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Modern compound bows are making shots of over 100 yards not only a reality, but something of a regularity. I’m not really into compound bows, but I wanted to see if I could shoot at those super long ranges with my recurve.
Shooting heavier arrows at significantly slower speeds than most modern compounds produce, I knew I would have to hold way over the target, but I wasn’t sure how far. To further complicate things, I don’t use sights, so it would have to be totally instinctive.
I started off by holding about 15 feet above the target, but my arrows were falling 15 yards short. By the time I got it close to figured out, I was holding nearly 30 feet above the back of the target! It’s pretty amazing how dramatically arrows start to drop off at that range. Adding to the challenge of shooting with a recurve, there is no let-off and no help from a mechanical release.
These factors make it extremely difficult to maintain consistency in release to allow for an ethical hunting shot, but it’s a lot of fun to try in a controlled environment (like my the backyard), and I actually managed to hit the target with one shot out of about 20!