Long shot advice

[Rodsnapper]

First, this query is not about hunting.
Being the only traditional shooter in my tuesday night league, I would like some advice on long yardage shooting. I am ok out to 30-40 yards but we shoot 60-50-40. I can get all the arrows in the target but my grouping is somewhat loose. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

[Blackhawk]

I love shooting long distance which certainly improves your short distance shooting.

At those distances, there are so many critical areas of concern.

A rock steady anchor with both your bow hand and string hand is paramount.

Secondly, a flawless release is necessary.

Next,acquiring the same draw length every time is also necessary for consistency.

I'm certainly no expert at long distance shooting so I will follow other responses here to pick up pointers too. Great topic!

[waiting4fall]

Since you are asking for help, I'll offer my suggestion.If you are open to shooting instinctively, this dvd will help you. I wish you the best & hope to hear your story of winning your league shoot.- Dave.    

 

[cjgregory]

First, get rid of old beliefs and believe its obtainable.  There is no reason under the sun for a traditional shooter not to be very good to 40 yards for hunting and much further for field archery.

Go with what you know and find out what you don't know.

[Rodsnapper]

Thanks for the information so far. My anchor is not consistent and I am working on it. However, my main problem is with gauging elevation at 50 and 60 yards. I don't want to use a sight because I don't want to get used to that crutch. It sure would be nice to give the wheelie guys a licking. So far I've taken out two of their scoring keyboards.    

[2Blade]

Originally posted by Rodsnapper:
Thanks for the information so far. My anchor is not consistent and I am working on it. However, my main problem is with gauging elevation at 50 and 60 yards. I don't want to use a sight because I don't want to get used to that crutch. It sure would be nice to give the wheelie guys a licking. So far I've taken out two of their scoring keyboards.      

The only way to get good at that range is to shoot it. One thing that helped me was shooting at a white ball in a green lawn. That allowed me to watch my arrows flight path over that range and my subconcious caught on pretty quick. I know im pulling to the same draw length because of a clicker but like mentioned above you have to be rock solid to shoot good at that range. I shoot decent at that range on a good day ive had a few lucky ones that were real close but that dont happen often.

[Str8Shooter]

I love to shoot at long range. As others have said, form is paramount for consistent shooting as the shots get longer. Keys to work on are a solid, fixed anchor, consistent drawlength, and a strong follow through. It doesn't matter what aiming technique you use. Without the form to direct the arrow to the correct spot no amount of gapping, burning a hole, or whatever will help. At 60 yards short drawing a half-inch will drop you off the target completely. Peeking, plucking, dropping the arm... all will ruin an otherwise perfectly aimed shot.

Now, if you are at the point where your form is solid enough to make 50-60 yard shots it would be beneficial to learn some type of aiming technique. I know that there are people who can simply point and shoot at long ranges but developing a system for aiming will benefit most people. If you don't know your point on distance yet that is the first thing to figure out. Once you know that it is simply a matter of trial and error to figure out holds at long distances. For example, I shoot a recurve off a simple flipper rest. My point on is app. 58 yards. At 50 my tip is about 1 foot below the target, 55 tip is at the bottom of the ten ring on a 3D, 60 I'm just above the ten ring, 65 the arm on my rest is about 8 inches below the bull, 70 the arm is just above the bull, and at 80 the shelf of my bow is right in line with the bullseye. I know where to hold so that eliminates the guess work of aiming and allows me to focus on shot execution.

As CJ said, belief that your goals are attainable is very important. If you only hope to hit the target you will miss more often. Confidence that you can crush a target at 50-60 will enable you to hit with frequency. One other thing I learned is to not be timid with your shot. Trying to be too careful and specific will produce weak shots. Come up, draw, set your hold, and finish the shot strong.

Chris

[Rodsnapper]

Thanks again for the input. I will certainly keep at it. Last week's shoot was better.

[TSP]

Just curious...for these targets are the yardages known?  If not then even the most perfect form won't make up for a miss-guessed distance...and you need only be off a few yards for complete misses (or fringe hits) at those ranges.

And I appreciate your opening statement "First, this query is not about hunting."  Common sense says the ridiculously high potential for fringe hits on animals at long range (unlike targets, they move) is simply a risk too great for respectful hunters to take.

[Don Stokes]

In reading old literature, I found that the English longbow target archers did much better on the long range targets if there were trees in the background, so that they could find aiming points in the limbs. If there was clear sky above the targets, scores were generally lower.

Elmer's "Target Archery" is a great source of information.