Realistic Practice Makes Perfect

The quality of your target is almost as important as your bow and arrows.  I took an inexpensive target on an elk hunt about 10 years ago and quickly learned that my powerful bow shot completely through the target.  I began with eight arrows and ended with three when I finally zeroed the scope.  My favorite target is Morrell’s Back-to-Back target shown above.  It not only holds any arrow I can shoot but reinforces the exact area for shot placement.  Most bowhunters are familiar with the behind-the-shoulder shot placement on a deer, but not the tiny kill zone of a wild turkey.  A 3-D target is the best for reinforcing shot placement, but the Back-to-Back is much more portable, affordable, and has two animal visuals on the same target.

Aim Small, Miss Small

A “Robin Hood” is great for the ego, especially in front of friends, yet at $20 a pop for arrows, it quickly becomes expensive.  During your practice sessions, you want to strive for accuracy, yet not destroy or damage arrows.  Even a touch of one carbon shaft to another can cause one or both arrows to be dangerous to shoot.  An easy answer to this dilemma is to use a target with multiple aiming points.  You can judge the accuracy of your shots by comparing grouping within the dots and not risk damage to arrows.   I’ve used the same Morrell field tip target for 15 years and finally upgraded this year.

Practice and Test

Many archers labor over the weight of a broadhead.  Should you shoot 100-grain, 125-grain, or 150-grain broadheads?  Here’s a test of arrow impact of arrows with three weights of target points from a 400 fps crossbow.  As you can see, at the close-to-moderate range, weight affects arrow drop very little.  If for example, you chose to practice with 150-grain target points you’d need to zero at 20 yards and then shoot your reticle placements as you would with 100-grain heads.

Portability is Important

I hunt in Idaho as often as I can draw a tag.  The steep mountains and rugged country are very different than my Maryland hunting ground. Almost as important as coffee is my High Roller target that works for target points and broadheads.  When I first get to camp, I test my scope’s zero after flying across the country.  Also, at the end of each day, I choose to take a 20-yard off-hand shot to verify the zero.  I’ve done this in the headlights of a vehicle when returning at night and it gives me an extra trigger-pull practice as well as accuracy verification.  The High Roller comes in two sizes, with the smaller model ideal for portability.

Daily Practice Regamine

Intermittent practice is better than massed practice.  That is, it’s better to shoot 10 arrows a day over 10 days than 100 in one setting.  The shot above was at 62.5 yards in my backyard using a Morrell Kinetic target.  This arrow was fired from a TenPoint Viper 430 and even at 60 yards the arrow penetrates about 10 inches.  Despite the penetration, the arrow pulled out easily thanks to the densely packed material in the Kinetic.  Shooting target points into foam targets from 400 fps+ bows can actually melt the foam to the arrow making it very difficult to remove.

Know How Arrows Shoot

Part of the perfect practice is paying attention to detail.  This target group is also at 62.5 yards in my back yard and it shows how my #1 and #2 arrows nearly touch at that distance, while #3 shoots slightly to the right and higher.  At 20 yards, these three shafts would make a tight group but as distance expands, so does the variance from true aim.  Always number your arrows and be alert when one flies from the mark.  I always hunt with my practice shafts because I know they fly well and with fresh broadheads are as good as new.

Make Practice Fun

The smile says it all.  My young grandson loves to shoot a crossbow and scored a bulls-eye on his very first attempt.  Vary your practice routine to accommodate various distances and shooting situations.  This young lad took his first deer last year while sitting on the knee of his older brother.  Despite his limited hunting experience, he made a perfect shot on a large doe that expired in seconds.   As you check your stand in the pre-season, take your High Roller along and launch a few shafts.  Perfect practice builds confidence so that when that big buck finally makes a mistake, you will bring the hunt to the perfect ending.

GRIM REAPER BROADHEAD’S PRO SERIES CROSSBOW BROADHEAD

Crossbow speeds continue to get faster which can be a big problem for crossbow hunters because many broadheads won’t fly true out of today’s extremely fast crossbows. Grim Reaper Broadheads have solved that problem with the Pro Series Crossbow Broadhead. With this broadhead, bowhunters don’t have to worry about broadhead blades opening during flight. The Pro Series crossbow broadhead has been tested at speeds beyond 400 FPS and the blades remain closed. This 3-blade broadhead is available with a 1.5-inch cutting diameter or a 2-inch cutting diameter.
To learn more, visit https://.grimreaperbroadheads.com.

MORRELL TARGETS TRANSFORMER BUCK TARGET

Morrell Targets is proud to introduce the new Transformer 3D deer target. The Transformer 3D target is unlike any target currently on the market. For starters, the vital area/midsection on the new Transformer 3D target is made of High Roller foam. It is a stand alone target. Bowhunters often shoot at a 3D target when they are shooting in the backyard. When they head to deer camp, they bring a portable target. The Transformer target is two targets in one. When it is time to head to deer camp, the vital area/midsection can be removed from the 3D target and brought to camp.

The removable target comes with a handle that is lightweight and easy to transport. “The Transformer target eliminates the need for bowhunters to buy multiple targets,” Tanner
Morrell noted. “Now bowhunters can simply remove the midsection from their Transformer 3D target and head to camp. Best of all, the target is made using our popular High Roller foam, which bowhunters love.” Learn more at https://morrelltargets.com.

PINE RIDGE ARCHERY KWIK STAND

Pine Ridge Archery launched the Kwik Stand in 2017 to meet the demand of archers throughout the industry to help keep their bows standing upright and protected. In 2019, they updated the Kwik Stand to be more compatible by making the jaws adjustable to fit more limb sizes.  With a lightweight frame and very simple adjustments the Kwik Stand fits on most bow limbs. The legs adjust to allow for the best balance angle for your bow.

As the crossbow market has continued to grow, Pine Ridge wanted to continue to provide for all aspects of the archery market with their made in the USA stamp of approval.   Crossbow
shooters now have a solution to keep their crossbows limbs and cams off the ground and out of the dirt.

The new Kwik Stand Rail Mount is made of high-density nylon and can stay attached to the crossbow during any shot with no added vibration.  The mounting bolt keeps the rail mount snug and secure while you trek through any and all terrain.  The new Kwik Stand Rail Mount will attach to any picatinny rail system, which allows it to be more versatile than just the crossbow market. Pine Ridge also envisions it being used in the AR market by replacing those heavy bi-pods being used.

Pine Ridge offers a package deal that will include a black Kwik Stand and the new Rail Mount.
Already have a Kwik Stand? Pine Ridge also offers just the Rail Mount for those who already
have their Kwik Stand. Learn more at https://pineridgearchery.com.

SCHAFFER XV ARROW REST

The XV arrow rest from Schaffer Performance Archery is unlike any arrow rest on the market
and has many great features including dual-jaw technology. With dual-jaw technology, the arrow is cradled between two jaws. When the arrow is released, the jaws glide to the left and right, quickly getting out of the way. This state-of-the-art technology allows the arrow to stay in contact with the rest longer, resulting in better downrange accuracy.

The XV Arrow Rest offers hands-free operation and it can be shot in the open or closed position. The rest comes with a push button that allows the archer to lock the arrow in place before the shot. With the XV, there is no shake or wobble, making it a great rest for the treestand or spot-and-stalk hunter. Best of all, this arrow rest can handle arrow speeds in excess of 400 FPS and is made in America. Learn more at https://schafferarchery.com.

THE TREE THRASHER

Calling in mature bucks by grunting on a grunt tube can be very difficult. Grunting doesn’t
always sound realistic. In the wild when a buck grunts, he is often on the move. A buck rarely
stands still during the rut. They are always on the move and always making noise. The Tree
Thrasher is a call that can be used by itself or in conjunction with a grunt tube to mimic the
sounds deer make in the wild.

The Tree Thrasher is the ultimate 3-in-1 deer call. The Tree Thrasher is used to mimic sound of leaves rustling as a deer walks through the woods or makes a scrape, mimic the sound of a buck rubbing a tree, and mimic the sound of a branch breaking. The Tree Thrasher works perfectly in tandem with a grunt tube to complete the ultimate, realistic calling sequence. It attracts bucks and does.

Using a Tree Thrasher can cause a buck to quickly run into a hunting setup in search of the deer he just heard making all the noise. To learn more, visit https://treethrasher.com.

The vital area/midsection on the new Transformer 3D target is made of High Roller foam. This target is actually a stand alone target. Bowhunters often shoot at a 3D target when they shoot in the backyard. When they head to deer camp, they bring a portable target. The Transformer target is two targets in one.

When it is time to head to deer camp, the vital area/midsection can be removed from the 3D target and brought to camp. The removable target comes with a handle that is lightweight and easy to transport.

“The Transformer target eliminates the need for bowhunters to buy multiple targets,” Tanner Morrell noted. “Now bowhunters can simply remove the midsection from their Transformer 3D target and head to camp. Best of all, the target is made using our popular High Roller foam, which bowhunters love.”

Learn more about the Transformer Target from Morrell Targets at www.morrelltargets.com.

Estimated MSRP: $299

Everybody has an opinion on what distance taking a shot goes from being ethical and right to unethical and wrong.  Many eastern hunters will tell you any shot taken on a whitetail beyond 30 yards is too far.  Meanwhile, bowhunters out west are wrapping their tag around the horns of antelope and elk that they shot at 60 yards and beyond.  Regardless of what your ethical range is, you can likely increase it if you fine tune your bow setup.  I recently talked with a few professionals including Jay Liechty from Grim Reaper Broadheads about long range accuracy and why it matters.

Jay believes bowhunters who are serious about bowhunting should hone their archery skills. Bowhunters who are extremely deadly at long range tend to kill more animals than hunters who won’t shoot past 30 yards.  Many hunters think it is difficult to accurately shoot a bow at long ranges, but that isn’t the case. “A 2” dot at 20 yards (whitetail target practice) is the exact size in your sight window as a 10” paper plate at 100 yards: 5 x 2” =10 yards, and 5 x 20 yards = 100 yards. If you can hit the 2” dot at 20 yards, your form is good and your bow is tuned, you can hit the 10” plate at 100 yards (you need to hold still after the release),” Liechty said. “When a hunter becomes accurate at 100 yards, 50- and 60-yard shots aren’t that big of deal. I would suggest all hunters practice long range shooting. It will make them a better shot at all distances.”

If your goal is to be able to take a whitetail at 40 yards and you are consistently able to hit a pie plate at 100 yards, that 40-yard shot becomes very doable, especially if the animal is relaxed and feeding. If a bowhunter can increase his effective range in the field by 10 or 20 yards, the odds of success increase. Cameron Hanes once told me he would rather shoot a bull elk feeding in a meadow at 60 yards than a screaming bull at 20 yards that is moving all over looking for a cow. Hanes, of course, practices at extreme ranges.

If you want to be able to kill animals at 40 yards, 50 yards or even 80 yards, there are a few things you can do to fine tune your bow setup and your skills. A bow has to be tuned properly and your arrows and broadheads also need to be perfect. I  weigh each broadhead and arrow that go in my quiver to make sure they all weigh within a few grains of each other. If I have a broadhead that is a touch heavy, I match it up with an arrow that is a few grains light and visa versa. I want every arrow in my quiver weighing about the same so when I am letting them fly 80 yards from the target, they all fly true.

Next I spin test every arrow on a Pine Ridge Arrow Inspector. This little gadget is fairly inexpensive and will tell me if any of my arrows aren’t flying right because a bad arrow will wobble on the spinner. Often an insert isn’t square and needs to be reset. Other times there is something wrong with the arrow. I have found over the years that out of a dozen arrows, only six or eight of them fly well out to 80 or 100 yards.  If I have a bad arrow that I miss the first or second time, I shoot it at 80 yards.  I will know because it will miss the mark by a mile.

When I know my bow and arrows are tuned perfectly, I sight my bow in with the Uno Archery App. It is easy to second guess your sight when you are shooting and I sometimes wonder if my sight is off or if it is me and my form. With the Uno Archery App, there is no second guessing. I plug my bow speed and a few other measurements in.  The app displays my pin gaps on my phone screen.  This only takes a few minutes and eliminates the guess work of setting up a sight.  I can be dialed in at 80 yards in no time so I can have fun shooting instead of worrying about whether my pins are set up properly.   Download the app here…http://www.velocitip.com/uno-app-download.html

I start shooting at 30 yards. When I am dialed in perfectly, I start stepping back. I don’t move to 50 yards until I am dead on at 40 yards and so on. I am an Eastern flatlander and I have found that each year, I need to start at 30 yards and work my way back. We have long winters and my shooting form isn’t always very good when the snow first melts, but by the time season opens I am usually hitting a pie plate at 80 yards. Hitting your target at extreme ranges doesn’t take an extreme amount of skill; it just requires work ethic. You need good shooting form when shooting at long distances.  The only way you can have good shooting form is by practicing.  If you twitch a little when shooting at 80 yards, you will miss the mark.  You need to focus, let your body relax, put the pin on the mark, and pull the trigger.

Over the years, the biggest problem I have had is dropping my bow arm ever so slightly.  Video taping myself with a smartphone has proven that I drop my arm more than I thought. To cure myself of this problem, I hold the pin on my target until I hear the arrow hit. Over time, holding my bow on the mark until I hear the arrow hit has become second nature and has really helped shrink my groups.

At the end of the day, long distance shooting all boils down to consistency. If your shooting form is consistent, if your arrows weigh the same, if everything on your bow is tuned perfectly, then you can repeat the same shot repeatedly. As Jay Liechty from Grim Reaper Broadheads pointed out, if you can hit the mark at long distances, all of a sudden a 40-or 50-yard shot becomes much easier. Some will say a living animal isn’t a target and you shouldn’t take crazy long distance shots at animals. It is up to each hunter to know what distance they are comfortable shooting an animal at. Regardless of what that yardage is, one thing is certain.  If you can drive tacks at 80 yards, your odds of filling the freezer increase even if you are only comfortable shooting at deer at 20- or 30-yards because your shooting form will be fine-tuned just like your bow.

For more please go to: Tracy Breen