Improve Your Long-Range Bowhunting Skills

The bull’s rack glistened in the morning sun 120 yards away. His piercing bugles echoed against the canyon walls. Ron and I were tucked away in some dense brush, waiting in ambush.

Fifteen yards behind me, Ron was working his cow call perfectly. Before I knew it, the big-racked elk had dropped into a small cut, only the tops of his antlers visible. He would be in front of me in seconds, and at less than 15 yards! I hit full draw and prepared for a slam-dunk shot.

Seconds later, I could see the bull’s eyes swiveling above the grass in front of me, but he must have caught my scent or outline because he swapped ends and bolted. 
 
I frantically rose to my feet while at full draw and tracked the bull with my sight as he ran across the draw and up the other side. I had already determined every conceivable shot distance using my rangefinder, so I was ready. The bull stopped just as Ron blew a pleading cow call.

At 50 yards, the bull was now quartering away sharply. I waited for him to take a step to the side while my sight pin rested solidly on his rump. When he did and the angle gave me an open shot to his vitals, I released the arrow. 

I caught a fleeting glimpse of the arrow arching right into the aiming spot. The elk trotted over a small depression and never came out. He was down for good. Had I not done my homework and honed my long-range archery skills, the 360-inch bull—the public-land trophy of a lifetime—would’ve been gone.

Skill & Ethics Behind Long Shots

Long shots require special preparation and skill on the part of the bowhunter. Without that preparation, they’re nothing short of unethical. But with adequate preparation, they give a hunter more effectiveness in the field. Hunters must be able to consistently hit targets at extreme distances and have the field experience to quickly assess a good shot from a bad one.

But how do you know if you’re ready for such shooting? The answer can be summed up in one word: confidence. A bowhunter who feels comfortable with long bow shots knows his ability inside and out. In most cases, he can shoot five-arrow groups at 80 yards just as tightly as most guys can at 40. So, when a 50-yard shot at a nice buck or bull presents itself and the animal is relaxed and in proper position, he doesn’t hesitate.

Beyond that, it’s matter of quantifying your effective range. You can do this easily by shooting at an 8-inch-diameter paper plate (the same size of a deer’s vital zone) or a 3-D target with a similar vital zone. Shoot using five broadhead-tipped arrows. The farthest you can place all five arrows on the plate should be considered your maximum sure-kill shooting range. I prefer to shoot several groups over a period of several days to make sure my group sizes don’t vary much.

Extending your effective range by another 10, 15 or 20 yards isn’t easy. You must adopt a disciplined shooting style and insist on using the most accurate bow setup and accessories available. You must dial in your bow’s tune and arrow setup to absolute perfection. You must strive to shoot beyond your comfort zone in order to push your skill level and advance to new shooting heights. Most bowhunters who are comfortable with 50-yard shots practice year around.

My goal with this article is to offer an effective plan so you can extend your sure-kill shooting range. It’s not about taking super-long, irresponsible “hope” shots at precious game animals. Longer-than-usual shot opportunities can happen anywhere, even for the whitetail treestand hunter.

Long-Range Basics

The first step in addressing your capability as a long-range shooter is to see what you can do on the range. Start by shooting five three-arrow groups at 50 yards, using your hunting bow, arrows and broadheads. If you can’t keep you arrows consistently in an 8-inch circle, roughly the size of a deer’s vitals, there’s much room for improvement. My personal goal on the range is 1-inch groups at 10 yards, 2 inches at 20, 3 inches at 30, and so on. Even though I can hold 8-inch groups at 80 yards on most days, I would never shoot at a deer from that far. I always add a 20-percent error factor to my group sizes to determine a more realistic effective range for shooting at game. This means if I can’t hold 4.8-inch groups at 60 yards, then I can’t shoot at deer that far. Shooting at game is usually more difficult than shooting at targets, mainly because of excitement.
 
Proper Form

To begin with, assess your shooting form. Good form will help tighten arrow groups.

Use T-Form: Comfort is the key behind shooting a bow well. If you don’t feel strong and secure while aiming, how can you get off a clean release every time?

This is where looking like a “T” at full draw is important. Have someone stand 90-degrees to you and take a photo while you’re at full draw and aiming. Proper T-form means your torso is straight, your head is naturally erect (not tilted up or down), your draw-arm elbow is in line or slightly above the arrow, and your bow-arm shoulder is low, locked and not bulging up. To achieve this type of form, your bow’s draw length must be set correctly.

Connect With the Bow: The grip is the only place where the shooter touches the bow, so it’s critical. You must grip the bow consistently. Every summer, when I do an extreme amount of long-range shooting, I notice that by varying my bow grip even a tiny amount I get a different point of impact of up to 6 inches at 80 yards and beyond. When I say a tiny amount, I mean only a varied sensation in the hand and not a measurable difference in hand placement.

According to Bowhunter’s Hall of Fame member Randy Ulmer, the most torque-free area to grip the bow is at the base of the thumb. He says you can easily identify this location by holding your bow hand open and pressing into the palm area using the thumb from your other hand. Pressing in all spots will cause your hand to collapse except for one tiny place. This is where you want the pressure-point of the bow grip to be.

It’s important to keep your bow hand completely relaxed while you hold, aim and shoot. It must stay relaxed and motionless at all times, even after the shot. Use a wrist sling so you can loosely grasp the bow with your fingers and let it naturally vibrate around after the shot.

The Perfect Release

 Back Tension: If the bowstring doesn’t break away smoothly at release, torque will occur, causing a change in arrow flight. At long range, the smallest amount of torque will cause accuracy issues. You should use a quality release, one that doesn’t emit creep in the trigger. Let the shot take you by surprise.

I have a sequence I follow when executing a shot. First, as I hit full draw and acquire the target, I tell myself to relax the back of my hand. Then I grasp the trigger deeply with my finger (just deep enough so that it points downward from the side, creating a hook-like formation).

Next, I take in a slight amount of trigger pressure. From here, I allow my back muscles to tighten up so my draw-side shoulder muscles are pulling into the other shoulder blade. Then I remind myself to aim, aim, aim until this pulling sensation forces my arm and hand to move rearward, causing additional pressure on the trigger. This pressure is caused from my back muscles tightening, not from my finger trigger moving. I try to imagine my finger as a dead hook, something that cannot move by itself. Eventually, the shot just happens, taking me by surprise.

Aim After the Shot: Maintaining strong shooting composure until the arrow hits the target is important. Keep the arm up but totally relaxed as the bow vibrates naturally from the shot. This is proper follow-through.

Also, your release hand should move as well, but in a more explosive rearward fashion. This response is due to the tension being built up in your back. Some archers like the hand to touch the shoulder directly after the “let go” as a consistent “conclusion” to the shot.

Building Confidence

Good shooting form is not just physical. It is mental as well. Learn to be positive. This will help lift your mind so you can focus better and shoot more accurately, especially under pressure.

Here are four mental tips that are bound to improve your shooting.
 
Positive Encouragement: Try not to be pessimistic. We all have tough shooting days when we can’t seem to do anything right. Try not to dwell on these moments. Instead, focus heavily on the areas where you are strong. This type of thinking feeds the mind positive messages, increasing confidence.

Our subconscious mind, the part of the brain that controls nearly all of the shot execution, works best while it’s in harmony. Positive self talk provides encouragement so it can maintain this peaceful state.
 
Pick a Spot: My friend Derek Phillips, a serious bowhunter and the pro-staff coordinator for Mathews Archery, likes to visualize a yellow golf ball right where he wants to hit an animal so he can focus his aim on that spot. This gives the shot real purpose. 

Insist on picking a spot every time you shoot during practice, whether you pick out a dime-size discoloration on a paper target or imagine a golf ball in the middle of a 3-D’s vital zone. This will help you do it automatically come crunch time.
Imagine the Perfect Shot: Most pro athletes like to execute something perfectly in their minds before actually doing it. They do this because it’s proven to help their performance.
 
Such mental imagery works because your subconscious mind can’t distinguish the difference between real or vivid imagined events. You can picture yourself shooting perfectly and accurately, and in the process your mind actually thinks you are shooting. If all your subconscious mind knows is perfection, then that’s all it can do. How cool is that?
This training works best when you visualize as much detail as possible, such as how you grip the bow, trigger the release and so forth.

Practice Seriously: If you want to be a successful long-range shooter, archery practice must be purposeful and disciplined. No shortcuts, no cheating, no sub-par shooting form. Never shoot an arrow unless you’re feeling 100 percent in strength, focus and concentration. Stress quality shots only. This means letting down when you need to, and never telling yourself you need to shoot a certain number of arrows for the day.

The key here is to reinforce good habits only. The way to do this is to practice shooting correctly every time, not just some of the time. This is important for establishing shooting control. Even under serious pressure, a well-practiced archer can hit where he’s aiming because he has trained his mind and body consistently. 

As much as shooting form and mental toughness are a part of long-range shooting success, it cannot be done without good shooting equipment. In the next article, we’ll delve into this topic heavily, covering the gear you need to extend your effective range.