Questions:
I've let a few thousand arrows fly on my range at 3D targets including deer, bear, hog and turkey. I have no problem consistently hitting them in the vital zone at my shooting distances of 12, 15 and 20-yards. My arrows are the same weight with field tips as with the broadheads. Additionally, I have two broadheads reserved for practice. The broadheads consistently hit where the field points are hitting. I shoot from kneeling, standing on the ground and from a 3.5-foot elevated platform all on my range.
Fast forward to the woods. From a standing position I have shot over two deer at 20-yards and 1 deer at 15-yards. Within the hour I go conduct a "check up" on the range and I am hitting the foam deer just fine. I do notice the deer dropping at the shot somewhat. Coming from a wheelie bow world, I am fortunate to say that I have only missed one deer of several dozen deer with that set-up. I know the range either by landmarks or using a rangefinder real-time. What is so different with my Longbow?
On another note, I know the live deer are somewhat smaller than my target deer in most cases. The one deer I finally connected with was pretty small and I intentionally aimed even lower than normal. Typically my mind-eye put the tip of the shaft right at 6 O'Clock from point of impact at 20-yards. At 15 yards there is a tiny space between shaft and intended impact. At 12 yards there is basically two shaft widths below point of impact. On this little deer I put the shaft at the belly line and I did notice a slight drop of the deer just prior to the arrow arriving. The arrows are 560 grain and are moving 168 FPS average at 4 feet from the bow.
A lot of information I know, but I figured the more you know the more specific help I might get. So what are your thoughts on how my "sight" picture should be from the ground? I am about to hunt from a 20-foot treestand. The max range I will shoot is still 20-yards. How should I "aim" from that elevation?
Thanks!
Forget about aiming off anything or looking,checking or thinking of anything other than the spot on the animal you want the arrow to hit,cant your bow more and stair at the tiny spot you want the arrow to hit.The more you cant your bow in the stand or on the ground and only concentrate/stair at the spot you want the arrow to hit and nothing else your success will go up 100 percent.Go into a zone from your eye to the spot everything else is out of the picture but will all come together on your release of the string.
The word aiming occurred a number of times in these posts. Aiming (or gapping, or checklist shooting if you prefer those terms) is a mechanically-based thought process largely incompatible with non-mechanical applications that require flexibility...like hunting.
Simplify your pointing process and your results will likely improve on game.
Another reason I like stump shooting. Practice in the yard is good but after a few thousand shots you pretty much have every spot in your yard memorized for distance to target. Uneven terrain unknown distance, low light at target all things that will become more comfortable with a lot of random shots at stumps etc. Also pretty fun way to practice.
For the same shot, point of aim on a target or on a critter should not change, regsrding where the arrow will hit. If you change the shot, ie elevated stand vs on the ground, it will. Some critters move, but reasonable shots at not wary deer, with trad gear ( quiet) generally means little movement on their part. If they are obviously wary, or if your bow is loud at release, things change. Except in Texas. Those deer are born skittish.
It could be that in the excitement of the live shot, you tend to look up as you release.
You definitely need to learn to pick a spot. Never rush the shot and let the shot develope. If you can’t get a good shot or if the animal is nervous or alert, then pass. Misses do happen !
I shoot instinctively but when young I Missed over alot
turned out that it was the big broad head being seen in my peripheral or what ever and it always looked /registered low and would raise it up not thinking
cured the problen by concentrating very hard on the spot and getting familuar shooting broad heads
now immune to it
an old timer told me what was going on and how to correct it
Thanks for the advice. I missed again this morning. I had a know distance of 20-yards, calm and expectant (I saw the buck on camera and expected he'd show up) and held in the lower third. Checked bend at waist and form as best as I could. Shot over him.....LOL. I shot some practice arrows from the same spot to the same spot and they were good. I'm going to "aim" at the belly line and see how it goes. If I miss under, at least its something different!
One other thing I left out of my post above: A lot of times depth perception is different in the woods than at an open area for practicing. In the heat of the moment, it is easy to misjudge distance. This is even true for instinctive shooters! if your brain thinks it is a certain distance, when you go to shoot your brain will will make you aim for the distance it sees.
Again, JMHO!
Bisch
Shooting critters vs targets is really the same, and yet totally different.
The first thing I thought of when reading your post was, where are you aiming on live critters? If you are aiming in the same place as the 10-ring on most 3D targets, you are aiming too high!!!! Almost every critter moves at the sound of the shot/arrow in flight, and when they do move, it is always down (Even if the hunter can‘t see the move, it almost always occurs. Slow motion filming proves this out.) I aim no higher than the top of the bottom 1/3 of the chest. Maybe a little into the second 1/3 if shooting from an elevated position.
When we shoot a 3D target, there are no emotions. We just shoot. When a live critter is in front of a hunter, even if he is as calm as can be, there is still a heightened emotional state with elevated heart rate and breathing. The only way I know of to learn to somewhat control this aspect of it is through experience. The more critters you take successfully, the easier it is to keep your emotions in check.
The next issue is shot distance. I rarely shoot any critter past about 15yds. Under the stress of the shot at live critters, shooting bows with no sights, and with how fast the critters can move, every added yard lessens just a bit the percentage of shots that will be good kill shots!!!
All the above info is JMHO, but I hope some of it might just help you out in your quest!!!!!!
Bisch
Your arrow weight and speed are good! What I’ve learned is if I’m standing on a treestand is to bend at the waist and shoot a little low. I‘m an instinctive shooter.