One Eye or Two?

[PahtridgeHunter]

I was reading a similar topic on another forum and it got me thinking. I have pretty much always been a two-eyed open shooter for as long as I can remember. I remember my Dad telling me when I was a kid to force myself to keep both eyes open when shooting, and now it feels almost unnatural to close one. I find I have better depth perception and can read my targets better. I am also a right-handed shooter and a right eye dominant shooter. What do you shoot? One eye or two?

-Jason

[Tecumseh]

I shoot with both eyes open but I would probably hit more targets if I shot with both eyes closed:dizzy:

[SteelSearchin]

Right handed, left-eye dominant . . . been shooting left handed since I can remember (under Dad's instructions!). I've always kept both eyes open shooting a shotgun, and never seemed to do so consciously. Grew up grouse and woodcock hunting, so I usually needed both eyes to pick them out of the poplars!

Last winter I did catch myself using one eye on a long distance honk, but I think that was a fluke. ???

[timberdoodle528]

I'm right handed shooter - left eye dominant...... maybe that's why I usually only scare the bunnies!

I've been shooting my bow a lot lately and I've been forcing myself to keep both eyes open. It does help and it's easier to see the flight of your arrow.

[Double Gun]

I am also right handed, left eye dominant. I have been shooting left handed since I was 15. I shoot with both eyes open. when I started shooting clays I found it it improved my depth perception and swinging through the bird. One day I may actually become a mediocre shot.

[Steelheadfred]

TWO eyes WIDE OPEN

[timberdoodle528]

I'm left handed when I write - but I can't do anything else left handed. I don't think I could ever learn to shoot left handed. It might help me though if I could.

[coverdog]

http://www.jjtc.com/Gallery/gilligans%20eye-land.jpg

[Bmac]

Your supposed to keep them open??? :yikes:

[GVSUKUSH]

Hey the minute you start thinking out there, you're dead!

Right handed, right eye dominant. But I bat left and throw right, even golf and play hockey left.

Honestly, I think I close one eye half the time and keep them both open the other half. I'm a model of consistancy. :)

[TSS Caddis]

It all depends. One eye on everything except on station 2 in skeet where I shoot high house with both open to get a better jump on it.

Without a doubt your better off with both eyes open, but unless you are 99% there with your dominance, it might not be an option for some. Last thing you want is to have both eyes open and while swinging have your dominance cross over to the other eye. Supposedly if you put tape over your non-dominant eye it will force you to use the dominant eye.

My focus still flops a bit between right and left and so, like I said, one eye except on high 2.

[wyle_e_coyote]

Right Hand/Right eye dom.
I shoot both eyes open with shotgun, and bow. I shoot one eye closed with all my scoped guns.

[Buddwiser]

Your supposed to keep them open??? :yikes:

Well, that explains alot in my case. I just might have to try that sometime.

[timbergsp]

I shoot with both open Never used to tho at one time I closed one and well I could not hit the side of the barn if I was in it

1 day I went shooting skeet and there was a old guy there that gave me some lessons and swing and he told me I need to keep both eyes open its was VERY VERY VERY hard to change but it works now I hit 95% of what I shoot at so its change for the better

scott

[ccavacini]

Got tired of wearing reading glasses....so had a reading contact made up.

Right eye contact is distance...left eye is reading....called monovision.

Since I got the reading contact, I hit everything...my right eye does all the work when a bird gets up.....it really does work.

[dogn4birdz]

i shoot a shotgun righthanded and am left eye dominant. i can shoot it almost equally as well left handed and dependeding on whuch way t is coming from sometimes i will switch to give me the better view.
bow i shoot left handed as well as anything with a scope on it.
as for closing 1 eye or both open i don't know for sure i agree with kush ya can't think about it just do it. i know bow and scopes left eye open only dunno on shotgun don't wanna.

once again sorry for the great typing one armed bandit for now jeff

[Lucky Dog]

Not sure if what I have is called both eye's dominant or neither eye dominant. but I have to close one eye when shooting. When I shoot left handed I close the right eye, and when shooting right handed, I close the left.

If I try to leave both open I see two barrels and two targets. Never know which one to shoot at.

[TomW]

Got tired of wearing reading glasses....so had a reading contact made up.

Right eye contact is distance...left eye is reading....called monovision.

Since I got the reading contact, I hit everything...my right eye does all the work when a bird gets up.....it really does work.

Thats quite interesting. I wear bifocals but I have a pair of glasses I use shooting that are not focus for reading. I told the doc that I was a shooter and on that pair I didn't need to see close but things had to be very sharp at a distance.

I shoot a lot of sporting clays and its more important to focus on your target than down the barrel of your shotgun. I know a guy that went so far as to remove the sights from his so they wouldn't distract him. What most people need to do is get out and practice, practice, practice! This is important to get your gun mount to be natural and consistant. Once you accomplish this then you work on focusing on the target, and your leads. If you are mounting the gun right, are properly focused on the target, then you should be able to hit it pretty well.

I found that shooting sporting clays helped my wing shooting 200+%.

Tom W

[TomW]

Not sure if what I have is called both eye's dominant or neither eye dominant. but I have to close one eye when shooting. When I shoot left handed I close the right eye, and when shooting right handed, I close the left.

If I try to leave both open I see two barrels and two targets. Never know which one to shoot at.

This sounds like a serious vision problem. You shouldn't see two targets, unless by focusing on the barrel you are looking cross eyed. Stop looking at the barrel of your shotgun. Look only at the target, and focus hard on it. If you are mounting your gun correctly it should already be pointing in the right direction. All you need to do is lead the target correctly, and pull the trigger. If you have to make adjustments to your gun mount, you have already missed the bird or clay. If should alwasy be a fluid movement from mount to triger pull to follow through.

Get out to a sporting clays course with some people that shoot regularly. Some of them are very good and can give you some tips. If you don't have any friends that go, go by yourself anyway. There should be plenty of other shooters there that will be more than happy to help.

Tom W

[GVSUKUSH]

After shooting the other night I still don't know if I keep them open or close my left eye. All I know is that when I break the clay, I have my cheek on the stock and I swing thru the target.

[omega58]

I shoot shotgun and rifle left-handed, shoot bow right handed. . .

Shotgun, I do both. . .
For wing shooting, both eyes open :) . . . shooting turkey, one eye. ;)

Rifle and bow, one eye looking down the sight. Bow I have to keep reminding myself that I am left-eye dominant and to close it. . .maybe that's why I don't bow hunt as much anymore, it's either that or hunting with the dog is just more fun for me.

[PahtridgeHunter]

it's either that or hunting with the dog is just more fun for me.

I think you got it there...same for me!;)

[Lucky Dog]

This sounds like a serious vision problem. You shouldn't see two targets, unless by focusing on the barrel you are looking cross eyed. Stop looking at the barrel of your shotgun. Look only at the target, and focus hard on it. If you are mounting your gun correctly it should already be pointing in the right direction. All you need to do is lead the target correctly, and pull the trigger. If you have to make adjustments to your gun mount, you have already missed the bird or clay. If should alwasy be a fluid movement from mount to triger pull to follow through.

Get out to a sporting clays course with some people that shoot regularly. Some of them are very good and can give you some tips. If you don't have any friends that go, go by yourself anyway. There should be plenty of other shooters there that will be more than happy to help.

Tom W

It isn't a problem for me, A small percent of folks are born this way and I happen to be one of them. If I close one eye, everything is fine, open both and everything starts to get interesting. It is really hard to explain to someone who is one eye dominant. I guess it would be like trying to explain color to a color blind person.
It really does not effect my shooting. My poor shooting is probably more attributed to my poor technique, and I am sure lessons would make me better, but then that might take some of the fun out of it.;)