Archery.. how far out do you practice?

[Deitz Dittrich]

I myself do make a few changes from my 3d set up to my hunting set up... While hunting I usually only have 3 pins..(10-20-30yds) but for 3D I have pins out to 50 yards.. and I find myself practicing at that distance more than most. For the simple reason that I dont ruin as many arrows. I will preface this by saying that I would NEVER attempt a shot at a healthy deer at 50 yards...

How far do you practice.. do you stick to distances that you plan on shooting for hunting... OR?

[Ben1022]

Exudedude,

I can go a couple different ways w/this one. I lived out west and taking shots at 50yds at a Coues deer or Mule deer was not an issue. In fact, I would say there is less string jumping at 50 yards or beyond, than there is at 20-30 yds. I would kiss the feet of a bowhunter that can get inside 50yds of a Coues deer or Desert mule deer. Point being, shooting longer distances becomes a necessity in some situations. I applaude your committment to stay w/in your comfort zone for shooting deer. Not everyone can shoot longer distances and shoot them well. I'm not saying that you can't (in fact, I'm quite sure you and many others can) but having your ranges set is a great thing.
Having said that, this was my first year as a resident of MN so I got to hunt it "more often" than the 5-7 days as a NR. I have pins out to longer yardages but NEVER found a situation where I could've shot beyond 30yds even if a deer presented itself. I've changed my rigs for this fall and plan not to shoot beyond 30yds for any place I'll be hunting.
I do, however, practice at longer ranges because it really hones your shooting. For anyone interested, you should try what Exudedude is suggesting and practice longer shots for say two weeks. Then go back and shoot shorter yardages and you will be pleased w/the results.

[mrkastni]

Ben, I agree wholeheartedly! The main reason I 3D's, is to hone skills for the "on" season. Practicing the 30, 40, and 50 yard shots, makes one very confident when placing the 10, 20 and 25 yard shots on a living animal. I also agree that there are certain situations (especially Western critters) that no not allow that 20 yard broadside shot that we all dream about, but in these parts, I am usually able to hold out for the under 25 high-percentage shot. I commend anyone who knows their effective range, and sticks to it in the field.

mrkastni

[Iceman77]

I will practice to maximum outdoor FITA round distances which is up to 100 yards. If you make a mistake at this distance it will be greatly amplified by the time the arrow hits the target. This also makes sure you stress the importance of optimizing arrow flight and group tuning for consistent accuracy.

I only shoot the longer distance for competitions and for practice. Although I will never shoot these types of distances while bowhunting whitetail deer in Minnesota. If it is a monster buck I would go out to 50 yards otherwise I will never shoot past 30 yards for anything less than 170 P&Y. I can consistently shoot 3" and smaller groups at 50 yards with my equipment. I have hunted antelope before and I would have been happy seeing a shot less than 50 yards with a 15mph wind or less. For whitetails in MN it is rather easy setting yourself up for a short shot.

[Bogsucker]

I practice out to about 70 yards, I've shot deer from 2 yards to 55 yards. Having recently returned to "traditional" archery I'll probably limit hunting shots to around 40, though prefer them at 15.

[This message has been edited by Bogsucker (edited 07-27-2004).]

[Guest]

I practice out to 40, maybe 45 yards due to the longer range shots I take at Elk in the Rockies and especially at the Whitetails in the Missouri River area in North Dakota.

I'd say that 95% od the Deer I've killed in MN are less than 10 yard shots and many almost straight down under my stand.

I'm not one to feel confident at any shot beyond 35 yards as too many things can happen at distances greater than 35 yards.

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Chells

[Deitz Dittrich]

Thanks for the posts folks.. fun to read... IT would be fun to get togather at a 3D shoot some time... I know they have FM fishing get togeathers.. we ought to do a FM archery get togeather...

[bigbucks]

I try to keep my shots under 30 & prefer 25 & in. I've take a few just over 30 & found that I'd badly misjudged the range & hence not come all that close to the animal. I'm hoping to practice out to 40 & beyond, but am working on getting the tighter consistency around 30-35 right now. Still a lot of shooting to be done in the next 6 weeks. I've never shot in a tourney. What kind of distance do you need to be able to shoot dead on to not embarrass yourself too much, or do you see people all over the spectrum?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Bigbucks, It all depends on what kind of tounament it is. If its NFAA indoor, well then its 20 yards.. all the time!... If your shooting a 3D tounament its going to depend on what class you are shooting in. I shoot MBO, In that class your allowed 5 pins, a release and the max distance that they can put an animal is 50 yards... There is another class where you have less pins and the max distance is 40 yards... then there is the unlim class that shoot scopes and whatever they want and they shoot out to 80 I believe, but not sure on that!

[Iceman77]

I would meet at a 3D shoot, unfortunately I quit shooting 3D's and now only shoot for fun in the backyard during the summer months. Winter months are another story when I shoot a lot of indoor 300 rounds. I will meet during an indoor tourney sometime.

[BLACKJACK]

I have my pins set at 20, 30, and 40 yards, when I'm practicing I like to shoot 3 arrows at each distance going from 20 to 30 to 40 then I reverse and do 30 and 20. I find that shooting those long range arrows make the closer shots seem easy. I consider my max range on stand to be 25 yards, I want to wait for a clean kill on a deer even if its a P&Y deer, I'd rather have it walk away and have a shot at it another day vrs me wounding it on a long shot and having it go off and die. I've lost a couple of deer because of poor shots, not a good feeling.

[TomBow]

I'll second or third or fourth what was said above: Longer range shooting makes shots at shorter distance seem like a piece of cake and Longer range shooting also helps you concentrate on your form. When it comes down to practical practicing for bowhunting, I'm in a treestand and make an effort to shoot distances from 10 to 30 yards so I know how to bend at the waist properly so I maintain upper body T-form and assure that I can hit short as well as longer shots.

Woohoo! Ain't much time left me skaliwags!! Bring on dem deers!

[bmc]

I totally agree with you BlackJack. It should be irrelevant if it's a trophy or not, that determines your effective range. I don't understand the thought of risking a shot at 30+ yards around here just because the buck is a trophy. I hunt northern Minnesota, Itasca County area, and it's tough to get a shot out to 30 yards sometimes. If you're blind or stand is set up properly, you should have no problem getting a shot within 30 yards. As for practice, I like to shoot out at 40 yards for a few rounds then move in 10 yards at a time. After doing this a while, the vitals or bullseye will look huge!! Also it's a good time to start shooting broadheads! There's lots of people that only shoot their broadhead a couple times before season. I know one guy who hardly ever shoots field tips, his reasoning is why shoot field tips, you're not hunting with them. Good Luck to everyone this fall!!!

Brian