What's good enough to hunt?

[reagansquad]

What size groups at 20, 40 and 60 yards are good enough to hunt? If you maximum effective range is 60 yards, what kind of groups are you shooting at the range?

[Special T]

I would say that during practice you had better be able to hit a pie/paper plate at what ever range you think your maximum is... Better yet, put up a steel target with a 12 in hole cut in it... How far do you think your max range is then?

[Broken Arrow]

I think groups of anywhere from 4 to 6 animals at those distances are all good enough to hunt. Sorry, with all the joking going on today about where to hunt etc, really on the fence if this is a real question. If so, you really need to practice and would advise you probably dont try bow hunting for the games sake, until you understand a bit more about your own skill set and dont try to establish your your own moral code based on what others may or may not group. 

[h20hunter]

In a nutshell I guess I would say it simply depends. What is the distance you can most consistently hit a "kill zone" with your weapon in a real world hunting situation?

The range is different than the hunt. Guys shoot long range with their bows all the time at the range. However, when they they hunt some impose a 30 yard, 40 yard, whatever restriction. They know that with excitement, higher heart rate....it changes things.

[Special T]

And maybe i should ad that it is smaller for deer than elk so 12 in may be a little big for just hunting deer. 

[jackmaster]

here is a funny story, who knows the guy might even be a member on here, i knew this guy that could put a dozen arrows in a playing card out to 60 yds, one of the best bow shooters i have ever seen, but this poor fella couldnt even hit an elk at 20yds, and that aint nooo B.S. so i guess my advice would be what ever your comfortable with and your emotion during the shot is everything, if you cant control the addrenaline then it doesnt matter how well you shoot at the range.. good luck to ya

[sirfunkeybut]

And be sure and practice shooting in all kinds of scenarios, a deer or elk isn't going to stand there fully level to you and broadside for long periods of times.   

[Gringo31]

At 60 yards, I believe you better be putting broadheads in a group under 6 inches.  You need to be shooting tight enough that you are afraid to shoot multiple arrows in fear of taking out the ones you already shot.

[Button Nubbs]

Shooting a target at a flat range will tell you nothing about how far to shoot while hunting.

[Rainier10]

I would set that distance based on your own judgement after doing a walk through range and shooting targets uphill and downhill at 23 yards, 36yards and 44yards or whatever they are and shoot at each target at least 3 time to see how you are grouping, don't walk to 20,30,and 40 yards dead on and shoot that won't happen in the real world.  After you shoot those odd yards you will have a better idea of you effective range hopefully and you can decide yourself what to limit yourself to.

[buckfvr]

If you understand ethics and the nature of bow hunting, you will practice like a mad man out to 60 yards, and then place a conservative limit on yourself until you have  enough experience to make your own ethical decision based on your ability. 

[adamR]

In my opinion this is not a question you can ask a bunch of people, this is a question for yourself.  if you shoot all the time and feel comfortable at a range of x amount of yards then shoot that during hunting season. 

That being said, on my glendale buck I have the broadside vitals target showing, if i can't consistantly put my arrows in the heart every time I won't shoot from that range.  So I guess you would say I have to be able to shoot about a 4 inch group from 60 yards before I'm ready to hunt from 60 yards.

[bloodhound]

11 out of 12 in a playing card at 200 yards. if you cant do that you shouldnt be hunting with a bow.  ,im sure with that info out now there will be fewer people during the season for me to run into. by the way, i can do it blind folded!

[AKBowman]

here is a funny story, who knows the guy might even be a member on here, i knew this guy that could put a dozen arrows in a playing card out to 60 yds, one of the best bow shooters i have ever seen, but this poor fella couldnt even hit an elk at 20yds, and that aint nooo B.S. so i guess my advice would be what ever your comfortable with and your emotion during the shot is everything, if you cant control the addrenaline then it doesnt matter how well you shoot at the range.. good luck to ya

Well said, too many guys out there put too much emphasis on how tight their groups are. To me a tight group doesn't mean much when everything relies on 1 arrow. I worry about the first shot when I go to the range and the first shot of the group b/c that is what really matters when hunting.

[reagansquad]

I think groups of anywhere from 4 to 6 animals at those distances are all good enough to hunt. Sorry, with all the joking going on today about where to hunt etc, really on the fence if this is a real question. If so, you really need to practice and would advise you probably dont try bow hunting for the games sake, until you understand a bit more about your own skill set and dont try to establish your your own moral code based on what others may or may not group. 

Trying to learn to hunt. Can't just randomly know the answers without asking.