Realistic Practice
Equipment
I'm looking to see what you guys do for 'drills' and practice that you've found has helped your shooting. Really anything that helps to extend your range or improves your accuracy when you're in the field during those limited opportunities.
I understand and do things like shoot as far as you can (which is only ~80 yards in my yard right now), shooting cold only once at a time, practicing with whatever clothes I'll be wearing, from knees, sitting, etc - basically anything to mimic what I should be expecting.
Just curious if you guys have done or do anything specific that has worked to help you dial in.
First forget the 80 yard thing, be really good at 20,30,40 yds and know you could shoot out to 60 yds. form is most important, holding your bow at full draw for as long as you can before shooting and still hit the spot. also practice fast shots and hit the spot. so much you can do to improve you shooting. stay with the basics and have confidence.
Only shoot at life size actual colored silhouettes of the next hunts quarry. Never at spots.
Not everyone has life size silhouettes, after 30 years of shooting and hunting with a bow if I can hit the spot 90% of the time I guarantee you, I can put the arrow where I want on an animal if I know the approx. distance. with all respect Bow'bound.
I don't do any of that stuff. The best "practice" you can do is to have a multitude of call-ins so you're used to the encounter and you don't go stupid when they come in. Granted, many only get one chance and that's hard to practice for but your brain will be the biggest obstacle to get past when a Bull comes in.
I shoot a 6in paper plate at 80-90yds. I also bought a Solo elk target. There great for real life practice and a lot cheaper than a Rhinehart elk. Also I'll have friends come over and we shoot at small 3-4inch balloons at 80-90yds. I will not shoot that far at live animals but when I shoot at 60yds my groups are really good and I feel confident.
Here's the link to the Solo Targets
Uneven footing is a good thing to practice as well as shooting through cover like obstacles between you and the target so you have to judge the obstacles distance to ascertain if the arc of the arrow will clear the obstacles, uphill shots, downhill shots. Don't discount extremely close shots too like three yards and less!!!!
Create the silhouette of the animal you are hunting out of cardboard in actual size with a regular target behind it. Shoot at it from quartering to....quartering away. Shoot from behind a tree both left side and right side. I also like to snap shoot....holding the draw and my favorite is running around the yard and shoot when I am out of breath.
Bowboy How durable are the Solo 2d targets for practice sessions?
I practice at 70 and 80 yards it makes my shooting at 60 and under much better, my new bow seems to have made my groups tighten up, probably the longer ATA and better grip
3D shoots, jump in with strangers. Some times shooting or competing with strangers puts unique stress on your shooting. Shoot through lanes of brush and over hanging limbs to learn and know your arrows arc. If you can make that shot through trees or not. There can be a limb at 20 yds that appears to block vitals on a 40 yard animal but knowing your arrow will clear that limb by 16” can mean shot vs no shot. Uneven ground. Shoot sidehill angles standing on less than perfect footing. This is actually what the better 3D shoots do is make you shoot tough shots like that at unknown distances, at unmarked animal size targets.
Bigmart
If you have cardboard spray paint and a razor cutter you can make a silhouette
I'm very lucky; I shoot at Gamelines Archery Club in the foothills of the Rockies with over sixty 3D targets...downhill, uphill, close, out to 90 yards and get to practice all of the above suggestions!
One arrow, walk away, second and third, odd distances walk away then come back a few more times at animal targets.
I have nothing against dots but it’s just not hunting practice.
Spacing out your shots over time also is better than firing one after another IMO.
Today is a 3D shoot,, I’m at in NJ, these are a blast
I have a ladder stand and two 3D deer targets in the yard. The targets are on wheels so I can move them around and shoot different angles and yardage. I will also walk around the yard and shoot from the ground at different angles.
If you cant afford a 3D target, get an old couch cushion, bend it in half, run a rope through bend and duct tape it. Get a marker and draw the shoulder and top leg. Works well to show top of a deers back and height/angle disparity.
Get some Judo points and take a "bowhike", preferably in the same type of cover that you hunt in, and pick out things to shoot at like weed heads, grass clumps, dirt clumps, etc. Take shots from shadows to sun lit, sun lit to shadow, up hill, downhill, bending, sitting, kneeling, around branches, etc.... whatever. I live on 5 acres and I do this a lot, and I also have a 3D deer that I place in different areas and take shots at from all different angles and situations.
This of course is assuming that your tackle/form is solid to the point that you don't have to think about it.
Thanks for the tips, guys. I appreciate the ideas.
I have a 3d deer target, which has certainly helped. I had a bout of target panic for a few years and just shooting at that instead of dots really helped my shooting and ability to hold. I still use dots, but some days I have to give it up to not restart the cycle.
I plan to try and do a 3D course if time allows. Unfortunately there aren't many around me and with 3 young kids my time is limited, but this seems like fantastic practice.
Shooting at 90 makes me deadly at 40. ;)
You could do that to get your heart rate up before each shot.
When we train with rifles we always have a competition where we are running and moving to get the heart rate up to simulate that adrenaline dump.
The only thing that cures the adrenaline dump is stress inoculation. The more you do, the easier it gets.
Here is another valuable thing to practice....shooting over obstructions. You see a animal at 40 yards but a branch covers his vitals but it`s at 20 yards....will your arrow arc over that branch and hit the vitals at 40 yrds. It`s good to know if it does or doesn`t.
I spend time shooting the walk through range that I have on our place. All the targets in typical Hill Country terrain. Targets are all random sized. Some hanging from Juniper branches, others setting on the ground at the base of trees. The targets can be shot from random distances, angles, and positions.. Typically there is no "aiming" spot on them. Simply a black garbage bag pulled over a homemade bag targets.
