Great article. When i was still i do pratice at long range as much ad possible. 20 even 30 yard shots become a no brainer after awhile
Practice long to increase the short has worked for me as well. 20 yards seems like a chip shot when you've practiced 60.
Super articel ! the only problem I have since practicing at long ranges out to 80 yards is that my confidence has gone through the roof ! I would almost be happy harvesting a deer at 60 yards now ! 20 to 50 yards is a no brainer these days It really dose work !!
Great advise! I'll add a few things that will really help when it comes time to hunt. 1. shoot from many different heights. 2. shoot different odd distances. Don't get in the rut of shooting from just 20, 30, 40, etc. Try a shot at 36 yds. or 27 yds. You will get to know your bow much better that way. 3. practice range estimation. 4. take scary shots. We used to set the target up so we had to shoot between 2 tree trunks. If we were off we would be digging arrows out of trees. Use care when doing this because arrows can deflect. another thing you can do is mark a 4 " square on the edge of your target and shoot for that. The pressure of missing will help prepare you for the pressure of shooting a deer. It's easy to hit a small target in the middle of your target but move it to the edge and your heartrate rises a bit. 5. friendly compitition will hone your shooting. shoot at a small target and whoever hits it gets a dollar from the othe guy. It's fun and adds a bit of pressure which will help at the moment of truth. Plus if you get your butt kicked you may just practice more and learn to make those pressure shots. 6. don't always shoot on the same range. move your target to different areas so your not in the comfort zone of "home field advantage". move your target next to bushes or by trees. Maybe place it where there are some overhanging branches. Mix it up a bit. 7. take shots from positions where your form is'nt perfect. examples could be to set your feet then rotate 90 degrees to shoot at the target. shoot while sitting. You will learn a lot about how your bow performs under less than perfect situations. 8. some people might not agree with this but I like to vary my shot speed. Once in a while I like to shoot as fast as I can instead of drawing back and going thru a mental checklist. In hunting situations I may have to quickly draw, settle the pin and release. I like to mix things up a bit because I get to know my bow much better and just standing at a fixed distance and shooting the same target in the same spot bores the heck out of me. Good luck hunting!
Great info for experienced bowhunters and novices! I will take this to the field with me next time I practice.
