Distance estimation

First, you must decide how far away the animal is, and whether that is within your range or not.

 Spend time at the shooting range to figure out how far away you can consistently hit a target. Don't practice on game animals—become a good marksman and a decent judge of distance at the range before you go hunting.

 Two eyes are better than one! Some people shoot with one eye closed, even though most shooting coaches recommend keeping both eyes open. But one thing is clear, anytime you are looking at an animal and trying to decide if it is within your range or not, KEEP BOTH EYES OPEN! Even if you shut one eye when it comes time to shoot, leave them both open while you are estimating how far away it is. It is impossible to accurately estimate distance with one eye closed.

 Take this simple test: Close one eye. Hold your trigger finger up by your nose. Now slowly move it toward a spot on your computer screen, and try to decide exactly when your fingertip will touch the screen. This is hard! Now do the same thing, but keep both eyes open. It is so much easier when you have both eyes working together. The same is true when shooting.

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