How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I was out target practicing last night and was wondering what diameter size circle should a person be able to consistently shoot at 20yds/30yds before attempting to go hunting?

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

In my opinion, if you can't consistently hit a 4" circle at the yardage you plan on hunting, you shouldn't go. I am pretty hard on myself but I dont want to spend all that time in the field and not be confident at the moment of truth.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

You should be like Germ, he can knock a dingle berry of a gnats ar$$ at 30 yards!

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Not trying to sound holier than thou..but the old pie plate mentality isn't gonna cut it..I'd say a you better be cutting or very close to2" circle at those ranges. I wouldn't feel confortable with any less.

Things happen when hunting live quarry, you have to have confidence you can hit where your aiming. Because when emotions hit.. that 2" circle may become 4" which is much better than a 4" circle becoming 8"..etc

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Yep, gr8 nailed it... I've come to accept the 1" rule for every 10 yards as being fairly proficient, e.g., 1" groups at 10 yards, 2" groups at 20 yards, 3" groups at 30 yards, etc.

Can you go hunting and be "proficient" with less? Sure. Most of the guys I hunt around can't come anywhere close to this standard... but that's what I aim for, and can maintain pretty well.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

yep i agree too,i try to be as close as possible at all ranges but i use the above as a guide..................

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I agree, the ol pie plate theory is history, especially with compounds. With the technolgy designed into todays bows, they are a precision instrument / weaponand with the Proper Practice, you are able to get very proficient very fast. The one inch rule is a good start!!! When takeing the life of an animal, you need to be as proficient as posible, we don't need to give the ANTI's anymore ammo, they fabricate enough as it is!!! Have a great season!!!

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I agree with the 1" per 10 yards rule - that is pretty good. Although I push myself to be around 2" at 30 and not much more than that for 40, maybe 3 inches at most - actually 30 to 35 is my limit for letting one go at game time.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

The one inch rule is the truth - there is no excuse with today's technology to not strive for this level of proficency! The only reason that people are not more accurate is because they do not practice - no excuses!

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I agree but I tend to hold myself to a higher degree as I am my biggest competitor. I'm not happy if it isn't 2" at 40 yards and even 50 at times.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

But what if you do not choose to use todays or the most modern technology?

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I wondered where Bobco would be going with this once I saw his name on the thread... :D

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

LOL,

I could have also asked, "What if you don't believe in group shooting?"

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

wvu,
If everyone waited until they could consistantly shoot 1" for every 10 yards and no one hunted until they did, not very many people would go out and hunt. There are some guys, many that post here, that are obviously great bowmen and they practice very hard. For that they should be commended.
Your question specifically asks "before attempting to go hunting". IMO, take a 5" pie plate and begin shooting at that plate at 10'. Go back 2 yards at a time and see how you do. Whenever you get to the point where you dont put all 6 in that plate then the previous point is your maximim distance.
Keep practicing and hopefully that yardage will increase. When the opener comes use the yardage that you were able to hit that plate every time.
This season it may be 15 yards. Go out and set that limit. Maybe next year it will be 20, then 30 and so on...

Look, i'm fairly inexperienced at bowhunting but i'm going out there too. I don't miss the plate out to 26 yards and that is going to be my limit. Do I continue to practice to try and achieve the 1" per 10 yard rule? Yes, I practice 2-3 times a week for 3 months before opener.
You didn't say if you were shooting a compound, recurve, longbow or stick and string. But in reality that doesn't matter. Just because you shoot a longbow doesnt mean that the vitals on a deer get bigger.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

With a gun, muzzle loader, or bow, the furthest distance I can I can shoot a six shot group , the size of my fist becomes my maximum range with that weapon.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Don't just trust that your ability to hit something on a flat range is as difficult asa hunting situation. Try to do some 3D walkthrough's on hilly terrain with lots of shot angles. If you're a tree stand hunter, do a lot of practice out of it. A 30 yd shot down a steep hill is not the same shot as a 30yd flat range. Try getting your heart rate up by running up a hill then taking a shot (about the closest thing to simulating buck fever that you'll get). I'm lucky enough to have access to a great walk through range at my gun club.. I only use the flat range when doing initial sighting in.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I have to agree with the others, and am happy to see them say it. Yepper about the paper plate theory. Plates are made for eating something from, not shooting holes in. It lets the juices leak out.

Considering that the average vital is about 8" I strive for, and do limit myself, to whatever range I can shoot half that. When the adrenalin starts flowing and animals can move I figure that 4" can easily double So knowing that I can shoot 4" groups out to about 45 yards would I shoot that far? Not a chance. It's till about 30 yards max for me.

With a self imposed limit of 30 yards I can use a single pin and have no guessing about what the yardage is. All I have to determine whether the animal is within 30 yards. Then when and if the shot happens is up to the animal. But when it does I have 100% confidence that I can git-r-done. Otherwise, it'swait for the next time.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Personally I want my first shot to beless than 3"at those ranges and out to my maximum effective range of 40yds. IMHO the first shotcounts the most.
When tuning I go for groups...I want repeatability from my setup.
After it's dialed in my mindthier all "First Shot's".

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

for me it is personal preference i am within a 2 inch spread at 20-25 and at 30 its pretty close to a 3 inch spread but i always get that 1 arrow per round that well out of the group so i set my stadard at 25 and in simply because that is where i feel comfortable.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I was about to ask the same question. The only time I group shoot is when checking tune or testing a new batch of arrows. Can't remember the last time a live deer let me shoot a group at him.:D

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

7/16" if the groups bigger than than its definately too far. :eek:

Honesty, besides depending much on hunting conditions, I expect my first arrow (often the furthest off if you are cold, cramped etc) to hit within about a 3" circle. I practice under all conditions, under good conditions I can achieve this at 40 yards, under poor, less than 30. (try hitting a 3" circle with a broadheadin a20 mphcrosswind and you know what I mean). the reason for the safety factor highlighted by many others IS important. Try hitting that pie plate with four layers on, shivering, cold muscles, twisted half around a tree, at a 30 deg angle of depression, knowing you may have 3 seconds to do it when the deer stops....and thats not even accounting for the deer fever;)

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

[/align]
[blockquote] Holly cow Rob 2" at 50. I can't hit 2' at 50. but I will never shoot a deer at 50. I know my limitations.[/blockquote]

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

If I can keep my arows in a 4x4" circleI feel confident about going hunting. I can usually keep my arows with in milimeters if not touching very consistantly, but I have flung alot of arrows this year.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Personaly if I cant consistantly hit something the size of a softball I want shoot at a deer that far. This is my wifes first year deer hunting. She is a pretty good shot but the hole 1 inch per 10 yards is a little out of her league at the moment. Yeah sure, for the real experienced ones that rule may apply but what about the women and kids out there hunting. My wife is pretty consistent hitting a 4 or 5 inch circle at 30 and about a 6 inch one at fourty. I personaly think thats plenty good for her. As a general rule I would say hitting something half the size of the kill zone is plenty good. For instance, a 12inch killzone on a deer you should at least be able to hit something thats a 6inch circle. That way you can double your margin of error and still be ok.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

stand, I'm my biggest competitor, when I shoot I am not happy unless all arrows are in the small black dot of my Morrell, and that's what a 2, 2.5" circle. Here's my last group at 40 yards when I first sighted in and did my review of the Viper Predator Pro MT. At this link. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1577393

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Golf ball @ 20, tennis ball @ 30, soft ball @ 40 consistantly.

Know your limits.

If the animal is beyond your limit, there will be another day.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

3 inches at 20 yards.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

[/align]
[blockquote]
[/align]Nice group Rob,but 80 yard plastic buckets are terrified of ME. [/blockquote]

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I would say three to four inches would have to max for "good" hunting. But that is with no "flyer's" at all! If you shoot and get "flyer's" from time to time you need to figure out what is wrong so you don't have a flyer at the time of the hunt.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

standsleeper, I also know my buddy Rob... and I'm sure he's like me: Just because we PRACTICE at 50 doesn't mean we'll take a shot at a live deer at 50. Practicing at 50 though makes our 20-yard shots seem like gimmes.

I've shot EXTENSIVELY at 50 this year, and it's amazing how big a 2" circle on my Morrell bag looks at 20.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Amen Greg, that's Gospel.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I deffinetly agree with you greg, shooting at 50 and 60 all summer makes anything inside 40 seem like a piece of cake. Thats what I usualy do, just make sure my 20,30,and 40 pins are dialed in then practice from 50+.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I us a margerine lid. So if i can hit that from 10 to 40 yards with my broadhead i feel that i am shooting accuratly enough to take a animal.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

You should be this accurate!!!! Robin Hood!!

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

I like the old pie plate rule. If you can hit it consistantly at say... 80 yards, you can go hunting.[8D][8D] You should beable to consistantly hit an NFAA bullseye for the appropriate range and then you should beable to hunt and shoot out to any reasonable range for your neck of the wood or open range. The one inch per 10 yards is a pretty good starting point. Range estimation errors and the excitement of the moment tend to stretch everyones groups when macho buck steps out.

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Can I go hunting now???:D:D[8D]

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

i know i dont post here much, but theres a huge misconception for many about accuracy for bowhunting here.
your accuracy is based on what you can do 100% of the time. not 6 times out of 10, not 7 out of 10, not 8 out of 10.yes you must add in those fliers as well. because while they dont happen a lot, they do happen.

not even the top Pro shooters in the country can hit a 2 inch circle at 20 yards 100% of the time. this is with Indoor target gear, Indoor conditions and field points. if you would like proof, just look at the NFAA website and look at all the 599 scores in theAMFS class. this means they missed a 3 inch circle at 20 yards with Indoor target conditions and top performing gear.

but yet many here trying to tellmany bowhuntersthat this is exactly what they should be able to do in the field, with broadheads, uneven terrain, unknown yardage,windy and poor lighting conditons.

it isvery close to being impossible. ifyou think you can shoot 100% of the timeshooting 2 inch groups at 20 yards, then you need to start shooting Indoor target. you can win close to 15,000 dollars for winning the vegas shoot.

i find that for most bowhunters by being able to keep a 5 inch group 100 % of the time will be just fine for hunting. once you get out to a range where you can not maintain 100% 5 inch groups, then thats your max yardage.

Shoot Strong
Tony

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Probably but you'll have to pay full price..you just shot up your AARP card!

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

Well put Tony, I agree 100%

RE: How accurate do you feel you should be?
 

And that was with a recurve right Bob? ;)

Good shooting and lol at GR8.