BGfisher

I don't think it's a matter of how good of groups you shoot as to what distance you shoot them. And I hate that thing about shooting paper plates. Plates are for serving food on. Targets are what you aim at to shoot. Getting back to accuracy. The vital area on a deer is apporx. 8". That might mean that at whatever distance you can keep 100% of your arrows inside an 8" area wouls be your maximum effective range. But that is shooting at a paper target under target conditions. There is no adrenilin rush going on. There is no hyperventilating and heart pounding. The muscles are warmed up and not stiff. Most likely you don't have all the clothes on that you'll wear during hunting season. All these things tend to make your group sizes grow, maybe to double the size.

So when it comes down to it your maximum shooting distance should be about at the distance you can shoot 4" groups during practice. Yeh, you might want to argue that you or other have killed deer beyond these recommendations. People get lucky. What I'm saying is to be truely ethical about it you have to look at your own abilities, and not exceed them. 100% of the time.

Not bragging but I'll give you something to shoot for. I just got a brand new bow wednesday. I got it set up and am in the tuning process right now. It'll be forever before I'm satisfied. But, I was out shooting it today to decide which of 4 different arrows shoot the best out of it. I was shooting 2 1/2" groups at 30 yards---and there is nothing on the string but a nockset and two string leeches. No kisser and no peep. And this is only the second time I shot the bow.