I was wondering how proficient should one should be to make an ethical shot at a deer. I am talking ideal conditions: no wind, broadside shot, and deer standing still. I have read that most deer are taken at 30 yards or less, so what kind of groups should you be capable of at 30 yards before taking a shot? I don’t have any bow hunting friends so I have to get all my information from TV, the Forum, or a book. Right now I am capable of maybe 2 to 3 inches at 10 yards if I take my time. Tomorrow I will start shoot all my shots at 20. I want to make sure I am proficient before I even take my bow in the woods. The temptation might be too great and force me to take a shot I should have passed.
Good Idea, It's always great to practice where ever there is time. I target and 3-D shoot all through the off season when I can. When I was young I used to shoot at a paper plate hung on some hay bails, a deers vitals are roughly the size of a paper plate. So that was my rule of thumb then. Now I shoot groups tighter than that at 40 yards so I have no question. I dont shoot out to 50 because I just dont have the confidence in it. If you shoot three inch groups at ten and you move out to 20 and then 30 your grouping will get more spaced out as you go. (theoretically). Just be sure to practice at all the distances you plan to shoot.
I have always heard most people try to keep their groups in inch increments, like 1" at 10 yards, 2" at 20 yards, and so on
Welcome to the site Grits. Practice as much as you possibly can. However, like you said in your post, take your time. The number of arrows into a target makes no difference as much as the number of quality arrows placed into a target. As Cole mentioned above, most people use 1 at 10, 2 at 20... Another good thing to do is practice the furthest distance you can. I like to shoot at 50 yards, sometimes moving up to 40 or back to 60. However my sight has the pins to do so. This makes you really think through your shot and take your time. I personally wouldn't try a shot on a deer at 60. Imagine the size of what you're aiming for at 60 yards, now aim for the same place at 20 yards. The 20 yard spot is HUGE in comparison. Don't worry about grouping yet. Focus on your form. When you get your form in both good and consistent condition, your grouping will show. Just take your time and you'll get there.
At 30 yards with 3 shots I want them touching one another, fletching or shaft. With broadheads since its hard, for me anyways, to get all of my arrows with blades to fly the same a 3" group at 30 makes me happy.
I have a different approach. While I stress practice, practice, practice, I understand not everyone (including me) has the time nor the inclination to shoot THAT much. So unless you are a competition shooter don't worry about all your arrows touching each other. Even the one inch at 10 yards, two inches at 20 yards etc... theory can be a bit much. For me it's simple, if I can consistently place all my arrows in the size of a heart out to the distance I have set as my limit then I'm good to go......Afterall, that is what we're aiming for right?? Nothing wrong with wanting to place all your arrows in one hole but just because you can't doesn't mean you wont be a very successful hunter.... Good luck!
I could be wrong but the heart is around 2" so 2" at 30 is really good. Most people want a lung shot. High in the lungs. The heart is the perfect shot but, I highly doubt everyone aims for the heart. That being said, focus on form as said above, tighter groups will come with better form and focus on the anchor points.
The hearts from the deer that I've killed have all been approximately 3 1/2 to 4 inches in width and 4 1/2 to 5 inches in length. It's considerably bigger than a 2 inch target, but I still don't aim for the heart. Lungs all the way for me.
Generl rule of thumb is 1" for every 10yds. Unless you're an AT archer, then it's no less than 3" at 100yds.
Right or wrong, I've evolved into a "Pie Plate" guy. Just be able to hit the pie plate with 100 percent confidence, center your pin in the vitals and cut it loose. No nonsense. No overthinking things. Spend your time and energy finding a deer to shoot at. Finding deer is the hard part. Shooting one is easy.
Very few people can actually shoot as good as they claim on the internet, not consistently anyway. I like to practice at 50 yds, but I can't keep a 5" group EVERY time. I will shoot no more than 30 yards at live game but set most my stands for a slam dunk 15 yd shot. I can probably get that 5" spacing or better every time at 30 yds and I am plenty confident with that.
I practice out to 65yd on a regular basis. Shot my first 4" group at 65 this weekend. 95% of the time I keep it in the vitals at 65yd and I practice on a small "Shooter Buck". I was super excited about that one. I feel this has really helped my inside 30yd shot group. I consistently shoot 3" groups at 40yd now. Its not uncommon for me to have arrows touching at 30yd and its becoming more common than not. I spent a long time on form and everything else fell into place from there. Guys on this forum helped me considerably with form. I shoot a lot because I enjoy it. In the woods I wont go past 20yd this season. All my stands are placed within 20yd of trails. Double lung pass throughs are what I will be aiming for.
