Hunting Forum

Sounds like my son.  He does sports and shoots right handed and everything else left handed.  I had to have his eyes tested to find out his right eye was dominant.  Maybe her parents should have her eyes tested.  She might just have one "weak" eye and need to wear a patch for a while.  It works.  I know from experience.  He's a great hunter now and teaching his daughter to be the same.

 

KK in Kennett

Life Member NAHC...............

I am left eye dominant and have always shot a long gun or bow left handed as it just felt more natural for me. Let her try shouldering it lefty and see if it does not feel more comfortable for her. My grandad used to get real mad at me for shooting lefty abd everything else righty but it came naturally. You can determine eye dominance easily by holding your hands in front of you and forming a triangle with the thumbs and forefingers, look through it with both eyes, then with the left, then the right. Whichever eye the sight picture does not change from when you use both eyes is the dominant eye. Just my experience and worked for nearly 57 years that way.
The day is here when your guns and ammo are worth more than silver and gold. Soon the blood of true patriots will be spilled across this once great nation again.

In Hunter Ed we try to have the students shoot with thier dominate eye.  Sometimes that is not the case.  My son is a lefty in everything.  All my guns are right handed.  He did not have a dominant eye so he shoots right handed.  He did pick up the gun and shoulder it on his right.  Good advice to get eyes tested.

 

 

It is NOT what your Country can do for you; it's what YOU can do for your Country (JFK). NAHC LM 1993. Hunter Ed Instructor, Greater NW WIS.

just have hold a triangle pattern in her hands and look at a point ten feet away tell her to close one eye than ask her if the spot moved if it did it is not the dominant eye, if it didn't that eye is dominant.

I started hunting with my Grand-daughter when she was 11 yrs. old.  This was first year she couud get her Hunter Ed. Cert.  She didn't get a deer the first 3 yrs. until we discovered she was Left eye dominant.  To "solve" this problem, we put a scope on her 30-30 lever action Mossberg, and she has been "lucky" ever since.  She's 17 now and has been in the "right place at the right time" each year.  I say lucky, because each year now she has put deer in freezer with one shot.
Any one should be able to use either eye with a scope.  I am Left eye dominate also and for years I shot right handed.  This works well for me now because if a deer approaches from behind and passes on my right side, I don't have to turn all the way around to get him in my sights, I just use the "other hand".

Welcome to the board dhoot.

As a firearms instructor, working primarily with youth, I see the cross dominance quite often. The shooter will be more accurate to learn to shoot from the shoulder of the dominate eye. It'll be awkward for a while, but they'll soon start seeing their accuracy improve and it'll become natural for them. For shooters that refuse to shoot from the side of their dominate eye, you can try an eye patch over their dominate eye or tape over the lens of their glasses on the dominate eye. Most of the problems I run into with cross dominance is with the parents insisting that their child is going to shoot from the non-dominate side because that's the way they shoot. For some people, eye dominance does change as they age. So just because a person was right eye dominate as a youth does not mean they're still right eye dominate.
I had a young girl several weeks ago, that we determined was left eye dominate, but her dad insisted that she shoots right handed. The first round of birds she shot from her right side and broke 1 out of 5 birds. Her next time up I got her the try shooting from her left side, dad had something else to do so he wasn't there, she broke 3 out of 5 birds. Her next time up she wanted to try left handed again and broke 5 out of 5 birds. Dad was back for her next round and voiced his objection when she mounted the shotgun to her left side, until she busted another 5 out of 5 and repeated that for the rest of the day.

Good note grandpops, but I don't think dhoot's gonna see it. He posted that back in 2009 and still only has 1 post

Thanks. Didn't notice the post date.

No problem. Just to throw it out there. By the thumb and forefinger test I'm left eye dominant but have shot right handed since I was a kid. Just seamed natural to me. Was 4th in the state of Pa in small bore at the highschool level. Shoot competition skeet for years. Always shoot with both eyes open, either scope or not, doesn't matter.

Go figure....

I realize this is an old post but hoot did say one thing of importance that nobody picked up on? He said she "used" to shoot with her dominant eye but lately found she could "see" better out of her left eye? I would take her to the eye doctor first and test her vision, not the dominance. Do the ground work first. Ever notice when you wink, the less dominant eye closes?

That's true GLW. That's why I can't figure me out. Any idea? Look at the post just about yours. I can't shoot leftie to save my butt but I can hit pretty much anything shooting rightie with a left dominant eye. Maybe because I shoot with both open? Dunno but hasn't mattered for competition skeet and target or just plain bird or critter hunting. You have any idea?

I mean, I'm not about to switch at 58 but can't explain it at all. And I have yearly eye exams....

I have a strange situation too? I've always shot both eyes open, archery and open site. But, around 40 years old, now 50, I started missing deer by shooting far to the left? I thought it was the equipment, but at home I was spot on? I found that my less dominant "left" eye was taking over and causing me to pull my shots. I have since closed the left eye without any more issues. I do have reading glasses and my eyes do read at different distances so that is most likely the problem.
I don't know Steve? Maybe it's because you have trained yourself that way at an early stage so it just feels good? Either way it's working, don't fix it!

I have an unusual situation...I don't have a dominate eye...both eyes have the same convergence point..(were line of sight for each eye cross)...in other words if I focus on the target I'll see 2 front sights...or if I focus on the front sight I will see 2 targets...so which sight picture or target do I pick?? problem solved back about 55 years ago I close the non shooting eye..and every thing is okaydokay...this was great for the first 20years..did well in comps and hunting..an old crusty DI screamed/bellowed at me for this practice...damn near stood on my neck..that is until I shot 9 Xs right handed and 8 Xs left handed..he then said "what ever works for ya..." and left me ta shoot my way...I do however recommend that new shooters learn to shoot using the dominate eye (actually any and all shooters to do this) if the dominate eye is not your normal hand (or strong hand)  you can in most cases teach yourself to shoot with the weak or off hand...I have found that most (not everyone but most) shooters improve in accuracy by using the dominate eye...and in most cases can shoot both eyes open...