4” paper plate shooting idea…

[OutdoorAg]

Ran by a buddies place and all his backyard targets had cheap white 4” round paper plates pinned to them. On his blocks, on his 3D deer, long range hay bales.

I had to ask…why the plates?

He said it’s simple. If I hit the plate, the deer is dead. Any range.

Had me thinking.

Aim small (dot) miss small? Or aim plate, dead deer.

What method is better?

 

[FLATHEAD]

That is a more realistic hunting situation simulation IMO.

 

[Marble]

I stick 8" plates on my targets for 100+ yards to have something easier to aim at.

4" sounds good too.

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[JeffRaines]

I do something similar when shooting LR. I have an 8” steel plate. If I can hit it the first time from field positions then that’s inside my “zone” and I can move further out. Keeps you honest.

I did something similar with bow last year. I took and blew up an 8” balloon and put it on the target. If you kill the balloon from whatever your max yardage is you’re good - but it’s gotta be an honest first shot - no re-dos.

Pretty sure I remember reading the vitals are around 8” on a deer, and like 12-15” on an elk.

 

[Billy Goat]

Guess I'm different.

There's a big difference of practicing when you can see a spot, versus needing to find that spot.

I use to put cotter pins in my 3d targets as an ideal spot to hit from the angle I was shooting. Then you can measure off the pins. Use to be a group of us shot for dollars that way, furthest off pats the closest.


For a new shooter I can see using the little orange stick on dots so they can learn where to aim, but I don't know that a 4" circle is the same.

 

[OutdoorAg]

There's a big difference of practicing when you can see a spot, versus needing to find that spot.

I think there is a lot of merit to this line, @Billy Goat

Settling a pin on a dot vs finding a spot on tan hair is much different.

I guess maybe the paper plate is somewhere in between. It offers a larger shooting "core" that isn't just a dot, but yeah. Practice on deer paper targets and 3D def provides a more realistic hunting representation.

 

[5MilesBack]

I have bullseyes to shoot at on all targets.......except animal targets (3D or flat printed targets). For animals I already know where I'm aiming, so don't need a plate or bullseye for that. But regardless of the target, you've got to know where you're aiming......and hitting in relation to that aiming.

 

[Page Master]

I have a bigass 48x56'' foam target and I stick a core from a 3D target and then aim at the ASA rings. It gives me a 'vital' and lets me 'pick a spot'. Little bit of the best of both worlds as Hagar would put it.

 

[Jethro]

Not sure if its a matter of what's better. May be a case of what works for him. If the paper plate guy is consistently killing what he shoots at, I wouldn't change the practice routine.

 

[BucksNBulls]

I have a bunch of 3D targets that I used to mark with colored Tape. I stopped doing that and just aim for the vitals on all of my 3D targets. I decided there is not any tape marking spots on any big game while hunting, so why have marks on my targets.

 

[5MilesBack]

The first time I ever shot a 3D tourney I didn't bring bino's.......had no idea what to expect. We shot 40 targets. After we were done one of the guys I shot with said "man, if the scoring rings had all been over the heart, you would have scored over 400". I wouldn't mind 1" orange stickers on the center ring for 3D shoots. But for general shooting.......no thanks.

 

[OutdoorAg]

I tried the plates out on my own targets this weekend. Here was my takeaway:

Its a 2 part thing:

1) Confidence Builder. Knowing you can stick a hole in a 4" spot at any hunting distance means its a deadly arrow.

2) Giving yourself some grace. Instead of missing a little dot/sticker and thinking - well, darn it I missed - the 4" plate lets you give yourself some grace, knowing archery can be hard, and a 4" plate hit is still a hit. Take it and know you're doing something right.

 

[5MilesBack]

2) Giving yourself some grace. Instead of missing a little dot/sticker and thinking - well, darn it I missed - the 4" plate lets you give yourself some grace, knowing archery can be hard, and a 4" plate hit is still a hit. Take it and know you're doing something right.

Now shoot four arrows at your max hunting shot distance......one at 12 o-clock right at the top edge of the plate, one at 3 o'clock, one at 6 o'clock, and one at 9 o'clock, and see how you did. See if there are any patterns to any misses. This also helps to save damage to arrows, while perfecting precision shooting.