How big are your groups?

[Jesse Peltan]

How big are your groups at 6yards, 12yards, 18 yards, 24 yards, and 30 yards.  For this poll groups will be measured by the distance from the point you are aiming at*2.  So a 6in group means the farthest arrow is 3in away from the point you're aiming at.  Measure to the middle of the arrow.

[Blackhawk]

For those with 1" groups at 30 yards       , keep in mind you need to shoot more than one arrow.    

[ChuckC]

Crap,  there goes MY average then.
ChuckC

[Bjorn]

Yeah-why practice shooting more than one arrow at a time unless you are bareshafting?

[Mack_S]

I shoot instinctivly and based mine off of 3 shot groups.  Out to 30 I'm pretty accurate since I mostly shoot 40 and beyond.  Stretching out to 40 and the groups open up to around 12"...out to 60 and we're talking 30", but at least I'm still on the bail.  

-Mack

[Zbearclaw]

Originally posted by Bjorn:
Yeah-why practice shooting more than one arrow at a time unless you are bareshafting?

I concur.  I may shoot multiple times at the same target before pulling, but not from the same distance after my bow is tuned.  One counts.

[gobbler10ga]

Depends on how big the barn is

[Jesse Peltan]

You might want to shoot groups to work on form.  If you're constantly changing distance you won't be able to detect changes in form so easily.  Now shooting from different distances is good but it's better when used in combination with a consistent distance.  Also it's just nice to see how close you can get a group of arrows from a set distance.  Stump shooting is really good for the randomized shooting.

[sunny hill archer]

Bout this big......

[huntin_sparty]

I am new but at 6 yards and 12 yards I feel pretty good 20 plus got a lot of work to do!

[Biggie Hoffman]

How many times then, in a hunting situation, can you use your "form".

Me thinks you should change angles and stance each and every shot. Groups are good for field archery but not much use for bowhunters.

[sswv]

I'm with Biggie!  I've pulled off more shots in "out of form" positions than being able to stand perfect with good form. just dosen't happen very often for me.

[xtrema312]

When thinking about it my worst range is probably 20 yd.  I think that is about my max gap or something.  I typically shoot as well or better some days at 25.  

I very rarely shoot groups under 15 yd.,  and rarely shoot more than two or three at the same spot even at 15yd.  It is way too hard on arrows.  When I do it I still shoot more open groups because I think I flinch off the group for fear of breaking stuff.

This morning before work I was shooting real well.  I was doing about 4" at 20 and 25 yd. with 6" at 30 for the one group I shot at 30, and I had 3 arrows in less than 2" in that group. I had one four arrow group at about 20 yd. that was the equivalent of what you would get if you took four shafts and put a rubber band around them.  That is the best group I have shot in a long time.  That cost me a nock.  If only I could shoot like that all the time.  Most days it is more like 6"@20 and 25 with 12" at 30.

I find I shoot my first arrow the best most times if I get the range right.  For some reason I have more of a tendency to get lazy shooting a lot of arrows from the same distance to the same spot if I am on with the first one.

[Jesse Peltan]

Groups are just an easy measure of accuracy.  Now 3d courses and things are nice, but not everyone can get access to the same course.  I just wanted to see where I am in terms of accuracy with the rest of the traditional archery community.  You can use form in a hunting situation.  Form doesn't mean target archery.  There are types of form where you can adjust.  For example keep back tension, your shoulders pointed at the target, don't drop your bow arm, keep a consistent anchor point, but move hips, lean, bend legs, whatever else to adjust to the situation.  Now I'm not saying don't shoot at randomized distances, but I am saying that a combination of things is better.  Stance isn't an aspect of form for bowhunters.  Stance changes but those things I listed before don't.

[bearsfeet]

neat poll!

[HATCHCHASER]

I stand at the target and throw 5 or 6 arrows to different locations.  I then walk to them and shoot frome where they land.  You have to be carefull about cutting the arrows in half from different angles.  I sit down, squat, one knee, lean on the tree, put your right foot in.......You get the piture.  I also like to shoot at tennis balls thrown all over the yard.

[Zbearclaw]

The key, for a bowhunter, is to put the first arrow into the vitals every time.

Groups don't help that in my opinion when it comes to confidence in the woods.

Back in my wheelie days I would set a "bar" for shooting groups.  Say 2" from the quarter sized spot at 30 yds.  Total 50 arrows that session and  I would shoot at different spots each time.  Whenever I did not hit within whatever my determined goal was I pulled and didn't count the last arrow.

Then my measure of accuracy is how few times I pull the arrows in that 50 arrow session.

[Thumper Dunker]

Whats form? I shoot lots of grond squirrels and most shots are at 20-40 even 50 . If you wait till you have that perfect 10-15 yard shot your never going to shoot at one. I should say. (I try to shoot lots of ground squirrels) Why shoot at six yards ?  Good poll.

[Tom Mussatto]

To me form is how you draw, anchor, and release an arrow. This should be consistent and not change from shot to shot regardless of angle or stance. Shoot left, right, high, low, close, or far, your form should remain the same.

I seldom shoot two arrows from the same spot so I have no idea about what kind of groups I shoot. Probably wouldn't be good.    

[Maxximusgrind]

I have been pretty self concious about my groups and wondered how far below par my shooting really was.And actually thought about posting a verry similar question,but didn't know exactly how to phrase it to get the info I wanted without making it more discouraging for others in the same boat.
I have shot instinctively for a while and with no reference or aiming point,it leaves alot of variables that can mess me over.If something shakes my confidence,I'm done.
A good group for me at about twenty yards is
about six inches and gets bigger the more arrows I shoot at 40 yards,I might get the first shot or maybe two pretty close(I have hit a McDonalds cup)but if I were to shoot six arrows the group would measure about 28 inches or even more.
The responses so far have made me feel a little better as it seems like something no one really wants to talk about.
Hope that helps.
 Robert