At what distance do you practice?

A

a3dhunter

Guest
I know a lot of people practice at 20 yards, but I am wondering what distance you practice at if you plan on hunting deer and elk?

I have heard of people really going to extremes of 80 or 90 yards, but that just doesn't work for me shooting outdoors in the wind. Also, if you are practicing at more than fifty yards what target are you using and how many pins do you have on your sight?

I am using a 3 pin sight, with the pins set at 25,35,45 yards, knowing that I can aim low on anything closer than 25 yards.
a3dhunter
 
I shoot 20 -80 yards.
I have a 5 pin Spot hogg on my Bowtech Allegiance.
I use the bubble level as my 80 yard pin.
Not that I'm shooting at bucks at 80, but I do like the confidence of knowing my bow.
HH
 
I practice from 20 to 70 yards. With todays bows it is amazing how good you can shoot even at 70 yards.

Dub
 
Shoot at animals at distances you're
comfortable at. Having said that, practice at
longer distances to make the shorter ones seem
easier. In other words, if you have no intention
of shooting at a critter over 30 yards, so be it,
but shoot some arrows at 50. Makes that 30 yarder
seem more like a chip shot. As if there is such a
thing. Good luck.
 
I PRACTICE at ranges from 20-80 yards using my Yellowjacket portable target. When I get closer to hunting season, I practice on 3D targets and get used to "picking a spot" on the animal.

BOHNTR )))---------->
 
I practice at 20-70 (I have an extra pin, but no room to shoot). Doubt I would shoot at anything past 60. Target is a Yellow Jacket and the sight is Spott Hogg 7 Deadly. Only three days and I will be after the warm blooded target.
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-06 AT 01:11AM (MST)[p]20-60 yards...I'm getting old and can't see past 60 nor hold steady that long to zero in on 70+. I do shoot mostly 40-60 and end my day with the shorter shots. It makes the shorter distances seem pretty easy.

www.awholelottabull.com
 
I practice from 20-100yds. Most of the shooting I do this time of year is past 40yds. The longer practice shots make the shots inside of 40 seem like "chip" shots. I've been shooting my 3d deer out to 80yds and use my yellowjacket for the loonger shots.
 
Okay...I'm coming at this as an experienced recurve shooter who just switched to compound this year. First, I'm not so sure that practicing long distance shots makes shorter shots easier.

That said, I practice various distances and as many different angles as possible. Having been an intuitive shooter for so many years, I want to avoid developing site dependency. So distance is not so much an element of my practice as rhythm.

Having watched some really excellent compound shooters, I notice they tend to shoot like traditional archers with a predictable rhythm. So I practice that rhythm along with all the other elements that effect arrow flight. Distance is at the bottom of the list.

I also carry a felt tip pen in my pocket and whenever an arrow hits outside the bull, I mark it. That way I can find out whether a stray shot is my fault or there's something goofy with that particular arrow.

As for hunting distance, I won't shoot an animal past 50 yards. After all, I switched to compound because I want to be as efficient and deadly as possible. I didn't spend all this time, effort and money to go making "Hail Mary" shots. And past 50 yards, there are just too many variables that I don't control.
 
20-75 is definately doable. Shoot at all and find your comfort zone..

Shoot straight
 
I practice 20-50 yards the one thing I do is just go out and start shooting judging the yardage not looking for my markers. at angles kneeling standing and sitting. But as for the real thing I try not to shoot over 40 yards just because that is were i am comfortable with any thing over 40 for me is "hail mary"
 
I practice at 50,60 ,70, and 80 yrds but will only hunt and shoot at 40 or less.
 
I practice between 40 and 60 with most at 50 yds. Real shot...I'm still waiting (went a few days for elk last year was my first bow hunting) but my goal is to be under 40. I have occasionally shot out to 70 yds and have a 20,30,40,50,60,and 70 (added by me) yd pins.

Mike
 
I practice from 10 yards out to 60, but I would never take a shot over 40 on an animal, 40 is right at the edge of my comfortable zone
 
I shoot judos at stumps/grass clumps/clay banks and noisy squirrells out to 60 yds with some pretty fair consistency. I dont shoot at large game past 30 yds. I shoot a recurve instinctively, tapered alluminum and very hellicle feathers and although I can punch a target pretty well a long ways past 30, there is so much time for a living animal to react or flinch (especially with my speed) I would rather be safe than sorry. Im sure most of you know a rutted up bull, stationary in the middle of a bugle is alot more likely to still be there when your arrow arrives than a whitetail doe that has you pegged and has been snorting at you for 5 minutes.
I dont care what kind of rocket speed ship you shoot. Be careful shooting long distances at large game. We all owe it to the game and to the sport we love.
I shot a video last fall of a guy that shot at a whitetail doe out of a ground blind with "the fastest of fast compunds offered today". The deer pegged him when he drew on her (at 22 yards) he got her tuned in and released. Looked like the arrow went straight through her and she bounded off. No blood, no signs that she was wounded as she ran across the field.
I can frame for frame with my video equipment and did just that. Upon the sound of his release, the doe "flinched" or "ducked in preperation of departure" like they do. You can hold your finger on the tv screen, on her vitals and thats exactly where the arrow went, she was ALREADY in the low part of her "jump" and the arrow missed her cleanly (approx 2" over her back" You never would have known she was missed in "real time"
There is something to be said about speed, and distance, and the manerisms of the LIVE ANIMALS we all shoot at. They ARE NOT made of styrofoam.
THINK FIRST!!!!

life IS good
 
20-40 yards
3 Pins - 20/25/30

I like to shoot change distances constantly while practicing as I seems to help me to judge distance.

Shooting an old-school Martin Cougar with fingers.
 
LAST EDITED ON Aug-24-06 AT 07:12AM (MST)[p]a3d,

Here's my impression of the 25, 35, 45 yard setup (I'm back to 20, 30, 40). Years ago I briefly went to this setup, after getting a new faster bow. I shot over a nice bull elk and a whitetail (scurge) buck. I had to judge distance in a hurry on both occasions, and went to the second pin. Yep, I shot over both of them, since they were only 25 yards. For me, that second pin being at 35 yards was just to far. I will shoot out to 50, but a lot of my shots are in that first thirty yards.

ON
 
i shoot out to 60 yds.
I believe my most sought after shot is 35 yds.
No string jumping there, most shots at that range, they never hear the release or don't pay no mind because it's to far away for them to be concered.
 
I practice 20-100, dusk devil with pins from 30-100 every 10 yards, Cabelas super-c bag target and the block, 50-75 arrows a day or more. I practice the most at 40-50 yards. Just started practicing past 80 for my archery antelope tag that I got skunked on (3 bucks all jumped the string), but my dad got a great buck that we teamed up on posted in the goat section.

You'll be surprised at how accurate you can be once you start practicing longer ranges with dicipline, it makes the 40-50 yard shot seem like a sure thing. With todays equipment and practice, I feel most people should be able to make a 60 yard shot.
 
I practice out to 80 yards now, I find it hard to get a good area to shoot longer. I use to shoot 100 yards before the range got shut down.

Kirby

When in doubt, floor it.

Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggy" until you find a big stick.
 
I practice out to 60 yards. That is also my max range for pronghorns(on a calm day) As for deer and elk, 50 yards max in the open, and 30 yards max in the timber(also on a calm day). Shot my antelope buck this year at 40 yards. I just think that out past 60 yards there are way too many varibles that come into effect. My dad still thinks 50 yards is a long shot. Archery equipment has come a long ways in the last 20 years.
ismith
 
I practice out to 70 yds. I have pins going from 25, 40, 50, 60, and 70 yds. If I put a 20 and 30 yd pins on it gets too cluttery and my bow is shooting fast enough that I know that I am 2" high or low using the 25 yd pin at 20 and 30 yds. I don't think I could make myself take a shot over 50 yds in the field.
 
20-70 sometime at the range I do 80, but it really hard to get enough pins on my site for 80 yard and above.
 
This is kind of a funny story. I have a 3d deer I had set up at 30 yards I was using until my wife wanted to expand the vegtable garden so I move it 5 yards back to account for the expansion and growing tomato and ocra plants. Well, it was not long before I had to move it to 40 yards to clear the plants.

I had to leave town for a month on business and came home to find no shot from mutant veggy plants and no more room to move the target back.

By turning 90 degrees I got out the range finder and ranged some brome rounds bails in the field behind the house right at 50 yards. I have been shooting every day at 50 and have gotten better and better. My 20 and 30 yard shots now seem almost too easy.

I am suddenly a believer in practicing at as far as distance as you can.
 
I practice from 20 to 150 yds, I have 12 pins on my Black Knight Bowteck. 10 yd incrememts out to 100yds then 120,135 and 150. I use to only shoot out to 60yds until I got my Bowteck. If I have a 12" window to shoot thru under 100yds I will not hesate to take the shot.Shooting and practicing at these greater distants has increased my shooting ability and accuracy.I have shot and killed mulelys out to 125yds and they have all been complete pass thru.I have never lost a deer that I shot at. I know somebody will have negative things to say about my post, but you guys asked the question and all I did was reply.Just shoot at what you feel comfortable at..
 
Yeah, me too I like to shoot out to about 350 or 400 yards. Ive killed coyotes out to about 500 yards. Lots of Mule deer at about 300 yards, hell, I even killed an antelope at 200 yards. We are talking about rifle hunting right?
 
I don't know about 125 I personally can't shoot that far but I am very comfortable shooting out to 80 at deer. In fact I took my deer in colorado this year at 77 yards. I hit just behind the front shoulder and he went maybe 75-100 yards and piled up. After about 80 yards my arrows really start dropping and I shoot 72 lbs.
 
Wow some of you guys are good. I know guys who wont shoot a muzzleloader at 125 yards. Complete pass throughs over 100 yards? I very seldom call bluff on here, so I won't start now. Just curious, what is your arrow speed? I am assuming it is around 500-600 feet per second. Correct me if I am wrong. Seriously the one-upping is getting stupid. I was buying the 75-80 yard shots but beyond that is insane.
 
I'm sure HD is just joking. Shooting at animals beyond 60 yards is unethical. I don't care what the weather conditions are. At 125 yards that arrow wouldn't have enough foot pounds to take a rabbit. It's simple, if you can't sink a 3 shot group in a 10 inch pie plate consistently during practice, then you have no business hunting at those distances. If you claim you can shoot better than that beyond 60 yards, simply show the video. The proof is in the puddin. This doesn't mean you should be hunting passed 60.

I practice 3 shots at 50 then 40 then 30 then 20 and back to 30, 40 and 50 about 4 days a week. It really builds your confidence when you start getting tight groups.
 
Update:
ONHunter: I have moved my pins back to 20,30,40 and then added 50 and 60 yards pins on my Copper John sight. I have also found that with more than about a 5mph wind I wont shoot past 40 yards using a Mackenzie block target because I see my arrow heading true to the target, and then a gust of wind catches it. Next thing I know I am searching for an arrow!

Nobody is listing arrow speed for these longer distances, what are you shooting?
I am at 272fps with current setup(hoyt xtec,65lbs,29",393 grain arrow) after playing with it a bit, I was shooting 282 but had some arrow flight problems with NAP broadheads.

BTW: I have two bows for sale in classifieds if anyone is interested.
 
I practice between 5 and 80 yrds. I have taken one muley at 80 and one at 70 and the rest under 35, and never have lost one at the longer distances, a clean vital shot is all it takes to take a deer out at long distances.
 
Ahhh ballistics. Thanks. Some people will figure what it takes as a minimum of foot pounds to kill an animal at certain distances and they know what their limits are. Bowhunters need to figure the same. A lot of people can shoot good groups at targets out to 80 yards but they don't figure ballistics or wind or what the animal may do in between the time you release until the time the arrow gets there. I've seen too many ars shots and they generally happen at longer distances. Go figure. If you can live with wounding animals then poaching isn't that much of a stretch. What ever happened to the challenge of trying to close the gap versus spraying and praying?
 
if you can't sink a 3 shot group in a 10 inch pie plate consistently during practice, then you have no business hunting at those distances

I can quarantee that there are many people of this site that can do this at the distances you have said, perfect practice makes perfect. Also depends entirely of the situation, I would never take a long shot with a wind, or even at a whitetail, but in the right conditions I think that it is BS to call a long shot unethical or even refer it to poaching. Todays equipment will out shot any human its a matter of putting in the perfect practice to be as good as the equipment
 
I practice at 30-120 yds. My hunting pins are 30-90 yds. I will not shoot at a critter (except maybe a coyote) at over 50 yds, usually under 40. The long game reeeealy helps you dial in your short game!

Eric
 
If you practice hitting your driver 300 yards, does it make your putting easier too? Just a thought. I still shoot the short shots as much as the long ones. The only thing that makes my 20 yard shot easier is shooting my 20 yard shot. Just my 2cents.
I still don't know if I should laugh when I see the posts about 80+ yard shots at game or be concerned about those really doing it. Kinda scary. I really hope all the posts about this long range archery shooting are all just to cause a stir.

MuleySniper- remember that grouse I shot at 100 yards with my bow last weekend. Complete pass through, no tracking at all. In fact I have never had to track a grouse I shot at a 100 yards with my bow, have you?
 
Bearhunter,

"Todays equipment will out shot any human its a matter of putting in the perfect practice to be as good as the equipment"

I totally agree. A bow, rifle, car, etc. is only as good as the person behind it. My concern isn't with todays equipment, it's with hunter's ethics.
 
Zigga, I not trying to get us in a heated battle here, just a discussion. What do you think of Fred Bear, was he and ethical hunter, long shots with long bows and recurves? How about these archery equipment manufacturers, spott Hogg, Trophy taker and many more that are making these sights that have 7 to as many pins as you can fit, what type of message are they sending by selling this equipment. The way I look at it if those extra pins are on your sight, but you dont ever use them then way do these guys have them on there they just add confusion when anchored up and ready to shot. I think long range shooting is definetly and ethics question, but is entirely upon the situation at hand along with the shooters ability.
 
Some interesting ranges that folks actually shoot at live game..........I guess I've just been doing it too darn long and had "get closer" pounded into my head from my archery mentor (Dad).

I've always said: An archer tries to see how far away he/she can get and still hit their target...a bowhunter tries to see how CLOSE he/she can get to their target. :)

BOHNTR )))---------->
 
Bearhunter,

I would guess that the 7 pins are for shooting, not hunting. BOHNTR has the right idea. I recently watched Tred Barta flinging arrows at caribou at long range on the move with a longbow but didn't agree with it.
 
Practicing reeeealy long shots will force you to focus completely on the shot and not what's around you. A tiny flinch at 100+ yards is a lot different than at 20. It helps make your short game almost second nature. You cant compare it to golf. Drives and putts are completely different strokes and equipment. I use the Spott Hogg 7Dp, 7 pin sight for hunting. I just use my top 3 pins.

Eric
 
I have to agree with you Bowhtr, I hope everyone trys to get as close and possible when stalking, thanks for everyones inputs.
 
I have to agree with not taking long shots at animals, the object is to get closer. I also have to consider where I am hunting, just because I can shoot 50 yards in the backyard it doesn't make me think I can hit at 50 yards on the side of a hill. Don't take the shot unless you have practiced that "exact" shot type of thinking will help you make ethical decisions in the field. That being said, I know I have made poor decisions in the field during the "heat of the moment" that when I evaluated that decision later I realized it was a poor choice. I believe we should learn from others as well as ourselves, if someone else questions something, then maybe we all should! It really comes down to if you think you are that much better than everyone else on here, I know I am not! Who chooses to hunt with a humble spirit instead of boasting about what they can do? Personally, if I made a long shot on an animal I probably would not say it due to people making judgements about the shot. Are you guilty of bragging about a long shot?
a3d
 
I agree with not taking long shots at animals. Save the long shots for the 3d shoots. They are fun, but personally, I think its to risky to shoot excessivly long shots at animals. During this years archery elk, stickslinger and I had a real good 5 point bull 85 yards away in a field, no wind. We didnt even consider taking the shot. Instead, we tried getting closer and calling. We ended up spooking the bull. Both of us shoot long shots practicing or at 3d shoots. We both ended up not getting an elk, and went home empty handed. We didnt even discuss wishing we would of taken a crack at that elk. We just talked about how fun our hunt was. Reality is, you may not get one every time. Thats hunting.
MS
 
This will be the topic of debate forever. One of the reasons I archery hunt is for the thrill of getting as close as I can to the animal. I very seldom hunt with a firestick any more because that's not as much of a challenge. To those of you that are long shot proponets I say practice, practice, practice and that will increase your odds of making that shot. But we as bow hunters have to be able to make ethical kills and keep those that are opposed to our hunting methods from finding those that we wound in the field. Let your ability and conscience be your guide and most of the time you will make the correct choice.

Letting it fly because you lack the skills to close the distance isn't in anyones best interests. Some times the terrain warrants a longer shot and with practice they are doable. Lets just make sure that we take the time to make the best shot we can in the field. There's nothing quite as exciting as stalking a Bull or a Big buck and beating them at their own game. I practice from 15-75 yards every week and shoot a lot of 3D but I've found that I've never needed to take a shot further than 50 yards when bow hunting. I've passed on quite a few longer and shorter than that when the conditions weren't right over the years. Good luck to all of you this year and I hope you have a great hunting season.
 
if i could only shoot 10 yards, that's enough. you get your form right, the distance shooting will come. those guys shootin 80 or 90 yds are effective in the summer time with t-shirts and field points. it's not an ethical shot for anyone..TL
 
I shoot up to 90 yards with my pops. We shoot at longer ranges to help with the close stuff. We rarely take shots over 40 at animals. 40 yards is around my comfort zone.



"The rich....who are content to buy what they have not the skill to get by their own exertions, are the real enemies of game".........Teddy Roosevelt
 
I shoot at 20 yards just about every time I shoot, mainly because thats all my backyard allows for (wish I had 70 yards hah).Usually I shoot atleast twice a week just to keep things fresh during the offseason, but lately I've been shooting everyday thanks to the upcoming season!! Its great shooting the longer yardage when I get the chance. And what was unexpected was how accurate my long range shooting became eventhough I had only practiced at 20 yards. The consistent practice is what does it for me. I know how my bow shoots and feels and the constant practice makes those adjustments a whole lot easier.
 
I practice at 30-80 but hunting i shoot no father then 60 even though i killed a buck at 73 it was a luck shot i only had pins to 60 in some how i hit both lungs the heart and it went through both shoulders with now-a-day tec. we can shoot farther and farther i just got a diamond black ice and i know i will be able to shoot farther!!! THE MAIN THING IS DO NOT SHOOT FARTHER THAN WHAT YOU ARE COMFORABLE SHOOTING AT!!!
 
Since I started this thread I have switched to a Bowtech Tribute 29" 70 lb shooting at 296 feet per second and I am using a Spot-Hogg 5 pin sight with a trophy taker drop away and arrows weighing 386 grains total. I pracitce out to 60 yards now, but don't see a need to go further.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-14-06 AT 10:29PM (MST)[p]I shoot out to 80 yards every time I shoot outside. The level of focus and form consistency is what helps your close shots. My group size at 80 yards averages about 6-7". I would love to shoot farther but that is all that I can do at the local range unless I am the only one there, then I can move back to 100. My group size does not change much from 80-100.

Most of my practice is in my basement during the winter, at a whopping 10 yards.
 
I have a hunt comeing up in jan. so I have been practiceing alot, I mostly shoot between 50-100 yards. I am very consitant at these ranges, evrey once in awhile I will drop to 20-40 and it is amazing how much better I shoot at the shorter ranges, now that I mostly practice longer ranges. I shot a buck this year at 59 yards and hit him perfect. I defanatly feel comfertable at 80 yards.



MM Member since 1999. Jake H
 

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