What's the one thing you could be doing now that would most enhance your chances for bowhunting success? It's increasing your accuracy so you can kill effectively at longer ranges. That's what I spend my time doing this time of year, and I'd like to share with you my formula for extending my shooting range.
Use A Rangefinder In my opinion, the laser rangefinder is what legitimizes efforts to extend one's shooting range and hunting situations. I have always maintained, and still do, that a typical archer has no business shooting at 50 yards or beyond when estimating yardage, as almost no one can estimate yardage precisely enough at that distance. A few yards off at 50- or 60 yards can result in a marginal hit. With the laser rangefinder, however, it's a whole new ballgame. The average shooter can shoot with more accuracy knowing the yardage at 50 yards as opposed to estimating distance in the 30-yard range.
Increase Your Rig's Speed -- Within Reason Yes, greater arrow speed and the resulting flatter trajectory will increase accuracy at longer ranges, or more precisely, be more forgiving of errors and yardage estimation in shooting. But you have to make your choices wisely and not go overboard in accuracy, or you will lose rather than gain accuracy because of erratic arrow flight.
In choosing among the faster bows, look for bows that provide longer axle-to-axle length, greater brace height, inline nock travel, and smooth drawing and holding characteristics -- all of which will enhance accuracy. Most importantly, try the bow out to make sure it is comfortable and shoots well for you. I have never agreed with some of the more popular ways of increasing arrow speed, such as using a severely reflexed riser bow, or a short arrow on an overdraw, or using dangerously light arrows. All of these make for unforgiving setups that tend to erode accuracy, especially in a typically stressful hunting situation where shooting form is likely to suffer.
The best way that I know of to increase arrow speed is to increase draw length by using a release that brings the nock of the arrow closer to your anchor point. Most shooters use an index finger release with jaws that extend an inch or even two, which cuts their draw length by an inch or two. Bringing the draw back more will make a surprising gain in arrow speed.
Fit, Tune, And Familiarize You will never reach your shooting potential unless the bow fits you, it is well tuned, and it's all working in harmony. Most important for accurate shooting is proper draw length. If you are not familiar with fitting proper draw length, go to a pro shop and have an expert help you. The same with tuning: Make sure your bow is timed, your arrows and broadheads are matched, and your rest, peep and nock point are all adjusted properly to the point where your bow is shooting bullet holes through paper. You can have an expert at a bow shop help you with all of this, but you will become a better and more accurate archer if you familiarize yourself with procedures and with your bow specifically. The more intimate you are with your equipment and knowledgeable about the techniques, the better you will be.
Use A Bow Sight Suited To The Range You Wish To Shoot If you are seeking modest shooting range extensions like say, from 20- to 30 yards, there is not much that you can do to improve your sight other than maybe using a sight with a level (and making sure that the level is square to your bow and that you use the level each time you shoot). For longer-range extensions, there are several options that might aid your accuracy. One of those is using smaller diameter sight pins, especially for the longer ranges. The smaller pin tips are simply more precise and allow you to shoot with more precision
Add Accuracy-Enhancing Accessories If you have been restricting your shooting to closer ranges, you may have been able to get by without some of these accessories. But if you wish to extend your shooting range, take a hard look at bow slings and stabilizers to minimize the effects of small errors in your shooting technique. Consider too small peeps, kisser buttons, no-contact arrow rests, and similar bow accessories.
Hone Your Shooting Form Assuming you have made some equipment upgrades, now is the prime time to re-examine some of the fundamentals and fine points of your shooting form. Use a no-torque grip with your bow handle across the base of your thumb. Making sure your bow is level and your sight is centered, draw with push-pull motion, putting your finger on the release trigger immediately when you come to full draw, focusing on the tiniest possible spot on the target that you want to hit, subliminally keeping the sight pin there and subconsciously increasing back tension and pressure on the trigger until you get an involuntary release. Follow through without blinking, without dropping your bow arm, and with your release hand springing naturally straight back. If you find any deviations in any of these elements of your shooting form, work on it. If you run into problems, seek expert advice.
Lower Your Anchor Point A lower anchor point allows you more margin for error at longer ranges because of its effects on the arrow's trajectory and the resulting increase in "depth of kill." Depth of kill is a term describing the range of yardage an animal can occupy while allowing the arrow to strike somewhere between the top and bottom of its vital zone. For example, with a specific arrow trajectory and a specific aiming point, a deer might be at 38 yards when the arrow would enter the top of its vital zone and 43 yards when it would enter the bottom of its vital zone, giving that certain situation a depth of kill of 5 yards. Because an arrow's trajectory is first up and then down, a lower anchor point will give you a broader range of trajectory and a greater depth of kill than a higher anchor point and is more forgiving for small errors in yardage calculation or shooting form.
Practice Realistically Simulating real hunting conditions while you practice will increase your accuracy. It is surprising how much differently you shoot and how much you learn when you get off the formal practice range and into hunting garb with the rangefinder around your neck, stalking a field of 3-D animal targets. Practice kneeling, sitting, drawing behind a bush, and all other scenarios that you can imagine. When I'm practicing for whitetail season, 90 percent of my shooting is from treestand height.
Trust me -- it works.
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Mike Strandlund is editor of Bowhunting World Magazine and bowhuntingworld.com, and is a member of the National Bowhunters Hall of Fame.