Ok. I have been shooting my bow everyday this past week for about an hour. Does anyone have any methods besides using a tape or rangefinder for judging yardage? This may sound stupid i'm trying to set my pins up for 10, 20, and 30 yards. I got a tape and have no problem looking like a tard stringing it out 90 for for the 30 yard shot. Any advice would be apperiacted thanks.
Hhmmm, just wonder why 10-20-30? Most folks I know go 20-30-40. I have a HHA single pin, but I have the pivot marks at 20-30-40.
What kind of bow you got? What kind of area you hunting?
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Hoyt V-Tech
Muzzy 100 gr 4 Blade
Easton Axis 27"
Fuse Quiver
HHA Single Pin
Trophy Ridge Drop Zone
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If you are trying to sight in at those yardages, and you want to be exact then either get a long tape measurer and have at it or buy a range finder.It's what I did for many years before I boughtmy range finder. Justlay out the tape from where you will be standing and mark the yardage you want to set yout pins at with something. When they are marked start with the closest and work you way out.
Its about a 2 year old Browning Backdraft with a Cobra Sidewinder sight. Im down in mississippi so it will be mostly pine forrests stalk and stand hunting. I need to get comfortable with it before I try to kill anything with it. Picked up a Morrell Yellow Jacket Bag the other day good target. I think im gonna go with 20-30-40.
You can be surprisingly accurate by pacing off 10 steps at your natural gait, and then measuing this. Doing this a few times will give you an average for a natural step for you. Most people are under a yard per step at a normal walking pace. You will find that every 10 steps is 9 yards or 8 yards, etc...
You can use this method to find distances anywhere and be fairly close in your estimate. It's good to do this and inclines to get your pace on different grades.
Being a good judge of yardage takes a lot of practice. I found that shooting the field hunter round, where your targets are different sizes at marked yardages sharpens my estimations. Shooting 3-D shoots will also help you become a good at estimating yardage on different size game, but is a bit more difficult because you have no specific mark as on a paper target. Shadows, shooting from brush into open areas or in the snow can still be a challenge. I try to estimate in increments of 20 yards by looking directly at the target and eliminating everything else between me and the target. This usually gives me a fairly accurate estimate.
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Step off your yardage. When you hunt you will use the sames steps to judge distance. Many hunters will step off the area they hunt and leave landmarks at certain distances. It may be a tree, or a bush. Some have even put out rocks painted white.. But the more you practice the better you will get judging your distance. To practice this skill, I will use several targets in a field and walk at random. I then turn a spot my target and shoot estimating the distance. It's a fun game, and will certainly increase your distance judging ability. Range finders are good, but if you spot and stalk, the time it takes to use your range finder and taking a shot may be the difference between the one on the wall or the one that got away. Sharpend every skill you will use in the field.
Until you buy a range finder, I would just use your tape to find your yardages...whatever they end up being, and then put stakes in the ground to mark those distances. That way when you practice, you can sight you bow in at those ranges.
After awhile, you'll be able to "eye-ball" those distances +/- a yard to two.
Judging Yardage?
