Long Range Crossbow Hunting - 5
CRITIQUE 2: ACCURACY AND KNOCK-DOWN POWER LIMITATIONS: Critics have suggested that it is unethical to shoot anything with a bow (crossbow included), beyond 50 yards. The argument is that beyond 50 yards the kinetic energy and accuracy diminishes too much, making any shot beyond this distance an unethical choice. But archery technology has come a long way since hunters first found a strong stick, bent it, tied a string to it and began catapulting arrows from the first recurve bow. The PSE TAC 15 is a fine example of the most advanced and efficient archery technology on the market today. As demonstrated above, the speed, knock-down power, and accuracy are sufficient to make a successful harvest out to 100 yards, and probably further. As mentioned earlier, I've practiced all the way out to 130 yards with the PSE TAC 15. But I'm not yet comfortable enough to take a shot in the field at 130 yards. My accuracy diminishes substantially as I move further out from 100 to 130 yards.
This picture is an example of my accuracy with the PSE TAC 15 at 130 yards. The black rings on the target are roughly ten inches in diameter. For me this group pattern is not enough to be considered "accurate". For another hunter who was practicing before me on the same target from 50 yards with his vertical compound bow, he would definitely consider this grouping pattern "accurate" considering he couldn't even hit the entire paper target at 50 yards. At 100 yards, I'm able to consistently produce tighter patterns inside and just around the white bull's-eye. I believe, however, that when the PSE TAC 15 is tuned and set up correctly, and with the proper practice, there is potential to hit targets "accurately" even at 130 yards and beyond.
This past year I've attempted to perform some routine maintenance on my PSE TAC 15 that I've assessed may be affecting the performance and accuracy of my crossbow. I've re-strung the crossbow and changed out the front whisker-biscuit rest. After spending a great deal of time at the range and in the field, these two originally-issued items were worn down enough that my accuracy was diminishing. But when I replaced the crossbow string, I'm not sure that I had the string and front rest lined up right. The arrow (bolt) may be flying crooked due to a slight misalignment of the cable-release on the string and the front whisker-biscuit rest. I've thought about replacing the whisker-biscuit with a drop away rest to improve accuracy. Also, if I want to shoot further, I'll need a different scope. Currently I'm maxed-out with the ballistic reticle and target-turret elevation settings on the Zeiss Diavari to shoot further than 130 yards. But in the end, I may have found the maximum efficiency of my crossbow and skill set anyway. Or it may merely be that an arrow in flight can only produce a certain degree of stability for a limited distance before accuracy is degraded, and 130 yards may be the limit.
CRITIQUE 3: DEER CAN DODGE AN ARROW AT LONG DISTANCES: Critics have suggested that when shooting at a deer at long distances, the deer will hear or even see the arrow approaching, and will have time to flinch and dodge the arrow. This may be a valuable critique. This past year I've put this theory to the test. I took a video camera to the target range to observe the sound and sight signature at various distances. Initial testing, as demonstrated on the video associated with this article, found that the sound signature at 130 is minimal. The deer would seemingly not have enough time to react as the arrow approaches impact. Check out the video. The sound of the bow is barely audible, not enough to startle a deer at 130 yards. The sound of the arrow as it approaches impact is potentially more alarming, but it still doesn't give the deer enough time to react. Average human reaction time is between 0.15 and 0.30 seconds. Take another look at the video, observing sound.
PSE TAC 15 LONG RANGE (130 yards) TARGET PRACTICE
Editor's Note - The PSE instructions for the TAC 15 say that the arrow should be nocked prior to cocking the crossbow.
As demonstrated in a real-time experience, neither deer (buck 1 or 2 case samples, above) reacted until after impact. Whether shooting close range or long range, the moment you choose to shoot is critical. You gain a couple tenths of a second if the deer is in a relaxed as opposed to heightened state of awareness or alertness. Therefore the error margin is lowered if the deer is in a relaxed state.
But I do have one self-criticism that I'm still working on. As mentioned previously, this year I've added illuminated arrow nocks to my setup. While seeing an illuminated arrow in flight will help me (as the shooter) determine the point of impact in the field, it may also give the animal an advantage. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. And it may be that an animal may be able to see the illuminated arrow nock and react much quicker. This theory has not been tested. If the illuminated nocks are found to bring a disadvantage in a real-world situation, I'll re-assess if using them is worth the risk.
CRITIQUE 4: EQUIPMENT, SCOPE (SFP VS FFP) CRITICS: The Zeiss Conquest and Victory Diavari scopes that I've used on the PSE TAC 15 crossbow have a reticle in the Second Focal Plane (SFP), essentially meaning that as you change the zoom magnification (i.e. from 6x through 24x power) the point-of-impact will change - even though the size of the reticle remains the same. This limits any weapons system to one magnification setting. Critics might claim that using a scope with a First Focal Plane (FFP) would solve the problem of the changing point-of-impact through the various zoom magnification settings; since the reticle changes with various zoon magnifications. While true, most ballistic reticles on FFP scopes are setup for rifle ammunition (e.g. 223, 308, etc.) and will not match up to the ballistic drop of a PSE TAC 15 crossbow, especially with ballistic lines useful out to 100 yards for the TAC 15. This doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't an FFP scope on the market with a ballistic reticle that matches the PSE TAC 15 crossbow, I just don't have the unlimited resources to purchase multiple FFP scopes and test them on the range to see if they meet the requirement. That is the benefit of a SFP model of the Zeiss Conquest or Victory Diavari with the Rapid Z 1000 reticle; it can be fine-tuned for a wide variety of ballistics. You just have to find the ballistic sweet spot for your setup and stick with that zoom magnification.
STEP 6: IMPROVEMENT: Each year that hunting season approaches I strive to grow both as a hunter (field tradecraft) and as a marksman (distance, accuracy). Upon conclusion of each hunting season I conduct a self-assessment to determine what went right and what went wrong: hide/stand location, animal behavior, shot placement, equipment efficiency, physical strengths and weaknesses. I then use the lessons-learned to develop and refine methodology to become more successful. Each year brings new challenges which ultimately turn into new goals or objectives. For example, on the first day of the 2013 archery season (early September) I encountered the following mature bucks: One was an eight point with G2's longer than ten inches. The other was a ten point with significant mass. They entered the soybean field in the evening to feed, approximately 160 yards from where I was located.
At 160 yards they were just out of range of for my current skill-set and exceeded the capability of my equipment. But who knows, maybe next year an encounter such as this will be within reach and serve as a success story of what can be accomplished with the right equipment and the right training. Perhaps a worthy goal to honor those that have come before us, who've helped develop our equipment, pass on knowledge, and inspire our abilities to what we've come to enjoy today. So when the forces of nature all come together and offer a unique opportunity, you stand poised, fully capable and ready to meet the challenges that the wilderness presents.
Stay tuned for my next article, which discusses an encounter with the biggest whitetail buck that I've encountered in the wild, how buck fever caused me to neglect my training and make nearly every mistake possible, and ultimately may have cost me a harvest of a lifetime. I'll have the step-by-step video breakdown.
This picture is an example of my accuracy with the PSE TAC 15 at 130 yards. The black rings on the target are roughly ten inches in diameter. For me this group pattern is not enough to be considered "accurate". For another hunter who was practicing before me on the same target from 50 yards with his vertical compound bow, he would definitely consider this grouping pattern "accurate" considering he couldn't even hit the entire paper target at 50 yards. At 100 yards, I'm able to consistently produce tighter patterns inside and just around the white bull's-eye. I believe, however, that when the PSE TAC 15 is tuned and set up correctly, and with the proper practice, there is potential to hit targets "accurately" even at 130 yards and beyond.
This past year I've attempted to perform some routine maintenance on my PSE TAC 15 that I've assessed may be affecting the performance and accuracy of my crossbow. I've re-strung the crossbow and changed out the front whisker-biscuit rest. After spending a great deal of time at the range and in the field, these two originally-issued items were worn down enough that my accuracy was diminishing. But when I replaced the crossbow string, I'm not sure that I had the string and front rest lined up right. The arrow (bolt) may be flying crooked due to a slight misalignment of the cable-release on the string and the front whisker-biscuit rest. I've thought about replacing the whisker-biscuit with a drop away rest to improve accuracy. Also, if I want to shoot further, I'll need a different scope. Currently I'm maxed-out with the ballistic reticle and target-turret elevation settings on the Zeiss Diavari to shoot further than 130 yards. But in the end, I may have found the maximum efficiency of my crossbow and skill set anyway. Or it may merely be that an arrow in flight can only produce a certain degree of stability for a limited distance before accuracy is degraded, and 130 yards may be the limit.
CRITIQUE 3: DEER CAN DODGE AN ARROW AT LONG DISTANCES: Critics have suggested that when shooting at a deer at long distances, the deer will hear or even see the arrow approaching, and will have time to flinch and dodge the arrow. This may be a valuable critique. This past year I've put this theory to the test. I took a video camera to the target range to observe the sound and sight signature at various distances. Initial testing, as demonstrated on the video associated with this article, found that the sound signature at 130 is minimal. The deer would seemingly not have enough time to react as the arrow approaches impact. Check out the video. The sound of the bow is barely audible, not enough to startle a deer at 130 yards. The sound of the arrow as it approaches impact is potentially more alarming, but it still doesn't give the deer enough time to react. Average human reaction time is between 0.15 and 0.30 seconds. Take another look at the video, observing sound.
PSE TAC 15 LONG RANGE (130 yards) TARGET PRACTICE
Editor's Note - The PSE instructions for the TAC 15 say that the arrow should be nocked prior to cocking the crossbow.
As demonstrated in a real-time experience, neither deer (buck 1 or 2 case samples, above) reacted until after impact. Whether shooting close range or long range, the moment you choose to shoot is critical. You gain a couple tenths of a second if the deer is in a relaxed as opposed to heightened state of awareness or alertness. Therefore the error margin is lowered if the deer is in a relaxed state.
But I do have one self-criticism that I'm still working on. As mentioned previously, this year I've added illuminated arrow nocks to my setup. While seeing an illuminated arrow in flight will help me (as the shooter) determine the point of impact in the field, it may also give the animal an advantage. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. And it may be that an animal may be able to see the illuminated arrow nock and react much quicker. This theory has not been tested. If the illuminated nocks are found to bring a disadvantage in a real-world situation, I'll re-assess if using them is worth the risk.
CRITIQUE 4: EQUIPMENT, SCOPE (SFP VS FFP) CRITICS: The Zeiss Conquest and Victory Diavari scopes that I've used on the PSE TAC 15 crossbow have a reticle in the Second Focal Plane (SFP), essentially meaning that as you change the zoom magnification (i.e. from 6x through 24x power) the point-of-impact will change - even though the size of the reticle remains the same. This limits any weapons system to one magnification setting. Critics might claim that using a scope with a First Focal Plane (FFP) would solve the problem of the changing point-of-impact through the various zoom magnification settings; since the reticle changes with various zoon magnifications. While true, most ballistic reticles on FFP scopes are setup for rifle ammunition (e.g. 223, 308, etc.) and will not match up to the ballistic drop of a PSE TAC 15 crossbow, especially with ballistic lines useful out to 100 yards for the TAC 15. This doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't an FFP scope on the market with a ballistic reticle that matches the PSE TAC 15 crossbow, I just don't have the unlimited resources to purchase multiple FFP scopes and test them on the range to see if they meet the requirement. That is the benefit of a SFP model of the Zeiss Conquest or Victory Diavari with the Rapid Z 1000 reticle; it can be fine-tuned for a wide variety of ballistics. You just have to find the ballistic sweet spot for your setup and stick with that zoom magnification.
STEP 6: IMPROVEMENT: Each year that hunting season approaches I strive to grow both as a hunter (field tradecraft) and as a marksman (distance, accuracy). Upon conclusion of each hunting season I conduct a self-assessment to determine what went right and what went wrong: hide/stand location, animal behavior, shot placement, equipment efficiency, physical strengths and weaknesses. I then use the lessons-learned to develop and refine methodology to become more successful. Each year brings new challenges which ultimately turn into new goals or objectives. For example, on the first day of the 2013 archery season (early September) I encountered the following mature bucks: One was an eight point with G2's longer than ten inches. The other was a ten point with significant mass. They entered the soybean field in the evening to feed, approximately 160 yards from where I was located.
At 160 yards they were just out of range of for my current skill-set and exceeded the capability of my equipment. But who knows, maybe next year an encounter such as this will be within reach and serve as a success story of what can be accomplished with the right equipment and the right training. Perhaps a worthy goal to honor those that have come before us, who've helped develop our equipment, pass on knowledge, and inspire our abilities to what we've come to enjoy today. So when the forces of nature all come together and offer a unique opportunity, you stand poised, fully capable and ready to meet the challenges that the wilderness presents.
Stay tuned for my next article, which discusses an encounter with the biggest whitetail buck that I've encountered in the wild, how buck fever caused me to neglect my training and make nearly every mistake possible, and ultimately may have cost me a harvest of a lifetime. I'll have the step-by-step video breakdown.
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