Hmmmmmm. 17 feet? That seems overly short. I shoot traditional (sightless) bows and the field archery course involves targets out to 80 yards. I also stump shoot to the same ranges - where targets are of unknown size and distance. I can judge yardage fairly well out to that distance from practice, practice, practice (I shoot my bow daily).
But that's with time to think about it and move side-to-side. Motion makes a big difference in judging distance - watch a perched owl line up a mouse. They move their head in a circle and just that slight motion improves depth perception. The further the target the less affected by the observer's motion.
But yes, I have smacked trees. When your are focused on the model you lose track of the peripheral features.