Practice range vs. hunting range

[Bowmania]

If you can shoot a 60-70 yard shot the same (with one variation)as a 20 you've arrived.

Bowmania

[centaur]

Tried to do the Howard Hill elk shot the other day (he writes about hitting an elk at 180 paces).  I guess I'm no Howard Hill.
I do shoot at 50 yards or so when stumping; I would never shoot at an animal that far; I'm a 20 yard shot kind of guy. But it is fun to shoot at longer ranges when playing around.

[JWD in VA.]

My backyard shots are in the 15 to 30 yd. range. I too think the long shots improve your hand-eye co-ordination. Never shy to take the 100 yd. shot at a range or stumping. The place I hunt has 3 of my arras in a fence post ranged at 156 yds. Sure do like to see em fly. Hunting range, depends on the day and given shot, probably not more than the 20 to 30 yd side. Shoot what is in your personal comfort zone.

[Don Stokes]

Long range random distance shooting will really hone your skill, and makes the close shots really easy. I try lots of 50-70 yard shots while roving, and it's surprising to me how many times I make it good. Sometimes it seems like I have time to trim my nails before the arrow gets there.

40-50. but ya gotta fling one way outthere once in awhile, its just fun...

[GMMAT]

I can get up to 50+yds at home (my range).  I also shoot from a little platform and a ladder stand I have, there.  Most shots are 15-35yds.

I learned last week, though, that this type practice isn't going to do me much good for my CO trip in Sept..  More realistic practice would be stump shooting; shooting in hilly terrain; etc....

Anyway....here's my little home range.  I've added another, and have 7 3D's, now.

 

[Mint]

Right now we have an outdoor "snowflake league" going on at our archery club and those shots are anywhere between 15 and 30 yards. When the league is over in a few weeks i wil go back to shooting are 3D and muzzy stump shoot course which has shots from 15 yards to 45 yards. For hunting hogs i want a 15 yard shot and for deer up to 25 yards.

[Ben Maher]

i shoot from 3 yards to 150 yards . I love shooting long range and personally i think there is nothing better for reminding me about my from that trying to shoot a good group from my straight end longbows or ILF 'curves than trying to group at 80 yards or even further . plus ... stumping ain't stumping without the long range arrow busters!!!
my preferred hunting range ... 10 to 15 yards ...
Ben

[joevan125]

I love to shoot 45-50yds while practicing  but like my hunting shots to be around 15-20 yds max.

[Ground Hunter]

Hunting range - NEVER over 20 - practice, anything goes.  H

GMMAT - I like the tombstone targets!

[CaliCreole]

In the back yard I shoot 10 - 20 neeling standing sitting and from different angles I do that everyday, I would feel comfortable taking a shot at game at 20 yds at most at this time anything furthur than that and my consistancy goes way down. I go to the range to improve on that  but also to have some fun and I shoot everything there out to 100 yds at field targets. and I also walk the 3d range shootig up hill down hill and across the pond and various ranges but nothing over 40yds on the 3d targets

[bearsfeet]

I like to take shoots/stumps at distances to 40 yards and sometimes further. I feel that if I get good groups at 35-40 then I have more condfidence at my hunting ranges and they become no brainers. That is if you take out the shakes and heart racing lol.

[Earthdog]

Practice mostly 5-50 yards.
But roving around the sand dunes and lupins at my local beach,Ill see a log two hundred yards away and give it a crack.
I live on the upper west coast of NZ,my local beach is 26 kms long an most of it is deserted for 6 months of the year.
I can do pretty much anything I like down there.
All this practice doesn't mean a great deal to me in a deer hunting situation,it's still a deer,I'll still be on edge to some extent,I'll still try to get as close as I can,,I'll still blow more stalks than I'm successfull on.
20 yards is a drop shot,30 I know I can do,,,10 would be much nicer.

[Wiley Coyote]

Usually 10 to 25 yards on foam targets but when I am stump shooting anything goes. Suprisingly when I stump shoot I do my best shooting. The reason is I have one blunt or judo arrow and only take one shot. When I am shooting at foam I have a quiver full of arrows and I use them!! Big mistake! You should shoot only one arrow just like a hunting senerio. (You get lots of exercise walking which is another benefit!)  

[Chris Shelton]

well my buddy and I are known to shoot out to 100 yards.  And if you can group in about 4 feet at 100 then you are doin pretty good.  But that is about every other week in the summer, during the season and right before I will only practice out to 50 yards.  And can put them all on the target about 90 percent of the time at 40 yards, and all in the lungs at 30, and all in the heart at 20.  But while hunting I will not shoot past 30 yards.  And very rarely will I think of shooting past 25, everything would have to be "right".

[Traditional-Archer]

Chris, that is about right. Byron Ferguson at one his seminar at Denton hill last year said something like this. Some one asked me how many shots it took me to hit that balloon at 70 yards on my program.
I believe his answer was. He said one of Course I just had to shoot multiple times to hit it. Hee Hee

Shoot to have fun, practice as fare out that you are still having fun. Hunt responsible, shoot out as far as you know you will hit your mark. Nature, instinctive shooting and lack of concentration will take care of the miss’es.    

[Jeff Strubberg]

40-50 yard practice will really highlight problems with yoru form and tuning.

In the woods, closer is better and I just am not comfortable with anything over 18-20 yards.  Game does screwy things in the woods, like taking a step between release and arrival of the arrow.  

The closer the better.

[ottertails]

On our property, we...my sons & I....shoot out to 100 yds or so....for fun and friendly competition....love to see arrows in flight!

Serious huntin' practice is 30 yds and less.