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Distance

I practice out to 35 yds., max shot distance is 25 yds.
I use a range finder to find distances to known objects, for reference when the wiley whitetail appears.
 
Great thread. I just got a new HH ASL, and am working through the process of finding the right shaft and point weight. I have one real good combination that weighs in at 640 grains (elk hunt annually). I have no problem hitting the mark out to 20 yds, after that it gets tough (arrow drop). But I just got done with the whitetail rut last fall, and all my ambush sites were around 15 yds, and killed a buck at 15 yrds. My 640 grain set up would work fine.

My challenge is that I love to shoot 3D with the other Trad guys. We shoot all kinds of crazy distances just to watch arrows in flight. My 640 grain set up will be a lumbering log.

I have "memos to self" from the last two hunting seasons to not gravitate my trad setup to be a 3D setup. In the summer I am standing tall, wearing tank tops, and drawing my ASL to 29.5 inches. Come November, I am wearing layers of coats, bending over to shoot off the stand, and drawing my bow around 28 inches. The summer 3D bow just doesn't work in November, and I have to recalibrate everything.

This year I am going to do my best set up my new HH ASL for hunting, and leave it alone. Being an absolute dead eye with hunting gear on any 20 yard shot is something I would like to achieve.
 
I haven't shot at anything past 20 yards somewhere near a dozen years. Close is the way I like it. I set up whitetail stands 6 to 15 yards out from tree as much as possible.
The last 5 deer I've killed were at 16, 9, 10, 11 and 20 yards.
I've killed more than 2 handfuls of elk and only 3 were farther than 20, most less than 15. That's the thrill, getting as close as possible.
 
grasmussen said:
Great thread. I just got a new HH ASL, and am working through the process of finding the right shaft and point weight. I have one real good combination that weighs in at 640 grains (elk hunt annually). I have no problem hitting the mark out to 20 yds, after that it gets tough (arrow drop). But I just got done with the whitetail rut last fall, and all my ambush sites were around 15 yds, and killed a buck at 15 yrds. My 640 grain set up would work fine.

My challenge is that I love to shoot 3D with the other Trad guys. We shoot all kinds of crazy distances just to watch arrows in flight. My 640 grain set up will be a lumbering log.

I have "memos to self" from the last two hunting seasons to not gravitate my trad setup to be a 3D setup. In the summer I am standing tall, wearing tank tops, and drawing my ASL to 29.5 inches. Come November, I am wearing layers of coats, bending over to shoot off the stand, and drawing my bow around 28 inches. The summer 3D bow just doesn't work in November, and I have to recalibrate everything.

This year I am going to do my best set up my new HH ASL for hunting, and leave it alone. Being an absolute dead eye with hunting gear on any 20 yard shot is something I would like to achieve.
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I prefer ASL bows too. I have a HH Tembo at 63# but my go to hunting bow is a Northern Mist at 56#. My strength bow is a 67# Bobby Lofton Osage. As far as the 3D course goes, those targets don't duck, dive and run so it really doesn't matter if it takes a second longer to get to 40 yards, they will be there when the arrow arrives, lol. In the off season I practice out to 60 yards on haybales and farther in the woods stump shooting with blunts and judos. I mostly shoot wood arrows in the 650 to 700 grain range but do have a set of carbon's for the Norhtern Mist at about 670 grains at 30%+ EFOC.

For hunting I want the shot to be inside 20 yards and much closer is better. I have yet to take a deer with the longbow. I clean missed 2 bucks last fall, both about 15 yards away. One I purposefully aimed low, just under his armpit since I expected him to drop. He didn't. The other I put an arrow in the ground just in front of a buck's chest. I didn't cut a hair. The height was perfect, but I guess I pulled the shot to the right due to the contorted angle I had to assume to get lined up. Human error either way. I'm just glad I didn't make a wounding hit.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
For hunting I want the shot to be inside 20 yards and much closer is better. I have yet to take a deer with the longbow. I clean missed 2 bucks last fall, both about 15 yards away. One I purposefully aimed low, just under his armpit since I expected him to drop. He didn't. The other I put an arrow in the ground just in front of a buck's chest. I didn't cut a hair. The height was perfect, but I guess I pulled the shot to the right due to the contorted angle I had to assume to get lined up. Human error either way. I'm just glad I didn't make a wounding hit.
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Had a couple of similar experiences this year. First shot of the year, completely relaxed doe until I dropped the string and she went full matrix. Hit her through the backstrap. Buddy shot her 2 weeks later opening morning of ML. Last hunt of the season shot under a doe that was super amped up, twitchin like a crackhead. Held for drop and she didnt move a freakin muscle at the shot.
 
Coathanger15 said:
Thanks @Red Beard ,

I'm still a little perplexed with how that works for ranging. Any chance you could spell it out for me? Are you bracketing the deer from the bottom of tape to belly and the top of each tape landing on the top of back represents the estimated yardage ?
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Apologies for the terrible photography. I was trying to hold a bow with one hand and operate a phone camera with the other and have everything in alignment.

Yes... bracketing deer belly to back. First picture below is 20yds and the second is 30yds.
20220206_174217.jpg20220206_174136.jpg
 
Coathanger15 said:
Thank you @Red Beard for taking the time to do that. I am so gonna work on that for my setup now. Makes a lot of sense. How long did it take you to work that out?
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No problem buddy! That's what we're all here for!

Umm... the measurements are very specific/relational to the user (bow arm length and how far away you hold your bow from your eye). My process for determining the length of the tape went like this:

1. Put a test strip of masking tape on riser and mark a starting line near the bottom
2. Stand at 20yds and hold riser with bow arm at a comfortable (and repeatable) distance from your body. My comfortable and repeatable was what I call the low ready... draw fingers engaged on the string, but not pulling backward, and bow arm pushing the bow toward the target but not yet fully extended
3. With bow arm holding bow at a comfortable and repeatable position, place bottom reference line on the belly of your 3D target and mentally note where the top tick should be drawn
4. Drawn top tick with a pencil
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have zeroed in on what that 20yd bracket should look like for you
6. Move to 30yds and repeat 3 and 4 again (second measurement will be less than 20yd measurement)
7. Remove masking tape and replace with the appropriate lengths of tape (I used reflective tape) corresponding to the two tick marks

It doesn't take very long to determine the measurements for yourself.
 
After all this instinctive shooting, this is going to feel like cheating, but I love trying out new things. Thanks again
 
Coathanger15 said:
After all this instinctive shooting, this is going to feel like cheating, but I love trying out new things. Thanks again
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Oh no. Please don't misunderstand, I don't use the tape as a sight at all. I only use it to better estimate yardage prior to the shot.
 
Red Beard said:
Oh no. Please don't misunderstand, I don't use the tape as a sight at all. I only use it to better estimate yardage prior to the shot.
Click to expand...


Haha, You keep telling yourself that!:) jk. I understand. Seriously though, once you estimate yardage are you gap shooting?

I have been playing around with gapping the past week and just curious.
 
I’m comfortable to 35 with my stick but I have never killed a deer past 18 yards majority has been about under 14 yards and with that being said only way I would shoot UP to 35 yards everything needs to be perfect condition in order if me to do so. I have pass up deer at 30 yards because of limbs and such
 
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