Lets talk effective range...

[Rolo]

Yep I'm right there with you...I've missed close shots and drilled long shots. Hell I missed a B&C 10pt whitetail last year at 30yds and that's a shot I can always make and flat out ruin arrows in a 3-D target at 30yds. If conditions are right my max range differs, I've shot animals at really long range before and shot them at close range, lol...I'm like everyone else, I'd prefer a 20yd shot on everything but it doesn't always work out...I'm not against shooting something at 80yds if the conditions are right and I feel right. Ethics police get under my skin, let everyone decide what they can or can not do...But make sure you can do it before you try it.
I know plenty of guys who shouldn't shoot at a deer "or anything else" at 10yds and it's a miracle if they even touch one at 20yds.

The ironic part is...at least for me...every disaster I have had has been at 40 yards or under. Over that...money. Time, concentration, and beating the A thing back into its hole...

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

I like this answer!

X2

I wrote a piece for Eastmans a while back - couldn't find it on their site to link to it, but it was in EBJ59. Subject was exactly your question... Here's the text from that article. Hope it gives you some ideas! Best of luck on your UT hunt man!
___________________________________________________________________

Extend Your Range – Practice Like a Bowhunter

The biggest challenge bowhunters face when hunting the open country of the west is closing within comfortable shooting distance to their quarry. Approaching game gets exponentially more difficult the closer we have to get. At 40 yards a mule deer buck can hear the sound of an arrow sliding across the bow’s rest, his eyesight will detect any unnatural movement for hundreds of yards, and he can probably tell how much you weigh and what brand of bow you shoot by sniffing a two-day-old boot track.

I contend that bowhunter success rates probably increase about 10% for every ten yards they can extend their effective shooting range. To put that in perspective, consider that most archery hunts across the west have success rates that average 10 - 25%. Add 10 or 15 yards to your effective shooting range and you’ve nearly doubled your chances! Don’t get me wrong; the point of this is not to encourage people to shoot beyond their ability or to take unethical shots. Rather, after reading this, I hope you’ll employ new practice techniques, pay closer attention to each shooting opportunity, and carefully evaluate each situation, close or far, before you ever decide to draw your bow. Over the course of an average five to nine day public land hunt I am usually working my tail off for one decent shot. My ability to capitalize on these rare and often difficult shot opportunities plays a big part in notching most of the tags I purchase.

Every western bowhunter will eventually face shooting situations he ethically should pass because the shot is simply too far under the conditions to ensure a vital hit. The average bowhunter starts to question his ability somewhere around the 40-yard mark – and he probably should. There are any number of factors that can reduce the accuracy of your shot – wind, nerves, cold, fatigue, body position, lighting, rain/snow, hurrying, range-estimation, animal alertness, angle of the shot, brush, etc… There’s really only one factor we CAN control when it’s all on the line and that’s our shooting ability against all these challenges.

I’ll be using the term Effective Shooting Range (ESR) – Your ESR is the maximum range that you can make a vital shot every time under ideal conditions. Your ESR varies depending on the size of game you’re hunting, but for this discussion, we’ll assume we’re all hunting mule deer.

The best method to measure your ESR is to get a 3D mule deer target and shoot it with your hunting setup. The ten-ring of the McKenzie mule deer target is about 5 inches in diameter – a reasonable representation of the center of a deer’s vital organs on a broadside shot. You can substitute a cardboard deer silhouette with a lightly stenciled vital zone for this exercise, but avoid using a bulls-eye target or dot. It’s important to factor in your ability to aim at the vitals of an animal target when determining ESR. Since you’re the one ultimately making decisions on the mountain, it’s up to you to decide what the effective vital zone on the deer target is, but I would not stray much from the scribed 10-ring on the 3D target. I want to establish a baseline to measure progress against – not define how far you should or shouldn’t shoot… that’s your job!

Now, shoot and back up until you reach the max distance you can hit the deer’s vital zone every time. Let’s assume this occurs at a distance of 40-yards. Can you hit it every time at 37 yards? For most bowhunters, pin-gap shooting is a lot harder than putting a pin right on the intended target. If you struggle with gap shooting, focus on improving that aspect of your game so there aren’t any holes in your ESR.

Unless you’re an avid 3D or field shooter, the majority of your practice probably occurs on level ground from a standing position. That’s a great way to ingrain your form and it’s certainly time well spent. However, in order to be a better bowhunting marksman, bowhunting situations need to be practiced so you know what to expect and how to deal with challenges you face in the field. If you only practice under ideal conditions, you can bet that 90% of the hunting situations you encounter will be harder than anything you’ve practiced and that’s a recipe for failure.

Try shooting at your ESR in the following situations and compare the results to your accuracy under ideal conditions. Take notes as you try these drills and identify areas where you may need improvement.

1. Kneeling in your normal “stance”, then kneel facing right and left of the target.
2. Sitting on your rear.
3. Shoot from your blind or out of your tree-stand if you expect to hunt from one.
4. Draw and shoot as quickly as possible to simulate a hurried shot situation.
5. Shoot at first or last light when your pins are hard to see.
6. Shoot on a windy day (15+ mph) and walk around the target so you shoot crosswind in both directions and with head and tailwinds.
7. Sprint to your target, then jog back, pick up your bow and attempt to execute a shot.
8. Try shooting in steep terrain – side-hill and up and downhill shots.
9. Next time it’s raining or snowing hard, gear up and shoot for 15 minutes.
10. When possible, practice all of the above in your hunting attire – don’t forget your pack!

When practicing these situations at your ESR you might find yourself questioning whether to let the arrow go or not for fear of missing the 3D target completely and wrecking an arrow. That’s half of the point of these drills. When you can’t hold well enough to ensure a clean kill when hunting, it’s definitely time to let the shot down and try stalking closer, re-positioning your feet/knees, or waiting for the wind to die down. You may be able to just take a few deep breaths to calm yourself and draw again. I have let down on three animals that I managed to take with my bow. Each time, the shot didn’t feel right so I slowly let down and re-grouped. The end result of each situation was a clean, one-shot harvest. It takes a lot of will power to let down and potentially let that animal walk, but it beats missing or wounding an animal. If you don’t allow yourself to shoot bad shots in practice, you’ll develop your sense for a bad shot so you can ease off the trigger before it happens in a hunting situation. Hopefully you’ll be rewarded with a better opportunity and a short tracking job.

The other goal in practicing tough situations is to learn your limits and gain familiarity and knowledge about what it takes to execute a good shot under those conditions. Just by practicing these drills, you will recruit and train new muscles and develop personalized techniques through trial and error that you can employ when conditions are “live”. After regularly facing these challenges, standing flat-footed at your ESR will seem boring unless exploding nocks and carbon splinters keep you entertained.

Similarly, to increase confidence at longer range, we have to expand your comfort zone for distance. To do that, it’s essential that you practice shooting well beyond your ESR. For long-range practice I highly recommend shooting under ideal conditions at an aiming spot so your focus is only on making good shots. You want the odds in your favor so you don’t erode your confidence with erratic shooting and lost arrows. After shooting at extended range, always walk up and finish your sessions with a few good, tight groups (even if it’s under your ESR). It’s always best to end every practice sessions on a positive mental note.

The 40-yard ESR bowhunter in our previous example should perform about ¼ of his practice at 60 yards or as far as he can reliably hit the target (if necessary, get a bigger target). Don’t expect instant success at longer range, but soon, your subconscious will adapt to shooting targets that once seemed well beyond reach. After a few sessions at 70 yards, stepping back up to shoot a target at 45 or even 50 yards will feel like a 20-yard slam-dunk. Make long range practice a regular part of your routine. Once the mental barrier is smashed, your groups will naturally tighten up at the intermediate distance that used to be “too far”. Every few weeks, you may want to reevaluate your ESR and confirm your progress.

It’s no secret that you have to practice your shooting regularly to improve. Sport scientists generally agree that trained athletes must practice three or more days per week to see steady improvements in their game. One or two days of weekly practice will help a novice learn necessary skills and improve moderately. One or two days a week can also be enough for a veteran archer to return to form after a lay-off. However, for a well-practiced archer, one or two days a week will, at best, only maintain their current level of performance. If you’re serious about improving, your practice frequency should gradually increase to 3 - 5 days a week as your next big hunt approaches.

I can already imagine the collective groan as you read the last sentence… I know, time is precious and we all have a life outside bowhunting to keep in order. Practice sessions don’t have to last hours or even be at a shooting range to work. You can even set up a target in a safe area of your home or garage. In fact, shooting at close range with your eyes closed (blank bale shooting) is the most effective way to focus on your form and build muscle-memory and feel for the shot. As long as your sessions are focused and you have time for a dozen or two good shots, you’ll continue to improve.

One of the best archers and bowhunters I’ve ever known told me that the most important and telling arrow of his bowhunting practice sessions is always the very first arrow he shoots that day. That “cold-bore” arrow is the closest experience you get to actual bowhunting. There’s no warm-up or do-over regardless of conditions. Couple that with a little bit of self-induced pressure from knowing that the first arrow is the only shot that “counts” and you can momentarily capture some of the bowhunting butterflies. Shoot your first arrow at or above your ESR to simulate the reality of a tough bowhunting shot. Once you’re nailing that arrow in the kill to start every session, compound the difficulty by adding one or more of the drills into the mix. If you can sprint to the target, jog back, kneel facing left, and drill an uphill target at 40 yards while rushing your shot, you’re officially a lethal weapon! You can take that kind of confidence to the taxidermist.

Stretching your ESR from 40 to 50 yards is a tall order – a 25 percent increase to be exact! A challenge that large is not to be taken lightly, especially considering the consequences of failure in the field. Practice often, practice like a bowhunter, be responsible in your shot selection and you will maximize your bowhunting success.

 

[rhendrix]

Darin, thanks for the article man! Awesome tips that I plan on employing today.

 

[Drelk]

Very well written and hits some key points right on the head. Great article

 

[Slim Jim]

Great article Darin. Last year I had a shot on a great muley at 80 yards with perfect conditions but I was only confident out to about 65 and had fixed pins out to 60. I couldn't close the distance, twice I had the opportunity. This year I went with a 3 pin slider sight and have been practicing shoots out to 110 in all conditions. I also shoot downhills and after a group, I grab my arrows out of the target and run back uphil,l get on my knees and shoot out to 60yrds. I'll be more ready this year for a successful hunt because of this practice.

 

[Coyote Commander]

This is my rule of thumb for the longest shot I'll even think of taking.

If I can stack arrows on a target the size of my given quarry's heart, I subtract 15% of that distance to account for field versus range variables. So if I can shoot lights out at 70 yards on the practice range, I pretty much hold myself to 60 yards in the field.

Than I take into account my target species. Highly reactive, high strung species like whitetails, it's a 40 yard ball game no matter what.

Lastly (and most importantly) I take the conditions at the time I may sling an arrow at a critter into account. If the winds howling 40 mph, my "max range" may be cut in half, or more. An edgy, alert animal may reduce my "max range" significantly.

My hard and fast rule under ideal conditions though, is 15% below maximum effective practice distance.

 

[HockeyDad]

I think most of the replies sum it all up "It depends".

I practice out to 80 yards consistently, and out to 100 yards occasionally (With broadheads!). 50 yards is right about my limit on a perfect situation.

One thing no one has mentioned - there may come a time when you need to do a follow up shot on an animal you or a hunting partner have already stuck. If you've practiced at those ranges, you can be more confident with that follow-up shot.

 

[Rolo]

Hey...where's my pack? Quit posting and start building...and buy your wife some more flowers while you're at it.

It worked!

 

[trdhunter]

I agree with Darin's article. Practice all you can in different situations and give yourself the most confidence you can. When the time comes, you can determine if the animal is within your range based on conditions at the time. Also practice steep uphill/downhill shots, high probability of that in the area you will be hunting

 

[Nick Muche]

If the carbon is in the air, you still have a prayer...

You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take...

Pretty encouraging advice, eh?

Practice, Practice, Practice...

That said, my furthest kill shot is 55 yards.

And I have missed many shots less than that

 

[ontarget7]

This is all determined by an individuals skill level and mind set. I feel very confident out to 100 yards if the ideal situation is presented. With that said, the majority of my shots are taken at 30 to 60 yards. The reason I bring up mind set is, you have generally three kinds. Those that cave under pressure, those that stay consistent when pressure is there and those that seem to always excel under pressure. I feel this will have a big factor on your effective range and only you can be the judge of that.

 

[larryschwartz]

I'm happy to see that many if not most of the posts here acknowledge that your maximum effective range varies with the situation and that it has nothing to do with how far away you can consistently hit a target in a practice situation. Having said that, it is also good to see that folks are practicing at longer ranges to improve their form and to find and eliminate little things that affect their arrows flight. We all need to know how our arrows fly at close, mid-range, and long-range targets. It is amazing how something that flies like a dart once it gets out 15-20 yards is flopping around at 5-10 yards because the bow/arrow mix isn't tuned well.

 

[larryschwartz]

Aron,

Based on all of the good (and ethical) advice being given on the subject I think that this thread might warrant getting a sticky so that it stays at the top for everyone to see when they come to the site.

Larry

 

[ChanceH]

It seems that I share the same view on this as most everyone here. Practicing long range, 80-120 yards is fun (sometimes frustrating) and great for improving your 40-60 yard accuracy. But it should be just that, practice. However I could see where the only reason a 100 yard shot should be attempted would be if an animal was hit marginally, and stopped at 100 giving a second look. In that case I would feel the need to get another arrow in him to increase the chance of recovery.

 

[FemoralArchery]

we all have a life outside bowhunting to keep in order.

I don't agree with this part of the article. For me, at least.

 

[TXCO]

I practice at 80-120 yards just for practice.
Some days I shoot tight groups and other times more open. Furthest I ever have shot at an animal was 50 yards.
We are bowhunting and not rifle hunting.

To determine an effective range I think one shoot have tennis ball groups consistently.

The problem is in my opinion it's very easy to shoot accurately at a target when everything is calm.

In a hunting world it's a little difference. Nerves and adrenaline play a factor. As well as animal behavior. An animal can move alot in the time it takes an arrow to hit from 60 or 70 yards. Even one step could mean a miss on the vitals and a unrecoverrd animal.

I agree on how many variables coem into play, especially nerves versus a calm day on the range. I try to practice more dynamic shooting once I know my set up is good. On my knees, seated, twisting, torquing etc. I never have a nice parallel standing shot on an animal. The more you keep your mind from being lazy, the more you focus and the better prepared youll. Oh and my current effective range in 50 but it used to be longer and my longest kill is 70.

 

[TXCO]

One thing no one has mentioned - there may come a time when you need to do a follow up shot on an animal you or a hunting partner have already stuck. If you've practiced at those ranges, you can be more confident with that follow-up shot.

Excellent point on follow up shots.

Great article Darin!

 

[Buster]

This thread reminded me of my old archery instructor (who happened to be my dad). When I was 12 he asked the students to write down our max effective range. Being a bunch of cocky boys, everybody's numbers were pretty big. He then brought out a cutout of a deer, that was made of 1/4 inch steel plate. The vitals were cut out and a foam target filled the hole. He then had all of us try to shoot 3 arrows in the vitals. The mental pressure of the thought of blown up arrows and the resulting angry dads was very sobering. Easton gained a lot of sales that day, and a lot of effective ranges were cut in half. That was one lesson that will always stick with me.

 

[Jtelarkin08]

To me it all depends on the animal I am hunting..

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Totally situational for me. I've been practicing at 100 for the past year so I feel really good to 80 with broadheads. My longest kill so far is 65 and 90% of my past kills are less than 40. With that being said if the stars aligned I would take an 80 yard shot.