EXACTLY! I was just about to make a similar post when I read this. Jeff your post was good but the basketball analogy doesn't work at all. If that were the case we should only shoot rifles at 100 yards or less. Because we are using a tool such as a bow or gun, it improves your form greatly to shoot longer distances. I personally like all my bow shots to be under 30 yards but I can really see my faults when shooting a 50 or 60 yard target. A little flinch goes a long way...off the mark.
JGD, The basketball was a reply to Jeffacarp's post. I'm not sure what you mean by the rifles example. I shoot competative rifle and it's the same as archery, whether I'm shooting indoor 50' four position smallbore. midrange highpower prone at 300,500 or 600, or even cmp highpower at 200,300 and 600 yards, I don't change anything. Proper form and shot sequence will be the same at any distance, it's all simply the correct sight adjustment, and with longer range rifle shooting it's no differrent you're just adding in reading the wind speed and direction before you fire the same way whether it's a 1000 yard, 100 yard or 50 foot shot. An archery anchor point is your cheek weld on a rifle stock, squeezing the shoulder blades towards each other is the same as your trigger squeeze on the rifle. Change either one or jerk either one and you just missed.
Let's not forget that a lot of us who bowhunt also love to shoot archery for the fun of it. I know a couple of guys that only care about practicing at distances they will shoot in the woods however I personally like to shoot longer distances for the fun and competition of it. I usually shoot no more than 70 even though my range goes out to 80. With all the foliage still on the tree during archery season here it would be extremely difficult to get a 50 yard or more shooting chance. While i do love shooting those long distances I would never dream of taking a shot at a deer or any other game at that distance. I find no enjoyment in a wounding or a gut shot, so unless I KNOW that I could make that ethical shot with a 100% certainty I wont even entertain the thought.
Fact: 95% of kill shots happen at 20yd and under. To qualify for urban hunting you have to keep 6 out of 10 arrows inside a 6" circle at 20yd. I personally kept 12 out of 12 inside the circle. I would say the 6 out of 10 would probably get you accurate enough.
Let me add my .02 since everyone else is. This is a public Internet forum and everyone is right. Just always remember that. I will tell you what I do and what I suggest. It's up to you to figure out how you want to go about it. It may take you longer to get there one way versus the other but, your common sense (I hope) will kick in and you will start figuring everything out on your own. If you try a suggestion and it doesn't work, don't so it. It's that simple. As for distance shooting, it has helped me and I enjoy it. Some don't. It may be because they don't have the patients to learn proper form to execute distance shots or maybe they just have no desire. You will figure out that on your own. People either like it or they don't. In my opinion the people who enjoy shooting distance and being extremely accurate and consistent are archers that enjoy to Bowhunt. Then there is the Bowhunter who enjoys hunting with a bow and could care less about accuracy outside their hunting scenario. I'm an archer that enjoys hunting also. I have no desire to hunt with anything other than my bow though. I personally believe if you have access to an archery coach at the very beginning, take advantage. It may cost $25-$30 an hour but, the frustration removal is well worth it. Take at least a few lessons from someone who is trained to teach archery. Not just someone who thinks they are good at shooting. If nothing else you will get a good start and be ahead of the curve. I started shooting 3 years ago now and had no clue what I was doing. I didn't have anyone to teach me not anyone to ask. I had a difficult time learning. Sure, I could hit a pie pan at 20yd but, I wanted to be much more accurate than that. It took me a year or so to start getting good at distances past 40yd but, I noticed that after shooting farther out, my groups up close got better. By the way I have a real issue with a person who doesn't shoot past their hunting range telling a new guy that shooting distances doesn't help. Think about it. If he doesn't do it, how the heck does he know it doesn't work. Kind of makes me question any other advise personally. I do agree practice from a stand. I have found that If you develop proper form and know how to hold proper form, it really doesn't matter where you practice from In my experiences though. I haven't shot out of a stand in a year other than my deer this past season but, I'd be more than willing to bet pretty big money I could hit inside a 6" circle at 40yd and under from a stand at any given time. I am not saying don't practice from a stand though. Especially in the beginning. Goes back to learning proper form from someone who knows proper form in the beginning. I have made many changes along the way to my shooting style and my form. Some things worked, some things didn't. In the end it is up to you to learn. No one else can shoot your bow for you. As you learn you will learn your limits and likes. When you are comfortable you and only you will know it. You won't become Levi Morgan accurate over night so don't stress about how well you are doing or not doing. Everyone's learning curve is different just as everyone's desires with their bows. Whatever you do enjoy yourself and go hunting when it's legal and you feel you are ready. What everyone has said are just good guidelines and goals. Good luck and welcome to the wonderful addiction of archery and Bowhunting.
Just want to add that I feel one of the most overlooked aspects in harvesting game is reading an animals body language. My max range can change drastically if an animal is on full alert vs completely calm.
Exactly. And this, among other things, comes with familiarity with your equipment. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
I think treestands/ whitetail hunting lends it self to closer encounters and shots and I can see how that can distort the perception that everything gets shot at very close range. However that's not always the case based on terrain and hunting animals other then whitetails.......and even for whitetails don't think that no where near 95% of my kills have been under 20 yards.
Throughtout the nation. I still call bull ****. How did they come to these numbers? I never received a phone call. Did you? It's nothing more than speculation... And a poor one at that. Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Then why claim this fact and fight it? And, I already stated what I felt the percentage is. The percentage is also going to change from state to state. My personal percentage of inside 25 yards is 33% Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Ok and let's take if a step further, no shots pass 10 yards and we will wound even less. Hell don't shoot at all and then there is no chance of wounded animal. To take a complex set of variables factoring into the decision to first attempt to take a shot and then to successful execute the shot and think you can boil it down to JUST distance is mistake.
So your going to sit there and argue with me that less animals won't get wounded If hunters kept their shots closer?
