The Long of Short shots

[WyoXbow]

Long distance shooting is not always the goal but sometimes the savior. In Wyoming, I have taught crossbow-shooting techniques for over 25 years. I start a new hunter out at 10 yards, and gradually work out to 30 yards over a few weeks. In the first few weeks the hunter needs to become accustomed to all the quirks related to a crossbow, here are a few we work on.
1. Stature- when cocking the crossbow a person who is right handed I recommend using the left foot for the stirrup. A cross body pull allows the shooter to retain better balance. If a person is left handed, just the opposite.
2. Cocking – many hunters start out strong-arming. Meaning they tend to pull more with one arm. You need to learn to pull equal with both arms so you do not pull the string to one side or the other. Strong-arming and pulling the string off center can make you shoot off as much as a 3-6 inches at 30 yards. If a person cannot learn to do this, I recommend using a cocking aid.
3. Canting – Hold the bow level. Canting can cost you as much as 3-6 inch miss at 30 yards also.
4. Learn to hold the crossbow tight to the shoulder. The crossbow has reverse recoil. By this, I mean when you pull the trigger the forward movement of the limbs pulls the bow forward away from your shoulder. If you do not hold the bow tight against your shoulder, it will tend to drop forward and down before the arrow has completely left the bow. This can mean a badly placed shot on an animal.
5. Trigger pull - A smooth direct pull is necessary. It seems like I have more trouble with this on anyone shooting magnum caliber rifles.
6. Follow through - When learning trigger pull, learn to not lift your head. Do not lift your head to see where you hit; this also will cause a bad shot. Watch the arrows flight through the sights all the way to the target.
Learning these few basics will greatly help you ready you for what come next, learning to shoot out to 60 yards.
All modern Crossbows possess the ability to shoot out to these ranges.
Higher quality crossbows like Excalibur and TenPoint offer the hunter this choice.
However, I do recommend a person shoot only what they feel is their maximum effective range, whether it is 20, 30, 40 or 60 yards. Each person learns this after practicing for a period. Before hunting, practice with broadheads, not just target points, whatever distance you plan to hunt.
Spin-tune your arrows to your broadheads. As much as a few hundred thousands off can cost you a 3-4” missed target at 60 yards. By changing a broadhead from arrow to arrow to find the least amount of wobble at the tip, you will improve the odds of making a good shot at longer distances.

The point of this writing is, in January 1991, I had to make a second shot, 70 yards, on then the new world record American Bison taken with a crossbow. My first shot was 30 yards, a perfect double lung shot with a 1-1/4” Broadhead hole in one side and out the other. The temperature was 20 below zero. At these cold temperatures, this animal’s body metabolism slows that much as a bear. After 30 minutes of watching, the animal still standing and moving around I decided to make a second shot. I tried to get to within 40 yards. I soon found that this largest animal on the North American Continent standing almost 7’ at the shoulders looks like a freight train coming at you when charging. I was lucky he turned at about 20 yards. I practice at long yardages all the time. This practice gave me to the ability to make a clean second kill shot at 70 yards, just 2 inches from the first.
Anything can go wrong weather it be a twig or a sudden gust of wind at closer distances. You may not be able to get that close to an all-ready alert animal to make a second shot. Ninety-five percent of the animals I have been taken with a crossbow have been 30 yards and under.
Good Hunting,
Dale

[BUCKSHOT]

That is a good summary of advice and watchouts for all crossbow folks!
Congrats on the Freight Train! Any pics?

[WyoXbow]

This is a picture of the old boy.
http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o203 ... 011991.jpg
Later,
Dale

[sumner4991]

WyoXbow . . .very good.

[PRB]

Thanks for the help and the picture.

[groundpounder]

Good info, good story, GREAT PICTURE!

[BUCKSHOT]

Way to go Dale!
Very nice looking animal and well placed shots!
Do you need two freezers when you get something that big?

Just thought I would attach the pic for you!

Well done!

A couple of questions for you as well!
Is that a paid hunt to go for a Bison, or can you hunt them in Wyoming?
Also, were you just a little nervous when he came at ya'?
I hope you had some help hauling him to the meat pole!

[Matthias72]

I agree with WyoXbow,
shooting in distance more than 50 yards it is possible, but it needs a lot of attenctions; this year I took a fallow deer at 60 yards distance, but when the distance becames more than 55-60 yards the attentions to your equipment and your shooting technique must became always larger with the distance increment:

1. Shooting position: you must shoot always supporting your crossbow (hunting bag, bipod for example) with a good scope.

2. Hunting arrows: you must spend a LOT OF TIME making and testing special arrows, engineered to have great precision on long shooting distance. "Normal" commercial arrows and broadheads works well but until 50-60 yards distance.

3. Experience: You must shoot in training at 70-110 yards distance. Your training target must be a 3" spot. All your arrows must to be inside this circle. You must to use a shooting inclinometer to calculate the shooting slope and you must know trajectory tables: for example at 70 yards with 20° angle and 336 fps of speed, your arrow goes +6" respect aim point.
You must "feel" the wind intensity and direction to calculate the drift.

4. The animal: Deers, Fallow deers and some other kind of animal normally does the string jumping. Until 50-60 yards and a very fast arrow you can calculate it, shooting a little under your normal aim point, but that is a limit. In future I'll prefere for this kind of animal, to put at 40-50 yards my maximum shooting distance. In case of other kind of animals, Wild boars, Big Elks or others, my actual max shooting distance is 77 yards.
Shooting in very long distance is an art, and it needs a lot technic/ballistic/hunting experience; but when, after all this job, you see your arrow disappearing inside the animal shoulder..oh guy...what incredible sensation!

[Deanmac]

Good information, thanks,

[WyoXbow]

BuckShot,
Yes, I paid for the hunt, I sold the meat to pay for the hunt. I mounted the head and it hangs in my trophy room.
I believe Montana is the only state offering a controlled wild hunt now-a-days.
Dale

[WyoXbow]

Matthias72
I agree, I do not make any shots over 30 yards without using a range finder. I am very bad at judging distance, and my rule of thumb is, if I did not have time to use my range finder, chances are I did not have time for a clean shot anyway.
For those thinking of useing a bipod or a solid shooting rest at any distance, remember the crossbows forward limb movement tends to make the front of the bow bounce. Make sure you hold it down to eliminate this problem.
Later,
Dale

[Todd the archer]

WyoXbow good post. Just one thing I don't agree on and that is the reverse recoil thing. Actually what happens is while the limbs are going foward pushing the arrow forward the bow is being pushed backwards and when the foward momentum is stopped by the string returning to brace it bumps the bow forward. I remember seeing this on old hi speed pictures of a bow being shot.

Todd