Pick a spot?

[Brandon M.]

What do you do when there is no spot to pick?

This is my first season back with a stick bow in about 8 years, I've been shooting and prepping like a mad man over the last few months and have been stoked about hunting with a longbow again. Anyways, I spent most of Saturday while sitting in the stand mentally running through my draw/shot cycle and telling myself "pick a spot, shoot the spot, don't just shoot the deer". Well about dark 30 Saturday evening I have 40+ pigs around me, it's hard to pick a spot on a black pig that's pretty much a sillouete. I tried as best as I could to imagine a spot but wanted to see what y'all do in that situation.

PS, I would not have taken that shot on a deer but I'm flinging arrows at a pig since we are over run with them.

[DRT]

Buff told me it's a tough thing to do and he was right. I even have trouble with a light so I'm no help.

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[Buckslayertx]

If you have the money to fling arrows at silo's and know they are pigs. Any spot is a good spot. Deer are a different story. You can't see whether its legal shooting light or not and you are not confident don't shoot. Simple as that.

[jerp]

A lot of shooters visualize a red poker chip or something similar exactly where you want the arrow to go, then visualize your arrow hitting that spot. You can train yourself to do it but it takes some practice.

[Caddo]

Only thing I can tell you is, you have to visualize a spot where you intend on shooting.

Best thing I've found is to use a Hog light, but GW's frown on that when you're deer hunting. YMMV

LD

[SwampRabbit]

Funny you bring it up. Sunday night I was walking back to camp from the stand and long story short, I didn't have my light (because I brought the wrong switch and it was broken) and the hog crossed the road in a shadow and not in the moonlight.

I was peering into the shadow and could make out the outline of the hog, head down, on the edge of the road. I could see the back, I could see the gap between front and back legs. I focused on where the spot should be.

My only indication that I hit it was a squealing angry hog that took off. A bloody arrow confirmed a killing shot... that it didn't break off and pulled through meant I didn't hit any bone... the lack of a good blood trail indicated a shot that was too high...

I am going to be honest... most say to focus on a hair... I guess my vision sucks, because I can't focus on a single hair beyond 7 yards. I focus on the spot that I need to hit and that is usually the armpit.

[Randy Madden]

A lot of shooters visualize a red poker chip or something similar exactly where you want the arrow to go, then visualize your arrow hitting that spot. You can train yourself to do it but it takes some practice.

This ^^^^^
I imagine a small red dot when practicing in the dark.
But I also used to practice a LOT in the dark !! I used to be just as comfortable in low light as I was in daylight. But... I havnt practiced like that in a long time.

[Dry Bones]

Agree with Swamp Rabbit. I try to find the location of the armpit even in lowlight and go for it. However, I will say, I have no issue with just sticking a pig wherever the arrow lands. They are more than a nuisance and I treat them as such. Just my opinion.

[Draco]

I'm an arm pit guy as well. I can almost always see that corner that the leg and chest makes, even in very low light.

[DRT]

I just want a pig to get within range of my trad bow.

[kmon]

I visualize a spot on the silhouette of the hog where I want it to go. Cannot see good enough to see a single hair at 7 yards but can pick out where on a silhouette where I want to put the arrow. For practicing of this I shoot at a blank target no dots or any markings, I do not really think of a poker chip or anything else just where on that black surface I want that arrow to go. When shooting at hogs it is usually right in the pocket location I am concentrating on just picking a tiny area mentally in that black mass.

Then again since on private land now you can have a firearm with you for hogs I usually have a 357 on the hip for hogs. I would rather send a 50 cent bullet than a $15 arrow at hogs. know that is not sticking to archery only but hey it is a hog and I am cheap.

[Bisch]

Another armpit guy here! In low light, I just trust my instinct.

Bisch


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[Texastaxi]

On a pig, in the dark ... middle, middle!

[76aggie]

Any hit on a pig is a good hit. I detest those nasty things.

[ChadMR82]

One of the reasons that made me become a gap shooter.