How far do you reckon?

Judging distance is one of those things that looks easy… until you’re standing at the peg wondering whether that target is 32 metres or 42. The good news is that distance judging is a skill – and like any skill, you can get better at it. The trick is simple: guess the distance, check the actual distance, and learn from how close (or wildly wrong!) you were. Do that often enough and you’ll start building a mental picture of what different distances actually look like.

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Learn What Distances Look Like

This is probably the best place to start.

Set up targets at known distances – or even better, get a mate to place them without telling you how far away they are.

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Before reaching for the rangefinder:

1. Have a proper look at the target.

2. Decide on a distance.

3. Commit to it – no changing your mind!

4. Range the target.

5. See how close you were.

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Do this again and again at the sort of distances you’re likely to shoot. It’s also worth keeping a note of your guesses. You may quickly discover a pattern. Perhaps you nearly always add a few metres to uphill shots, or targets in deep shade always fool you into thinking they’re further away. Once you know what catches you out, you can start doing something about it.

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Build a Mental Library

Spend some time looking at targets at set distances:

10 m → 15 m → 20 m → 25 m → 30 m → 35 m → 40 m → 45 m

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Don’t just shoot them. Actually stop and look at them.

How big does the animal appear? How much detail can you see? What does the gap between you and the target look like? You’re trying to give your brain a collection of familiar pictures. Eventually you’ll arrive at a peg, look at the target and think: “That looks like 30 metres.” And quite often, you won’t be far off.

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Use the Target

One of the advantages of 3D is that the target itself can give you clues. If you regularly shoot the same makes or types of 3D animals, start learning what they look like at different distances.

How big does that deer look at 20 metres? What about at 30? And 40?

The more familiar you become with the targets, the more useful their apparent size becomes when judging distance. Just remember that target size can also catch you out. A particularly large animal can look closer than it really is, while a small target can make you think it’s further away.

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Watch the Terrain

This is where things get interesting. You might be brilliant at judging distance on a flat practice field, then walk into the woods and suddenly wonder where your ability has gone. Terrain, light and surroundings can completely change how far away something appears.

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Practise judging targets:

• Uphill

• Downhill

• In open ground

• In woodland

• In bright sunlight

• In deep shade

• Down narrow shooting lanes

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You’ll start to learn which situations fool your eyes.

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Don’t Trust Your Eyes!

There are a few classic traps worth knowing about.

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Targets can look further away when:

• They’re in deep shade

• They have a dark background

• You’re shooting uphill

• There’s lots of open ground between you and the target

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Targets can look closer when:

• You’re shooting downhill

• The background is bright

• The target is particularly large

• Vegetation breaks up the space between you and the target

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You don’t necessarily need to make some clever calculation every time you see one of these situations.

Just knowing “this type of shot usually fools me” can stop you automatically trusting your first impression.

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Stop Trying to Guess the Exact Distance

Sometimes asking yourself: “How far is that?” is actually making things harder.

Try narrowing it down instead. “It’s definitely more than 25 metres.” Then: “But I don't think it's 40.”

So now you’ve got 25–40. Keep narrowing it: “Is it closer to 30 or 35?”

That process of eliminating distances can be much easier than trying to pull an exact number out of thin air.

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You Don't Even Need Your Bow

Distance judging practice doesn’t always have to involve shooting.

Go for a walk with a rangefinder and pick random objects:

A tree.

A gate.

A sign.

A bench.

Guess the distance first, then range it. You can make dozens of distance judgements in a fairly short walk. The important bit is always guess before you range it. Otherwise you're just getting very good at pressing the button on a rangefinder.

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Know Where Getting It Wrong Matters

Not every distance error costs you the same amount.

With a compound bow in particular, getting a shorter target wrong by a couple of metres might make very little difference.

Get a longer target wrong by five metres and it can be a completely different story.

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Spend some time shooting at:

20 m – 25 m – 30 m – 35 m – 40 m – 45 m

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Then deliberately use a sight mark that's a couple of metres out. See what actually happens.

You'll soon discover the distances where you can afford to be slightly wrong – and the distances where you really need to nail it. Those are the distances worth spending extra time practising.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​Learn What Your Maximum Distance Looks Like

This one is easily overlooked.

If the furthest target you’re likely to face is 45 metres, get really good at recognising 45 metres. Put a target at exactly 45 m and spend time looking at it. Once you've got a solid mental picture of your maximum distance, it gives you a useful reference point for everything else. You might look at a target and think: “That's definitely not 45.” Then: “It's a bit closer than 40.” Suddenly, 37–38 metres feels like a much more confident call.

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Try This Drill

Get someone to place 10–20 targets at random distances.

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For each one:

1. Stand at the peg.

2. Judge the distance.

3. Write your answer down.

4. Range it.

5. Record how far out you were.

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Don't worry too much about whether you were right or wrong. What you're really looking for are patterns. Do you normally guess long? Do you guess short? Are you great up to 30 metres but struggle beyond 35? Does woodland completely mess with your judgement? Finding those patterns tells you what you actually need to practise.

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15 Minutes Is Plenty

You don't need hours of training to improve.

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If you've only got 15 minutes:

1. Find 10 random objects or targets.

2. Guess the distance to each one.

3. Check it with a rangefinder.

4. Make a note of how close you were.

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That's it.

Do it regularly and you'll gradually start noticing something interesting: You stop calculating quite so much and start recognising distances instead. And that's really what you're aiming for. You want to arrive at the peg, look at the target and have your brain quietly say: “Yeah… that's about 32 metres.” Then all you've got to do is make the shot.

 

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