Just wondering how far your practice shots are compared to shots you would take while hunting. I practice out to 30, but 20 is my max for hunting. BTW, my 30 yd shots are terrible, but 20> seems consistent.
Usually I practice 10 yards more than I would shoot at a live animal.
Practice to 30 for a 20 hunting shot.
some of my practice shots are up to 50 or 60 yards, while my hunting shot are 30 yards or less. Unless it is a squirrell, then anything goes...
I have my targets set up from less than 10 yards to up to about 22 yards. Very rarely do I shoot longer at home.
When I go to trad shoots I let 'er rip at all sorts of ranges and really enjoy the 100+ yard long range bombing.
Practice out to 50-60 but most at from 25-40. Hunting range would be around 30. Depends how I am shooting and the feel. Mule deer and elk aren't nearly as jumpy as whitetail.
I keep game shots under 25 as a rule, but I practice out to 50. I think it gives me a better idea of trajectory and I don't want the hardest shot I try regularly to be at game.
Dave
I practice as far as 80 yards (NFAA field course), but the majority of my shooting is between 20 and 50 yards.
I practice 5-35 and sometimes throw in a Hail Mary or to.And usually have the kids out playing,I figure if I can focus and make a shot with that noise I can make a better one in silence
I practice out to about 30 to 40 yrds. I set up 12 oz water bottles at those distances. My hunting range I keep to 20 yrds and under.
I practice on a field range alot I keep pretty go groups out to 40 yards but will shoot 60 to 80 yards at times when feeling brave. One of my fravorite events is archery golf so I let them rip as far as I can its just fun to watch the flight. Local 3-d events are set up for wheelie guys so I will always have a few shoots out at 50 to 60 yards,but I will use the old rock chuck arrows from the shooting position then step up for realistic practice. Hunting I like the arrow to hit them before the arrow leaves the bow. I might shoot as far as 25 yards or so depending on the animal and conditions.
i practice from 7 to 25 yards as i sure as hell dont hunt anymore than those ranges. but at the club anything goes from 5 to 100 yards :biglaugh:
I usually practice 15yds and 20 yds, our 3d tournaments are maximum 25 yds, well mts but it is about the same. So hunting for me is 20 yds or less
During the winter I have no choice but to work on form practicing in my basement at from 1 to 13 yards . I do all kinds of shooting exercises.
When spring comes and I start shooting outside I shoot my best of the year. It is then only a matter of a few days for my brain to calculate all distances again.
Practice out to 40yds. I spend most of my time somewhere between 10-25 yds. Hunting shots: deer max 25yds, elk out to 30yds, rabbits maybe 20yds, milkweed...100yds +.
This is an interesting thread. I am with Dave on this one in most respect. I shoot a lot at 40 plus. Some of the shoots that I go to have shots that are 55-60. I think that there is somethingto be learned by shooting far in a practice situation. Plus it will make that 18 yard shot on a deer feel like nothing and allow you to relax.
I practice all kinds of ranges, but mostly out to about 40 yd. I find stump shooting to be the best gauge of my effective range. One shot at a time spaced out at unknown range is a better indicator for me than pounding away at targets shot after shot in the back yard. Actually my overall consistency is much better stump shooting than repetitive group shooting. The range I can shoot every focused shot into the kill zone stump shooting style is about 5 yards farther than I shoot on game as a rule. I hunt white tails, and they can do to much moving to take a chance on marginal accuracy. Throw in the wind, terrain, a moving animal, and pounding heart, and there is no way I can say my solid target range is good enough for live targets.
17.5 - that's as far as I can back up in the basement without breaking my elbow on the wall.
Used to be able to get an honest 35 until I finished my daughters room. I made some noise about and extra door in her room - So I could still shoot in the winter - that got shot down in flames.
as far as i kick the ball. i kick a ball around and shoot it or at it where it stops. somethimes its very far but as for hunting nothing over 20 unless everything is perfect and i just feel it.
I shoot up to 40 yards but I would in no way take that kind of shot on game. I like to keep those shot's 25 and under if I can. I feel the most comfortable at that range! Jason
Shoot as far or as close as the stumps are. Shoot to 35yds in the yard.
I have taken two shots at game with the curve. A thirty yard shot spot and stalk on a mulie doe and a 60" spot and stalk shot on a javie.
Thirty-five is my hunting max as that is my point on and I am very comfortable there.
Before kodiak in August I hope to be ready to shoot 40 or so.
But I break all the rules and use a rangefinder...
If you can shoot a 60-70 yard shot the same (with one variation)as a 20 you've arrived.
Bowmania
Tried to do the Howard Hill elk shot the other day (he writes about hitting an elk at 180 paces). I guess I'm no Howard Hill.
I do shoot at 50 yards or so when stumping; I would never shoot at an animal that far; I'm a 20 yard shot kind of guy. But it is fun to shoot at longer ranges when playing around.
My backyard shots are in the 15 to 30 yd. range. I too think the long shots improve your hand-eye co-ordination. Never shy to take the 100 yd. shot at a range or stumping. The place I hunt has 3 of my arras in a fence post ranged at 156 yds. Sure do like to see em fly. Hunting range, depends on the day and given shot, probably not more than the 20 to 30 yd side. Shoot what is in your personal comfort zone.
Long range random distance shooting will really hone your skill, and makes the close shots really easy. I try lots of 50-70 yard shots while roving, and it's surprising to me how many times I make it good. Sometimes it seems like I have time to trim my nails before the arrow gets there.
40-50. but ya gotta fling one way outthere once in awhile, its just fun...
I can get up to 50+yds at home (my range). I also shoot from a little platform and a ladder stand I have, there. Most shots are 15-35yds.
I learned last week, though, that this type practice isn't going to do me much good for my CO trip in Sept.. More realistic practice would be stump shooting; shooting in hilly terrain; etc....
Anyway....here's my little home range. I've added another, and have 7 3D's, now.
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m314/SBGobblers/DSC01456-1.jpg)
Right now we have an outdoor "snowflake league" going on at our archery club and those shots are anywhere between 15 and 30 yards. When the league is over in a few weeks i wil go back to shooting are 3D and muzzy stump shoot course which has shots from 15 yards to 45 yards. For hunting hogs i want a 15 yard shot and for deer up to 25 yards.
i shoot from 3 yards to 150 yards . I love shooting long range and personally i think there is nothing better for reminding me about my from that trying to shoot a good group from my straight end longbows or ILF 'curves than trying to group at 80 yards or even further . plus ... stumping ain't stumping without the long range arrow busters!!!
my preferred hunting range ... 10 to 15 yards ...
Ben
I love to shoot 45-50yds while practicing but like my hunting shots to be around 15-20 yds max.
Hunting range - NEVER over 20 - practice, anything goes. H
GMMAT - I like the tombstone targets!
In the back yard I shoot 10 - 20 neeling standing sitting and from different angles I do that everyday, I would feel comfortable taking a shot at game at 20 yds at most at this time anything furthur than that and my consistancy goes way down. I go to the range to improve on that but also to have some fun and I shoot everything there out to 100 yds at field targets. and I also walk the 3d range shootig up hill down hill and across the pond and various ranges but nothing over 40yds on the 3d targets
I like to take shoots/stumps at distances to 40 yards and sometimes further. I feel that if I get good groups at 35-40 then I have more condfidence at my hunting ranges and they become no brainers. That is if you take out the shakes and heart racing lol.
Practice mostly 5-50 yards.
But roving around the sand dunes and lupins at my local beach,Ill see a log two hundred yards away and give it a crack.
I live on the upper west coast of NZ,my local beach is 26 kms long an most of it is deserted for 6 months of the year.
I can do pretty much anything I like down there.
All this practice doesn't mean a great deal to me in a deer hunting situation,it's still a deer,I'll still be on edge to some extent,I'll still try to get as close as I can,,I'll still blow more stalks than I'm successfull on.
20 yards is a drop shot,30 I know I can do,,,10 would be much nicer.
Usually 10 to 25 yards on foam targets but when I am stump shooting anything goes. Suprisingly when I stump shoot I do my best shooting. The reason is I have one blunt or judo arrow and only take one shot. When I am shooting at foam I have a quiver full of arrows and I use them!! Big mistake! You should shoot only one arrow just like a hunting senerio. (You get lots of exercise walking which is another benefit!) :wavey:
well my buddy and I are known to shoot out to 100 yards. And if you can group in about 4 feet at 100 then you are doin pretty good. But that is about every other week in the summer, during the season and right before I will only practice out to 50 yards. And can put them all on the target about 90 percent of the time at 40 yards, and all in the lungs at 30, and all in the heart at 20. But while hunting I will not shoot past 30 yards. And very rarely will I think of shooting past 25, everything would have to be "right".
Chris, that is about right. Byron Ferguson at one his seminar at Denton hill last year said something like this. Some one asked me how many shots it took me to hit that balloon at 70 yards on my program.
I believe his answer was. He said one of Course I just had to shoot multiple times to hit it. Hee Hee
Shoot to have fun, practice as fare out that you are still having fun. Hunt responsible, shoot out as far as you know you will hit your mark. Nature, instinctive shooting and lack of concentration will take care of the miss'es. :archer:
40-50 yard practice will really highlight problems with yoru form and tuning.
In the woods, closer is better and I just am not comfortable with anything over 18-20 yards. Game does screwy things in the woods, like taking a step between release and arrival of the arrow.
The closer the better.
On our property, we...my sons & I....shoot out to 100 yds or so....for fun and friendly competition....love to see arrows in flight!
Serious huntin' practice is 30 yds and less.