seriously how accurate are you.(20 yards)

[critter69]

I bought a morrison shawnee from a gentalman on here about 9 months ago. Got the bow, I thought I shot it great, noraml group size 7 inches. Sent it to bob morrison had snake skins put on it. Shoot it about every day.And have not been able to consistantly shoot under a 14 inch group in the last 4 months. I feel far from confident trying to hunt with it. Just wondering truth fully what group size is average?(20 yards and be honest    )I think iam going to sell the bow but I cant post on here as I dont think I have 100 posts. So if any one knows where I can list it I would appreciate it. Iam just very frustrated,and love the whole traditional bow thing(love the bows) but If I cant hunt with it I dont want it.

[fedora]

First thing you should look at is the poundage.  Are you strugling to hold at full draw for ten seconds.  I have had several bows that I could not shoot that great until I got my Kota.  It is the lowest poundage bow 51# @ 29" and is the longest at 62".  In order to be accurate you have to be able to have good form and pull with back tention, have a good release and a steady bow arm with a push/pull pressure.  I can put three arrows into a 3" circle on a good day but can always shoot in a 6" circle from my knees, standing ect.

[Sean Butler]

once i get dialed in i usually can stay with in about 8" or 9".  I was having a lot of trouble shooting a few years ago.  Each shot was wild and if i did hit where i was aiming it was pure luck. I did a few things to fix my shooting:

1. I moved up to with in 10 yards of my target. By getting close i gained confidence in my shots

2. I had a 25# bow that my dad had bought for my sister when we were kids and i started to practice with it.  The light weight made it very easy to shoot a lot of arrows, and also to practice my form.  Once I got my form down i moved up to my regular hunting bows.  

3. i tried to block out the distance i was shooting and just focus on good form and picking a spot.

4. whenever practice began to feel like work or like it wasn't fun i quit.  

I'm not a sharpshooter by any means and I still have a lot of work to do but when all is said and done I can't think of a better way to spend an hour than to fire a few arrows into the foam.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

I have to agree with poundage, the closer I am to 50 pounds at my draw length the better I shoot, to be honest beyond 55 pounds my groups will start to spread out. An honest figure to me would be about like Sean, I do shoot better some days around 6", but an average would be at that 8 to 9", not to say I am not always striving to get better. I also agree, until you get a consistant form, move up to 10 yards, it seems to close at first but you will soon learn to enjoy it, after all, most of my shots at game have been in that 1 to 15 yard range anyway.

After the shot, counting a few seconds to make sure I don't drop my shooting arm and in fact bringing my bow arm back into focus just like before the shot has really helped me be more consistant. I think dropping ones bow arm a bit after the shot is a big reason for irratic arrows.

Also try shooting 1 arrow at a time, then go get the arrow, go back and take your next shot, that gives you time to settle down and think about your form between shots. Get a routine down and do the same thing on each and every shot, how you bring your bow up, how you draw your bow, your anchor, your realease and follow through, do the same thing on each and every shot. When shooting groups as opposed to shooting one arrow at a time, I just seem to rush things no matter how much I try to slow things down.

Don't give up on traditional archery, just keep trying things until you find what works for you, and enjoy each shot, work on your routine, watch and enjoy the arrow flight in your perephial vision and don't worry as much about your groups as picking your spot and concentrating on form and if you are shooting a poundage you can handle it will come together for you.

[JohnnyWayne]

For some reason I do worse on the open range targets than on the 3d ones (we have lanes cut out of the brush and vegetation down at my club) which is probably caused my letting my mind wander a bit.

It does help to pace off 10 yards from the 3d's then shoot from there to build confidence then pace off more in 5-10 yard increments.

For me at least  

Although today I was hitting them dead from 20 first shot - would have stepped off more but had my daughter and father in law with me and didn't want to hold them off too much with a full on practice session