Long range shooting tips.

[fire arrow]

This might get down to pissen on one guys idea over another. First I think you ant compare tournament shooting to hunting. When was the last time you got a chance to shoot an animal after you drew and let down three times because everything was not right. Or how well is you Stanlowski style release going to work when you have a 45 pound pack on your back with a quiver load of arrows, you have hiked in 5 miles, and shooting up hill. No V-bar to help hold ya still up on the hill, and the ten ring is closer to the liver than i want to be armpit or shoulder is the ten ring on an animal But I do think there are great things to be taken from turnament shooting. The short list, importance of grip, shooting side, up, and down hill. Developing a SHORT preshot routine.

But back to the original question.
1. Get grip right.
2. Draw and anchor. 1st refrene point.
3. String to nose. 2nd reference point
4. Center sight with peep. 3rd reference.
5. Check level.
6. Pick a spot, and SQUEEZ.

And I do leave my bow up until my arrow hits. If this is your practice, you will not prematurely drop your bow to see if you hit the animal. But I also feel we need to practice year round, and 3-D shoots are to much fun to pass up. Bottom line pick a system that works for you and practice it as often as you can.

 

[pronghorn]

This might get down to pissen on one guys idea over another. First I think you ant compare tournament shooting to hunting. When was the last time you got a chance to shoot an animal after you drew and let down three times because everything was not right. Or how well is you Stanlowski style release going to work when you have a 45 pound pack on your back with a quiver load of arrows, you have hiked in 5 miles, and shooting up hill. No V-bar to help hold ya still up on the hill, and the ten ring is closer to the liver than i want to be armpit or shoulder is the ten ring on an animal But I do think there are great things to be taken from turnament shooting. The short list, importance of grip, shooting side, up, and down hill. Developing a SHORT preshot routine.

But back to the original question.
1. Get grip right.
2. Draw and anchor. 1st refrene point.
3. String to nose. 2nd reference point
4. Center sight with peep. 3rd reference.
5. Check level.
6. Pick a spot, and SQUEEZ.

And I do leave my bow up until my arrow hits. If this is your practice, you will not prematurely drop your bow to see if you hit the animal. But I also feel we need to practice year round, and 3-D shoots are to much fun to pass up. Bottom line pick a system that works for you and practice it as often as you can.

Perhaps I am the exception to the rule. I beat target panic years ago with a back tension release and have shot is since. I have hunted with it since 2003 and have not had it cost me a shot at all. I have actually let down on a shot and followed it up with a very short blood trail.

I hear a lot of talk about ethical shots and my ethics tell me that I do not punch a shot. If I do my accuracy is decreased, I owe the animal my best shot. It is the least I can do. BTW, I also have a short v bar on my bow to better balance out the quiver and add a few more ounces of weight to my Element.

What works for me might not work for everyone, but I am at my most accurate with this set up and that is THE most important thing!

 

[cmeier117]

These are all great ideas and input. I have been making minor adjustments to form, grip etc.. and trying to use my back muscles more and anticipate the shot. I haven't been shooting long so I don't have any bad habits yet. So it is easy to change from one thing to another right now. I am getting good groups at 60 consistently and am hoping to try out my sight tape and stretch it out a little bit now.

 

[RosinBag]

I also have never had a single issue hunting with a back tension style release. I personally don't hunt with a side bar, but also know many guys who do for the same reason Pronghorn does, to offset the weight of the arrows and quiver. I think anytime you can create pressure when shooting you are learning mentally how to handle it when it counts. Obviously there is pressure when hunting and Mr. Big steps out, but there also pressure on every arrow you shoot in a tournament if you are at a level where every arrow needs to be in the center.

Everyone will have some slight differences, but if you can be consistent in the manner in which you practice it should translate into how you perform when it counts.

 

[BSeals71]

Subscribed! There are some good tips here. Thanks guys.

 

[Scot E]

Old thread but I'll chime in. There's a lot of things that can help with long range shooting but nothing I have ever done helped as much as working on a perfectly consistent grip. I was amazed at how much I could get away with at shorter 40-50 yard shots but they would start to fall apart at further distances. Took me a long time to figure it out but just the slightest change in my grip was causing the issue. Found this out by using an anchor site which really helps you "see" the slightest of imperfections then figured out ways to start fixing the issues. And the smallest change can make a big difference at long distance.

If you think you are having issues with grip try putting lotion on your bow hand before you shoot. It will feel weird at first and sometimes guys feel like the bow is going to come out of their hand but it won't. Your grip will almost always change by doing this, as will your POI, but I can almost guarantee you groups will shrink. This is also a great method to determine if part of your tuning issues with broadheads vs field points aren't from a grip that is causing torque.

Strange but true facts!

Scot