How Bad Am I?
 

As I shot my nightly 30 arrows this evening, my three shot groups averaged around 3” at 20 yards and 5” at 30. While shooting I pondered several posts I’ve read lately.
One stated He could “always hit a pie plate at 75 yards”. Another said he could hit a quarter at 60 yards.
I must really suck!!
Still over my 30 years as a bowhunter I’ve consistently taken Elk, Mule Deer and Antelope so I guess my hunting’s not bad.
My question is just how bad of a shot am I????

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Cheer Up! You are doing just fine. If you can keep those groups on a live animal, then you are doing much better than the trigger punchers out there! We all can improve. Just keep having fun.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Joe.....nobody gets to measure group sizes on a Mule Deer. As a hunter,as long as you put that first one where it counts you are as good of a shot as anyone else.

That said, I would still strive to be the best archer I could be because raw shooting talent and those tight little groups mean that you are developing a larger margin of error for yourself when the time comes to shoot at a live animal.
Keep practicing and it will pay off somewhere down the line on a shot where that extra 1" of built in accuracy could mean the difference between a good shot and a bad one.

A realistic scale of " Good" group shooting is 1" for every 10 yards of distance shot..........20yds= 2" etc. If you get there you will be even better at placing that first shot as close to your intended mark than you are now.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

You stink man, I mean really stink.......LOL....JK:D:D

I took plenty of deer worse groups than that.;)
Then I really decided to get into the sport of Archery also. So during the off season, inbetween all the scouting I had something solid to focus on. With some detail to form and proper mechanics its not that hard to tighten them up:)

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Joe,you need to remember that the ones that talk about those groups are probably shooting ARCHERY.Not just bowhunting,they are using state of the art equipment and shoot competively.This does not mean that when a buck steps in front of them that they can still shoot those tight groups.It is hard to judge groups on an animal,considering that you usually only get 1 shot.If the animal is dead,then what does it matter.




You most likely shoot a good hunting rig everytime you shoot.If you are hitting your animals where it counts and not wounding them,then you are doing fine.



If you WANT to do better.There is room for improvement and it may be as simple as a little adjustment here or there.It may require a draw length change or a variety of things.It also may be equipment related.


But if you are happy and you keep your shots within your comfort zone,then don' t worry about it.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

For the question on how bad of a shot are you.

I WILL HAVE TO SAY AVERAGE.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Pie plate at 75 yards, probably, Quarter at 60 yards, consistantly? Highly unlikely. You got to remember one thing, hunters like to tell tails, and the ones that talk the most probably dont produce. Its like sex (can I say that?) If you talk about it all the time, you probably aint getting it, now if you will excuse me I got a hot woman waiting.:D;)

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Yelp with my old bow I could put them in a fist size group at 70 yards.But to tell you the truth I' ve only made 4 shot' s out side of 20 yards when hunting, two at 25 one at 30 and one at 40 all four put meat in the freezer.:D

One time I could of a shot a 160 to 170 class buck at 40 late one evening but at the time I wasn' t shore of the distance tell I measured it off the next morning.[:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (][:' (]

But you know I can still see that rack just as good as if it were on my wall right now.[:-]

Just to bad I can' t put my hands on it.[X(]

Sorry about the ranting .LoL!!!!

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

If your successfull at hunting then your a good shot when it counts and thats all that matters!


6.5 CARCANO

I like your sig pic , that is awesome!

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Dont worry about it. You are grouping good. Just keep practicing.
I know many people who can out shoot me day and night in the backyard but dont come close when it comes to shooting a live animal. [:o]
Keep practicing and concentrate on each shot like its the only shot you' re gonna get.:)

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

6.5 CARCANO, great signature pic!!!

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

JoeR:

Pie plates don' t move, and neither do quarters - animals do.:D This sometimes sets a different atmosphere, form and equipment selection for accuracy. If you' ve had good success in overcoming " buck fever" , you' re doing just great. There are many ' tournament style' archers who are very capable; but, the equipment they use for extreme accuracy is sometimes not the best for hunting.

Matt and others gave you some good advice. Always strive to improve your personal level. ;)

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

throw your bow away. buy a crossbow. there is no hope for you. :D You' re doing just fine. I know guys that can hit quarters at obscene ranges, but they also melt down when a deer comes in front of them.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

You' ll be fine, you' ve got great genes!!!:D:D (He' s my cousin)

I can hit quarters at 30 yards....And last elk season I also hit a lodge pole pine at 30 yards and spruce at 20 yards........[X(]:D

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

That is good whooting keep it up. I have been Archery Hunting for over close to 30 years and see a lot of target hunters. Nown distant shooters place an arrow within a three inch circle at 60 yards. It is the unknown distance that kills them. Nowing how to judge didtance on the hunt it the #1 ctitical factor. nown distance is easy.....my 2 cents worth...

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Well, I' ve been at it for about 33 years. I' ve seen a lot of people throw arrows. I' ve seen a lot of " Groups" on the targets from all levels of shooters. The truth is, we aren' t all the same. We all want to beable to shoot quarters. We all want to have every group the same. Some of us can actually do it... time after time. Some of us can do it with an occasional group and immediately forget the group that was 5 inch if you count the one arrow where you peeked or creeped.(but a lot of us forget that arrow) Then too, I' ve seen some world class(actual) archers make the worst shot I' ve ever seen on an animal. I' ve seen some archers that are absolutely great shots... but damn poor hunters. I' ve seen some people just come unglued when a little forky shows up but steady like a rock in front of a hundred gawkers with a state title on the line. We all strive for the quarter inch groups and on good nights we may have some. As long as we practice and try to maintain some proficiency so we can perform when we have to.. that' s all that matters. Don' t worry about Joes dime sized groups unless you want to be a champion.

Len, I' m sitting in a computer lab at Duke while my son does some homework. Did you guys go hunting today?

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

BOWFANATIC... Solax... Thanks I like it to :D

..............True

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

Personally I think you shoot just fine . . . but keep practicing.

I practice every day and often shoot very tight groups and I could consistently hit the pie plate sized targets at out to 60 yards . . . but they are at known yardages at stationary targets and not creatures of the forest.

I believe that we react the way we practice. A famous handgunner coined once that only Perfect Practice makes Perfect. By practicing daily, shooting form and technique becomes something that we don' t have to concentrate on. It becomes almost automatic. When we achieve this level, we can devote our concentration on ranging estimates and all the other hunting challenges.

I do pretty well at targets . . . but animals are tough . . . and I' ve never seen one with a bull spot tatooed over its kill zone or at a known yardage. [My Yardage-Pro only has + or - 1 yard acuracy]

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

No, Dave. We' ll probably go Sunday.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

There' s a Monster Bucks video which shows an Olympic champion archer that they take deer hunting. Guess what...he misses the first deer he shoot at! I' d say your at least that good, or should I say he' s as good as you? Either way, I couldn' t shoot a quarter at 60 yards. Hell, the truth is, I couldn' t even see a quarter at 60 yards.:D But I don' t need to. All I gotta do is pick a spot at 15.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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!

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.:D

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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...;)

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.

RE: How Bad Am I?
 

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.