how good of a group before hunting?

[B Littleton]

I'm just getting into traditionaly archery. I recently purchased a 50# fuse intrepid and I have been shooting about 7-8 6 shot rounds daily at about 15 yards to practice. Currently I am grouping the 6 shots at about 5-8" consistently with some closer to 3". what kind of shot groupings do ya'll like to have before getting out and hunting? I am planning on trying to do some pig hunting with this bow after deer season is over, and would like some idea of what everyone elses preferred accuracy is.

[Chunky]

There is no answer, but just peoples opinion or judgement.

At a minumum, I think you need to put at least 4 out of 5 in a regular paper plate, at the distance you want to shoot at. Remember I said that is the minimum, the thinking is that a paper plate is roughly the same size as the deer's kill zone.

If you can do that consistantly at 10 yards, set up and take only 10 yard or closer shots. If you can do it out to fifteen, then you take that shot if you feel good about the conditions.

There is more to a hunting shot than just the distance, it should also feel like a slam dunk you can't miss.

Buff said it the best I ever heard, he said on here one time on a thread about how far you take a shot......set up a 3-D target againt the grill of your truck, if you are willing to take that shot, then you can take it at a live animal.

[Bisch]

Just about everything Chunk said is spot on! The only thing I would disagree with just a bit is the paper plate. A paper plate is too big for me. I want my group to be a bit smaller than that.

Bisch

[B Littleton]

Sounds good. I'd say I'm grouping 5 out of 6 shots within 6" @ 15 yards. I need to practice some with broad heads and see how that goes. Taft being said, what's y'all's opinions on the fuse intrepid? I picked it up at cinnamon creek and they were really great. So far, I really like it, but I have no basis for comparison. I skipped compounds and went straight to the recurve.

[deer99hunter]

There is no answer, but just peoples opinion or judgement.

At a minumum, I think you need to put at least 4 out of 5 in a regular paper plate, at the distance you want to shoot at. Remember I said that is the minimum, the thinking is that a paper plate is roughly the same size as the deer's kill zone.

If you can do that consistantly at 10 yards, set up and take only 10 yard or closer shots. If you can do it out to fifteen, then you take that shot if you feel good about the conditions.

There is more to a hunting shot than just the distance, it should also feel like a slam dunk you can't miss.

Buff said it the best I ever heard, he said on here one time on a thread about how far you take a shot......set up a 3-D target againt the grill of your truck, if you are willing to take that shot, then you can take it at a live animal.

Just about everything Chunk said is spot on! The only thing I would disagree with just a bit is the paper plate. A paper plate is too big for me. I want my group to be a bit smaller than that.

Bisch

The FSC ( First Shot Challenge ) comes to mind when reading what these guys are telling you. What I'm trying to say is, how do you feel about YOUR FIRST SHOT, not what your grouping is. you need to feel the first shot.....

[B Littleton]

that makes a lot of sense. fortunately, I'm doing pretty well with my fist shot. I have my target setup with a 2" circle, a 4" circle, and an 8" circle, and I am usually right on, or very close to the 2" circle on the first shot. as I go through my round the shots start to deteriorate as I start thinking about it more.

[Bisch]

The fuse bow is just fine. It will function properly and kill stuff just as dead as the highest dollar custom out there. If you stick with the trad thing you will go thru several bows before finding "the one" for you. The Fuse is a production bow that is on the lower end of the spectrum. After you start shooting other guys bows at 3D shoots and such, you will see the difference between the production bow and many of the custom bows.

Bisch

[agtex42]

The FSC ( First Shot Challenge ) comes to mind when reading what these guys are telling you. What I'm trying to say is, how do you feel about YOUR FIRST SHOT, not what your grouping is. you need to feel the first shot.....

This is a key thing to consider.

Shooting groups is great for developing muscle memory and to some degree building endurance, but I've found that I get more meaningful practice by shooting one arrow at a time and always from a different distance / angle than the shot before.

In a hunting situation it's usually the first shot that has to count but even the FSC isn't an end all be all to your expected performance with a live animal in front of you. It's hard to replicate the adrenaline rush you'll get when drawing down on something a mere 10-15 yards away and there's lots of room for "form errors" to creep in in the heat of the moment.

That being said, I want to be able to put an arrow in a 4" circle before going after game (regardless of the range). I want this to be a "brainless" shot, think along the lines of: my shot sequence and anchor points are so ingrained that if I draw back all I have to do is "feel everything is right" and just concentrate on where I want the arrow to go.

Like Chunky already said, you're going to get a lot of opinions on this but it's ultimately up to you to assess your abilities and translate that into how and when you decide to hunt!

[widdler]

These guys have given you spot on advise. During hunting season I do not group arrows. I shoot one arrow at a time at my hunting distance. I pick a spot on the target that is not in the target rings to shoot at. There will not be any rings or arrows in the animal that you will be shooting at. Also put pressure on yourself to make that one arrow. If you can shoot 10 arrows one at a time and hit your spot your ready to hunt.