As folks are getting ready for the upcoming archery season, there is always a list of things to do. From checking equipment, breaking in those new boots, practicing shooting, to hanging stands and checking trail cameras, there is one thing that often gets overlooked until it’s too late and that is judging distances.

There is no worse feeling than having a buck in front of you, you draw back and go through your mental list, only to have it dawn on you that you do not know the distance to your target. At that point it’s too late to let off and dig out your range finder and get distance. Then there is the situation where you have ranged your target and by the time you draw back, the deer has move farther away.

Understanding on how to properly judge distance in your head will make or break a clean kill.

Several seasons ago I was hunting a new piece of property. In fact, it was opening day. I had done my homework and hung stands accordingly. It wasn’t long into the evening that I started to see deer. At first it was a couple does across the field that I was over.looking. In the next hour I had everything from yearling bucks to a nice 2-year-old come out. As the sun was dipping from the horizon and camera light was fading, I picked up movement to my left. While all the action I had was to my right, I wasn’t paying any attention to my right, of course. Within a matter of seconds, the body of a deer that I could only see through the heavily leafed trees turned into a 3-year-old 10-pointer.

To make a long story, by the time I got the camera on him, picked up my bow and drew back, I totally misjudged the distance and under shot him. I had done everything correct, except knowing the distance to my target.

Since that day I have made it my lifelong mission to learn how to accurately judge distance. From capitalizing on today’s technologically advanced laser range finding devices to using topographic characteristics to assisting in calculating distance, and understanding the influences of terrain, it is an ongoing practice in my world. Regardless of whether you’re an archer or a rifleman, here are a few considerations that might help you as you learn to accurately judge distances.

Today’s technology is a saving grace for hunters. Many of us won’t leave home without our laser rangefinder. Portable and easy to use, we simply identify our target, adjust the setting, point, hit the button and, voila! … distance is displayed on the screen. With yardage confirmed, all that remains is the shot itself.

When I began bowhunting more than 30 years ago rangefinders were a thing of the future. Today, thanks to innovation, laser rangefinders are readily available and relatively affordable. In fact, today there is really no reason not to use a rangefinder. Many manufacturers have their own versions and literally dozens of models on the market at every price range. Do your research before you lay down your hard-earned money and get the unit that is best for you.

For most of us, learning to judge distance takes considerable practice. Only by doing it a lot, and under variable conditions, can we become competent at it. Shooting is a lot like golf. Understanding how your bow or gun works trajectory, ballistics and interpreting the size of the target animal relative to the terrain can only be learned through firsthand repetitive experience. So how do we get all this supposed experience when we can only take a finite number of animals each year? The answer lies in visiting the gun or archery range.

For bowhunters, nothing beats practice on the 3D course. Today’s 3D targets, like those made by MacKenzie, are very lifelike and offer as realistic practice as you’re likely to get anywhere. Most are made to scale and can be strategically placed in any range situation to simulate realistic hunting scenarios. Many local 3D courses offer everything from coyote targets to whitetailed deer, mountain goat, elk, moose, wild hog, turkey and more. Some are set at long distances over 60 yards through wide-open clearings while others are placed in the trees, often with very small shooting windows at closer distances like 20 or 30 yards. Most 3D ranges have a good assortment of field scenarios to allow practicing archers to hone their skills.

Likewise, rifle and muzzleloader hunters should visit the range regularly to hone shooting skills. Unfortunately, due to the expansive nature of bullets, today’s 3D targets aren’t an option. Alternatively, silhouettes are. Most rifle ranges offer variable range distances from 100 to 400 yards. At my club our furthest distance is 600 yards. Unless you’re really into the long-range thing 400 yards is a stretch for most big-game hunters. By shooting repeatedly at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards, we grow accustomed to what those distances look and feel like. By taking note of the size of target in our scope at specified magnifications we can also learn to estimate distances. For example, at 10x zoom I know that a deer will fill a certain percentage of the field of view. By acknowledging how much of the animal is in the field of view, I can guess the approximate yardage with relative accuracy. Likewise, at 200 and 300 yards, that deer will appear smaller respectively.

Whether we’re hunting remote regions or in farmland, things like trees, rocks, fence posts, and power poles can be used to aid in judging distances. As an archer I’ve learned to make a mental note of things like trees, shrubs, rocks or other physical land-based objects at 10-yard increments out to a distance of 50 yards from where I’m sitting. By burning those objects into memory, I’m better able to make quick decisions when an animal steps into a shooting lane. I’m guessing it may be the same throughout North America but where I do much of my hunting I’ve learned that power poles are set at a standard distance of 100 yards apart. Any time I’m hunting a wide-open power line or in farm country I can use those power poles as markers to estimate yardage. As a rule, regardless of what kind of weapon you’re hunting with, breaking distances down into increments simplifies things. Remember, if you’re sitting in a stationary stand or ground blind there is always the option of setting out yardage markers at desirable increments for example every 10 yards.

Judging distances on the open fields is a very different game than judging distance in the woods. Dense cover and the size of the animal can play tricks on your mind.

One of the tricks I use is, throughout the day I will pick out an object — a mailbox, stick or anything that is outside — and estimate the distance to it. I will then walk off the distance and see how I did. It’s amazing that over time one can really be good at judging distances this way.

No matter which system you use, it’s important to practice and make sure it’s part of your mental check list before you release your arrow.