left or right dominate

[perch destroyer]

? A good way to determine your dominate eye is by using both hands put your thumbs and index fingers together and hold them out at arms lenghth. Find an object across the room and position it in the center of the opening in your hands then close one eye and then the other, your dominate eye should have the object right in the center and the other eye will be off to the side.
 One of my sons shoots right handed but is left eye dominate and must make an effort to close his left eye when shooting, another son, my 12 yr. old, is left eye dominate and also right handed. Last year while shooting trap I had him shoot both right handed and closing his left eye and left handed keeping both eyes open. He was just learning to shoulder a gun so it wasn`t uncomfortable for him to do that. His score was the same for both ways. This year He plans on shooting both right and left handed again. There is no way I`d be able to shoulder a gun left handed like that unless I had plenty of practice.
 I keep telling him that maybe some day that experience might just pay off.
 

[Dr.Bob]

Good post Dana.

You bet that will one day pay off for him, like when he is sitting in a tree and that big buck try's to sneak past over his right shoulder!

[Ryan]

I am left eye dominant and when I started shooting I would just lean my head over so I could look at the sites with my left eye.  No one really noticed until I had to shoot for gun saftey.  I switched to shooting left handed after that.  I have not looked at guns for awhile, but it is hard to find a left handed gun sometimes.

[Joe]

I shoot right handed and am left eye dominate. I've been involved in archery since I was a kid and I don't recall anyone talking about eye dominance. To this day I shoot right handed. I checked both my boys eye dominance before I bought them their first compounds and they are both right and right. In fact that was one of the first things they asked when I went to the pro shop.

[perch destroyer]

 Alright be honest. How many of you sat at the comfuser with your thumbs and fingers together looking at an object across the room?
 I did when I wrote it. Ha

[Spinach]

I did. But I cant seem to close my right eye without the use of my hands.

I wish i had 3 hands so i could do this test and use the 3rd hand to get my right eye closed. I guess I'll have to ask my daughter for help tomorrow night.

[DaveO]

Just kinda wondering why every one is closing one of ther eyes?

[Ryan]

Because he told us to.

You don't have to use both hands.  You should be able to just hold up your index finger then close each eye and see which one leaves your finger in the same place as it was with them both open.

[Spinach]

Thats works much better Ryan, I am left eye dominant.

[Dr.Bob]

Too FUNNY? :D :D :D

Hey perch destroyer,

Why don't you grab your scatter gun, the Mrs. and the youngones and come up to the IBOT fest this summer at Russ and Judys place by Mill Lacs?? It sounds like there will be plenty of shoot going on, along with a lot of other fun things to do.

And if we get board we can try to help spinach close his eye :D :D.

[perch destroyer]

I`ll try to make it. Maybe Burny and I will come up.

[Dr.Bob]

That would be great.  I would love to see you guys.

[Benny]

Daves has a great point, you must keep both eyes open when shooting a shot gun.

Your field of vision is greater, your depth presiption is greater, and you can see the angle of flight way better.

Depth preseption is key here, you need to see the speed and the angle to accuratly compinsate for your leed.

If you close your eye now, try to keep it open next time your out shooting.

By the way, even rifle and pistol shooters should learn to shoot with both eyes open.
The same reasons apply, your brain can learn to process the added information after just a few outings.

Keep in mind with a rifle or pistol you have to consintrate more on seeing the sights as well as the target  when using both eyes.
Don't just look for the front ramp or your going to see a blurry target.

Benny

[GRIZ]

I don't think I have a dominant eye as when I hold my finger out at an object then close one eye then the other my finger is on each side of the oject pointed at.

I know a person should keep both eyes open but I grew up taught to close one eye. It's a hard habit to break and still do it when hunting under pressure. ???  I just learned a few yrs ago that it can help shoot with both eyes open.

[Outdoors Junkie]

When I was a kid learning to shoot, I could not close my left eye.  So, I stated shooting trap left handed.  After learning to close my left eye (later that year), I started shooting right handed too.  So, I can shoot both ways and it is not uncomfortable one way or the other.  I have taken game left, and I have taken game right.  I have noticed that if I
am duck hunting I can throw the gun up left handed and be more acurate on the quick shots.

[Benny]

I was fortunate enough to have a GrandFather who was a WWII vet and a Master Sargent/Drill instructor so I learned to shoot with both eye's open.

The gun safety trainers didn't like it at first till I explained to them why I shot with both open.

They wanted the kids to shoot accurately and didn't believe in the both eye's open theory.

Benny