I'm curious to know why 20 yards seems to be the standard that everyone uses when talking about shooting a bow and arrow.....I've been to several ranges and the targets are always set up at 20 yards...is it to do with the arc of the arrow???....the fact that you can't see game in the woods much farther than that????.....What's your opinion????
I think it is because it is a range that most are more comfortable with and most bowhunting shots seem to wind up around that distance in wooded terrain.
Agree with what James just posted. Yep, That's why I like stumpin' so much more then the range. Out there I get to shoot situations most closely to that of hunting shots.
There are a number of leagues that require a 20 yard setup. It is a formal target range just like the 100 yard range you see at many gun clubs. It does really seem to be a point where many find it more difficult to shoot beyond.
Natural parralax of the human eye???? :p :p :p
Indoor Tournaments, all of them I have been to anyway, the Butts are 20 Yards. I do believe it is a Rule somewhere, because Vegas is 20 Yards as well.
300 rounds are shot at 20 yards.
well over here we shoot out to 50 yards and thats at 3ds and 2d targets the 50 yards are hard to shoot but hey its fun . but i would not shoot any animal past 15 to 20 yards. so you can say 50yard targets are a waste of space. its only because we have those other bows shooting at the club as well it would be nice if it was just a trad club and not a w.. oh no i cant even say that word LOL!!!! :archer:
20 yds and under is generally the distance a shot can be taken at a relaxed deer in which the deer's movement at the shot is not likely to have an effect on the hit. 20 yards also happens to be the distance at which most people's accuracy begins to drop off.
Molson nailed it for me. I can keep them in the ten ring untill I get much past 20 yds and then my accuracy begins to decline steadily as range is increased. Have I flung arrows at the long 3D's....you bet you hung in all the way to 55 yds but I would never try that shot while hunting it was after all best of three arrows and I used the first two for ranging. I really doubt that any deer I know of would stand for that. Also the arrow that found foam was way far back round here we call it a "Joey shot" but that is another story.
I do not agree that Molson nailed it, if the deer reacts to the bow noise at the shot 10 yards will effect the shot due to deer movement, I do agree 20 yards is where most guys accuracy drops off. 20 yards is the standard for indor ranges as spots and 300 rounds are shot at that distance. Shawn
20yrds (or 20m for the rest of the world) is a standard for indoor competition. Ranges are built with that in mind. (as long as they need to be and no longer-- empty floorspace costs money)
As far as accuracy dropping off... how much of that is chicken and egg? If most folks regularly shoot at 20yrs and rarely farther, then naturally they're going to lose accuracy beyond what they're accustomed to. They won't have the practice, the experience or the 30yd pin/gap/mental image/mojo/whatever that they would use to shoot at that distance.
I doubt that it's a magic number (jokes about 17.3yds aside). It's just the common, accustomed number and people are better at doing what they're accustomed to doing than what they're not.
Jake
(who thinks it's more to do with FITA and NFAA than deer)
I practice regularly out to 40 yards. Why, because any flaw in form will be magnifyed and I want to always better myself. If I had the area I would practice out to 100 yards. The more you practice at longer ranges, the better you will get at 20yards and in. Why, because you are programing your inner computer for the arc of the arrow. Just my two cents.
Danny
I like to shoot from up close to way back but try to make 20 yrds my bread-n-butter shot.It's within 5 yrds of most shots I,m gonna get hunting and is the standard distance for the 300 round shooting indoors.My point on is I think around 50 yrds,I hope to get that fine tuned this yr
I think that 0-20 yds your aim, whatever method, can be the same with probably no more than a 2" difference on point of impact. After that, depending on your setup, adjustments for elevation become more and more drastic with distance. I do however do a lot of practice at 30 and 40 yds because it is fun and challenging.
Shawn,
I used the word "generally". Of course deer are capable of avoiding a shot under 20 yds and poor equipment choices will help them do it. However, the vast majority of the time, shots missed under 20 yards are caused by the hunter, not the deer.
I agree with that, but equipment choice has little to do with it. I know guys who kill more deer with a selfbow and a sinew string than most anyone with the "right equipment". I believe equipment has very little to do with killing deer. Shawn
Shawn, I think by poor equip. Molson means noisy, poorly tuned etc., which will have more impact on a deer jumping the string then the right bow. Also at 20 yds. and under a selfbow in the right hands may be the ultimate weapon due to their inherent quietness, speed is not a issue.
I read "poor equipment" as "noisy" also, and I agree.
I still do not believe it, it takes a good hunter to kill deer. I can name a few guys who could kill deer consistently with a the loudest twangyest, slowest bow in the world, jumpy deer at that. I am sorry but I believe 10 percent of the hunters kill 80% of the deer taken regardless of equipment choice. Shawn
Yep Dean that's what I meant. Nothing at all wrong with selfbows. I love 'em!!
Part of being a good hunter is having properly tuned equipment and while I think 10 percent is a little low, a good hunter will always kill more deer be it with a spear a rock whatever, but quiet is always better. As far as having to be a good hunter to kill a deer not really, with todays numbers of deer almost anyone who has the patience to sit in one spot long enough can kill one, ever hear of beginners luck, good hunters will just be more consistent killing deer.JMHO
Shawn,
No doubt about it. Equipment choice doesn't make you a hunter. Maybe we got mixed up and are talking about two differnt things. I'm refering to bowhunter education and the 20 yard rule.
QuoteOriginally posted by vermonster13:
300 rounds are shot at 20 yards.
i think you mean 300 is a perfect Vegas score...actuall a 30x 300 would take the cake...
as for shooting 300 rounds....whew! that would be a long haul.....900 arrows
QuoteOriginally posted by Shawn Leonard:
I still do not believe it, it takes a good hunter to kill deer. I can name a few guys who could kill deer consistently with a the loudest twangyest, slowest bow in the world, jumpy deer at that. I am sorry but I believe 10 percent of the hunters kill 80% of the deer taken regardless of equipment choice. Shawn
I believe the actual figures are higher than that Shawn....i think 10% kill 90% of the elk taken with a bow, and probably deer too.... but there is were we stop in agreement Shawn....
That 10% that consistently harvest animals are one with their equipment.... the othe percentage don't take the time to practice....i have no sympathy for guys pulling their equipment out of the closet a couple weeks before the opener.... their ARE a lot of missed deer & elk because of not necessarily poor equipment.... but with un-tuned, unused equipment, with new arrows never been shot before.....it's sad....i see it every year, a lot....But I've never hunted with Trad archers before....If you are not shooting every day, you don't belong in the woods hunting!!....this is my philosophy....regardless of choice of equipment....
Kirk
It is commonly called a 300 round KirkII. Always good to learn something new in a respectful way.
I believe it's a combination of factors.
Many of todays trad. archers have chosen to learn an aiming techinque that is considered to be more trad. and is actually harder to master, especially at longer distances.
Before there was 3D, there were Field Rounds, which had shot distances between 5 and 90yrds. and bowhunters back than had different standards and beliefs.
With todays average accuracy levels and what's considered ethical shot distances, 3D's are set up at an average distance of about 20yrds.
I believe their is alot of room to raise the bar...at least in regards to the Trad Class in 3D target archery competion, although I would still prefer that most 3D competions still maintain what would be considered an ethical shot distance and also create a specific class for trad target archers and allow them to shoot at far greater distances.
Ray ;)
Haven't there been plenty of discussions/evidence of deer not reacting outside the ~18yd mark? In that case, it would seem farther is better...but we've gotten off topic slightly.
It's been said above in a gentle way....IMO, the 20yd mark is there because people don't shoot well past it (I think it is closer than 20 and believe many would benefit from range finders)...whether it be lack of practice at longer ranges, who knows...it seems archers of the past were "better" (more practiced) than archers now...bring back field archery in a more mainstream way...I think it would do wonders for many/most of the stickbow guys.
Proficency at longer ranges normally equates to proficency at short ranges.