Texas Hunting Forum: Tuesday Christian Devotional

Instinctive Shooting
By Charles Sorrells
President, Harvest Calls, Inc.

The mere mention of this style of shooting tends t send the minds of archers reeling, asking the question, “Just what exactly does that mean – instinctive shooting?” Not to mention the non-archers who are absent from any comprehension of archery terms. Many people think that all archers just pull a bow and let an arrow cut the wind and magically hit a predetermined spot. A simple working explanation of instinctive shooting is … “the process of shooting an arrow with a bow without the aid of any mechanical sights, thus requiring the archer to know the flight of the arrow intimately to guide it to a chosen target.” This style of shooting demands the archer spend many hours shooting the bow while ingraining the flight of the arrow into the mind. It is inherently found that archers choosing this style of shooting relish the time spent shooting and spending time their bow in the field either hunting or field shooting. Shooting becomes heartfelt, not just an exercise of the mind and body.

Walking daily through life I really look forward to unwinding my mind while shooting my bow when either hunting or just plunking around the woods. The past few years have been even more of a delight as my sons have come to age to join me in shooting and hunting. Seeing them lay out the foundations in instinctive shooting in their minds have left me secure knowing they will always know how to shoot a bow and derive the rewards form it.

When I shoot, I am reminded of the spiritual truths reflected in the intimacy related to this style of shooting. Simply put, it is not that elusive to know the Savior, just ask; and once you dedicate yourself to knowing Him, then you walk with Him everyday as required. That required time isn’t a task. It is a dedication gladly offered to knowing Him more intimately. Not too distant in the walk with Christ is it finding its foundation in your heart, and that brings on intimacy which covers all avenues and outlets of life. It keeps you “right on target”!

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