How to Shoot a Bow Without a Peep Sight

Shooting a bow, especially during the art of hunting, requires a high degree of skill more than any add-on can provide the bow shooter. Accuracy has much to do with the equipment the bow shooter has practiced shooting before a competition or a hunt in the woods. If a shooter learns to rely on a peep sight and a targeting needle, then it will be difficult for the shooter to achieve accuracy without them unless adequate practice is performed without the devices attached. But with plenty of practice, paying attention to form and string draw, an archer can become accurate without a peep sight and aiming needle.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 "Kisser" button
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the peep sight from the bow at the earliest possible convenience and resolve in your mind that you intend to meet your goal in becoming accurate and consistent with your bow without using the peep sight.

    • 2

      Install a kisser button on the bow string so that it is just below or slightly above the string nock placement bead if you have equipped your string with this item. If placing the kisser button above the nock placement bead, be sure to allow enough space between the bead and the kisser button so that the arrow nock can be slid onto the string. Whether you place the kisser button above or below a placement bead depends upon the rest of your bow setup and how you have it tuned.

    • 3

      Set up a bench at about 10 yards from a target. The bench should be solid without being moved easily so it assists in keeping the bow absolutely steady while sighting shots. A bow-sighting stand won't work when learning how to shoot using a kisser button, as the archer must hold the bow in the same way it will be used at competitions or during a hunt.

    • 4

      Shoot a group of three arrows to the target, aiming as you always have in the past. When drawing, pull the string back until the knuckle of the index finger touches the ear lobe, the kisser button touching the corner of the mouth and the string touching the tip of the nose. All three of these "touch points" must be made when learning to shoot without a peep sight.

    • 5

      Pay very close attention to your stance, form and string-draw technique so these are the same every time you shoot an arrow. This will give you consistency so you are able to determine how much to adjust the nock placement bead, if present, and the kisser button for a more accurate shot. After making a series of three or more shots, you will know how much to adjust the kisser button so the bow is oriented in your hands for the best accuracy possible.

    • 6

      Practice shooting with foot placement guides on the ground on which to stand, if necessary, if you have any difficulty keeping the same footing and body form during each shot while making necessary adjustments. Practice daily anywhere between one and three hours, if possible, so you become used to shooting with the kisser button but without the peep sight. Over a period of time, an accomplished archer will notice that the kisser button isn't even needed, as "instinctive shooting" skills will have been developed where shooting technique becomes automatic without any second thought to the process.