What is hunting ready accuracy?

[Black Moshannon]

Does anyone have a proven distance from which one must put all arrows within a certain size target to be ethically ready to go afield? I want to get out this weekend. A bit ago I managed to put three out of five shots in my eight inch target ring from twenty yards. The other two shots, one would have been a shoulder hit and other one probably a gut shot. I’m sure not planning on shooting further than fifteen yards. I would imagine I should at least be putting all arrows into eight inch ring at twenty before considering this an ethical thing. I have a few days to sharpen up. I feel that I am on the brink of being a confident shooter that is also reasonably accurate.

[Allyn T]

All I know is I get deer fever so the more it's muscle memory the less chance I have to fall apart. I'd also say each person should choose whatever they think is ethical cause you'll be the one dealing with the success or failure. If you are supremely confident you won't make a bad shot then you probably won't.

[Pappy]

It kind of depends on what kind of terrain you are hunting and how far you expect your shots to be, I usually practice at 12/15 yards and closer because that is the way I set up and rarely take a shot over that, most of my shots are from 5-15, only taken a few deer in my life 20 or more. if you limit your shots sounds to me like you are ready.
 Pappy

[Black Moshannon]

All I know is I get deer fever so the more it's muscle memory the less chance I have to fall apart. I'd also say each person should choose whatever they think is ethical cause you'll be the one dealing with the success or failure. If you are supremely confident you won't make a bad shot then you probably won't.

I get pretty wound up when an animal shows up too, even a groundhog. My heart starts racing. So the muscle memory is key as you say. I believe I can develop enough confidence in my ability to run through the shot cycle under stress that I can run the shot with a deer in front.

It kind of depends on what kind of terrain you are hunting and how far you expect your shots to be, I usually practice at 12/15 yards and closer because that is the way I set up and rarely take a shot over that, most of my shots are from 5-15, only taken a few deer in my life 20 or more. if you limit your shots sounds to me like you are ready.
 Pappy

My terrain is very close at my property. Game lands I’m not sure what it’s gonna look like. But my trail cam shows a lot of traffic on the trail which is only about five to eight yards from the blind. Maybe with that in mind I’ll focus on working on my fifteen and under shot and make sure they are all in eight inch circle

[Pat B]

The way I handled buck fever is with muscle memory like Allyn suggested and the only way to develop muscle memory is with lots of thoughtful practice. That way you can concentrate on where the arrow WILL go and let your subconscious brain take over the draw, anchor and release. The last few deer I shot, I don't remember any of the shot action. I do remember putting tension on the string then my next memory was the arrow in the ground or in the exiting deer...but this does take a lot of thoughtful practice. Practice where each shot goes where it is intended. Trying to shoot groups has always distracted me because the previous arrow gets in the way of me picking a spot. Take one thoughtful shot, go recover your arrow then take the next thoughtful shot. After a while it all comes naturally. When you first see the deer, pick your SPOT and concentrate on that and not the deer. If you concentrate on the deer you will miss it by shooting over or under it.

[Black Moshannon]

The way I handled buck fever is with muscle memory like Allyn suggested and the only way to develop muscle memory is with lots of thoughtful practice. That way you can concentrate on where the arrow WILL go and let your subconscious brain take over the draw, anchor and release. The last few deer I shot, I don't remember any of the shot action. I do remember putting tension on the string then my next memory was the arrow in the ground or in the exiting deer...but this does take a lot of thoughtful practice. Practice where each shot goes where it is intended. Trying to shoot groups has always distracted me because the previous arrow gets in the way of me picking a spot. Take one thoughtful shot, go recover your arrow then take the next thoughtful shot. After a while it all comes naturally. When you first see the deer, pick your SPOT and concentrate on that and not the deer. If you concentrate on the deer you will miss it by shooting over or under it.

I don’t shoot groups either because I am afraid of nicking one of my arrows or worse and as you said that distraction into the next shot. I have begun shooting a couple arrows per hour or so if I’m at home, this make them more thoughtful. My idea was to make the first shot count since that was always my worst shot. I’ll have to pick a spot on deer where I aim the arrow, with my twenty to twenty two yard point on setup I was finding on the 3D at 15 yards that elevation wise it was upper part of the front leg, just below chest and windage wise it was just back from the leg. As I keep shooting I’m finding I just know where to point the arrow within twenty yards, I don’t literally have to say “eight inches down”. But since I have a literal reference using the deer leg why not use it? That’s what I’m thinking.

[Pat B]

That first shot is the most important one. Usually it's the only one you will get. I don't hunt much anymore but when I did , a week before the hunt I would only take one shot a day, either first thing in the morning or after sunset in the evening. I also shot from my front porch which sits about the height I put my tree stands. Mimicking your hunting conditions is important too.

[Allyn T]

What if it's a three-legged deer hmmmm

[Black Moshannon]

That first shot is the most important one. Usually it's the only one you will get. I don't hunt much anymore but when I did , a week before the hunt I would only take one shot a day, either first thing in the morning or after sunset in the evening. I also shot from my front porch which sits about the height I put my tree stands. Mimicking your hunting conditions is important too.

Yea I need to hang my stand again and shoot more from it. First several from it were not great. May need to aim lower

What if it's a three-legged deer hmmmm

Lol I’d take the shot probly just aim bout ten inch below chestline. Three legs might make recovery easy..

[Black Moshannon]

My recurve shooting more or less instinctive friend just shot a nice doe. I’ve got some work to do

[Allyn T]

That's awesome, good for him : )

[Hawkdancer]

Allyn,
Out here a 3 legged deer is called "coyote feed"! . or someone's bad shot!
Hawkdancer

[ssrhythm]

Interesting question.  I shoot best purely instinctive; I’ve tried the various aiming methods, and I just shoot best when I’m looking at a spot and don’t consciously notice my arrow whatsoever.  So, I’ve had two distinct situations…one on a deer in Alabama in 1998 and one this year on a spike elk…when it was at very last legal shooting light.  On both, I thought “probably too dark” and on both I drew back just to get a feel for the shot, and on both, I let down thinking “that felt perfect.”  On both I drew again, and again it felt “right,” and on both, I loosed the arrow. 

The deer ended up being 29 yards…9 yards further that I had determined I’d shoot.  It was, to this date, the best shot I’ve ever made in any deer with any archery equipment.  Pass through through the heart.

The elk…I did the same thing, and the second time I drew, I looses the arrow, and while the shot was very good in just about every way, I was about 3” high with perfect “towards.”  He ended up being 34 yards…a bit further than I had decided I would shoot.  He dropped just as the arrow arrived, and I hit about 5” higher than I wanted.  He death ran for 400-500 yards across a sage plain and disappeared over a drop off.  I knew he was dead, but he covered that ground in 5 seconds and we could not find any blood.  The drop off was on private that doesn’t let you look, and we could not go and find him.  Hoping I hit too high to kill him….but I digress.

Despite both being further than I decided I’d shoot, in low light, things look closer.  The situation through the draw felt right, and I made two really good shots despite the one being 3” higher than I wanted at 34 yards.  It wasn’t my accuracy there…I should have been aiming lower. 

On the flip side of that coin, I’ve drawn back on several deer at 18-24 yards where it just didn’t “feel right.”  A couple of those was because I consciously picked up and was aware of my arrow position and it was taking my concentration away from the “spot” I wanted to hit.  I’ve loosed arrows in that situation before and would up with non-lethal hits…all high…or complete whiffs at close range.  I finally learned to recognize that feeling and not loose the arrow when it happens even if the deer is standing there perfectly positioned at 15 yards.

I’m never as good shooting any target in a practice situation as I am shooting in the field, so that complicates the answer to your question as well.  I try to practice by stump shooting and shooting moving targets to overcome or avoid ever getting frustrated shooting at a static target in the yard.  If I held myself to being able to shoot a 3” group at some distance prior to hunting, I’d have never killed a deer with trad gear, because I’d have never gone hunting with trad gear.

I’m sure it’s different for folks that align their points and gap shoot or finger crawl for different distances, as I’ve watched vids of folks like Clay Hayes shooting using this (gap) method and apparently Getting great accuracy in practice situations.  I wish I could do that well just to be able to evaluate whether it would be better in the field than the way I shoot, but I can’t, so I can’t.  It just seems to me that anything requiring that type of aiming also would require knowing exact yardages…which kind of defeats one of the purposes that I love about trad hunting and…to me…would ultimate limit my effectiveness in the field.

I think there is a partial answer to the original question somewhere in my ramblings…at least as far as instinctive shooters are concerned.  Regardless, for me…I know I just need to shoot more arrows more frequently and out in the field (stump shooting) and no matter how much I shoot, I’ll should always aim to shoot more….and then go out with confidence when going after game, and trust the muscle memory and process.  Focusing my efforts on x sized group at x yards x percentage of the time would be massively counterproductive…for me at least.

Moral of the story

[bradsmith2010]

I think a good rule of thumb is,, if you good out to 20 on practice,, cut that in half on live deer,, if you kill every deer you shoot at at 10,, increase your range,,as needed,,

[Black Moshannon]

That makes sense