Personal standard that defines good shooting

[Plug]

After supper my son and I will go out in the yard and woods next to the house with 1 rubber blunted arrow apiece, a softball and a pocket full of quarters.

We take turns throwing the ball any distance.  25 cent "skins" with both missing or both hitting being halves and carrying forward.

Walking back to the house at dusk with 2 pockets full of quarters is quite definitive.

[tyee]

4inch group at 20 6 inches at 30 8 inches@40 I like to average a kill on the 3d courses with the average shot about at 35 yards

[ozy clint]

plug, that sounds like the best fun!

[ethan]

I look at it as two different kinds of practice.  If I am working on form I carry a quiver full of arrows, but most of my practice involves one arrow.  Either roving with a judo or different angles/distances at a 3D.

[Dutchman]

Good answers, all. I see many things in these replies that I want to try.

[John3]

Great thread...

I'm a traditional bowhunter so that is how I practice. Kneeling, sitting flat on the ground, stand, around crouched under brush ect.. One arrow at a time, everytime.  LOL
My "first" arrow is the only one that matters at my home range or in the woods. I will shoot rounds of four arrows; one at a time.. This may take five minutes or more. It is not uncommon that I can shoot a group of 5" at 20 yards. I've always said that I do not need to be good enough to shoot an asprin out of the air, just good enough to KNOW that my arrow will hit where I'm looking on game.

John III

[jwingman]

One of the reasons I like to shoot 3D is that it presents hunting situations. By that, I mean a different target at a different range with each shot. I think it is the best practice for real hunting and for working on my shooting. For me and most of the guys I see shooting traditional, a score of over 200 on a 30 target course seems to come from the better shooters. The winning score, depending on the course and the distances, will usually be from 210 to 230. I feel good any time I break 200. Thats my measure of shooting good.  - jwingman

[Daddy Bear]

I practice w/ the same tackle I hunt with including broadhead. I generally cover a whole series of shooting positions that I may use in the field to negotiate obstacles and I generally cover a range of distances from near point blank out to just over 40yards. I have a round robin I developed to shoot on a 3D target that has a light 6" circle drawn on the spot I prefer to shoot through on a deer. I'll loose one arrow from each distance with the first shot being one of the longer shots such as 30 or 40yards. I'll mix the remainder of the shots by alternating between long and short shots to keep things fresh. I'll loose one arrow each at 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35, 38, and 40yards. I'll shoot this round robin several times a week and when I keep all of my arrows inside the 6" circle at all of the distances on that single shot, I consider myself shooting well.

I'll shoot this round robin, work on my position shooting, shoot across a woods 3D course including movers, stump shoot, and shoot a few aerials. I'm fortunate to have the ability to do all this on my own property and can do so near daily. Here are some examples of the position shooting:

Reverse cant:

   

Forward cant to adjust profile:

   

Forward cant compilation to overcome obstacles:

   

later,
Daddy Bear

[toddster]

To me, I am hard on myself.  When I can pick a spot and shoot just one arrow at it and nail it everytime, that is it.  Needless to say, still have along way to go to do this.  To find that consistant form and aiming  to be able to step up to a stake, draw on an animal, or stump and nail it every time regardless of distance or condition or posistion.  To me that is the pinnacle I strive for, may not make it, but will be one hell of a journey to it.

[Smallwood]

40 yards 55# 58" super shrew deluxe
 

[James Wrenn]

Well I guess I consider myself an average shot.I want to average 8s at 3ds and should be able to shoot a 240 on a 300 round in the yard with about any bow I pick up.Bringing home any animals I cut is my standard for hunting.I don't allways meet these things but am capable of it so when I fall short I know I was lacking that day.  :(

[rybohunter]

I have no idea how good I am. When I'm on I can't miss. When I'm not, its ugly. A few weeks back I felt like a machine. Lately I've struggled.
I used to shoot good & then fade. Now it's reversed. I have to get this worked out.

[Smallwood]

ttt

[Al Dean]

A little game I play.  6 arrows.  Start at 15 yds.  If you hit in a 2" bull proceed to 20yds. If you hit within 2" of first arrow proceed to 25yds, then 30, 35, 40.  At any point you fail to hit within 2" of first arrow, start over with all 6 arrows.  On my best days I can make it to 40 yds.  On normal days, it is hard to get past 25 yds.

[Hattrick]

James,  
Bringing home any animals I cut is my standard for hunting.

I`m with u on that! In the beginning i thought i was fail proof for a couple years.. Then it happen.....  an at that exact time i started recording every lose an kill to this day on a beam in my shop as reminder for that standard.  So for it`s worked for me.

[Scott Gray]

I practice with one arrow from 10 to 20 yards. If I keep all of the shots in the ten or twelve ring on my 3-D target then I am happy that day. Here lately I feel very happy about my shooting