In case anyone cares (I doubt it ) I went with my brothers yesterday to a local shop with a bunch of targets at their indoor range and shot for 90 minutes. We had a great time as we were the only guys there and had the run of the place. One guy picked a target and shot and the others followed and we all checked for bragging rights when we went and pulled arrows. Shots were up to 35 yards and some elevated 5-10 feet.......everything from a bedded down buck to a T-rex........even a cobra and a salmon. We shot from the ground at all angles and also a 20 foot high platform to simulate a treestand. We had a blast and all shot VERY well. We are not the ultimate archers and we don't shoot all day every day but we all shot more then well enough to be extremely lethal at any of those ranges and angles. Considering we are a full 6 months from archery season and none of us will shoot past 20 yards in the woods and only high percentage shots........I would say we will be ready come this fall

This was after a whole winter off (5 months) and I was the only one who had shot at all before yesterday (about 10 shots at BLOCK).

I won the ping pong ball battle piercing 8 from the elevated platform 25 yards away................and with a WHISKER BISCUIT no less []


Practicing all year round is great and it will definately help you be a good shot and be comfortable with your equipment..........to say that it is a MUST for any and all bowhunters is just goofy.

I firmly believe in being over prepared and am a stickler for details...........I just don't think you have to be robin hooding every shot to go out and kill a deer. I know guys that are GREAT shots with a bow and have very few kills and I know idiots I wouldn't trust with a potato gun that have multiple wall hangers. Being a great target shooter doesn't make you a great bowhunter and vise versa.

If the kill zone on a deer was the size of a silver dollar I would say you better be splittin hairs before hittin' the stand.


If given the choice of seeing someone practice all year on bags from the ground at known distances with fieldpoints or for 2 weeks straight with broadheads from a stand at various distances I would vote for the second option every time and firmly believe he would be the better prepared of the 2 to go hunting.