DETERMINING DISTANCE

One of the first things I do once I’m settled in my stand it to dig out my
range finder and start shooting ranges to unique landmarks around my stand.
I range a couple landmarks out to around 30 yards and a few more in at
around 20 yards. I memorize those ranges and put my range finder away. The
less movement I have to make when the deer is in visual range, the better.
I am of the belief that a range finder is as important to the archery
hunter as is an elevated stand….its not required but it sure makes things
easer.

NO RANGE FINDER?

But what if you don’t have a range finder or that buck shows up before you
can utilize your range finder? Are we then forced to “ballpark” the range
and hope for a good shot? Sadly, many hunters do exactly that and end up
with poor hits. We have an ethical responsibility to make every effort to
try to get the most humane kill possible.

I’m not sure where it ranks but I’d be willing to bet that range
miscalculation is one of the biggest factors for poorly hit game and sheer
misses when it comes to archery hunting. I freely admit to whiffing at my
first opportunity at a buck with a bow because I didn’t correctly calculate
the range.

HOW TO CALCULATE RANGE

So how do we calculate range? How do we know if that deer is at 22 yards or
29 yards? Not a big difference, but I would have to use different pins. But
have no fear my friend, we only need to calculate 10 yards and the ONLY way
to determine that (without a range finder) is by experience.

Measure out 10 yards in your backyard and then count how many natural steps
it takes you to go that distance. Do this a few times to get a good
average. Now start testing yourself. As you walk down the sidewalk, move
through the hallways at work, mow your lawn, or walk the dog, find an
object you believe it 10 yards away and count how many paces it takes you
to get there. Pretty soon, you will nail down that 10 yard distance. Then
get in the woods and test yourself. Distances seem different when in the
field.

APPLYING OUR PRACTICE IN THE FIELD

Now back to that question about the deer being 22 or 29 yards away. By the
time hunting season rolls around, we are experts at determining how far 10
yards is, right? So find the 10 yard marker in the direction of the deer.
Using that landmark, look beyond and determine the NEXT 10 yard marker, and
so on until your deer falls within your marker. For our example, we only
had to find two markers so we KNOW our deer is at LEAST 20 yards away. Now
it’s a simple calculation to determine if the deer is closer to your second
10 yard marker, closer to your third 10 yard marker, or closer to the exact
midpoint. For us, our deer is not quite midway between our markers and
seems to be a bit closer to the second marker. Yep...about 22 yards.

CONCLUSION

I advocate using your electronic range finder whenever you can to give you
an exact distance. But for those times when things happen too fast or it
just isn’t practical, you are now armed with being able to calculate your
shooting range for a quick and humane shot.

If you would like to discuss this or any other archery topic with me
directly, please feel free to email me at toddlydell@gmail.com.
Check out my instructional archery videos at www.youtube.com/archery64.
AND COMING SOON….www.thinkarchery.com!!!!

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

To be honest…there are a lot of things that frustrate me about hunting in
Pennsylvania.
* Nearly 1.5 million hunters in the woods each fall
* Antler restrictions
* Late starting archery season
* You’re only allowed ONE buck each season
* Anyone can use a crossbow
* Split antlered and antlerless firearm seasons
* Not able to use inline muzzleloaders for early AND late seasons
* Mountain Laurel

However, I will give this commonwealth kudos on a couple things…they don’t
allow Sunday hunting and with some restrictions, they do allow spotting or
shining.

AN AWFUL IDEA

But there’s one thing that has been a source of annoyance to me and many
other Pennsylvania hunters for many years.
Pennsylvania is one of only two states (New York being the other) that
require hunters to display their hunting license information on their back
while hunting. I don’t know who came up with this idea but it is one of the
most ridiculous laws I have ever heard of.

The print is so small that a Game Commission Officer would have to be
within 10 feet of you to read the information without the aid of optics.
The holders you HAVE TO BUY are prone to be wiped off your body if a branch
happens to swipe your back and, because you can’t see it, you have no idea
where or when it fell off. To top it all off, you are charged a fee to get
a replacement!

NEW LEGISLATION

Republican Representative Keith Gillespie (York County) has recently
introduced legislation that would no longer make it a requirement that
hunters display their license information on a back tag. I say it’s about
time!

If you live or hunt in Pennsylvania, call, write, or email your local state
representative to voice your support for this legislation.

CONCLUSION

If you know of any arcane or outdated game laws that are still on the books
in your state, let me know about them by leaving your comments at the end
of this blog.

If you would like to discuss this or any other archery topic with me
directly, please feel free to email me at toddlydell@gmail.com.

And don’t forget to check out my instructional archery videos at
www.youtube.com/archery64.