A question for gappers out west.

[Sheepdog]

Do any of you guys who gap have different arrow sets with different PO hunting different animals/styles?

I’m thinking about having a set of arrows with a 20/25 yard PO for tree stand, turkey, bear baiting and another set with a 35/40 yard PO of spot and stalk/elk. I’ve got two bows, one with two sets of limbs. So I could just grab a different bow, or put on a different set of limbs on that are set up differently. Just looking to see if anyone has tried having different PO with the same bow and how it worked out for them.

 

[CamoPirate]

It'll work of course. I think the real question is can you practice enough with both? I'd imagine you'd have to double your practice time to really drill in that gap for two different limbs, plus I'd imagine it'd be like having pins on a compound, where you forget and shoot the wrong gap for the limbs you have on.

I personally have been working on being instinctive out to 30 and then gap shooting 40-60.

 

[Tradchef]

I use the same arrow set up. I just practice at all yardages with it.

 

[bushpilot]

Ranges are always varying out west. I put together one setup (bow/ arrow) during the spring and shoot that for the rest of the year. I work hard enough to earn a shot opportunity, no sense blowing it because I’m jumping back and forth between setups.

 

[Sheepdog]

My thoughts were that I’d shoot and practice the 35/40 yard gap year round. They are heavier gr arrows and shot from higher pound limbs. But I’ve found that for me hunting turkey those setups don’t work as well with the larger gap and small target area. I tried string walking and while I was consistently more precise I hated it. I didn’t like having to take my eye of the target to adjust my hand. I’m consistently as or more accurate at the 35/40 yard range than 20 because of my PO. I shoot a couple dozen arrows twice a day all year at 20 and 25 yards.

That’s what got me thinking it might be good to have two sets of arrows. I’d have the 20 yard PO for stand hunting or turkey when shots are a pretty specific distance and with turkey a small target.

I’ve had a couple hunts that have fallen through for me recently so I’m looking forward to turkey hunting and bear baiting this spring. So with my brain prepared for hunts that didn’t happen my mind is working over time. Which is not always a good thing.

I appreciate the feed back. I’m probably just over engineering this in my head right now.

 

[bushpilot]

My thoughts were that I’d shoot and practice the 35/40 yard gap year round. They are heavier gr arrows and shot from higher pound limbs. But I’ve found that for me hunting turkey those setups don’t work as well with the larger gap and small target area. I tried string walking and while I was consistently more precise I hated it. I didn’t like having to take my eye of the target to adjust my hand. I’m consistently as or more accurate at the 35/40 yard range than 20 because of my PO. I shoot a couple dozen arrows twice a day all year at 20 and 25 yards.

That’s what got me thinking it might be good to have two sets of arrows. I’d have the 20 yard PO for stand hunting or turkey when shots are a pretty specific distance and with turkey a small target.

I’ve had a couple hunts that have fallen through for me recently so I’m looking forward to turkey hunting and bear baiting this spring. So with my brain prepared for hunts that didn’t happen my mind is working over time. Which is not always a good thing.

I appreciate the feed back. I’m probably just over engineering this in my head right now.

My point on is 43 yards, so similar to yours. To accommodate this I change my practice routine spring vs fall. Springtime I try shooting 25 yards and closer, and from a stool or on my knees like I would be for turkeys and bears. Summer I’m stretching out to 40 yards, and focusing on walk back sessions to get that different yardage gaps tuned in. Then winter in back on a stool with extra clothing getting ready for winter whitetail sits in my tree stand.

 

[Beendare]

I‘ve done it for 3d, a light fast setup..... can use my hunting set up for everything else. For what it’s worth it really didn’t help me all that much. The tournaments I shot I didn’t do that much better than if I would’ve just use my hunting set up.

I would agree with the guys above that are saying it kind of screws you up to have two set ups. It did me. I’m much better with one set up that im grooved in on. Im shooting a little bit lighter arrow, 553gr vs 600gr now which gives me a longer PO, 45yds.

This one setup really helped me last weekend as im better right around my PO distance. I had a PO shot on a nice Coues buck and I drilled him....shooting right around your PO is almost cheating.

 

[Beendare]

I probably need to expand that thought^???as the trad police are going to be all over me for shooting longer shots:

First off, I always try to setup for shorter shots...15 to 20 yds, ideally.

The problem out west, this isnt always possible...especially in wide open desert conditions for mule deer and Coues. My buddy shot a nice coues on the ground at 10 yds last week...but it was a different terrain...more mountains Vs the desert.

A longer PO can create more problems for a gapper on those mid range shots....a bigger gap. The top shooters I know will setup a bow for an ideal range. for example, a 3D trad tourney with a 30yd max shot And those good shooters setup for a 30 yd PO or if allowed a 30 yd max crawl tune.

same goes for a gap or instinctive guy that takes shorter shots....a setup with a shoter PO makes you more accurate at those distances.

A smaller gap equates to being more accurate. Before judging my longer shots, practice right around your PO distance....it might surprise you.

 

[Sheepdog]

No judgement from me Beendare. Take the shots your comfortable with owning. They are yours to own forever after they leave your weapon, good or bad. Congrats on the couse deer. That’d be a neat hunt. I’d planned on being down in AZ the next weekend to take my wife and oldest daughter quail hunting and trying to do a javelina hunt as well but it all fell apart.

Being much more accurate at my PO distance is same thought process is what got me started down this mental wormhole. I’ve missed several turkeys, some due to a big gap and the margin of error it leaves and had a couple birds move into the next county while my arrow took to long to hit exactly where I wanted it to.

 

[oldgoat]

You could also just use 2 different length arrows, but learning your gaps is what the usual method is

 

[Beendare]

Being much more accurate at my PO distance is same thought process is what got me started down this mental wormhole. I’ve missed several turkeys, some due to a big gap

We can learn from the Fixed Crawl guys, the string walkers and the guys setting up their bows for a slot distance.....it makes you more accurate!

The problem with SW from a bowhunting perspective is poor BH flight. On targets that arrow can wobble a little and still be accurate.

My problem with a fixed crawl is its not versatile enough for varying shot distances.


These ^ are great for target shooting....BECAUSE you‘re so close to PO.


That leaves setting up your arrow for Point On: Adjusting the variables of arrow spine, arrow length and tip weight to get you close to the PO you want. I really like a 35-40 yd PO for most of my hunting Which I get with some adjustments to my arrow. I rarely shoot 30 yds for most of my stickbow hunting....so the 35-38 yd PO gives me smaller gaps at those 15-25 yd shots.

If I was strictly treestand whitetail hunting, I would shoot for 30 yds max.

This AZ desert we hunt is as wide open as it gets. I was there in Dec and passed on 8 shots because I had not been practicing my longer shooting and did not feel comfortable with my accuracy. I spent the last month shooting 40-50 yds a lot and was very happy with my accuracy...that confidence was huge. Quartering shot, with the BH sticking out just behind his opposite shoulder.


Like I say, there are going to be a lot of stickbow guys grumbling at my comments as the accepted wisdom is 15 yd shots.

Get out and shoot with some of these really good stick bow guys....like at the trad nationals or a quality tourney like that. You learn real quick that incredible accuracy is possible with these bows....and not just on short shots.

Some of the Trad tourneys try to hinder your accuracy: they dont like gappers, String walkers, shooting off a rest, etc. Hey, thats fine to shoot short instinctive shots if thats your bag......but please dont judge me on my quest for accuracy at longer ranges.....it is possible.

 

[Beendare]

Sorry for killing your thread with my long shooting posts.

The topic:

There is a huge advantage to setting up your arrows close to your expected point on. All of the top 3D shooters do this....why? becuase its more accurate right around your intended range.


And its the reason a fixed crawl or SW is so accurate.
—-

 

[Archer96161]

No take what I say with a grain of salt, as I have only been shooting a traditional bow for three years now and not fully committing to hunting all my hunt with it. I do have one kill with a recurve. With all that said, I really enjoy shooting long range for practice and fun. I think it is amazing how accurate a traditional bow can be if you use an aiming method.

The aiming method I ended up with, seem to not get talked about to much. I really like using face walking. That is having different anchor points for different yardages. I can shoot from 20 to 70
with five different anchor points. This way I always use my point on. It is just like have a multi pin sight on a compound.

At 20, it is not really a point on, I am more using the entire shaft as a gun barrel. Holding the shaft just below my target.

 

[Beendare]

Archer,
Yes....very effective as you are essentially using the tip of the arrow as a sight pin. Many guys use a form of that called String walking....where you measure serving wraps and grip below the nok which puts you dead on at distances shorter than your PO.

I shot with a woman that was the CA women champ for multiple years in a row using that SW aiming system in both a stick bow and a compound. Tune is more critical...and it doesn't get you good arrow flight with BH's at some distances....where your constant DL doesn't have that problem with arrow flight.

Not legal in most trad tourneys....most don't allow multiple anchors.

________

 

[Beendare]

Sheepdog,
I think Im going to shoot a 3d tourney in a few weeks. Since those are 30 yds max...my Coues setup with a 45 yd PO [340 spine] gives me big gaps of over an inch at 22 yds....not good for a short range tourney.


I'm going to try lighter and faster shooting for a 30 yd PO. I'm playing with a couple sets of light limbs; the Dryads and the Elite + [now WNS] and a 500gr Centershot arrow cut 31”with a 100gr tip std insert gives me a tuned setup at 45#...PO is 34yds. Gap at 20yds is about 3/8"...not bad. It bareshafts perfect.

FWIW, Im going to give this light arrow setup a go for target shooting 388gr but I would never shoot this setup for hunting...its loud.
_____

 

[strugglesticks]

I set up a 15yd fixed crawl for turkeys and whitetails. 20yds is a small hold over with the 15yd point on. For elk and antelope I use a 25yd fixed crawl. It works for me.

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