Shooting 3D targets.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

When considering that on average a whitetail deer is about 18" through the chest, a Muledeer 20 and an Elk around 25" Do you think it messes with the brain in calculating distance for each shot when mixing the 3 along with different size targets as in 3D shoots?

I only attended 1 3D shoot about 20 years ago, as there are none close to me and I always shoot 3D deer or around 15 to 18" targets as I mainly hunt Whitetails and Occasionaly Pronghorn.

If I were going to prepare to hunt Elk for example I would think it would work best to get a big round bail and paint a 26" or so Elk sized target. Am I correct in this thinking?

I understand that back yard shooting or 3D shoots are just for fun, I'm only talking when the chips are down and the particular hunting season for a specis of critter is drawing near. DK.

[Looper]

I'd think you'd be better off spending the majority of your time stump shooting or shooting at a tennis ball thrown around your yard, varying the distance each shot, and shooting from different stances and body positions.

I've found that while roving, I really don't concern myself with distances. I figure if I can hit, or come close to hitting a tennis ball or a leaf-sized target, hitting my spot on a big hog, whitetail, elk, or black bear should be fairly routine.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Stujp shoot and don't focus on animal size.  Learn to hit the spot your looking at and just burn a hole in the spot.

[Salty Gnome]

I agree with looper to vary shot distance and size but its not the cure all.

I feel you also need to establish a sight picture of what you plan to hunt that was your brain can get accustumed to it and pickup where to shoot fast.  Also with such a larger target you will need to pick a spot and not shoot at the whole critter.  Several years ago I spent all my free time stumping and when it came time to shoot a deer it was difficult to pick that spot because i was use to shooting at such small targets.

I say shoot at extremely small targets but also get a life sized target of what you plan to kill and practice on that as well.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Learn to hit the spot your looking at and just burn a hole in the spot.  I hunt deer and elk every year and find mixed targets at 3D's to be no problem at all.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

Thanks for the input, I just wanted to know if others think about the subject as I do, I have to go with Salty, as far as shooting at the larger target and picking a spot within that target, I have tried the tennis ball thing in the past, but it does the same thing to me that my block targets do when they come with spots all over them, when I go back to shooting my 3D targets or live game it makes it harder to concentrate on picking a spot within the target because there are no spots or tennis ball type circles on them. That is the same reason that everytime I get a new block target I paint the whole thing brown. I go so far as to time it out so that many nights I am shooting in near dark conditions as my session is winding down, the last 10 minutes or so and the last 5 or so shots all I can see is the outline of the deer in the dark, and I then invision a spot within the kill zone of that deer even though it is much to dark to pick an actual spot, and if you do this for several months you will be suprised that even in those near dark conditions you can group everybit as well as in broad day light.

One more thing I swear by is a tip I got on this sight from member 'waitingforfall' in that I only shoot one arrow at a time, then go get that single arrow and walk back to a different distance, not thinking about yardage and just pick my spot within my target or pure brown block, and take my shot, that one tip has helped me very much. I now take alot less shots in my 45 minute to 1 hour sessions, but am much more acurate in doing so. DK.

[Looper]

I haven't found the same issues with you as shooting at tennis balls. Of course, that's not all I shoot at either. I typically shoot for about an hour every day at a variety of targets. Leaves, stumps, clumps of grass, dirt clods, plastic bottles, spots on dirt banks, etc.  I never think about the distances. I usually only take one arrow, too.

My bag target has a worn out hole in the center that is about the size of a deer's vitals area. I don't have a problem picking out a spot within that to hit, even though it's essentially all brown. On my block target, when I did shoot at it, I shot at the solid white side.

When shooting at game, I've never had the slighest problem in picking a spot to hit. Now, I certainly haven't hit my spot every time, but that's a different discussion.

I might add that I don't take a lot of really long shots at live game, either.  Well, maybe a rabbit or a field rat, but never at big game. I usually am shooting at a "see the hairs" distance.

[PAPA BEAR]

pick a spot and everything around it should not even matter.clay hit it on the head.