Does anyone have any exercises or tricks that help with target acquisition? I've heard shooting aerial targets helps?
Thanks
Once I establish the animal is a shooter...nothing exists but that spot that will get me into the vitals! Takes very little time.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Sometimes this is easier to type than actually pull off in real life.
A couple of thoughts that I always try to keep in mind (not easy in the heat of the adrenaline rush!):
1: Slow down and take my time
2: As BB as trained us, straight up the front leg, 1/3 of the way up the body on everything in NA other than bears.
Good luck,
Mark
In a perfectly calm unicorn hunt I try to pick a spot "inside" the animal I'm trying to shoot. That might put my POI in front of the shoulder even, or back by the last rib, depending.
Just lock on and develop tunnel vision. Don't look around, don't watch the animals reaction. Once you have committed to draw, lock on to your spot and, don't look at anything else. Your arrow will follow.
To help my mind develop this, I started shooting in the severe twilight times and, even in the dark with just the target illuminated. Give it a try. If your mechanics are right, you will hit were you look. God Bless
To answer your question; you have to practice it.
Standing at a line on flat ground shooting at spots with all the time in the world...is nothing remotely close to a hunting scenario. There you have many factors floating around in your mind to disrupt a hunting shot; animal movement, body position, body language, other animals, etc- many factors. Its why many folks make bad shots [beentheredonethat]Thus the importance of practicing your shot routine you use in the woods.
So once I develop what I consider good form with a good anchor, I practice my shot routine and refine it down speed and accuracy wise. Align my sight ring, feel good alignment, pick a spot, squeeze and follow through. Sometimes verbally saying it to yourself helps if you are really flustered.
I do the same with my recurve without the sight part.
I do the same with a pistol; on the range and in dry fire exercises....but of course with that its "Front sight" Being slow there can actually cost you your life.
Don't look at side of your target as a 'side of brown fur', but rather the body under the skin... a topography map, if you will??
Breath.. and think 3-D..
Nick
"To help my mind develop this, I started shooting in the severe twilight times and, even in the dark with just the target illuminated. Give it a try."
WV Mountaineer-It was funny to hear you say this. I just this week started doing this. I stumbled onto this technique by accident and thought it was really helpful.
You keep doing it and you will develop the ability to pick a spot on anything very quickly. Don't worry about spot size. Just look where you want to hit and don't look anywhere else. The arrow will impact where you are looking. What I mean when I say that is your arrow will follow your eye. It becomes instinct: An ingrained part of your shot sequence. When the rare occasion occurs that does have a noticeable spot, do the same thing. When it doesn't, you have to make a spot. You accomplish this by not looking at anything but, where you want your arrow to go. It is the same mechanics as when you do have something to shoot at.
You'll likely find out that you end up shooting better on dimensional targets. Meaning a flat backstop is harder because your eye has nothing to focus on. But, once you have developed the ability in your shot sequence to lock onto your intend POI, you are a tuned up, killing machine because the arrow WILL go to where you are looking. As you progress, you'll start to notice that when the shot is less than you desire, your eye will be following the flight of the arrow. Instead of your arrow following your eye. In other words, if you are looking at your arrow in flight, you are doing it wrong. The arrow will intercept your line of sight at your spot when dong it right.
Just keep working on it and, addressing the problems you encounter. You are on the right road. Analyze and fix what is failing you. Don;t give up. You are close. God Bless
Get a Glendale buck target if you don't have one. Then you are consistently looking and shooting at a "critter" and also evaluating entry and exit holes.
Keep us posted!
Mark
My biggest asset is to stare a whole through my intended impact point, this becomes second nature once you shoot enough. Like a compound I look at my kill spot & shoot for it, simple as that just minus the sight & pins!
Shooting 3D ranges can help immensely with the various targets & shapes as well as judging distances quickly. It help with picking the kill zone as well.
The biggest downfall to me with trad gear is not being able to draw & hold as you await your quarry's entrance! (grin) This has cost me several bulls but heh it's part of the game! (grin) Keep things simple & have fun, pick YOUR spot & shoot it to death!
Even when you feel you've done things textbook crap can happen! This bull in the photo came storming in to our calling (my son & I) to 14 yards broadside, sounds like a slam dunk right! I instantly drew my longbow as this bull showed in an instant crashing in like a runaway locomotive. At my release of my fingers he whirled towards me, my nice broadside shot turned into a frontal shot in a heart beat, nothing I could do to avoid it, the arrow left the bow as he turned, try to predict that! (grin) I had 7"-9" of penetration because of his drastic movement but it was enough to put him down in a 150 yards.
Practice, practice, practice & you'll be the best shot you can be, again do not over think it, kinda like golf! (grin)
ElkNut1
ElkNut1
Perhaps you are trying to "settle in" on your target as learned shooting a compound.
FORGET "settling in" Just look at the spot. Just draw to the spot.
Try to speed up your shooting/release process when practicing.
Practice in various light conditions i.e. a wooded area or shaded to light area.
Practice shooting at a spot on your target no larger than a dime at twenty yards.
When group is tight at 20 yds 1-3" (consistently) then move to 30 yds (still shooting dime size spot) when the group is 3-5" (consistently) I doubt you will have any trouble quickly being on "SPOT" for your next shot.
When picking a spot look for a spot on a rib, a muscle, discoloration of the hide around the shot placement.
You do not need to pick a "tuff" of hair. Hell at my age I can hardly see a "tuff of hair" anymore. :}
Remain calm and confident when drawing/releasing and you will do just fine.
The old adage of Shoot Small Miss Small does indeed hold true.
Best of luck
Check this out Andy. Besides being a world champion elk caller, Joel Turner is a firearms instructor and also an archery instructor.
You can also put a vertical piece of tape down the cardboard to give you left or right results.
I'd stay away from rushing anything whether you shoot with pins or without. Normally it results in a bad outcome.
One quick session on a 3d shoot will show you that most good shooters settle in. Snap shooters are all over "except when they hunt"
You're absolutely right. None of the animals that I've shot have had a tuft of hair in the right place either.
I can't tell you about compounds because I've only shot a recurve for the last 15 years or so. I'm also probably what you would call a snap shooter. When I draw back and hit my anchor the arrow is gone. I don't snap shoot because I want to shoot fast. I don't snap shoot because I can't hold at draw. I snap shoot because I've shot a lot and I'm in control at a faster speed than most shooters.
What has worked well for me is what I read in the book, Instinctive Archery Insights (Jay Kidwell). I bought a fender washer about 1-1/2" in diameter and I carry it around in a pocket for several months in the summer. Pull it out every now and then and look at it and then visualize it on something that you want to aim at. Visualize it on a tree outside of your window, on the side of a car in the parking lot, absolutely anywhere. It doesn't matter where you visualize it. Makes no difference. You simply visualize the fender washer anywhere.
Then I visualize it on my bag target if I'm practicing at home, or on a stump or log if stump shooting in the woods.
I spend more time visualizing the spot than I do any other part of the shooting sequence.
In a hunting situation I look at the animal long enough to determine if it's a shooter and then visualize the washer on its vitals. It works on any animal - even those without a tuft of hair in the right spot.
Good luck
From the beginning of this thread, I was thinking about Jay Kidwell's book, and the button he used. Get the book. Try the button method. It works.
Jay Kidwell uses a button and that's great for him. I've found that a larger target (1-1/2" fender washer) works better for me because I want to be able to shoot 30 yards or more.
Also, it will take a lot of practice before you can do it quickly. Like I said above I spend more time visualizing the spot than I do anything else in the shot sequence. One time I popped over a ridge in New Mexico and saw a mule deer buck in range. When I saw that he was a shooter I visualized the spot on his vitals. I focused on the spot while I put an arrow on the string. Then I shot him. The total time that elapsed from when I first saw him until the arrow was on its way was probably 4-5 seconds.
Lastly, when an animal is heading my way I'm visualizing that spot as he is coming in. I've found that it keeps me from staring at the antlers. Staring at a spot on his vitals for a longer amount of time increases my concentration - making it a more accurate shot.
Andy find your niche & master it!
ElkNut1
When the time comes for the shot, I am prepared for the spot I need to hit and that is my focus.
I also never practice with a target. I use just a blank cover and visualize that tiny spot I want to hit. With practice it becomes automatic. Pulling a black garbage bag over a target works great. When the adrenaline flows and I are making a shot on an animal it becomes like extreme tunnel vision, and am not aware of anything outside of where that arrow is going.
Good luck and keep at it. The overall theme through this thread is to practice as if you are shooting at an animal, not at a target.
