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How important is archery practice?

What percentage increase of your effective range does regular practice add?

  • 0-1%

    Votes: 5 8.8%
  • 2-5%

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • 10%

    Votes: 2 3.5%
  • 20%

    Votes: 12 21.1%
  • 50%

    Votes: 19 33.3%
  • 100%+

    Votes: 18 31.6%

  • Total voters
    57
I'm pretty simple so I'll respond :tearsofjoy: I went with 50% because I have been shooting a bow for nearly 45 years and my kill zone has been about the same for the last 30 years or so. In the springtime when I break out my bow and start shooting I'm deadly at 20 yards but not lights out at 30 yards and beyond. After about 3 weeks I'm back to being deadly at 30 and that's all I really need. I do practices beyond 30 but eventually I lose or bust an arrow and that gets expensive real quick. Once I dial in then I start practicing real life shooting from height.
 
I gotta know… have you badly missed? And if so, how much pinballing did the arrow do?

i live in the classic neighborhood, but moved from a house with a 350’ deep lot to one with a 200’ lot. I put an arrow through target, and through fence and into back neighbors yard. I went and bought a 3’ square bag target and pulled two full sheets of plywood out. Now it looks like a junk pile. I’m thinking that golf driving ranges would be an excellent place to add lanes for archery practice. They’ve got the real estate, and they could cross pollinate sports that require some serious repetitiveness.
I'd like to say no but in all honesty I'll eat my pride and admit that I have. I'm shooting down off the deck into the garage so typically if I jerk a release and miss the block the arrow skitters along the concrete floor and destroys itself against the back concrete block foundation wall. Thankfully that doesn't happen often with the compound.

I will say that about a month ago, I had the release go off during my draw cycle (luckily I consciously draw with the bow pointed at the open door) and I put one through the back wall and siding of the garage about 3 feet off the ground. The fletchings stopped the arrow on exit at the siding. Good thing too because my camper is parked right behind the garage. The tip of the arrow stopped about 8" before impacting the camper. I have since layered the back wall with some old scraps of plywood as additional backstop.
 
I'd like to say no but in all honesty I'll eat my pride and admit that I have. I'm shooting down off the deck into the garage so typically if I jerk a release and miss the block the arrow skitters along the concrete floor and destroys itself against the back concrete block foundation wall. Thankfully that doesn't happen often with the compound.

I will say that about a month ago, I had the release go off during my draw cycle (luckily I consciously draw with the bow pointed at the open door) and I put one through the back wall and siding of the garage about 3 feet off the ground. The fletchings stopped the arrow on exit at the siding. Good thing too because my camper is parked right behind the garage. The tip of the arrow stopped about 8" before impacting the camper. I have since layered the back wall with some old scraps of plywood as additional backstop.
Hope you don't forget and leave your vehicles in the garage while practicing :tearsofjoy:
 
My effective range is my effective range. Practicing at ranges beyond it doesn't necessarily increase my effective range, but it does increase my accuracy at ranges beyond my effective range for non-hunting related archery activities ie: mainly 3D.
 
I found a picture I took of a trail camera video of that buck after I shot at him. Checkout the bald spot... (you gotta look pretty hard to find it)

View attachment 48630
That shot was a slam dunk but I flubbed it up !
Man! That really sucks. He's a bruiser. Is he still around so maybe you can get a second chance at him?
 
Man! That really sucks. He's a bruiser. Is he still around so maybe you can get a second chance at him?

That was 4 or 5 years ago. I was all over him for a month but he vanished around rifle season...
I really don't think that he was shot by another hunter because of where we live i'da heard about it, but who knows.

He was soo smart! It was a blast playing cat & mouse with him while it lasted!
 
Looks like he is taunting you in that photo...

Absolutely!!!!

After that first encounter, he KNEW someone was in there...

I caught him on camera about 4 more times and every time he saw my camera even though I was moving them around all the time...
That buck taught me a lot.
Unless he was coming from a neiboring property, he turned 100% nocturnal...
 
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Guys I’m not making any implications about hunting, ethics, or kill percentage with this exercise.

we’re just talking about shooting inanimate objects in your backyard. If you must define “effective range” as how far you can poke a deer, fine. But you’re really overthinking it. Pick a level of accuracy at, say, 20 yards. Now picture in your mind’s eye, how much 3 months of steady practice would increase the distance you are that same level of accurate. Express it as a percentage.

I do enjoy all the banter, let’s keep that going. But this is supposed to be a simple quick thought exercise.
We're saddle hunters, we are always overthinking, thinking about "simple and quick."
 
I am more of a shoot one arrow a day guy. I usually move the bag every evening and pick up my arrow. I take the shot in the morning. The bag may be anywhere from 10 to 75 yards.if I set the bag out and left it in three months I would be exponentially better at that one shot.
I have yet to shoot a good group in a live animal.


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I am more of a shoot one arrow a day guy. I usually move the bag every evening and pick up my arrow. I take the shot in the morning. The bag may be anywhere from 10 to 75 yards.if I set the bag out and left it in three months I would be exponentially better at that one shot.
I have yet to shoot a good group in a live animal.


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Agree that the only shot that matters is the first one!!


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