By Alan Murdock, AmmoLand Youtube Reporter
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- I love to shoot. Anything I can do to explore the accuracy and timing of an object that leaves the hand of a human to hit a target, I’m in.
I’ll shoot guns, arrows, hoops – hell, I’ll pick up a pea shooter if you’d like to have a contest.
As a youth, I set up an archery range in the backyard – basically a soft backer to catch the arrows with a circular target on it. The parents authorized the old garage as a backstop, set back from the house, and also made of a soft material that would stop arrows as a suitable backer for our target. We’d shoot with our 30-pound recurve bows until our young arms were ready to drop.
The practice was good for developing discipline and accuracy, and I still shoot a recurve, albeit now a PSE Coyote with a much sturdier draw, but to prepare for hunting season such a simple setup doesn’t do it anymore.
Shooting at circular targets can tighten the archer’s group, but it doesn’t give the sense of how the arrow will impact the animal. Even with anatomical 2D targets, if you are shooting on a 3/4 angle, for example, you won’t have a sense of how the arrow will react upon impact.
3D archery ranges give a much better sense to the hunter of how their arrows will respond. For example, if you are 3/4 to the rear of your perfect trophy bull elk or deer, where do you need to aim for your arrow to go through both lungs and have a chance at hitting the heart?
A 3D target will tell you. You’ll be able to see the point of impact and where the arrow will leave the animal.
About Alan Murdock
Alan Murdock is a lifelong shooting enthusiast. From youth, he has shot firearms and archery. Today he is a certified NRA basic pistol instructor and Utah Concealed Firearms instructor. His blog on shooting and personal defense can be found at www.alanmurdock.wordpress.com