Point of Aim/Point of Impact - Gap shooters

[Marshallrobinson]

Just asking out of curiosity. For you're hunting bow, what distance do you cover before adjusting elevation?.
Said another way..
If you hold dead on the bulls eye, how far can you be away from the target before the arrow drops below the bulls eye?.

I perceive a varied equipment bag here, when reading through all these posts and got to wondering about this. The only reason that it holds any interest for me is because, while I can shoot fine out to 40 yards on the range, I don't feel comfortable shooting beyond the so called "flat flight" of the arrow when in hunting situations on stand.
This means (for me) that a particular bow of mine may not be suitable for a particular stand, due to it's cast, which is based mostly on the construction of the arrow and nock height required for a particular bow.

As I said... Just curious.

[McDave]

First you have to determine your point-on distance. This is the only distance where you can hold dead on the bulls eye and expect to hit it.  Let's say this turns out to be 40 yards. From about 37 yards to 43 yards, you can hold on the bulls eye and expect to stay in the kill zone.  More than that, you have to hold over the bulls eye to hit it.  Less than that, you have to hold under the bulls eye to hit it.  There really is no "flat flight" of the arrow; it is always on an arc up or an arc down.

[hart2hart]

"Shooting the Stickbow"had an interesting chart on this very subject.
Amazing how quickly an arrow drops the moment it clears the bow...and increases with loss of speed.

[2bird]

It depends a lot on your setup and how big is you bulls eye?

For my 3-D / hunting set up I have it shooting pretty flat and fast, 198 fps, like McDave said it's never really flat but you can have a very minimal arc for a distance. This, for me, is really the key to being good at 3-D shoots and hunting.

This is my trajectory if I aim at a orange dot sticker

10 yards 8" high 15 yards 9" high 20 yards 6 3/4" high 4 1/5" high and I’m point on at 30.

So as you can see from 10-25 yards I only have 4.5" of arc, I can use the same gap from 10-25 yards and keep them in the 10 ring at a 3-D shoot and it's a good peace of mind when hunting because I really don't have to guess the deer yardage just if he is 25 and in.

[Marshallrobinson]

Originally posted by McDave:
 First you have to determine your point-on distance. This is the only distance where you can hold dead on the bulls eye and expect to hit it.  Let's say this turns out to be 40 yards. From about 37 yards to 43 yards, you can hold on the bulls eye and expect to stay in the kill zone.  More than that, you have to hold over the bulls eye to hit it.  Less than that, you have to hold under the bulls eye to hit it.  There really is no "flat flight" of the arrow; it is always on an arc up or an arc down.

I guess I didn't put enough information on the opening post. If you are shooting a low anchor then what you say is true visually and visually is what I am talking about. I didn't even think of that when I posted this because my shooting style is different from yours. Sorry for the confusion.

I shoot a very high anchor (like Mike Fedora) and in essence, it is pretty much like shotgunning the arrow. Hence the increased gap away from flat flight but no decrease. The arrow is literally held on the bulls eye at any distance between 1 and 15 yards, with a bulls eye of 3" in diameter. Technically there is a margin of slight adjustment within the 3" area over these distances but the arrow remains within the area of the bulls eye.

Stated another way..
When the hold is calculated (viewed) at the tip of the arrow rather than at the target, the "hold on" is relative within that distance.

[Marshallrobinson]

Originally posted by 2bird:
It depends a lot on your setup and how big is you bulls eye?

For my 3-D / hunting set up I have it shooting pretty flat and fast, 198 fps, like McDave said it's never really flat but you can have a very minimal arc for a distance. This, for me, is really the key to being good at 3-D shoots and hunting.

This is my trajectory if I aim at a orange dot sticker

10 yards 8" high 15 yards 9" high 20 yards 6 3/4" high 4 1/5" high and I’m point on at 30.

So as you can see from 10-25 yards I only have 4.5" of arc, I can use the same gap from 10-25 yards and keep them in the 10 ring at a 3-D shoot and it's a good peace of mind when hunting because I really don't have to guess the deer yardage just if he is 25 and in.

You got it!. This is what I am referring to. 25 yards is awesome!. I am not nearly that far but then again, I do not have your arrow speed either.  

Mind if I ask about your equipment details?.

[2bird]

Sure, I shoot Hoyt Dorado [email protected]" at my draw, 16 strand ff string with 2 small wool puff balls and 2 serving string tie on nocks, i use a Flipper rest 2 and a plunger button. my arrows are full length  Easton Stalker Extremes 500's with 3x4" feathers and I shoot 125 grain points, total arrow weight is right about 400 grains. I have a hard time using a tab, i either get face slap or i tear my fingers up so i just use a Neet glove and i shoot 3 under.