Aim small-Miss Small
Equipment
Looking for recommendations for the smallest foam deer target on the market.
Learning to "pick a (small) spot" on a deer or other live game is simply that, learning to pick a small spot on a full-sized animal and shoot at it. I think that's what they mean in that saying. Having the entire deer be small doesn't seem like it would accomplish that goal?
I have the same elk target it is a rhinehart. Good quality foam but it is tiny. I call it a midget elk
Go out to 100 yards, they look real tiny from that distance. HA!!
Rhinehart had a small deer with an apple on its nose. The apple is a small target and I missed that a few times.
More important to learn to pick a small spot on a BIG surface, like an individual stem in a straw bale.
What is the goal of this search
Good phrase, poor idea.
One should always practice on a real-life sized target. Simulate that same depth perception for yardage calculations.
After you get your life sized target, place small bright colored dots at your aiming point. I use garage sale price stickers. I can move them as I change shot angles. That's what we mean by "aim small miss small".
Why would anyone put dots on a 3d target? Might as well shoot at a bag target or bunker.
My brother in law and I were just talking about this yesterday. How small deer look even at 50 yards. I'm quickly becoming convinced that I am only going to use a square target to dial it in. Once I have that it's going to be animal targets from there on out. It's just such a different ballgame shooting at an animal at 50-60 compared to a square.
"Why would anyone put dots on a 3d target? Might as well shoot at a bag target or bunker."
The whole premise of this thread is "aim small miss small". If you're going to pick a small aiming spot on a 3D target (for practice) you'll need a reference point for grouping. The scoring lines on a 3D target rarely are the aiming spots for a real deer. They are for 3D scoring only.
The OP wants to practice at a small target. My suggestion introduces a small aiming point on a 3D target that will automatically in-grain helpful aiming spots on a live animal.
Draw a circle on the target with a sharpie the size of a dime, shoot at that.
If? you are trying to improve your ability to pick a spot on an animal, put a mark on the target that you can't see. Shoot one arrow and go see how you did.
As far as aiming at a target face, shooting at a small for can lead to target panic that can cripple an archery for good. A dot that is smaller than your pin gets covered up and will lead to problems.
You guys must have dozens of sharpie circles on your targets. Or you don't practice all angles... :)
How can you aim at a spot you can't see and call that "aim small miss small" ??
Bou and Others,
To be very specific- I am looking for a target about the size of a duiker or steenbok.
Buffalo1
Rinehart has many small targets to choose from if you want a small target.
To everyone else... TP is TP. You still have to hit a small aiming point. Taking your visible aiming spot off your target is a bandaid for a more serious problem. Very much like using mechanical heads because your arrows fly like crap with fixed heads.
Fix the problem...don't compensate for it.
Aiming is waaay overrated.
Look at what you plan to hit and let the pin float. If you execute correctly the pin doesn't have to be any where near the center to hit in the center.
X-Man thanks for the suggestion. About the closest size target that Rhinehart has would be a coyote. I contacted Rhinehart and was told they don't make small size targets. I thanked them for their time.
I think I'm gonna have to get creative on my idea. May downsize a deer target on to a piece of heavy cardboard or plywood.
I did something similar when I bear hunted. I built a bear target and placed it by a barrel. It was a great visual aid for animal size, target size and what bear would look like when it was at a bait barrel.
The Feeding Doe and Broadhead Buck are only 28" tall. The Catalina Goat is only 22" tall.
To expound on WapitiBob's point.
Aiming is not "holding" your pin perfectly still. Aiming is "focusing" on as small of a spot on the target as you can without focusing on your pin.
If you're looking at your pin, you are NOT aiming.
a 1/3 size elk target really screws with you at 77 yards.
Bought this one from rural king last week for 70$ , box said" big shooter buck!" Got home , pulled it out of box and thought, I've seen bigger fawns.
