Anyone else have the problem of being accurate at a certain range and not another?

I can pull my recurve out and shoot 20 or so yards fairly well on my first shot.

Then I can go to 30 and my groups will completely drop. I understand that 30 yards can be a questionable range for instinctive shooting but I can shoot a set or arrows at 30 yards a couple of times and have my groups tighten up.

Whatever range I practice at the most sets me for what im most accurate at.


Can this mean I should just practice more or could it possibly be a tuning issue?

I mostly compound hunt but hunted some last year with my recurve and would like to do it a lot this year.
I would like to say im fairly decent at instinctive shooting but this makes me feel otherwise.

I fought with that for years. I finally quit shooting Trad equipment because I didn't have the time to shoot as much as I had to to keep decent.

What it all boils down to is that you are using something as a reference to aim with. Even if you don't realize it. Whatever you're using isn't working at 30 yards.

IMO, if you want to get good with a stickbow, start aiming with the gap system. Hold the bow vertical and learn how far to hold the point of the arrow below or above the target to get it to hit where you want it to.

^ I disagree, you want to get really good, shoot instinctive and shoot every day, for a long time, limit your hunting shots to 20 yds.

I don't think taking 30 yard shots is a very good idea no matter how good you are.the main reason we hunt with traditional equipment is to get closer to our quarry.I can hit the kill zone pretty much every shot at 25 yards on a deer sized target,but on live animal's I want them inside 20.I shoot instinctive also,but it is very easy to lose focus when a deer gets in range.I would say trust your gut and only take shots you know for sure you can make.

20 yards is my absolute max with a recurve. Even then I'll pass sometimes

The yardage is irrelevant really the question is about transferring distances instinctively. If that's 10 yards or 20

I see what you are saying.just keep practicing at different yardages,only shooting 1 or 2 arrows at each target.I like walking and shooting and not worrying about how close or far the target is.It takes time but it will come without even thinking about it.This is something I am still working on myself,there is some good videos on utube that has been very helpful for me.Just stay at it brother,good luck and have fun with it.

For me personally inside of 25 yards I can get away with a lot. After that my form starts getting real important. I practice out to fifty sometimes,and even though my aim is true, if I have a sloppy release or follow through it really shows. I hunt from the ground so I mostly practice inside of twenty from various positions, and can just point and shoot. Like said before it's it's supposed to be up close and personal.

What type of aiming system do you use? I tell people that I pick a spot and let my brain do the rest, most everyone uses an aiming system wether they believe it or not.

It could be a tuning issue and the best advice I can give you on that is to do bare shaft tuning. This will tell you a lot about the bow setup and your own shooting.

As for shooting the first piece of advice I can give is to shoot with your eyes closed, no I am not crazy, stand 10 feet away from your target, draw your bow and the close your eyes. Concentrate on feeling one aspect of your shooting form, wether it is your bow arm, your release, your grip, whatever, concentrate on that one aspect and practice shooting with your eyes closed. You are using feel to make sure you are not dropping your bow arm, or having a sloppy release or perhaps the cant of your bow is not the same shot after shot. Believe me I have seen more than on archer improve his or her shooting by keeping the cant the same shot after shot.

The second piece of advice is to shoot and move, never shoot more than one arrow from the same spot. I can stand in one spot and stack arrows at 25 yards, the reason, my mind and body become accustomed to the range, keep moving, shoot one arrow at distance A and then move back or forward, shoot another arrow at distance B, for added practice try sitting down or kneeling.

These are just a few things I do to help keep my shooting up to par.

20 is my max. I've watched deer move completely out of the way of my arrow at 30yds. It's amazing. My preferred distance is about 12 to 15 yards when I'm 20 feet above the deer.