Aim Small, Miss Small, Archery Myth #Seven.
Aim big, miss small!
Most of us will have just one target face that we practice on at all distances. It is used, from 20 to 40 to 60 yards and beyond.
This is frequently the case when using a commercial foam broadhead target. Preprinted, the only options are what already is there. There is a slight disadvantage with the ones which use a fluoro green paint for the target circles. Most top sights pins and single pin sights are green so they can blend with the target making it difficult to line up on the spot.
As you move further away from your target the size of the aiming spot shrinks. You sight pins however stay the same size but the pin/spot ratio changes with distance. At close range the pin sits easily inside the spot, at longer ranges it can completely cover the spot.
For most of us the ratio between the sight pin and target size relates to how comfortable the aiming and shot execution. Essentially the bigger the target the easier it is to focus on shooting the bow. With the smaller dot the focus can move from the shot process to the result and the associated emotions associated with hitting the target.
A small aiming point can do your head in. The conscious mind wants you to hit the spot but if your sight pin is bigger than the spot then the brain becomes conflicted. You want to hit the spot, so you put your pin on it. When the pin is on it you have covered it so now cannot see it. You move the pin to see it then cover it again with the pin. This cycle repeats and usually it does not end well.
A good analogy is if you were to walk along 100mm wide steel beam laying on the ground, you will find it isn’t particularly stressful. You would walk the length of the beam at walking pace.
If the beam was suspended a metre above the ground, like the beam, your stress level will be elevated. You would be anxious. Instead of just walking along the beam your focus will be on not falling off it, your personal safety. This would see you take longer to cross the length of the beam.
If the beam was continually raised vertically there will be a point, a height, where you will not attempt to cross it.
How this relates to your shooting is if you are uncomfortable with pin to target ratio you become more involved with trying to create a sight picture your subconscious is comfortable with rather than focus on shooting the bow.
Having target faces of varying sizes allows you to maintain a pin/target ratio that you are comfortable with as the distance increases. Field archery rounds have larger targets as the distance from the shooter increases. Bowhunters do not have this luxury.
For a bowhunter they need to be comfortable with how their sight picture looks on an animal.
Our big game species have evolved to blend into their environment. As such they tend to be mono-coloured so there is no easily discernable aiming dot.
Because of this, on animals I will “frame/triangulate” the shot rather than try to focus on a spot. This I find quicker and more accurate.
When lining up on a “blob” just with a sight pin there is a tendency to drift towards the middle of it which is not where you want to be.
The aiming point on a blob can be quickly determined on the horizontal plane by having more of the blob above your sight pin than below. The vertical plane is done by dividing the blob into fifths from the chest to the rump. Do your best to line your pin between the first and second fifths. This will put you in the right place for a side-on shot.
A 3D target is a great tool for the bowhunter to have as this is the most effective way to practice this. A 2D animal target is a great alternative if a 3D target is not available.
Place a mark on the spot you want to hit then see how the pin sits on the target horizontally and vertically.
A Post-It size piece of paper is a good place to start. Place it onto the centre of the kill area. Now you have a definite spot to focus on. Now, place your sight pin onto the paper to see how the triangulation looks at different ranges. I use 20, 30, 40 and 50.
You should notice how much of the target is above the pin compared to the amount underneath it.
What I become aware of is the distance from the sight pin to the front of the chest.
This helps me keep my sight pin on the spot I want to hit even though the sight pin is covering that spot.
Remove the paper and do some shooting at the target. You should find you are easily able to triangulate your sight picture by using the sight pin as a reference. This will greatly assist you when hunting.
