How many of you practice shooting in low light conditions to simulate that first/last light shot? I started doing that several years ago it really does help.
I seem to have fallen into it with my work schedule. I am hoping it helps!
Went last evening and shot just before dark in the woods at our range......real eye opener!!
Done it for years, cant tell you how many deer I have taken with a bow, last 2-5 minutes of daylight.
I find it to be a asset.Nothing like using the silhouette to find the mark.
i started doing it cause its so hot out..but i love too shoot whenever i can
Did that shooting tonight with my girls!
I do it while it's still pretty dark in the mornings. It really helps one to concentrate.
I like to shoot very early in the morning, just as the sun comes up. An added plus is the weather/temp is cooler then. It has been so hot here since March, not much fun to be outside. Too many mosquitoes in the evenings too.
I often shoot after sunset. Low light doesn't just make picking a pot more of a challenge, but I also think it skews my perception (sight picture) so practicing for it is beneficial.
Yes, I think that it is a big help.
I always time my evening practice sessions out so the last 10 minutes or so it is nearly dark, it is amazing how you can put the arrow where it needs to be just by looking at the outline of a block or 3D target! It also makes shooting in well lighted conditions that much easier.
One of the difficulties of practicing in low light is seeing where your arrow hit. I just started using the fake rabbit fur strips that wrap around and stick on your shaft right behind the fletching. I use white as I have natural, barred turkey fletching and - wow. I heard it described as like having a candle on the end of your arrow and that isn't a wild exageration. I've shot both with and without in low light or in a dark woods and the fur strips really help.
I like to practice in the last few minutes of daylight.I have three chartreuse feathers and the same color cap dip on my surewoods.They really show up well during lowlight.Amazing how much better you concentrate on the target.
The best practice is that which produces the most realistic conditions.
I have been doing this for years.
I seem to shoot better the lower the light gets, i think its due to less things visible around that could catch my mind focusing.
i to love to pratice in low light, that's one advantage we have. looking through a little hole, trying to pick which sight pin to use is hard enough, now try and find the deer, dang!! which way is he going. been there, done that. we can shoot a good 20 minutes longer. sure some of my buddies can out shoot me at 40yds., but who can even see a deer in low light at 40yds? in low light all things become equal. it's a good thing it's not legal to hunt on a full moon, there wuold be even more pope and youngs on the wall. :saywhat: :saywhat: :saywhat:
I shoot when it's almost pitch black dark at least 2 days a week usualy.My regular shooting is 5-7 days a week.
Do it just about every day.
Yea i shoot a lot better in low light. It seems that my mind naturally relies on insticts and form in the dark. Zero target panic and better grouping!
Try to most nights from late Aug. thru hunting season.
doug77
I do it Great practice
My neighbor asked me, why I practice in the dark? I told him because that is when I hunt.He thought I was serious. I later told him way. He got a big laugh.
Best practice there is, I think! It really sharpens your ability to trust that your hold is good. I like to shoot in the dark, using what street light bleeds into the yard after reflecting off the smog - kind of like half-moon light.
Now You're Thinking! That's what trad is all about.
... mike ...
It's interesting to me how many people shoot high in low light. I wonder why that is?
todd
I do. Helps tremendously to walk up and see groups! Byron practice shooting candles out in the dark... maybe I should do that ;)
I started shooting in almost total darkness to find out if I am shooting instinctive or gap. One of my friends who has been shooting Trad. for many years told me if I shoot gap I will have a lot of trouble shooting in the dark because it is difficult to see the tip of the arrow. If I am shooting instinctive I should be able to hit the target. It would seem I am shooting instinctive.
Ken
Really helps me to shoot in low light for actual hunting conditions. Discovered the advantage shooting 3D in the back yard just before dark.
I do it quite a bit
I do it a lot and have for decades. I agree that it helps in many hunting situations. Sometimes it is so dark when I am shooting that there is no way I can tell where my arrows are hitting. The only way I know I am shooting well is when I hear my arrows hitting each other when they get to the target. It always surprises me how little we need visual cues to shoot well when we spend enough time practicing and use good form. If my shots are erratic, it is virtually always because I allowed my form to break down, not because I was shooting under difficult conditions, like near darkness. Instinctive shooters don't need no stinkin' light!
Allan
Legal shooting hours here are legal sunrise to sunset. Enen in the woods, I don't get a legal shot anywhere near being dark. Even in low light, I don't take the shot because it is the little branches and brush that disappear 1st and get in the way. So no, I don't see any value for me to practise those shots.
I used to practice with a longbow at night with lit candles in front of a hay bale backstop.... was able to put out the flame with a little practice. at various distances.
:archer2: :archer2: :archer2:
Lately, I have been practicing from around 20 minutes before dark until it gets too dark to see.
I sometimes shoot at night with a spotlight shining on my target. Helps me to focus on the spot I want to hit. Don't know about anybody else, works for me though.....Randy