Practicing long shots

[howie]

I usually practice at 40 and 60 yards but today out of curiousity I went back to 80 and 90 yards and had a few shots. I eventually found a knot in a tree above the target to be my aiming point and placed a small blue piece of plastic there. I was shooting 4 arrows, 2 x 175 grain field points and two matching weighted 2 blade broadheads.
Now I didn't expect any awesome groups at those ranges, but thought any minor differences in my form would be quite evident at longer ranges. Good practice and reasonable accuracy at those distances would make those 5 to 30 yard hunting shots more confident.
As expected there were some sprayed groups and also a couple of very exceptional groups. Also of interest was the field tips and broadheads were hitting the same spot, indicating that the bow was well tuned.
I felt like my shooting ability and confidence improved and it was a whole heap of fun seeing those arrows drop in or close to my aiming mark.
Cheers
Howie

[Glenn]

I am all for practicing at long distances and always have been. Years ago before ABA we use to shoot bare bow to 90 yards on field courses which were called the hunters round, it was good because you had to have very good form to even get on to some of those targets and you shot 4 arrows at each target and after 28 targets you knew you had been on a field course. It did make you concentrate on your form and without good form bowhunting can be very miserable...Glenn...

[Blakey_boi]

I did the same thing a few weeks ago. i ended up out at about 80-90m and after finding where i had to stand, my field points ended up grouping inside around 40 cm.
You need to do it on a day with no wind though. Theres a video on youtube where a guy did this on a very windy day and ended up getting about a 10 inch group, he must have been using FOBs but even with them, i find it hard to believe that you could get those sort of groups at that distence when the wind is up.

[hunt or be hunted]

Too right Howie. I normally dont shoot past 20m but lately i have been shooting at 40m, yes i know thats still not a very long shot for some people but its a fair distance for me and when i go back to 20m all is too easy (most times:rolleyes:). i will have to put my 5th pin back in and start shooting out to 50m. we will see how that goes over the next couple of weeks.



Dan.

[howie]

It will make you a better shot, improves form and just great fun..

[Clemo]

Howie, last weekend I was mucking around, shooting some targets out to 60m, and decided to see how your VB's shot at longer ranges. No probs with the accuracy from 60m with them things. Unfortunately I found out that not only do VB's make mince meet of small game but they also make short work other shafts when they collide, I smashed 3 shafts and snapped 2 VB's.:mad:
Expensive target session!

[Treker]

Howie, last weekend I was mucking around, shooting some targets out to 60m, and decided to see how your VB's shot at longer ranges. No probs with the accuracy from 60m with them things. Unfortunately I found out that not only do VB's make mince meet of small game but they also make short work other shafts when they collide, I smashed 3 shafts and snapped 2 VB's.:mad:
Expensive target session!

Clemo most people would have give up after the first one. I'm a bit slower but I would have quite after the second :rolleyes:

[Clemo]

LOL. Who said persistence pays?

Bit hard to see what’s going on up there from 60m.
Lesson learned!
At least I can be confident that they fly well and go where I point em.

[howie]

Clemo,
send me the heads you broke and I will replace them, as for the arrows, I robin hooded one last week and its hanging on the trophy room wall. 60m, now thats fine shooting - it will make those close hunting shots a breeze.

[Clemo]

Its ok mate, they are now sitting at the bottom of the dam. Was my own silly fault, should have picked a different spot to aim each time. I broke two arrows with the second shot, it hit the knock of the fist arrow splitting it half the length of the shaft from the knock and damaged the front end of the second shaft as well as bending one of the arms on the VB to 90 deg. That VB snapped when I tried to bend it back. The next arrow hit the VB imbedded in the target and snapped the front of that shaft and bent the VB that it hit, once again I broke that one trying to straighten it.
I have bent a few before and been able to straighten them up no probs but these two where badly bent, I don’t think it would matter what they were made of.
Put it down to misuse.

[macka]

Howie i recon your onto something here. I have been shooting out to 60m for a while now and it sure does make those 30 even 40m shots seem easy. Its always a handy pin if you have an animal wounded and need to finish it off but cant get close as well. And it sure is fun trying to hit the target from so far away. might have to give 80 or 90m a go but will probably miss the whole bail haha

Macka

[troy]

You ain't Robinson Crusoe there Macka.

[howie]

My bottom pin is 60 yards, I then worked my way back to I got to 90 yards. I have a aiming mark in the tree above my target. The kids were watching me the other arvo and were surprised with how far the bow can shoot and the accuracy. Good fun