In this day of rangefinders, a few people will think there is no need to know how to estimate yardage. But, there are times when the hunter will be caught in a situation that he should know how to estimate distance for accuracy.
If you treestand or blind hunt, then you can get the rangefinder out and get yardages of different trees and rocks for reference when that big ol' buck walks by.
But, more often than not, if you are playing the spot and stalk game, you may have to make a shot before the opportunity is gone. Quickly estimating yardage will be the difference between shooting and watching the animal walk away.
Because the trajectory of an arrow is relatively slow compared to a gun, it is important to be able to know the yardage of your target. If you are 5 yards off on your estimate, it can mean a complete miss or, worse, a bad hit. Because of this, it is very important to try to be as accurate as you can in your estimation.
The way I have learned to estimate with the most accuracy is, to look at your target where it touches the ground. If it is an elk or any live animal, look at his legs or what ever is the lowest point you can see.
This does several things for you. It takes your eyes off of the antlers or horns, and makes you focus and, it forces you to not concentrate on body size. Elk and moose are very hard to estimate distance if you can only see their body, because they are so large, which will make them appear closer than they really are.
Once you are looking at the animals' legs, count 10 yard increments from them to you. If you cant see the legs, find a tree or rock that is about the same distance away as they are and estimate from that point.
A good way to practice estimation is to take your bow stump shooting. Get some rubber blunts and put them in place of your target points. Then, take a walk in the woods. Look for targets such as old stumps, tufts of grass, or a mole hill, and let ‘er fly. Afterward, step the distance off and see how close you were in your estimation.
You will be amazed at how fast you will learn to be accurate. Then, when you have that figured out, it is time to estimate across gullys and ravines.