NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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Do you use sights when in the field or shoot by instinct? I have always shot by instinct and from the angle of the arrow but I have never bow hunted deer so I was wondering what you guys do. I am not the best shot, but I can put an arrow in the vitals on big game from 30-40yds, but I do even worse with sights. I will be practicing as much as I can until deer season.
I want to get my shot down because I don't want to hit a deer in the leg and have it run off and die a week later from coyotes.
Been using a Jennings. I want to get a Bowtech or Matthews someday, but for now this old bow will do fine.
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Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
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fishdoc
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Thick Tail
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Pins only for me and no more than 40 yards on any animal, thats been a tough rule a few times but like you I want no part of a wounded animal. I have taken 21 deer with my bow and 12 elk I have never lost one.
Tried instinctive shooting in college and just couldn't hit the vitals target consistantly.
doc
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If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always gotten.
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jimh
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I use sights because I can consistently shoot better. My standard is a little more than vitals. At 40 yards, I'm going for more like every shot in a 4in bullseye.
One of the problems with using the point of the arrow is you will need to practice with broadheads all of the time to get the gap right.
If you are having problems with sights, it's very possible that you have target panic. That means that you can release when you want and you have an involuntary reflex to shoot whenever the sight pin is on the target.
In any case, if you practice enough, either method will work.
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Wear a PFD if you want to live.
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NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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I guess I will start using the sights. Ya, vitals on big game = big area and I want to hit it dead on without any doubt of missing.
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Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
Half-Time Student
Full-Time Employed
Double-Time Daddy
I miss fishing.....
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Fish Jesus
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Sync yourself/bow/broadheads with your range finder while shooting at different angles and elevations.
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NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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Range finder huh? Know where I can find $200? 
I don't shoot enough yet, or at enough varying distances to use one at this time. Especially being a broke schmuck. I do have a knack for estimating distances though as I have run tens of miles of 300' measuring tapes on the job.  If I need, I will take my 300' tape out into the woods and setup varying targets with it to practice. Then once I get my skills, confidence (and tag), I will look into one. I may not this year though (not just hunt, but use a laser)
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Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
Half-Time Student
Full-Time Employed
Double-Time Daddy
I miss fishing.....
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NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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Alright. The sights worked out nicely. I switched from a pronged rest to a whisker biscuit and that helped out a lot. I also am using a trigger release now and I downsized the peep sight. Hit the bottom of a poweraid bottle 9 out of 10 times at 20 yds and it is really windy today.
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Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
Half-Time Student
Full-Time Employed
Double-Time Daddy
I miss fishing.....
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Fish Jesus
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Sight windage may change a little once you get to shooting out farther.
I found my range finder for under $ 130. It doesn't measure for gradient like the 200 models.
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NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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Well where I plan on hunting, there won't be too much wind.
I will look around for cheaper range finders. Maybe check ebay. It won't be bought this year, but maybe next. Gradient will be important to me.
That 9/10 was immediately after I first got the 20yd pin working with the new arrow rest with NO fine tuning at all. I got it dead nuts finally.
Now if only I can control my shaky hands. I don't know what the deal is, but last year I had a severe back injury. The facet joint at L5-S1 is demolished and my sciatic nerve is being pinched. The disk at L2-L3 is damaged, warped, and pinching a medial branch nerve. Both those areas don't directly effect the arms, but ever since the fall, I cannot hold my hands steady. My hands shake like I have Parkinson's disease. It takes every bit of energy to keep my welding rod steady in the puddle at work. When I draw back that bow I am having a lot of trouble keeping that peep hole on the sight. Maybe I need to drink a few beers first.
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Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
Half-Time Student
Full-Time Employed
Double-Time Daddy
I miss fishing.....
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Fish Jesus
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Pink Worminator
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Loc: your river
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Windage as in sights being off left or right of target once you get to shooting farther down range.
Welding I hold my breath shooting a bow I breath thru my nose...
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Chromeo
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FJ, What kind of rangefinder do you have? I need one bad and the price seems right.
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Mexican Standoff Prostaff
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jimh
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You don't need a rangefinder if you are shooting at 20 yds. From your description of your accuracy, you probably shouldn't try shots at game much farther than that.
But then again...what diameter was that bottom of the powerade bottle? If it was a small one, then that's pretty good.:)
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Pug
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Targets and animals are two completely different things. How many times has anyone looked at a target and their heart rate rose about 180 bpm and they started to shake like a leaf? Me, personally never. But everytime I get ready to take a shot at a animal, yes. It is a matter of training the eye and brain to associate objects size to distance. The only way to do that is through practice. I know that when I am in the field I use objects such as trees and the animal itself to determine distance. So far so good. Getting consistent groups is huge deal though. Doing that without a range finder is important to me. It proves to me the confidence in my ability to judge distance and therefore gives me confidence in my shots. The only time I use a range finder is in camp when I setup the distances to the practice target. I always argue that the range finder is a crutch. If your batteries run out in the field does that mean that you aren't going to take the shot?
I shot bare bow for a lot of years too. But I never could do it consistently. After trashing thousands of arrows at shoots and hundred of dollars down the drain, I finally started to use pins. Now the only time I trash arrows is when I miss too long of a shot at a target butt, over eighty yards is too long even for paper. My rule of thumb for animals has always been fifty yards. Deer I will go out to 60. Easier to get a pass through on those. Atleast with my broadhead.
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Fishin fool if I can find the fools to fish!
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highdesertangler
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Jack
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I bowhunt in Northern Nevada., We use pins, and peep, set at 10 yards each out to 60 yards. My Son and I have current archery tags and we will be out later today looking for a big horn muley with his mind on the girls.
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NickVellios
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Killer of Deer, Releaser of Native Steelhead
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Reged: 01/04/06
Posts: 1460
Loc: Amongst the Redwoods peepin' t...
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The poweraid bottle was the small one. I am using a PSE bow now and have a pin at 50yds and can get a 6" group with that. I am pretty stoked.
--------------------
Atheism is a non-prophet organization
There's nothing quite as rewarding as teaching a poacher to swim with waders on!
Half-Time Student
Full-Time Employed
Double-Time Daddy
I miss fishing.....
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