If you didn’t read last week’s Part 1 blog scroll down and check it out then come back to Part 2. So if the concept I laid out last week was news to you like it was to me then this next “ah ha, duhhh” moment might be as well.
Not only did I plan practice time, therefore being mentally prepared to shoot and then warming up with close shots but I also shot from a nice squared off standing position at known distances typically in 10 yard increments nearly 100% of the time. Maybe if the deer knew they were supposed to be at 20, 30 or 40 yards exactly in my perfect shooting window I’d have fewer misses. Now I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t use a rangefinder. In fact the exact opposite. Range finders are abundant enough and we owe it to the animals we pursue to not guess at distance. There are plenty of other mistakes left to be made without starting off with an unknown distance.
To combat this poor practice habit I shoot from random distances throughout the day. Maybe 65yds, then 51yds, then 35yds, then 83yds, then 17yds. Personally, I use a single pin slider and doing this gives me great confidence in my setup and calibration. Following this practice technique would be even more critical and informative if I still shot fixed pins.
Shoot each distance from a different shooting stance. Alternate between sitting, standing and kneeling. Once you’ve built confidence, incorporate some visual distractions between you and the target. Instead of shooting across an open flat yard or grassy field, place your target in the woods. Shoot between trees, shoot over and under limbs. If you have multiple targets stagger them so you have to shoot past one to hit the other. Each time you challenge yourself at practice you make yourself better for the hunt!
