Instinctive Shooting: Practice Distances

[Patrick]

#5094

I find that when practicing at long distances much, my short range shooting suffers. When I say short range, I’m referring to 20 yards and less, which is my range limit for hunting, which in turn, makes me think I need to stick to practicing within my hunting range. Any others experience this?

[tailfeather]

#37191

I rarely shoot much past 25 yards. But I find longer practice yardage makes those 15 yard shots (my preferred range) easier.

[Bone]

#37210

Patrick I would have to agree with tailfeather. Well atleast for me shooting long ranges makes those shorter yardages easier. Also can’t say I heard of anyone having your dilema. Stay with what works for you.

[Patrick]

#37291

I should clarify: it seems I have a tendency to shoot high at closer ranges after I’ve been shooting long ranges. I’m not referring to group size.

[DAbersold]

#37314

Patrick – I find I do the same as you. I participate in a couple 3D shoots a year at our local club range. It’s a regular field course setup with distances up to 80yds. (No, I can’t hit a 80yd target.) While trying to get ready for those shoots, I practice at distances starting at 35yds back to about 50yds, just to be in the ballpark when the shoot gets here. After the shoot, when I start shooting at my regular 15-25yds I find it takes me a while to get my groups back down on target.
With deer/bear season starting in August, right now most of my shooting is at 15yds which is the distance of the two main trails from my tree stand. 😆

[Cottonwood]

#37373

Patrick

The farthest I have hit a target was 30 yards, and that was this last Saturday when I had to stand on the same shooters line with the “others” shooting the wheelies. The goal was to hit a wiffle golf ball hanging 2″ off the bale in front of a Gopher target. The size of the gopher was 12″ in height. You can see a couple other arrows shot by the wheelies, that were a bit closer to the wiffle golf ball.

I hit just inches above the golf ball in the gophers head, which was not bad for only getting a 1 arrow shot. I normally practice for just hunting at 10, 15 and 20 yards.

[Holten101]

#37497

Because of the danish rules I am forced to be able to shoot at 25 m (approx 28 yrds). After a session of “long range” 25 m shooting I too find my self shooting high (but with nice groups) on closer distances.

What works for me is to end my session with 10 minutes where I shot one arrow at 25 m, one at 18 m and one at 10 m (repeat this for 10 minutes)…this usually gets me back to reality;-)

I curse those 25 m shots:-(….but at least I now know my exact limit!

Cheers

[Stephen Graf]

#37642

Patrick,

What you are experiencing is only natural. A few shots at your normal range should zero you in again.

I don’t do much long range shooting. For me anything over 20 yds is long range. But what I do like to do is never take the same shot twice in a row.

Try an experiment where you shoot at 15 yds, then move back to 20 yds, then back to 15 then out to 25, etc. Never taking the same shot twice, even if you screw one up.

I find this helps to keep various ranges normalized in the old noggin.

[LimbLover]

#38024

I agree with Steve. A few shots should set you straight so you can remember that arrow flight path.

I spend most of my time shooting at 10 yards because thats all I have to work with. It usually takes me a few shots to get my perspective back.

Some of these new compound targets that have varying sizes of game or dots to mimic long distance shots (i.e. the Black Hole) are great for this problem IMO. I have one and pretend I’m shooting at something in the distance rather than something at 10 yards. Imagination does wonders.

[George D. Stout]

#38109

Shooting short is usually a gimme’ after shooting longer ranges; the worst problem is focus and that can be overcome with practice. You will easily adapt to the short shot, even after coming off an 80 yard target, if you are paying attention to your form and focusing on your shot. It’s all between the ears. Really. 🙂

Shooting the field rounds of the 60’s and 70’s made me a much better shooter at all ranges. You learn to shoot the close targets effectively because that is where you build up your score on a field or hunter round. If you only shoot close distances you are not allowing yourself the complete enjoyment of a archery….watching arrows fly into the distance. It is good….Grasshopper. 😀

[Ripforce]

#38188

My neighbor has a sixteen target 3D course on his property that we shoot almost daily, we have targets at a lot of differant distances, one target ( fanned turkey) we can shoot from 5 yards to 50 yards! we also have kneel shots, shots with site windows thru trees,he has a lot of shot variables!So we practice all distances!

[Hiram]

#38355

Learn to split/gap!

[SteveMcD]

#38461

What Hiram saiid. No shame in learning Split Vision or Gap. I tend to agree, shooting at longer distances tends to increase the accuracy of the shorter distances. Notice I did NOT say makes ahorter distances a “gimme”. There are no “gimme’s” in Traditional archery. Shooting longer distances only accentuates the flaws in form, so when discipline and correction are enforced at longer ranges, overall accuracy increases for both short and longer ranges.

[Hiram]

#38515

Steve nailed it!

[USMC 82-86]

#40987

I agree with Steve as well, my shooting is improving by shooting out to about 35 yds. I find my faults really come out at this distance and it allows me to fine tune my hold on the bow my hold at anchor and my release. I did this today in fact and held my anchor for 2-3 seconds let down and repeat 2-3 times before I loose the arrow. I finished my session by moving up to around 20 yds and the result was arrows slapping against aroows and very tight groups. I shoot instinctive, everytime I try to gap shoot or aim in any deliberate manner I am everywhere. I pick a spot reach anchor hold squeeze my shoulder blades together and let her go. Works for me.

[SteveMcD]

#41487

I know there has been a lot said about “getting lost in the details of shooting”, but I do believe at least for myself, that shooting with a “Mantra” usually supports my best efforts shoooting. The reality is you cannot focus on just one aspect of your form and then forget something else. As Jay Kidwell points out in “Instinctive Shooting Insights”, you must be aware of the entire process.

Waiting the 2 – 3 seconds to me, is what I refer too as “settling in” to the shot, it slows you down for a brief moment of time, and allows you to acknowledge your sight picture vs snap shooting and frustration.

[Chris Shelton]

#41653

you guys are getting too deep for me, lol. I haven’t got that problem. But that is probably because I practice for such scenarios constantly. I used to take my arrows and throw them from the target, the distances were basically unknown until I was done, then I would step them out. They ranged from 15 yards to 45 yards.

How high are you shooting? If it ain’t that high, it wouldn’t be a concern for me. But think of this scenario, you have a buck at 30 yards, you feel comfortable with the shot so you take it, and miss, but he doesn’t know where the shot came from and runs closer . . .

[Don Thomas]

#41835

Interesting, especially since I often hear complaints from traditional shooters about long distance targets on courses set up by the compound crowd. But let’s face it: there’s no ethical prohibition against shooting at distance on targets. I enjoy taking some practice shots at 40-50 yards. It helps me identify form flaws and appreciate the flight of my arrow. And no matter how well disciplined you are in the field, there are times when shots like that may actually be appropriate at game. What happens, for example, when someone in your party makes a bad hit on a deer, you are aiding in the recovery, and see the wounded animal standing 50 yards away with no realistic chance of getting closer? That’s actually happened to me a time or two, and when it did I was glad a had a feel for how my tackle behaved at that distance. My opinion is that we should lighten up a bit and learn to enjoy shoot farther than “normal” a bit more often. My short range shooting has never suffered from it. Cheers, Don

[Patrick]

#41906

Truth is, there’s no way i’d stop shooting long distances. It would be too boring. I think my problem is more that I don’t mix it up much. I shoot either at all short ranges one day, then long the next.

[Treetopflier]

#42118

At club shoots, among my favorite events are the really long shots at the giant old-fashion bullseyes. What’s there to lose? It’s always on a big mowed field so you don’t lose arrows, and it’s FUN. But practicing for hunting I limit it to 20 yards and frankly feel that’s stretching it. I do however sit up targets all over the place so I can shoot down, up, sitting, etc. To practice for hunting only by standing in the traditional side-on tournament position is practicing to miss. Once you have your bow and arrows tuned so they humm real sweet, the best practice for hunting, at any range, is stumping. The single biggest mistake we make is practicing from the same distant at the same shot-angles in the same, usually standing, position. Another good question, St. Pat. ttf

[SteveMcD]

#42223

Those big “old fashioned” targets were actually from America’s golden age of archery in the 50’s and 60’s. They came from the Field Archery rounds, which is a lot of fun, and arrows are notorious for burying themselves under the grass! Given the days of field rounds not only targets but also paper animal targets, taking long shots in the early days was quite common. Although, no one condones it today.

I wonder though… sometimes let’s face it.. if the shot feels right you’re going to take it, whether 20 yards or 30 yards. I remember a few years ago, it was later in the season, and as I usually do, I will stump shoot a few shots on my way into my hunting area, this day I couldn’t hit the ground if I tried, and I was bummed, none the less I went to my blind anyway. As fate would have it, after a couple of hours an 8 point buck appeared at the other side of the swamp and was determined to head over my way. I suspected it was probably his very active scrap up the hill behind me. Anyway, it was classic he was big bodied for an 8 point buck with a very respectable rack… he came within 30 yards of me broad side, as if to say “shoot me” I dare ya’! Like I said I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence, and I thought well he certainly isn’t within the “sanctioned” 20 yard realm. SO I swallowed my pride and just let him walk. A couple of hours later at midday, there was a stump about 5 yards beyond where that buck was standing, I took my 3 judo’s out.. and wouldn’t you know it.. I hit that stump every time. The stump was almost 30 yards! Go figure! Sometimes the gods smile.. sometimes they don’t. I did leave the woods that day with rejuenated confidence and the experience to go with it.

You bring up another excellent point, my practice for hunting always includes shooting from standing, sitting and kneeling positions.

[Bigbearclaw]

#44145

I love to stump shoot 50 and 60 yards to see the arrow in flight.My hunting distance is about 20 yards.

[Bert]

#45645

Looks like most of us limit to 20-25yds for actual hunting. If you really want to have fun, go find an empty, shorn field with nobody and their dogs running around, pull ‘er back at a 40-45 degree angle and let ‘er rip. It’s called clout shooting and you’ll see your arrow flight- 180-200+ yds away! How do you think the longbowmen nailed the French?- and it was the law they had to practice every Sunday. Anybody remember when they had archery golf? Now that would be a hoot!

[MOUNTAINSLICKER]

#46391

Archery is the sport of hitting a target. Any target any distance. Flight of the arrow. What a beautiful sight. Instinctive knows no distance but requires practice. Read up on all the great games of yesteryear and play. It does take dedication and love of the sport.
Bowhunting is the art of getting close to the game and using a bow to deliver the finish (except for the work that now begins) The shooting should be the least difficult part of it, almost a gimme or it isn’t bowhunting. The best bowhunters I know don’t like target shooting as they are no good at it. (Oh what they are missing.) However they are good enough hunters that their shots are feet not yards. Whereever I can keep all my arrows in a 6 inch pie plate my maximum Range that season is 5 yards less. As has been said, respect for the life you are taking is the main reason for knowing your limits.

[Cottonwood]

#26968

Many times on other forum boards, this question or one like it comes up. I am an instictive un-orthidoxed shooter, as I do not use my arrow tip or shaft to aim with. I was talking with a buddy of mine in Hawai’i who said to use a laser dot projected on a target bale at night. I also incorperated a style of checking consistancy using a walk back method while doing this test.

That walk back method is basicly, shoot an arrow at 10 yards, then step back to 12 yards, then 15 yards, then 18 yards and end at 20 yards. So I started at 15 yards, stepped back to 18, then to 20 for 2 arrows. I stopped at 20 yards simply because I don’t bowhunt with a traditional beyond that and that is my call.

Some call it just plain snap shooting, quick anchor and release or another name by them is fine with me. Lets call it just plain instinctive shooting. At some point it is a quick anchor of such, no matter if it is at your mouth corner or right breast. But it is a fundimental of shooting as such. I underlined the first three letters of fundimental, because it is fun to do and there are those that would take the fun out of some one elses style of shooting because it don’t work for them.

I used a laser level light, that has a magnetic bottom so I could secure it to the metal of my gazebo. I projected it onto a target bale, and it was 10:30pm dark here and I could not see my bow or arrow, and had to feel for the index feather out on the string.

I have my shooting lane marked off with white tubes, that I could see so I know where certain ones are, at the yardages indicated.

I started at 15 yards, then 18 then figured why not back to 20 yards and then shot a 4th arrow just to make sure. I knew from the sound of my arrows hitting the bale target they had hit the bale, but I could not see where. The picture below, was and is the end result to my way of shooting.

Taken without flash, and then taken with flash.

I simply shoot, my way of style because it works. I know what Pappa Bear said:

I am a snap-shooter. That is true, except that I want to point out that there are two kinds of snap-shooters. Snap-shooting, as a general rule, develops from an attack of what is called “freezing,” and freezing is a triggering of the release hand by the eye. It is an involuntary triggering of these muscles that releases the arrow before you want to. The difference between the snap-shooter who has this affliction and one who does not is that if a full draw is not reached, no accuracy can result. In my own case, I always come to a full draw. There is no pause when I get there; the arrow is gone. If I try to hold, I cannot hit the target. I have suffered from this business of freezing. I went through three years of agony with it. – Fred Bear

I’m not a paper target shooter/archer, I am a bowhunter and practice for bowhunting and that alone. The First Shot of the Week events are fun to do, so I do them and welcome more members to participate in the fun, shoot your style in your fundimental way of shooting. There are times I have my bow almost horizontal/flat just looking at the target, other times my bow is between 2 and 3 O’clock on my hold as I have practiced what I do so many times I have lost count simply because it works.

Just remember, keep the word fun in it, and shoot your way and remember that your way is not the only way of shooting and that is why I stated in my post that I shoot un-orthidoxed because it works for me.

[Frank H V]

#26991

I find if I shoot at long reanges (beyond 40 yards or so) a lot, I usually shoot over at normal ranges. I like to keep my shots @ 20 yards or less with game animals. I have takes some small game at 18 -24 yards though. Still I usually pass if a game animal is much beyond 20 yards unless conditions are perfect.
Frank

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