Mossberg, I am gonna tell you a way to estimate how far deer are from you. Each walking pace step I take is approximately 1 yard. I use walking steps to mark my targets when I practice. So when I get in a hunting situation, I can quickly assess how many "yards" it is to a target. I may be off in actual true yardage, but in my mind the yardage is right on, because that is the standard I use both in practice and in live situations.

When you are walking around, start looking at objects and estimate how far they are from you....then walk to that object walking off "yards" like I described above. Do it over and over until you start to come very close to your estimation.

Once you get in the tree or groundblind, mentally scan the area and find objects that are approximately 20 yards away, 30 yards away, 40 yards away, etc., and etch those distances in relationship to those objects in your mind. Tell yourself, I can shoot out to that stump at "30" yards and no farther. Keep looking around while you are on stand and estimate objects, it helps train your brain.

If you have the ability to purchase a 3D deer target, it helps tremendously. Even though I don't currently own one, it was instrumental in helping me judge the distance of the deer when I began bowhunting. I would walk off without looking at the target, turn around and make a decision to shoot based on my distance. If I determined I was able to shoot based on distance (for me it is 30 yards or less), I would aim and fire using my best estimation at how far the deer was....after a couple of months I could be shooting and estimating at an average of around only +/- 2 yards every time. It helped me a ton. You can also do the same with a normal target.

Best of luck to you mossberg...I know you will succeed.