 Hunters Dominant Eye
Which eye should I aim at that pheasant with?
You need to aim properly at your target to hit it, and knowing how to sight along your gun is a key element. For some people this is more difficult than others, and the reason why may come down to a simple detail.
You may be using the wrong eye.
People typically focus on distant items with both eyes, but for closer objects things appear different when looked at with each eye. You can see this effect quickly by focusing on something few feet away, then quickly close one eye, then immediately switch, opening the other and closing the one that was open. Do this back and forth quickly a few times and you'll see that the object seems to jump left and right, depending on which eye was open.
So how do you figure out which eye to use to shoot with? You need to figure out which eye is your dominant eye.
The Simple Hunter's Dominant Eye Test:
Focus on a distant object (object should be at least 6 feet away). Now hold out your index finger and line it up with that point. Now close one eye at a time. Whichever eye is still lined up with the object while the other one is closed is your dominant eye. (Note: now that you're paying close attention you'll likely see two fingers when focusing on that distant object, but one will appear less solid than the other.
Now comes the tricky part. Is your dominant eye on the same side as your dominant arm? More importantly, is it on the same side as you shoot? If so, you're in luck.
If that's not the case it gets a little bit trickier. Say you're right handed but your dominant eye is left. It's pretty difficult, not to mention dangerous, to try to shoot with your left eye lined up along the barrel when you have to move your head over behind the barrel to see.
Fortunately, this is a pretty simple problem to fix. All you need to do is close the 'off' eye. If you're shooting on the right, then try closing your left eye. If you shoot on the left, try closing your right eye.
Some people may prefer an alternate fix. If, for instance, you were trained to shoot on the right but your dominant hand and eye are on the left you may want to try shooting on the left. If you're considering this, experiment a little and see what works best for you.
In any case, go out on the range and do a little practice shooting to get comfortable with your new stance. You probably want to practice simple holding and traversing to get comfortable. Later you might want to go shoot a few clays to help set the whole process into your muscles so that on the hunt everything feels natural and you don't tense up and forget.
There are also some other good tests to help you tell which eye is your dominant shooters eye. here are a few:
Links to Other Dominant Eye Tests
Discover your dominant eye
ehow determine dominant eye
Wikipedia eye dominance
Whatever strategy you use, whether you prefer shooting with both eyes, your left, or your right, above all else remember to keep at least one of them open when shooting!
Good luck and have a great hunt!
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