Range estimation
 

I need help with estimating range on 3-D targets. When I am hunting I never have a problem, but 3-D is tough on me. I have no problem putting an arrow on top of arrow at distances I know I have even piped arrows. If there is any help, tricks or tips anyone would have to help me I would appreciate it.

RE: Range estimation
 

There is no trick, just practice. Walk around with a range finder, guess then check.
Learn what 10 yards looks like, then chunk up the ground.

Ok, one "trick" everyones eyes are different, but at some distance the "detail" in the target becomes invisible and looks like a solid smooth chunk of foam. Find out where that is for you.

--Bob

RE: Range estimation
 

ditto what bob said. the trick about detail in the targets is a good one. not only looking with the eye, but with the bino as well. look at the face of targets as well. you will see the most detail there. another trick is to judge to other object than the target. i use trees or rocks behind of and in front of the target.

the rangefinder is a great tool. i shoot practice rounds, keeping a log of what i judge the target, and then range the target. at the end of a round you will see a trend, meaning you judge 2 yards short or long consistently. uphill and downhill can get a little tricky, and small targets at longer yardages can be difficult as well. practice yardage estimation equally with you bow practice. what i have found over the years is most people can shoot very well, but judge poorly. work on what you are weakest at and move up from there.

RE: Range estimation
 

Here is my method and practice routine. Lets say the target is 43 yards away. I first estimate 20 yards. For me it is a yardage I can usually get right most of the time. I then start adding in 10 yard increments. So I find 30 yards, then 40 yards, and then guess that last bit of space to be 3 yards. I then come back to my original 20 yard estimate and judge in 10 yard increments back from the target to double check myself. It takes alot of time, but hey, they give you 2 minutes.

Now for the practice. It's not near as fun as practicing shooting but has to be done to get good at it. Fist you need a laser rangefinder. Go out in the woods, start picking objects like trees and bushes and take your time and estimate the distance. See how close you are with the rangefinder. Don't make it easy on yourself. Judge across ravines, downhill, uphill. I like to mix it up a bit and just judge 20 yards a while, and then I may pick two trees in the distance and estimate the yardage between them. Whatever you have a hard time with on the 3-D range is what you should work on.

I believe some people are naturals at shooting a bow but being an accurate and versatile distance estimator takes alot of practice.

Good luck!

RE: Range estimation
 

Thanks for the tips I will give them all a try. I appreciate it.

RE: Range estimation
 

Iam not close to being and expert on judging yardage. But somethings that have helped me improve are going to the range without my bow. I just take my rangefinder. I wright down what the target is and if is up hill or down hill or whatever. Then I wright down what I judged it for. Then I imagine that I am in a high pressure situation and this target is the last target of a shoot off for some big shoot somewhere. Then I go through my shot sequence and concentrate on shooting this one shot with perfect form. If you practice this enough you will actualy see the arrow hit the spot you are concetrating on. Then I range the target and wright it down. When Iam done I add up how much I was off on my yardage. If I was a total of 25 yds on 20 targets I score it as 175 . By doing this I know if I need to work on my up hill or down hill judging and I know what targets I mis judge the most. But the most important thing is I put myself in high pressure situations and that helps with tournment nerves. I probably look a little stupid out their on the range shooting without a bow but if it improves my scores thats all that matters to me. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is shooting in their backyard or wherever at a target at a known distance. This does not help you on the 3d range it only gets your sights set. Once you get your form down and you know what it feels like to shoot perfect form. Its time to put your bow down and work on yardage. I have found that shooting at a blank bale at 5 or 10 yards with my eyes closed so I can concentrate on the feel of the shot for about 20 or 30 minutes every other day helps me alot. I spend more time judging than I do shooting about the last week or two before a tournment. Knowing the feel of a good shot and being good at yardage will give you the skills and the confidence to do well at the tournments. GOOD LUCK!