Sunday, March 19, 2006
Outdoor Practice Is Good Practice
A 3-D course is in place down in a cedar swamp on my ranch. Twenty targets are widely spaced out, and all are set at difference distances.
Some are broadside and some are quartering away. Some are fairly easy shots, and some are long-distance shots that are very difficult because you shoot from the top of a hill down to the bottom.
A 3-D course is excellent practice because it forces hunters to learn how to accurately judge distance. The troubling part is that I’ve installed only one spot from which a shooter can launch an arrow.
Tricky? You bet. Some shots are taken through cover, some require a hold-over, and shooting from an upright distance will put your arrow through overhanging tree limbs and result in a complete miss.
There are bear, boar, coyote, deer, elk, turkey and many other critters to shoot at. This type of course is different every time you shoot it because it is in wooded cover, and subject to changing light conditions.
There are times when a bow hunter will be shooting somewhat into the sun with a backlit target, and in the next location the sun may be behind you or off to one side. Some targets are relatively concealed in heavy cover, and it takes a sharp eye to spot the heart-lung area.
A turkey target, half hidden in the brush is hard to see, and requires total concentration on acquiring the correct sight picture and being able to shoot accurately. This is where knowing your bow is of primary importance because a poorly aimed shot often finds the archer spending too much time looking for lost arrows.
There are many variations of a 3-D course. Some offer running targets but I don’t care for them because I don’t think hunters should shoot at a running deer.
A friend of mine has a running deer target, and some bow hunters, after having shot the course a few times, can consistently hit the moving target. However, that target travels at a set speed while deer move at the own pace.
Another man I know has made a “bionic” target. He is a welder, and took a sheet of steel, and cut out the body, feet, legs and head of a deer. In the heart-lung area is a six-inch hole.
The purpose of this target is to hit the heart-lung area every time, which means the arrow flies silently through the hole. It is a popular target, and all day you can hear the metallic “ping” of an arrow slamming into thick steel plate.
It virtually destroys arrows. Arrows miss the hole, slam into the steel plate, and they are not usable again. Some people save their slightly bent aluminum arrows for this target, and being slightly bent ensures that they seldom go through the hole.
The people who consistently shoot through the hole are those who spend a great deal of time shooting. They also know their bow, and what it is capable of doing.
Some people have elevated stands that enable people to shoot down at the target. This simulates hunting from a tree stand or an elevated coop, and gives bow hunters excellent practice at shooting down at an angle. One reason why many people miss this shot, or make a bad hit, is they don’t practice enough.
Hunters can go to the stands and practice but it’s just as easy to shoot off a roof at a 3-D target in the backyard. A buddy of mine has a deck on his house, and his front yard falls away.
At one point his deck is 15 feet off the ground, and a target is place 15 yards away. He normally shoots sitting down, and thus shoots through gaps in the railing. If one uses their imagination, it is like shooting between tree limbs. It’s possible to become very good at hitting deer from a tree stand with practice like this.
Is this the only way to practice? Of course not. Practice can come while shooting at a hay bale, into a McKenzie target or a sand pile. Shooting, regardless of what you shoot an arrow into, can provide superb practice during the off season.
Next fall, when a buck like the one above steps out in front of you, there will be no hesitation. You know the distance, how high above the animal you are if hunting from a tree stand, and making that shot is easy because you’ve practiced it time and again.
Our role, as ethical bow hunters, is to make a quick clean kill. That means accurate arrow placement every time, and the only way that can happen is through constant practice.—The Whitetail Wizard