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3:12 pm
Member
October 24, 2012
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Just wondering how the rest of you learned/are learning to judge distance……. by 5 or 10 yard increments???
3:36 pm
Sheri,
Good question. We are hoping to get an instructional video posted on here discussing this topic. My personal method is to judge 20 yards and then add in 5 yard increments. I think some people try and get the halfway point and then judge the that and multiply by 2. I am sure there are many more methods. The key to any method is going to be practice and getting use to what yardage looks like from where you are standing.
4:45 pm
Member
October 24, 2012
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I have had my range finder at work today practicing! LOL Maybe it’ll sink in soon!
When judging I use several methods.
1. Where’s 20 yards? If I walked up to 20 how far would I shoot it?
2. Flip 10’s.
3. Find halfway by rocking back and forth, then double.
4. Where’s 30? How far past 30?
5. Does it look ‘X’ yards?
But without practicing by using a range finder on a regular basis, I seem to lose my ability to judge as seen by my last couple scores.
Practice, practice, practice. I have, in the past, went into the woods and spent entire sessions just judging where 27 yards, 35 yards, etc. Find a spot and walk back or forward until I think its that particular yardage that I’m working on for that day. And I use the 5 steps above each time. Guessing gets me in trouble.
Hope this helps.
Peace!!!!
Morgan County Archery Association Member
"Worry only about the things you can change and throw all others to the wayside!"
5:56 pm
Member
Life Member
September 23, 2012
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Keep in mind that the smaller unit, 5 yd vs. 10yds, if not accurate will put more error in your total. For example, if what you thought was 5yds but really 7yd increments to the target, you will be 10 yards off at 25yds. Half that if you did 10yd increments.
Mark Proctor
Past BHA President 2011-2015
Lifemember #63
9:30 pm
Member
Life Member
October 24, 2012
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I suppose to be honest, I started judging in increments of 10yds. But, after years of that method, I found that identifying where 20 yards was when I walked up to the target, then judging how far past 20 the target was. But, as has already been mentioned, practice, practice, practice. It’s like riding a bicycle, once you get it, you never forget it! What I’ve been working on in more recent years, is trusting my “gut”! Basically, that’s walking up to the stake, and looking straight at the target. All those years of judging distance have become automatic! Thus, the first thought that pops in your mind will, 9 times out of 10 be your most accurate estimation. My problem continues to be in the fact that my mind talks me out of my “gut”! Ugh!
Kevin Ivey
President
Marshall County Bowhunters
Life Member #133
9:21 am
Member
October 24, 2012
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Thank you ALL for your suggestions. Mark, your absolutely right about the 5 yard increments. I have not even thought of that, and believe me, the way my arrow drops between 20 and 25 yards, that is DEFINITELY something I need to consider! : )
10:07 am
You can be just as wrong judging 10 yards as you can judging 5 yards. It’s all relative. The key is to practice judging. 5 yards(or 10 yards) does not look the same at your feet as it does 30 yards out. You have to know what that looks like. Put some kind of marker(flag, cone, etc.) in 5 yard increments out to 30 or 40 yards. and see what it looks like.
11:41 am
Member
October 24, 2012
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I have a feeling my backyard is fix’n to get spray painted up! Thanks Kenny.
12:13 pm
Sheri Thames said
I have a feeling my backyard is fix’n to get spray painted up! Thanks Kenny.
Ha! I didn’t recommend spray paint. 
9:04 am
Life Member
October 30, 2012
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Get your rangefinder and walk through open woods. Judge a tree and then range it. You need to do this on sunny days and cloudy days. It will look different in low light. I guess I pick out my 20 and then go from there. Of course, anyone that has seen me shoot knows that I am not the best! LOL Love my rangefinder during hunting season.
I have read where the pros spend much more time walking around and judging than they do shooting.
11:38 am
Member
February 21, 2013
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This worked for me and now I don’t miss very many 10 rings. I have a 40 yard area in my back yard with a 3D target set up at the end. I have marker just like in the shoots set at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 yards I will shoot from them all. This will give you a reference point on the ground when you are shooting to judge the distance. Remember the farther away you are and if the ground is not level this can affect the distance by 5 to 10 yards or if you place a log 5 yards in front of the target it will look shorter than it is. Try it after a while I found myself getting within 3 to 4 yards of the correct distance.
I used some plastic golf balls and spray painted them.
Mathews Chill, Gold Tip - Pro Hunter - XXX, QAD, True Fire, Bohning, B Stinger......
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