Determining effective range

[Turkhunter]

I often hear people talk about their effective range being "X" yards and closer. What criteria is being used to determine that yardage? The reason Im asking is because as of today I would have said that I was money out to 20, and could hit a paper plate "more often than not" out to 30yds. Today when I put that to the test shooting at a paper plate I went 6 for 10 at 20yds and only hit 2 out of 5 at 30yds. My ego took a bit of a hit to say the least. I know we want to hit vitals 100% of the time but in reality that is not going to happen. So what do you guys say is an acceptable hit rate on the plate for determining effective range?

[BAK]

Sounds like maybe yours may be fifteen.

[Stumpkiller]

On a 10" plate?  With no highlighted smaller aiming point?

95% or better (19 out of 20).  With hunting clothes on.

I practice out to 80 yards but limit my hunting to 25.  At 20 yards I can keep a tennis ball worried.

[Pine]

Keep in mind , there's no warm up shots while on stand .
You could have set for several hours before the " SHOT " presents itself .
So , you might want to consider the very first shot of the day to be your indicator of what your affective range would be .
Keep notes and every time your going to shoot , take the first shot and that's your score for the day .
Very the distance of where the first shot is .
Won't take very long before you find your" Confidence range "
Enjoy and keep shootin' .

[The Whittler]

2d what Graps said. For hunting the first shot will tell you.

[Orion]

What do folks use to determine their effective range?  Mostly, wishful thinking and some self-delusion.  I say this tongue-in-cheek, of course, but i do think most overestimate their effective range.

When I taught Bowhunter Education, we used an activity to help students develop a realistic view of their effective range.  We asked them  to write down their personal effective range on a piece of paper. Then, we later took them to the range with a steel deer silhouette with a hole for the vital area. We then asked them to go to the effective range they wrote down and shoot through the hole in the target.  Voluntary, of course.  

When faced with the actual challenge, and the possibility of a broken arrow, most declined.  And most who shot, broke their arrows on the steel target.  This included more wheelie shooters than stick bow shooters, but the principle holds.  

Most of us think we're better shots than we are.

Too, it's lot different shooting at a critter in the heat of the moment than it is in a relaxed setting on the range.  Effective range decreases even more when actually hunting.

[kevsuperg]

Animals dont care much about stackin arrows.
 It's that first shot that counts.

[Michael Arnette]

SO Im going to go with some of the other posts here as well. for me a 10" plate needs to be 100% because the vitals on a deer sized animal are smaller...So yeah your effective range on deer is probably 15ish but may soon improve. Not to sound cocky but Iv'e shot with many many folks who have shot for years and have an effective range less than yours. They often do quite well on animals because they are excellent hunters.
Some good comments here, this is a very personal decision and I always say its best to air on the side of caution (something I haven't always done) for hunting scenarios I think the best thing to do is make several first shot situations at different yardages and then see from there.
For me this distance depends on my setup and size of the target as well as how I happen to be feeling. for instance it shortens a few yards when I use heavier arrows and shortens greatly when I go from a recurve to the self bow which is not nearly as proficient in my hands.
I'll tell you like I told my younger brother, "she'll never go out with you unless you ask" ...he's married to his high-school sweetheart now.

I don't care what you say, any shot at an animal is a risk

[KeganM]

Same for me, too. If I can't keep 100% of my shots, from my first to my last, in the vitals/pie plate of a static target, I'm not bothering shooting that far on a live critter. For practice I'll shoot as far as I can see, but not on an animal.

For the last five years or so that means no further than 20 yards for me, and most have been at 10 yards. I just hunt in PA though, so close shot opportunities are relatively common. I can't control what an animal is going to do but can certainly control whether or not I shoot. Don't mind hunting another day if there's no shot.

[Yooper-traveler]

I agree with those opinions above. Where I hunt in Upper Michigan it can be brutally cold, my first shot could be after 3 hours of freezing. I limit myself to 15 yards 90% of the time and never further than 20 yards.

[M60gunner]

The range you can effectively hit the spot your looking at with that very first arrow.  That means even if you don't shoot for a month.
 I read this in one of Fred Bear's books years ago and it made sense to me.

[Sam McMichael]

A hunter's first shot should not ever be totally cold. I get on the stand and pull 20-25 times depending on temperature. Every hour or so I will pull a few more times, all in an effort to be at least "somewhat" ready. Granted, you northern guys may still be cold, even if you continually pull during the heart of winter. Fortunately, for me, our southern winters aren't usually that bad. Even when well warmed up, 20 yards is my maximum distance. I am working on 25 yards and am pretty consistent. But, I am not quite there yet.

[the rifleman]

It is often my second arrow that counts as i usually take a shot at a leaf from my stand-- usually a good confidence builder for me.  I like my shots on deer 15yds and in.

[YosemiteSam]

An animal is an animal.  Targets are targets.  Confusing the two is known as the ludic fallacy -- a thought error that occurs when you think that games (target shooting) are the same thing as reality.  Animals don't always hold still like targets.  They might.  But they might not.

Far more experienced, gray-haired hunters and archers than me have set their limits at 20 yards so that's the extreme limit for me.  If I need to shoot further than that, then I'll grab a rifle.

[tomsm44]

I practice out to around 25 yards, maybe occasionally a bit farther.  I'm typically consistent enough out to 20 for a vital hit.  I've limited myself to 15 when hunting so far.  I've literally passed broadside shots at 17 yards.  I've shot three times at deer, and my longest was 13 yards.

[MnFn]

My uncle held his boys to this standard,
10 arrows in a paper plate. He felt they should be able to do that at twenty yards.

[Pine]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
A hunter's first shot should not ever be totally cold. I get on the stand and pull 20-25 times depending on temperature. Every hour or so I will pull a few more times, all in an effort to be at least "somewhat" ready. Granted, you northern guys may still be cold, even if you continually pull during the heart of winter. Fortunately, for me, our southern winters aren't usually that bad. Even when well warmed up, 20 yards is my maximum distance. I am working on 25 yards and am pretty consistent. But, I am not quite there yet.

So much for sitting still and quite .

[Red Beastmaster]

It is absolutely wonderful to hear you guys talk about shooting a "paper plate"!

It drives me nuts when the level of accuracy is described by shooting a "pie plate". Pie plates went out decades ago.

[Twostrings2]

Not quite...

 http://www.ckfinc.com/portfolio-item/paprus-pie-plates/

[Mint]

I don't use pie plates either. I use 3D targets and I'm fortunate to be in a club that has 40 3D targets out on our course. I shoot every Sunday so I know what my effective range will be when be when hunting season starts.

What I found out over the years is once I start hunting and miss my time at the range my effective hunting range decreased. Last year I decided no matter what I would make sure I got some 3D shooting in during the week by either skipping a morning or afternoon hunt and my effective range didn't suffer.