A Ten Yard Shot!
Frank asked me, do you know how many times I’ve stalked up on a white tail deer as close as ten yards? Do you know how many times I was able to harvest those very deer? I’ll give you his answer later. While you read through this blog you can take some guesses and see if you’re right.
I know a fellow that trains people to respond to real life situations by testing them in them. He sets the stage with props and actors, then he sends the person into the staged situations to see how they’ll respond. The first time through, most fail miserably, the key is to know this is just a diagnostic test.
What Does That Have to Do With Anything?
Once they know where they stand and what needs improvement. Once they know, they can get to work and practice to strengthen their weak points. What does any of this have to do with a 3D range? Everything! Everything!
Regardless of the bow you’re shooting, you need to know it! If you’re shooting the TenPoint Turbo S1 Crossbow the recommended distance is thirty to fifty yards, but what if your target buck shows up ten yards from you? I know you do the responsible thing and say, ah well, you’re too close, I’ll let you walk today. Really?
You trust the elevation marks on the optic and take your shot! Are you serious? Those elevation lines are correct with the exact same components it was tested with. If the arrow weighs more or less and has a different flight pattern, higher or lower velocity then the elevation aim points on the archery optic may not be spot on. It’s always best to check.
How do you know?
How do you know? You get to the range or your backyard and test it. Once you know where the aim point is, continue to shoot it to drill it in your memory. You could set up one Delta McKenzie Speedbag 24 and move back and forth to change the distance allowing yourself a sort of realistic practice at each distance or…
There’s another option, that yes it is a bit more costly, but more fun and realistic! Choose your favorite animals from the 3D target Options. I’ll pick the Rinehart ⅓ Scale Moose, the Rinehart Signature Boar and the Rinehart Woodland Strutting Turkey. Now place them at three different distances, one at ten yards, the next at 20 and then 40, it’s practice time!
Remember Frank?
If you’re shooting the TenPoint Crossbow we spoke about earlier or you switched to the Bear Archery Game Keeper Compound Bow, knowing your bow and its impact is key! It will have a huge impact, (pun intended), on the game you hunt and your success. Remember Frank? The answer is to the question is, too many to remember and he harvested them all because he did exactly what we’re talking about here.
The fellow in the beginning of this blog sets up real life scenarios for people to become aware and have the ability to respond correctly. That’s the same expectations here, setting up a 3D range mirroring a real life hunting scenario will train you to respond correctly. When you’re in heat of the unpredictable hunting situations that hunters face, you can respond instead of react. Better to be safe than sorry, and better to succeed than fail!
