Is the peep really necessary
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: lewis
21-Jun-17
After reading the posts on the peep rotation thread I see that a lot of shooters did away the peep and have gone to a kisser button only.What are your thoughts on that. Lewis
From: greg simon
21-Jun-17
I prefer a peep sight, more accurate for me.
From: Brotsky
21-Jun-17
I use a peep and a kisser. I need all the help I can get! :)
From: smarba
21-Jun-17
Try the IQ with Retina Lock. I am biased, as I learned without a peep and then went with a product called the No Peep, which was subsequently acquired by and improved into the IQ. So I've never used a peep, but the IQ is very accurate and a viable alternative to using a peep sight.
From: GhostBird
21-Jun-17
Peep & Kisser for me. Makes it easier for me to get a proper anchor every time, even in awkward positions while hunting.
From: Bowfreak
21-Jun-17
Yes it is. For optimal accuracy you need a peep. I am sure there is a top level compound archer somewhere that doesn't use one but it would be extremely rare.
From: Scooter
21-Jun-17
Well, used a peep for yrs; than got a new bow , and thought don't need a peep.... I didn't want to deal with a peep rotation issue during hunting season, particularly in cold weather... Shot my new set up really well without it, but something a few weeks ago told me that a peep will make groups even better. So... I bought a RAD Super Deuce, installed it and Lov it ... The voices between my ears were right, peeps are better ....
From: Hawkeye
21-Jun-17
+1 Bowfreak
From: wyobullshooter
21-Jun-17
+2 Bowfreak
Consistency = Accuracy. A wise man once said "You don't have to do it the right way every time, you just have to do it the same way every time".
A peep is a great little tool for doing it the same way every time. A no-brainer IMO. With a quality bowstring and string loop, peep rotation is a non-issue.
From: Paul@thefort
21-Jun-17
i agree. changed out the string with a season choice string and that end any peep rotation issues . yes a 1/4 inch peep hole works well for hunting for me, no kisser. paul
From: muzzy
21-Jun-17
Haven't used a peep in over 20 years, kisser button works well for me. I stopped using a peep when I couldn't find a big buck at last light on a overcast day. I'm a one eyed shooter and looking for the deer through the peep I just couldn't find the shoulder, lung area. That deer walked away and I swore it would never happen again. I shoot very tight groups and have broken nocks off arrows and ripped fletching off too. Even got a Robin hood before I switched to carbon arrows. It's not for everyone but it works for me. One less thing to go wrong when it crunch time.
From: elk yinzer
21-Jun-17
My dad insisted I learn to shoot without a peep, just the kisser button. I was a decent shot, no one has ever confused me for robin hood, but put a peep on when I had a severe bout with target panic in my teens and kept it ever since. I am just far more consistent with it, especially in hunting situations where shots are quick and perfect form can be impossible.
From: midwest
21-Jun-17
+3 Bowfreak
From: pav
21-Jun-17
Peep and kisser on all my compound bows.
From: Nick Muche
21-Jun-17
I shoot a large peep sight and also have a very consistent anchor. In low light, I know my anchor is perfect so if I can see my pins it's going to be plenty accurate at 20 yards which is as far as I'd ever need to shoot when light is fading.
I shot a brown bear last weekend and it was nearly dark, but it was close, I could see my pins and I trusted my anchor.
From: Helgermite
21-Jun-17
Never shot with a Peep or Kisser until I got a new bow last year and had them put on. I've never shot better since I had both installed. Now I won't ever go without either one unless I'm going traditional.
From: lewis
21-Jun-17
Thanks all the posts came back pretty much like I thought but was curious because of the other posts Lewis
From: Charlie Rehor
21-Jun-17
In the past I used a Peep and kisser button but Just dropped the kisser button and went with peep and string on the center of the nose. If you have 2 of the three you are good to go.
From: drycreek
21-Jun-17
I guess it's not necessary, I killed my first couple deer without one. Didn't use a release either and my sight pins were brass. Things change and we adapt or improve, hopefully both. I was using a peep with verifier, and a kisser. Had cataract surgery, dropped the verifier, bought a new to me bow with a little longer draw, dropped the kisser. I can still shoot as well as ever, which ain't real great......
From: Flynarrow
21-Jun-17
I've been using a peep with a verifier for a few years now, just recently added a kisser and really like it. The combination has definitely improved my long range target shooting.
From: Treeline
21-Jun-17
Is it necessary? No.
But then again, neither are the kisser button, release, stabilizer, sights, release, cams, carbon riser, carbon limbs, etc.
Wasn't that long ago that lots of folks were shooting compounds with fingers and there were even categories at shoots for "compound - no sights".
Lots of guys kill lots of critters with nothing more than a bent stick with a string on it. Have been doing it that way for about 15,000 years.
But if you want to get the best precision in your arrow grouping out of a compound, the peep will definitely help you do that.
From: carcus
21-Jun-17
I like them, shot for many years without until my string started blocking my view of the pin tips. I shot just as good without but I had a kisser
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
Do you really need a peep? No. In 30-years, I never used a peep or a release. However, if you do a lot of target shooting, probably you will want both. IMO-for hunting, both are a handicap. It won't take long to get use to not using one.
From: Julius K
22-Jun-17
You can shoot without a peep. You align the string with the edge of the riser. It requires perfect anchoring. It works. I prefer a large diameter peep. I run a 1/4" peep and can see as much as I need to in any light conditions I feel comfortable shooting in.
From: Olink
22-Jun-17
I shoot much better with Perry's No-Peep than I ever did with a peep. Peeps are just a PITA, IMO (especially for hunting).
From: Bowfreak
22-Jun-17
Bowriter,
How is a release a handicap in a hunting situation? It is undeniable that release shooting is WAY more accurate than fingers and one can shoot a release as fast as fingers if needed.
From: 12yards
22-Jun-17
Hunted without a peep from the 1970s through 2007. Never had an issue and thought about going back to that way. Most of my shots in the whitetail woods are short anyways and I could shoot better with two eyes open w/o the peep. I think for whitetails within 25 yards you'd do fine without one. You'd be surprised how good you can shoot. My successful shot rate has not changed since going to the peep.
From: Ermine
22-Jun-17
Peep increases accuracy big time in my opinion.
From: sfiremedic
22-Jun-17
Ive never shot a peep and shoot just fine...
From: Will
22-Jun-17
Ditched a peep for a "no peep" system maybe 15 years ago now... No desire to return. I shoot better, and even in low light it works perfect, in fact, I can see the no peep clear past the point I'd be comfy shooting at a deer. Wish I could remember the name of the guy who suggested it, I thank him every time I shoot.
From: 7 Points
22-Jun-17
I had been shooting 49 years and only used a kisser button. Never wanted a peep to interfere in low light or rainy conditions. 2 years ago, when I got a new string, the shop talked me into going to a peep and, my biggest question was, "what do I do when I can see all the pins thru the peep?". It became so natural to use a peep and, now knowing my eyes and brain will work together, I wish I would have switched so many years ago. And, I have had zero issues with the peep twisting. Don't get me wrong, I have killed a ton of animals before going to a peep but, the instant improvement to accuracy astounded me.
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
"Bowriter, How is a release a handicap in a hunting situation? It is undeniable that release shooting is WAY more accurate than fingers and one can shoot a release as fast as fingers if needed."
I'm guiding a guy on a pretty expensive elk hunt. Get a 270-300 bull working and he whispers. "S---, I forgot my release. I have to go back to camp."
Got a client in a tree in Iowa. According to him, a 160+ buck is broadside at 20-yards. He drops his release."
Don't know about you, but I call that a handicap. I have never dropped or forgotten my fingers and although, not a tournament shooter, I figure I was pretty accurate on animals. And that is just two examples. I have several more. :)
From: Treeline
22-Jun-17
Have tons of stories and have seen a lot guiding and hunting about being handicapped by failures of various components of compounds - peeps twisted where you can't see your sights, sights moving/breaking, releases breaking/loosening/lost, arrow rests failing or breaking, harnesses coming off the wheels, etc...
How anyone ever kills anything with a compound is beyond me! Much more difficult to keep all that stuff working together so you can get an arrow downrange and into an animal than a simple longbow:)
The fancier you get, the more chances for a mechanical failure. Obviously, you do not need to shoot a 4" group at 80 yards to kill animals effectively. If you feel you need the extra precision in your shooting to be successful, by all means, use it!
From: Bowfreak
22-Jun-17
One could also forget or drop an arrow but you aren't going to quit using arrows because of that. The release was not the handicap, the hunter was.
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
"Dependence upon things mechanical is always a handicap." Cornelius Vanderbilt.
From: Bowfreak
22-Jun-17
Things like a bow? :)
From: buddyb
22-Jun-17
I quit using a peep and just a kisser button and nose touching the string to get everything aligned. I have had to pass up game before in low light conditions as a result of a peep. You can shoot pretty darn accurate without it in my opinion but to each his own.
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
"Even a fiddle requires a bow to make sweet music. However, a smart fiddler never fiddles with a peep or release. His fingers and eyes are sufficient." I. Missed Wunce.
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
"In the Wyoming town of Ten Sleep,
Lives man who hunts with a small peep.
One day he missed and boy was he pi--ed,
Said this piece of crap, I won't keep." Rudyard Kiplerling
I got a millyun of 'em, kids.
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
On his string, instead of wax he used bear grease.
Instead of feathers, his arrows, he fletched with down of geese.
His great friend, Sid, smiled as he said,
I’m sure glad he don’t use a release. C. Bower Abbington
From: Bowriter
22-Jun-17
A great archer known far wide, took a beautiful maiden to be his new bride. Many times she said without cease, I hope it is not another premature release. Author unknown
From: 7 Points
22-Jun-17
I forgot my release once after getting in the treestand. A nice big doe walked in my killzone and, I still killed her. If a hunter wants to be handicapped by his limitations, then he will always be limited to his success. There are always options to adapting to the situation you are in. Like, practicing to shoot fingers or, knowing how to shoot if something happens to your peep.
From: Mathewsshootr2
22-Jun-17
First how far are you shooting 20 ish you can get away from a peep if you are shooting beyond need a peep of some sort me 1/8 verifier (old eyes )
From: Wood
23-Jun-17
I use an Anchor Sight instead of a peep and I hold the Wa State 3d record in the Senior open class.
From: 12yards
23-Jun-17
Bowriter, my hand would have to be severed off at the wrist for my release to fall to the ground. LOL. But seriously, I've killed several dozens of deer without a peep sight and never missed because I didn't have one. An archer can shoot very good groups out to 40 yards w/o a peep with practice. I'm convinced if a person can shoot 4" groups at 40 yards with a peep, they could shoot similar without.
From: Bowbender8
09-Jul-17
I haven't used a peep since about 1995. I've been successful with just a kisser, but I've used the Anchor Sight for several years and the Timberline No Peep for years before that. They don't work well with the popular single pin moveable sights, but are fabulous with fixed pins. I can shoot in MUCH lower light conditions that with a peep. They also help indicate bow hand torque, which a peep can't help you with. I use an old Timberline No Peep and a peep on my target bow.
From: sticksender
09-Jul-17
For hunting I wouldn't use the tiny peeps of the early 1980's, but ever since someone figured out, about 25 years ago, that big peeps and ring shaped sight housings work great, make you deadly accurate, and eliminate the 'low light handicap' of tiny peeps, yes that's what I've used ;-)
From: kentuckbowhnter
09-Jul-17
I only use a kisser button. I like to shoot with both eyes open and am accurate without the peep. Try it you may like it a lot better I can't stand a peep now.
From: smarba
09-Jul-17
Peep not necessary, just get a xbow LOL
From: drycreek
09-Jul-17
John ! LMAO !!!
From: donnybowhunter
09-Jul-17
yes I can't even consider shooting without a peep.... first knuckle anchor point.nose tip on string and peep... works for me
From: Bowbender8
27-Feb-18
I just bought a Darton 3800 used, and it came with an IQ on it. It's already off and an Anchor Sight along iwth an F-35 pin sight mounted. I have the same sight system on my old hunting bow which will now be the backup. I put the IQ on my competition bow for a bit just to see how it worked out for me. I really like it. Set up is quite easy if you follow the factory direcitons exactly. 20 plus years of using this tech made it easy for me and I think most any bowhunter would benefit from using the IQ or my new favorite, the Anchor Sight.
From: snapcrackpop
27-Feb-18
IQ sight. NO peep
From: tradmt
27-Feb-18
Of course it's not necessary, people shoot bare bow, no sights at all.
I never did like a peep, always used a kisser button for anchor reference.
From: Will
27-Feb-18
For years now I've been using a NoPeep. It's basically the same idea as the little aperture on the IQ sights, but it is a separate part that mounts to your riser. You reference it, dots are lined up then put the pin on the target and hit it. LOVE that thing. Plus, having a clean string (no kisser or peep) has been great to boot.
From: Wood
27-Feb-18
I've won cash multiple times at 70 to 120 yards with no peep and my Anchor Sight.
From: standswittaknife
27-Feb-18
I suck without one... so for me..absolutely. Oh and yes a kisser is mandatory as well..
From: Franklin
27-Feb-18
No kisser...just a peep. My anchor point is grooved. My pin housing fits right inside of my peep circle....line the 2 circles up and center the pin. For years I used a knot on my bow string....at draw it looks like a blur....put the blur just above the pin and let er rip.
From: Glunt@work
27-Feb-18
No peep, no kisser, no pins. Yes, all those are great tools for increasing accuracy and effective range. Which is great because the whole point of bowhunting is killing stuff with a bow from as far away as possible...wait...? :^)
From: tonyo6302
28-Feb-18
tonyo6302's Link
Peep sights are for rifles.
.. ..
.. ..
Rifles, Crossbows, Air Bows, and anything with a rear peep sight and front sights belongs in Gun season.
;^)
From: Bowriter
28-Feb-18
Look at it in perspective. Are you going to hunt or shoot tournaments? Of course they are not necessary. Neither are releases or stabilizers. If you are primarily a tournament shooter, then they are of value. However, if your goal is to hit a softball-size target, as in hunting, they may actually be a handicap. I never used a peep or release and never wished I had. But then, I also only had one sight pin and never wished for more. It is all a matter of what your goals are and how much you practice. Including me, not a single person on this or any forum can answer your question. We can only provide our own opinion.
From: NYBOB
01-Mar-18
Still shooting 3D on weekends and bowhunting all over US and Canada at 85 yrs old and have never shot with a peep sight. All you need is a solid anchor, I have a nocking point on my string that I touch to the side of my nose and that's it . I do compete with my friends at the shoots, believe me.
