The bowhunters "MOA"

[Twanger]

With a gun the standard is 1" at 100 yds. Similarly, I've been striving for the "bowhunter's MOA" - i.e. 1" of group for every 10 yds of range.

That means 3" groups at 30 yds. Maybe a little more would be ok - say 4" at 30 yds, or about 1.3" per 10 yds of range.

Usually I'm not this good (on every group) but can do it about 20% of the time. Usually it's more like 1.5" groups per 10 yds. Sometimes when really in the zone I can push groups smaller than 1" per ten yards, but it's not a common occurance. Last summer I shot two back-to-back groups of around 3-4" at 50 yds. Havn't done it since. Knowing I can do this, but not consistently, is very aggrivating. I often wonder if there is hope to improve the consistency by practice, or if I've hit some kind of wall. It's clear to me that the right kind of practice is key - just unconciously slinging arrows down range actually makes my shooting worse, not better. Finding the right way to shoot, the right shot mantra, the right procedure is elusive. It's hard work finding what's right.

I'm figuring that average accuracy for a somewhat practiced archer is about 2" per 10 yds. The average shooter in the local archery leagues ran about 4" at 20yds, so maybe I'm trying for too much.

What do you consider good shooting? What are you happy with?

[eshoremd]

im not very pleased with 4" groups at 20 yrds. 2" @ 20 yrds. and im content. 3"@30 and 4"@40 and im happy.

[Buckfever]

This was 12 arrows at 45 yards, a bit before the season last year:



Realistically this is about as good as I can consistently do, once I ramp up for the season.
The problem that I have with MOA for archery is that it typically refers to the best 3 arrow group that one is putting out and for me that is a really poor measure of proficiency, especially at the closer ranges.

[Twanger]

Buckfever - that might be somebody's definition, but it's not mine.
I'm talking about 5-shot groups without 'culling' flyers.

[Buckfever]

Twanger,
I'm not talking about folks here, who are exceptionally disciplined. But I can't tell you how many times I've heard it from guys over the years about their 1" groups at 20 and when I shoot with them it's closer to a foot. And then put them in a stand and they flat out suck.

I like the idea of adopting the attitude that every arrow released results in a quick kill. So when I hear these guys tell me about how they did a 2" group at 20 and I know they aren't near close to ready to take it to the field, that kind of thinking concerns me.

I'm much more interested in the flyers. Looking at that group above, as far as I'm concerned the arrows in the middle don't count. It's the 4-5 flyers of the group that define it. And so as far as I'm concerned 45 yards is a good bit beyond my effective range.

[Twanger]

I agree 100%.
I think a reasonable estimation of how you'll perform on deer is to shoot 10 arrows and take the worst one. If you're happy with the worst arrow out of ten, you're probably alright at that range on a real animal.
This is what limits me to about 25 yds on deer, even though I'm closing in on 80% in the KZ at 40 yds.

[ncboman]

Ten arrows is a little extreme but I had a lot of fun as a teenager gambling with the guys playing a similar game.

We shot 3 arrows each and scored the worst for 10cents or a quarter a round, which back then was money. Get 5 or 6 guys in it and a guy that could shoot could hustle right along.

Of course back then we were shooting recurves. ;D

I find with my compounds once a distance is met, details come into play of such slight minute measure that I don't have the money, patience, nor time to deal with.

good example is choice of sight and/or pin size. I don't have hundreds to spend on magnifying lenses and real small pins are difficult to pull out in dark woods. Compromise must be met and usually that's where the inch per ten yd of range deal suffers.

I like to think about the kill zone of a deer when I'm judging my effective range. Regardless of inches per range, I consider shots to the kill zone on a deer.

Even an expert archer would have a tuff time long range in a gale wind.

We use to play another game putting a 6 second limit starting when the bow was drawn. Play that game and even close becomes a challenge.

Good methods to sharpen hunting skills.

[Twanger]

I like the snap shot game, & was trying it in the back-yard a few weeks ago. I was getting pretty good at hitting the 3D deer's KZ at 10 yards before I could finish counting one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, and I would start to count as I began the draw. A three second count (also started counting as I drew) would get me in the KZ at 20 yds most of the time. It's a game that really teaches you about what to center when, anchoring while aiming, how to get on-target fast, and how close you've really gotta be before you just have to let it fly. Thanks for the reminder... I might just have to do some of that tomorrow! You know me though... I usually like to spend a coon's age at full draw before releasing.

[ncboman]

You know me though... I usually like to spend a coon's age at full draw before releasing.

;D

that's cause you're holdin that caddy bow and don't want to let go. ;D

Often the perfect shot is presented in a short window. Practicing shooting quickly sure helps with those.

[Buckfever]

"Often the perfect shot is presented in a short window. Practicing shooting quickly sure helps with those."

Damn straight!!! And that's just one example.

The one thing that I repeat over and over till I'm blue in the face is one that I didn't get, right off and that is the importance of aiming. And the 3-D target is just so important. Not only is the window small, but you need to know where to put that pin immediately. It's one thing to hear the idea of aiming for the exit, it's quite another thing to be able to automatically execute it.

I just feel that hunting proficiency requires a different set of skills. Long range shooting, Shooting from an elevated position at a 3-D target at various distances and angles. Snap shooting. Holding and shooting. Shooting from a seated position. Practising with the exact gear to see if it affects your anchor. These things all put together make you deadly in the field.

You're not going to believe how many times I've heard guys screw up shots, from simple things like not checking how their broadheads fly compared to their field points. Or how their clothing affected their anchor. I've heard both of those twice, in the last 2 years, resulting in 4 wounded animals.

So for me the idea of practising till you're proficient with the exact gear that you'll take into the field from an elevated position that similates what you'll be doing in the field, is the deal.

I just see it too often, they'll have their gear tuned to a tee and have excellent flight and they'll have tight groups on the ground and they think they're ready, but really they haven't even started. They think they're done and yet really they've just gotten themselves to the point where they're ready to get started.