunter06]

I try to practice in low light until I can't see any more as well. In my experience, a single pin sight is much less cluttered, and most people today are shooting bows flat enough that they can work with a single pin adjusting their hold high/low to hit accurately to 30 yards without changing the sight. Also, with lots of practice and form repetition, you should be able to draw your bow and have your sight within inches of your spot with your eyes closed. With that knowledge, you should be able to draw and center the whole peep and sight housing behind the shoulder and make killing shots at close ranges. Be very careful the animals are not walking or moving though. A single step or two can be the difference in a bad hit and sometimes it's tough to see them make small movements in low light.

I've tried the 1 pin and didn't like it. I wanted to like it but the area I hunt has so many hogs that I want to shoot as far as I can. 47 yards is my longest hog kill. 23 yards is my longest deer kill. I like having the yardage options. Now my buddy just got a single pin that you can adjust yardage depending on your target. Not sure if I like it yet.

Last year I shot a doe right at last light and I'm pretty sure she took a step as I shot. She was at 28 yards and the blood trail looked like a liver shot. I tracked her through the snow and she crossed the creek to the neighbor's property. He wouldn't give permission to get her. I feel if I'd made a better shot maybe she'd died before the creek. Who knows!....

I use a Spot Hogg Boss Hogg, which is a moveable single pin. I figure I can shoot quick for shots up to 30 yards with the sight set at 25, and anything over that I have to take my time, range the animal, adjust the sight to the exact yardage, and execute the shot. The nice thing is that I can practice out to 90 yards or so with the movable sight.

[Brandonkinchen]

I use a Spot Hogg Boss Hogg, which is a moveable single pin. I figure I can shoot quick for shots up to 30 yards with the sight set at 25, and anything over that I have to take my time, range the animal, adjust the sight to the exact yardage, and execute the shot. The nice thing is that I can practice out to 90 yards or so with the movable sight.[/quote]

I just got a trophy ridge smartpin. Gonna try it out!