Soooo..... What is a good shot

[medic77]

I understand that every archer has a different skill set but I have never shot with another traditional archer.  I was wondering how good, realistically good, can I expect to get?  It seems that I'm not improving over the last year or so.
 Don't get me wrong, I can hit where I'm aiming and all those good cliches but I feel like there is more that I'm missing.  

Example:  I can stick 10 out of 10 in the kill zone on a 3d deer target at 20 yds but I feel I should be better than that.  Say ping pong ball or at least baseball size at maybe 15yds?  (Maybe not 10 for 10 and I might hit it 4-5 times at 15yds)

Is that unrealistic?  Maybe it's just that hunting season is over and I'm bored but I really feel I could or should get better.

[dnovo]

That's good shooting on a 3d target. Yes you can definitely improve on that but it will take time and work to fine tune your form. However you will notice that shooting at a small target like a ping pong ball will make your groups shrink. Aim small, miss small

[KeganM]

I never realized how I measured up until I started scoring on paper and 3D. At first it turned out I was nowhere near as good as I thought I was  

[Matty]

Re word that,
When you say 10 out of 10 on a 3 D deer at 20 yards. Do you mean 10 arrows in the 10 ring at 20 yards? Cause that's super impressive. If you mean 10 in the "kill area" made up of 8-10-12 ring. I would say that's pretty average and good for bowhunting skill level. competitive archery? Well that depends on how many you have in the 10.  Consistency is the given factor. And we all have our good days and bad days.
But I always look at things like this....
YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD, AS YOU ARE ON YOUR WORST DAY.

[Stumpkiller]

This is at 20 yards and about typical of what I can post.  Some days I'm better and some days worse.  I missed a 3-D walking bear target TWICE last weekend at just under 20 yards - both shots right under the armpit.          

   

Remember though - hunting accuracy is how good you are with one arrow from unmeasured range.  I maintain a pretty good reputation on stump shooting.  ;-)

When I was shooting regular in an indoor league I could stay inside a 3" cone (wood arrows & 55# bow) at 18M.  

Too good can be expensive.

   

[ScottL]

That is pretty impressive shooting man. Keep up the practice and the groups will get even smaller. As was said earlier, now you have to fine tune. which can take longer than adjusting more obvious errors.

[medic77]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.  When I said 10 out of 10 I mean heart/lung outline.  I LOVE shooting and it's just for hunting purposes really.  I just feel there is something I might be missing.  That's shooting with my 56" Centaur or Morrison and wood arrows that I made up (maybe that's the problem!) HA!  I will keep after it, that's for sure.

[Sean B]

You'll be surprised at how good you can get.  I don't shoot 3d courses or with other trad archers that much.  I do have difficulty shooting in front of others.  

NOW, Over the last 25 years, I've changed my form and anchor several times.  When I was married and owned my own house, I was able to practice out at 40 or so yards.  I would toss 12 oz water bottles in the yard and shoot at them from a longer distance than I would hunt at. practicing at 40 yards made a 20 yard shot very comfortable and a 15-10 yrd shot a chip shot.  When you shoot, focus really hard on a tiny spot, burn a hole as they say.  or aim small miss small like dnovo just posted.

[dirtguy]

What Sean said is true - try practicing at longer distances then come back in and I bet your groups will get tighter.  Also, keep shooting, those repetitions are money in the bank, provided your form is good.  And, shoot at the smallest feature you can see, as was also said, aim small miss small.  

It may seem like you aren't improving for a while, and it is true that you can hit a plateau, but then you break through and get better.

The other way to improve your groups is better tuning for your arrows.  The better your form gets, the better you become at telling if your set up is well tuned. Borrow or invest in some arrows of slightly different spine, material and set up.  You might be surprised that you what you can gain from fine tuning your arrows.  

Also look at the diagrams and explanations that Terry has up on the shooters forum.  I go back and review these periodically and continue to learn and improve.

In the end, with unlimited practice, you could end up like Byron Ferguson who says that if he can see it, he can shoot it!

[bofish-IL]

There are 2 or 3 Traditional shooters at our local club that shoot just a few points behind the top compound shooters. One is the best shot I have ever watched and he is not shooting a target weight bow.   The traditional guys do shoot closer stakes than the compound shooters, but there are some 40 yard shots at caribou & elk targets. They are way above the average traditional shooter.

[Bear Heart]

I always wanted to be able to shoot ariel targets. I would say at that point you are way above average.

[bartcanoe]

Not me. Reading the responses here, makes me realize how far I have to go.

[Oregon Okie]

I have been doing an indoor 3d 40 shots from 6-30+ yards. Scoring 0-5-8-10 - 8's for kill zone 5 for foam etc.
That gives you 400 total points. There are trees and obstructions. Every shot at a different size animal and distance. By the end there will be a couple of guys shooting 380's and 390's. There will be a good handful shooting 350-360 and lots over 300.  It's ten arrows at four general distances so that makes for 10 pretty long shots from the back. It's a good time and I'm not one of the 390 guys so it shows you what is possible.

[elkken]

Each year at our annual Trad Bowhunters of Washington get together we have an event called the Viking shoot. It is one round at 30 or so targets, it is intended as a fun shoot but it opens your eyes as to how good you really might be ... the rules are one arrow per target, 5 points for an arrow in the kill area ( not the ten ring but lung/heart ), zero points for a clean miss and -5 for anything in the body but not in the kill area. Targets are 15-30 yards in the woods, good hunting practice stuff. At the end of the 30 or so targets most folks that think they are good might be surprised at their score ... you can also get lulled into a false sense of being good shooting at the same old targets in your back yard. I know I have been a time or two ... The best measure of good for a hunter is how you do when it's a critter your shooting at not just targets... good shooting to you all      

I don't know how good you are, or can be.

I do know this though, I am not as good as I can be and try every day to get better. When I first started shooting trad bows I was happy to hit the 3D target. The. I got a little better and wanted to be in the 8 ring every shot. Now I want to be in the 10 ring every shot. I still can't do that, and until I do, I am still trying to get better. Heck, if I ever got that good (which I doubt I will) I will probably be trying to get all 12's!

What I'm trying to say is this; we all are in a certain place with whatever our skill is. Not a single one of us is as good as he can be and we all should always strive to be better!

Bisch

[bartcanoe]

Well said, bisch

[JamesKerr]

Originally posted by Bisch:
I don't know how good you are, or can be.

I do know this though, I am not as good as I can be and try every day to get better. When I first started shooting trad bows I was happy to hit the 3D target. The. I got a little better and wanted to be in the 8 ring every shot. Now I want to be in the 10 ring every shot. I still can't do that, and until I do, I am still trying to get better. Heck, if I ever got that good (which I doubt I will) I will probably be trying to get all 12's!

What I'm trying to say is this; we all are in a certain place with whatever our skill is. Not a single one of us is as good as he can be and we all should always strive to be better!

Bisch

Truly well said Bisch and exactly how I feel as well.

[medic77]

This is some great info to work on.  By the way, if anyone is near Stl, Mo.  Let's shoot.

[Steve Kendrot]

You'll know you've gotten good when 11 out of 10 shots are in the kill zone...

Seriously, haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, but another way to get better is to shoot with others who are better than you. Feedback and competition will help.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by Bear Heart:
I always wanted to be able to shoot ariel targets. I would say at that point you are way above average.

That's a different skill set and only learned through repetition and practice. Kind of like comparing shotgun wing shooting and shooting a rifle.