Thanks for all the input, I feel better already. Actualy my post was a little tounge in cheek. I just get sick of all the " never miss" claims on shots 95% of us couldn' t make offhand with a scoped big game rifle!

there you go again trying to compare yourself to BYR0N. just keep on practicing. you will only get better.

I get sick of all the champion target shooters. I hear it all the time, " Man I can hit quarters at 50-60 yards everytime" . Problem is when you actually shoot with these guys they can' t hit sh*t. 60 yards, hell they can' t group 3 arrows inside a pie plate at 30 yards.[:' (]That' s when you realize you' ve met another B.S. hunter. Oh, and all the huge bucks they have " let walk" . Yeah right, the only thing they are hitting is the dirt in the ground. My uncle is one of the best hunters I know. He takes several deer every year with his bow. He is a deadly shot out to 30 yards and for hunting that is the range I am concerned with. I can slam X' s all day at 20 yards, and I' m pretty darn good out to 30 yards. That' s as far as I would take a shot at a deer with my bow. Maybe someday I will be half the bowhunter he is. There is alot of talk in archery/bowhunting, but when it' s all said and done you know how good you are, and talk is cheap, when that big ol' buck is laying by your feet you know you did a good job.

FATALITY do I sense some hostility? jk I would have to agree. All I care about is making a good ethical shot, not shooting quarters at 60 yards b/c a quarter isn' t gonna try and duck or jump that arrow.

well ur probley better than me. i just bought a bow and am practicing when i have free time. but i decided to buy my bow this spring to start practicing to be good enough for deer hunting this fall. but i am thinkin i wont be takin no shots over 25 yrds this year. just dont need to have a wounded animal running around. but who knows maybe by then i will be good enough and confident to take longer shots. well time will tell. dont be hard on your self if you can take clean kill shots on animals thats all that counts.

A lot of those " one inch groups" at 30 and 40 yards and beyound are one arrow groups

Joe, them quarter shooters shouldn' t make you feel bad, heck, I can' t afford to shoot at quarters anyway. In fact, I' ve got to cash in my quarter piggy bank so I can get me a new target. I got two 3d' s and one block and there all worn out. Thank God, I didn' t waist my time shooting at quarters or I wouldn' t have a target to shoot at.
I have found in my long years of shooting, that being consistant in any situation, being patient, knowing when to shoot or not, having confidence at whatever height I' m at, and more than anything being sure of my range is the key to bringing home the meat.
Just keep practicing and doing your best and enjoy the heck out of one of God' s greatest sports, bowhunting.

I like Matt' s 1 inch for every 10 yards analogy and think that it is a good guideline to go by. When you reach that level then I think you have accomplished something. Your current performance is nothing to laugh at either. You have to consider how many shots you take in each group as well. A 5 inch 3 shot group at 30 yards is not quite as good as a 5 inch 5 shot group...

When it comes to bowhunting, every person I' ve ever seen pick up a bow is plenty adequate as far as accuracy goes. The problem is when those people hunt outside the range at which they' re deadly accurate. However, some folks need to be within... oh .... 36 inches or so. Sounds to me like you know exactly what this game is about - making solid kill shots. As far as I' m concerned, the real advantage to great shooting is extending the " sure-kill" range a bit. It doesn' t matter how someone groups at 40 or 50 yards if they only take shots at 30 yards or less where they' re consistenly on target.

Firedawg, Naw, no hostility here. I just can' t stand those guys, and I run into alot of em, who claim they are the worlds best shooters/bowhunters. Yet they never get a deer. Then when you finally get to shoot with them you realize a blind man can shoot better than they do. I have had several self proclaimed Pro-shooters, at least in their minds, come down to shoot with my family at our 3D range and they stunk up the place so bad they never came back! When you talk the talk you better be able to walk the walk or you' ll get embarrassed. We offered to help em out with their shooting but they let pride get the best of em' . Too bad for them because the few that asked for help are now shooting great, have taken several deer with their bows since then and are darn good shots with their bows! I just remember the old saying, " Actions speak louder than words" . I let my shooting do my talking for me.