Shooting 3-D archery is probably the best bow-hunting practice you can do.

Shot opportunities at big game, during the hunting season are few, if any, leaving little or no chance to improve your bow-hunting shooting skills.

Shooting 3-D targets under hunting conditions with the pressures of your peers looking on will allow you to become a better bow shot during the hunting season. This doesn’t mean winning tournaments. Gaining confidence in your bow-hunting equipment is more beneficial than pure tack driving accuracy.

This is a time to improve your shooting skills, and hone your ability to estimate yardage effectively, which is the whole business of field accuracy. Long awaited big game tags that come to you, are treasures that can offer hunts of a lifetime. Prepare.

I am not an advocate of shooting long range shots at critters. But, I believe that practicing shooting at 40 yards is beneficial to maximize your effective shooting range. Sighting in at 40 yards at the target butts is not enough. Clearly understanding the trajectory of your arrow will help you in your field success. Most hunting bow sights have multiple pins; some have pins for 60 yards. Shooting at these longer distances is difficult at best. Shots at big game animals are hard earned, knowing your effective range with your set-up will allow you to make a difficult decision easier. When determining your effective range use these simple guidelines:

10 yards -----1 to 2 inch groups

20 yards ----- 3 inch groups

30 yards ----- 4 inch groups

40 yards ----- 5 inch groups

Once these skills are honed, practice range estimation. The real skill in estimating range is doing it accurately and quickly. Laser range finders offer an efficient solution to this problem. It is bow hunting money well spent.

It is very important to pick 20-yard reference points in a flash. Once you’ve found 20 yards, it is easy to come up with a quick, and usually surprisingly accurate, estimate out to about 40 yards.

40 yard shots at critters in open country look like 30 yards. When faced with a 3-D target at this distance, embrace the opportunity to learn where you stand with your skills. If you fall short, don’t be embarrassed, crack shots with specialized 3-D gear have trouble too. Focus on maximizing your hunting skills by adapting your 3-D shooting to fit your goals. Keep things simple and in perspective. If your effective range is 40 yards or more, than by all means take that hard earned shot. But know what your effective range is and hunt accordingly, it will help you hunt like a bow-hunting machine.

Frank Ortiz

AZOD Staff Shooter