pie plate

[nightowl1]

Ok, I have finally kicked some of the horrible shooting flaws I had developed(target panic, peeking, torque, ...). I feel like I'm starting over with my shooting but still love it.
I'm trying to determine how I'm doing.

At what distance can you say with 100% certainty, that you can hit a 6 inch pie plate?

At the moment I'm probably around 15 yards, my brain freaks out still when I step back from there. This is how I determine my hunting distance.

[PEARL DRUMS]

100% certainty? That would be nowhere for me, nothing is sure. But MOST of the time a 6" plate is dead out to about 20-23 yards. Somedays I can hit my plastic water bottles at 30+, somedays!

[damascusdave]

So what is your point?

That is my distance too at this point. If I wanted to be effective at twice that distance I would just hunt with one of my compounds, and enjoy the hunt half as much.

If we get a shot inside 15 yards we take it. If we do not we do not. Still get the thrill of having game inside of 20 yards.

Concentrate your hunting efforts on getting within 15 yards.

You are most likely putting too much pressure on yourself and that is what is getting in your way.

If you happen to have the money, buy yourself a rhinoblock target made by rinehart. Two deer vital targets which are a lot better conceptually than a round pie plate. There are parts of that plate that would give you a scapula hit, less than desirable.

Take a look at Terry Green's anatomy pictures. A great reminder of what we need to do.

Focus on what you can do and enjoy.
DDave

[Jim now in Kentucky]

Come on now...you guys don't REALLY shoot PIE plates do you???? Don't you use paper dinner plates?

Only pie plates I've seen were aluminum foil, sheet metal or glass. None of those seem like good target material...   :D

[Stumpkiller]

Luckily, pie plates hereabouts run 9-1/2" to 10".

First shot, cold, every time?  25 yards.

But then there are the days I have a total brain-fart and I couldn't hit a wheelbarrow at that distance on the first attempt.  That's why in the fall I take two arrows and shoot my bag deer target twice (once before feeding the chickens and once after from different distances) before going to work.  A group means nothing if your first shot is off.

[oxnam]

my brain freaks out still when I step back from there

Why in the world would you feel that way?  If you miss the target are you going to hit your house or bust your arrow on some rocks?  

Here is a therapeutic activity.  Find a large, arrow friendly backstop and setup a large target.  Then jump back to 50-60 yards.  Just relax and fling some arrows.  You will probably be really surprised with how well you do.  Then work your way in.  Real fast 25 won't seem like a long shot at all.

Disclaimer for the ethics police:

I am absolutely not promoting or advocating shooting at game at any of the above mentioned distances.  Proficiency, animal, and conditions always determine the appropriate distance.  I also firmly believe that an archer shouldn't limit his effective range and can benefit tremendously by practicing at extended distances.

[Stumpkiller]

Some additional thoughts.  If you are shooting "at the pie plate" you're probably not doing so well.  If you are shooting at an imagined spot the size of a nickel in the very center of the plate, definately you're doing better.

And if you are not 100% certain that arrow will transfix that plate dead center . . . again, probably not good results.  You have to beat your own ghosts when shooting instinctively.

Focus, confidence and a lot of good practice.

[Crash]

As stated above, good solid practice at extended ranges will make the closer distances look easy, then maybe your brain won't freak out on you.  I have been doing this for quite a while and still have doubts at times.  This year I am 4 for 4 on deer, so it's getting easier, but if I think about it too much during a non-hunting time, I start wondering about myself.  When it comes time and the animal is ready, instinct takes over and I don't think about it, which is a good thing.

[bornagainbowhunter]

Originally posted by oxnam:

Disclaimer for the ethics police:

I am absolutely not promoting or advocating shooting at game at any of the above mentioned distances.  Proficiency, animal, and conditions always determine the appropriate distance.  I also firmly believe that an archer shouldn't limit his effective range and can benefit tremendously by practicing at extended distances. [/b]

You forgot to mention that deer were harmed in the forming of this opinion.

[hvyhitter]

take a tennis ball out in the yard and shoot at it with judo points out to about 25 + yards. You would be surprised on your hits and close misses. Aim small, hit small.

[bigbadjon]

I can shoot pretty accurately out to about 50 yrds these days and serviceably to 65ish. 40 and under is sure thing as long as I focus. I gap shoot out to 40 then switch to point of aim for further distances(I also shoot 3 under to about 30 then switch to split finger). I personally found instinctive shooting to be daunting at range and something quantifiable really aided my shooting.

[joe ashton]

100%  ???
But most of the time.. 20yards...

[Cherokee Scout]

The man wants to know at what distance we are 100% sure to hit a pieplate. That is is his question.  I think he wants to know how he compares to others.
I like the answer of never being 100% sure, that goes for me too. But asking about 90% I would say about 20-25 yds for me if it is a 9" plate.
Advice about shooting at something other than plate is good suggestion.

[Bowwild]

Throughout the season I try to continue shooting from my elevated deck (about 15'). I have a deer target at 7, 10, 15, 20, and 30 yards.

While I can certainly miss at any of these ranges. This is what I usually do (kill zone):
7-100%
10-100%
15-100%
20-90%
30-75%

I won't shoot 30 yards at a live deer.

[Bowwild]

By the wayk, I'm a positive thinker freak. I turn the popular phrase too: Aim small, hit small.  Keep missing out of the vocabularly.

[lpcjon2]

First of all I have only seen maybe two pie plates in the wild and I did not shoot at them.        Second it doesn't matter what I am on distance.It's what you are comfortable at. I like to practice from 5-30yrds and I feel confident at those ranges. I would take a 2" piece of paper and put it on your target and shoot at that at the 15yrd range and when you can get your arrows hitten the 2" mark move back 1 yrd and keep doing that until you hit 20yrds and do that every other time you shoot and don't think about it. Unless you have the distance marked out in the woods and train the deer to stop on certain yardage lines you may think your shooten 15yrd and it could be 18 or 20.but if you let the natural process of shooting happen you will be surprised. Try moving your target back to 20yrds and just shoot it and relax.Remember it's what your comfortable at that matters not us.We wont be with you in the woods.

[damascusdave]

A lot of excellent advice, which is what we expect on here.

DDave

[xtrema312]

Well I like pie a lot more than you because my pie plate is way larger than 6".  I can't even get half a pie on a 6" plate.  

I am not 100% at anything other than maybe not missing pie when available.  

Like others have said, I don't shoot at something that large.  I shoot at as small a thing as I can pick out.  I do try for 6" target accuracy when picking a max distance to shoot on game.  As far as 6" target accuracy goes,  I would say most of the time it is about 15 yd.  I have many days when it is farther.  

The problem I find is live game has a tendency to turn 6" plate accuracy into 10" accuracy and less than 100% at that.

[Friend]

Fifteen yards is just fine for pursuing many game animals, if that is a possible concern of yours.  One guy may be extremely accurate out to 40 yards and when placed in a hunting situation may be only accurate out to 10 yards or less. Each person’s effective range is different and each situation may impact your own effective range. The key is to know, acknowledge, recognize situations that further complicate shooting and live by as well as hunt w/I your effective range.

A hunter whose effective range is fifteen yards whose set-up is likely to produces mainly 18+ yard opportunities is likely to fair poorly. Your most successful hunters will know their limitations and will hunt w/I them. You may be surprised at how short the effective ranges that many great hunters have lived by.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I'm a point shooter, which just means I point my bow hand at what I want to hit with both eyes open and 2 fingers under....3 just goofs me up so I dropped the third one. I do my best shooting from unknown distances in my back yard from 12 steps to 25 steps which is the furthest effective range for pointing with my set up before the arrow drops off considerably.
Now I will answer your question.....6" with 100% effectiveness.......the length of my garage from corner to corner which is about 12 yards. That's what I shoot at when I'm warming up in the morning before hitting the woods, and I always take a few shots before an evening hunt. It helps get me focused and warms the muscles up as well as the bow.
I agree with the other advice given on practicing further distances, then the closer shots won't seem like such a big deal. Sometimes I shoot better from 30 than I do from 20...who knows why?
If your worried about losing an arrow, get a big chunk of styrofoam like they use underneath boat docks and put that behind your target. Missing completely isn't such a big deal when your not scratching around in the grass for your arrows.