As much as i love to beat the bag and shoot 3d's, for me, my favorite and most effective form of practice is just good ole stump shooting. For me, nothing puts my good and bad habits into perspective more than a little stumpin.
What is your favorite and most effective form of practice?
I have to agree. It is quicker and easier to jump out the door and shoot a few rounds into the target. During deer season I like to shoot from elevated positions, as I hunt from tree stands alot. But I find the variety of distances and angles found in stump shooting to be the best.
stump shooting is by far my fave archery activity ... shooting spots at 18-20 yarsd , 300 rounds etc is a great way to check form and consistency and an often a humbling experience
Mixing it up with some roving long shots , whacking stumps after some 300 rounds will , for me , show a vast improvement in consistant accuracy
I didn't get the camp name "Stumpkiller" from lugging a foam deer around. ;)
I had/have the reputation of enjoying roving and stump shooting more than hunting. :archer:
Lots more action and less mess. :D
I'm not good at shooting target dots if it's not 3-D. I prefer 3-D or shooting at objects in the wild. I do more 3-D than stump shooting, though.
Like the rest, stumping is sure fun and so much more realistic. However, I also practice real hunting situations, shooting with my body twisted on one knee, shooting with the target in front of me, or at my side, whatever I can do to recreate past hunting shots as well as anticipated hunting shots. I shoot at my 3-d deer, or some target (like a piece of foam or a leaf on a hill side), whatever.
Bob.
Stumping is the best.......
Squirrel hunting.
I'd call it practice because half of my shots are stump shooting shots and the other half are not always as effective as I would be hunting with a rifle.
My buddies and I are shooting at our local indoor range often these days. We play "follow the leader" 1st guy calls a shot,like.."the ear on the Fox target" (paper target on foam backwall) or "The deers eye" (again paper targets) but it is alot of fun,and really makes an archer "zero in" fellow member sticksandstones comes up with some killer drills as well,like "timed 5 arrow shot sequences" or shooting foam golf balls of tees. The last one we did was like a police academy shooting drill. With a paper target of a pirate holding a maiden captive,that you had to get a head shot on without touching the maiden,or a young boy paper target,with an apple on his head! Just like William Tell! It is a blast making archery games. Tic-Tac-Toe is another one. Good times,rat'
Chasing ground squirrels. Do it all year long out here. Hit more clods and rocks than squeeks.
Shooting cans and dandelions in the yard.
The most fun is probably a 3d course, with stumping a real close second. Most effective for me, shooting instinctive, is shooting 'after hours' on a bright night, or with just the target visible. Shooting in the dark has helped me to concentrate on only my target, and let my shooting be as natural as it can be, without 'trying' to shoot in a specific way. It might actually be the most fun too. It's really something to draw and release, not being able to see your arrow in flight, and walk up to the target and see a good hit.
stump shooting for sure or lumps of dirt
Guys, sorry to get a tad off topic, but with so many of you stump shooting, I've noticed that lots of guys use blunt points or judos and such.
As someone who does not stump shoot much, I ask, does anyone just use field points? With those other points, they would just bounce off. I think for me, I'd like to see my arrow stick in whatever target I'm shooting at.
Same here, stumping. Specially with the grand daughters. Great practice and fun.
My most effective practice is 3-D when I ignore the score rings and just pick a spot and go for a kill shot as if the target were a real animal. Works for me.
definitly with Broadheads but target are difficult to find ...
ncheels, blunts are a must have when stumping. They will stick in all but the hardest of stumps (in which case a field point may bounce back as well or get stuck). There are a few different ones available, and they don't bury themselves in the dirt and under the leaves as bad as field points. Try them and you'll be pleased.
What Smokin Joe said. Local indoor range has a lot of 3D's. fun to play follow the leader with a bunch of wheelie guys and have them worry about rings and me only worry about kill shots, or hitting the spot next to "your last shot".
ncheels; I stump shoot a lot, lose and break lots of arrows.I definitely prefer Judo's over blunts for stumping. Harder to lose (less likely to bury), less likely to break when they hit a hard stump or tree (they absorb a little impact, blunts don't).
Bull frogs last summer really tightened up my shooting. Had a blast doing that with my son! Stump shooting is great year round though...love shooting on my way into and out from my deer stand.
Roving/Stumping.
Stumping and shooting at anything other than a target.
Kris
At the club that I belong to we have a 28 station sand bunker broad-head course. Deer silhouettes are hung on a wire in front of the bunker. Just about the most effective in season practice I can think of.
I really think stumshooting or shooting at 3-D targets set in hunting scenarios is great practice. I sure ain't gonna knock on shooting bags though especially at 30 plus yards. I find that really helps my shooting within 20 yards. I also tend to shoot broadhead quite a bit, just to be even more confident when looking down the arrow at live game.
stumps are my favorite... but I do shoot a lot from my second story deck...
Stumpin
Tomas, I wish my club had a 28 station broadhead range!!!
Thanks Phoenix and Slowbow. I appreciate the feedback. I'll be getting some points to try soon.
Richard
I really enjoy 3D and stump shooting, but I still spend dedicated time in front the blue and white targets! I feel this helps keep my form and the competition keeps me striving to get better. I also shoot at 8 yards in my garage when I can't shoot any other place. Just a big bag target, but it keeps my muscles in tone and my release clean.
I have learned that whatever practice routine you use, keep it fun and enjoy shooting your bow. If it feels like work, change the way you do it. Frustration is a terrible motivator. If you are having a really bad day on the target range, go shoot at leaves or something else. Archery is fun! Keep enjoying it.
I shoot at anything I can kick or throw around in my backyard. I live in the suburbs, but still managed to get a yard where I could shoot 90 yards (max) if I needed to.
I shoot tennis balls, old soccer balls, leaves, retired stuffed animals (much to the chagrin of my small children!), empty water boottles, etc. "Roving", I guess. I also shoot a foam target I keep in the basement. And I love to shoot outside on bright moonlight nights. I enjoy the "achery" part of it... always thinking of hunting situations, but just enjoying the loosing of the arrow and watching it fly.
I am also one who likes stumping/roving almost as much as hunting.
If not 3D then stump shooting for me...
Stump shooting first. As for effectiveness, on 3D targets, etc. I only shoot 1 arrow then go retrieve it.
Stumpin' all the way!
I like to think that stump shooting and/or roving is a great form of practice for hunting... Life size animal targets on a 3D range, when shot at from "off the stake within cover" can help you build a shot and test your skill level...
... mike ...
QuoteOriginally posted by Pheonixarcher:
Most effective for me, shooting instinctive, is shooting 'after hours' on a bright night, or with just the target visible. Shooting in the dark has helped me to concentrate on only my target, and let my shooting be as natural as it can be, without 'trying' to shoot in a specific way. It might actually be the most fun too. It's really something to draw and release, not being able to see your arrow in flight, and walk up to the target and see a good hit.
X2 I like to shoot late in the evening when I can barely see my 3d target, one of the problems when I shoot is I tend to fail to follow through and move my bow hand right as I release. Shooting after dark helps me focus on the target as opposed to watching the arrow fly or any other distraction.
Another thing I do is shoot at leaves on the hillside, I pick out the turned over leaves that stand out and I usually can hit within a foot of the leaf (most of the time a little high).
For me, all these years it's been roving the hardwoods and stumpshooting. Nothing better than easing around the woods, selecting targets at unknown distances and making those shots from different angles and kneeling.
My backyard offers leaves, twigs, bare spots and at times I'll throw out some foam squares to shoot at...all at unknown distances. I like practicing from 15-40 yds. With deer season winding down, it's a great time for bowhunting squirrels, rabbits, fox etc...
Stumpin -Hands down