This is probably one of the biggest questions on the minds of beginner bowhunters. You’ve shot at some targets, you’ve kind of figured out your form, and you want to know if you’re ready for a hunt.
How tight should your arrow groups be? Your arrow groups should be AT MOST 6″ over 30 yards to bring down an average white-tailed deer. HOWEVER, since shooting at the range is very different from real-life hunting, there are several other factors involved besides arrow groupings.
Also, these numbers will change based on prey and hunting conditions.
In this post, I’ll outline what these other factors are and how to train to help you get ready for your first hunt.
Arrow Groupings for Kill Zones
Here’s a simple way to figure out how tight your arrow groups need to be for what you want to hunt:
- Research the size of the kill zone on the animal.
- Make a reasonable estimate of how close you’ll get to your prey.
- Add an error margin.
Size of Kill Zone
Knowing the size of the kill zone is fairly straightforward. It usually is just a matter of taking the time to research the animal that you’re after.
Look at the different angles you might be shooting from and determine how big of an area will give you a kill shot that won’t just maim the animal or leave you tracking blood trails for days.
Here are some examples of APPROXIMATE kill zone sizes for various average-sized types of prey:
| Prey | Angle | Ethical Kill Zone |
| White-tailed deer | Broadside | 8-10″ |
| Quartering Away | 8-10″ vertically, 4″ horizontally | |
| Elk | Broadside | 14-15″ |
| Quartering Away | 14-15″ vertically, 6-7″ horizontally | |
| Moose | Broadside | 18-21″ |
| Quartering Away | 18-21″ vertically, 8-9″ horizontally | |
| Canada or Snow Goose | Any Direction | 6-8″ |
| Squirrels | Any Direction | 2″ |
| Rabbits | Any Direction | 3″ |
So basically, if you can’t repeatably hit your mark within around half of that diameter, stay in the archery range until you’ve improved.
Note: When bowhunting, avoid shots where big game is quartering towards you. Unlike bullets, arrows generally can’t penetrate through the thick bones and muscles from this angle. Also, never take a head-on shot at the chest. It’s next to impossible to take down even a deer with an arrow from this angle.
Range
Obviously, groupings get larger at a longer range. The realistic shooting range in hunting will be affected by your hunting conditions.
For example, if you’re patiently hunting deer in a forest from a tree stand close to their trail, you might be able to get within 20-30 yards.
If you’re in more open terrain, you might be lucky to get within 50 yards, which is an extremely hard shot for even experienced bowhunters.
On the other hand, you might be able to call in geese to the 10-20 yard range.
Probably the best way to figure this out is to talk to other hunters in the area, and to examine your hunting grounds. You can also walk through the area and try to get a feel for your shooting distances.
Ultimately, this might just take some trial, error, and experience to develop realistic expectations.
Error Margin
If you can get within 2″ of your mark at a 20-yard indoor range (4″ grouping), DO NOT expect that you’ll have the same results while outdoors in varying conditions.
You’ll have to content with wind, limited time to take aim, and likely cold muscles.
Instead of unleashing a dozen shots to warm up and get in a groove, you’ve got one single shot and need to make it count.
You can reasonably expect that your groupings will be at least twice as inconsistent in the field vs at an indoor range, especially if you’re inexperienced.
The Main Factor in Hunting Accuracy
Hands down, the main factor in taking an accurate shot (aside from knowing how to shoot in the first place) is being able to keep your cool.
You might have been sitting dead still for hours before you get an opportunity. Your heart is going to be pounding and you’ll have a really hard time patiently waiting for the right moment.
With a limited time window to work out a number of different factors (distance, kill zone, animal behavior, wind, etc) the natural tendency is to take a shot before you’re ready. You don’t get to take a few practice shots at a deer to dial everything in.
On big game, you’re better off missing the shot than taking it and making an unethical kill or maiming the animal.
Realistically, things can always go wrong, but if you’re not conscientiously keeping your cool, you’re going to blow it.
In other words, groupings are only one small factor in successful hunting.
How to Practice
Obviously, a good place to start with archery is at a local range. This can help you get the absolute basics down, like adjusting your sight and practicing form.
Assuming that you’ve already been doing this, here’s what I do to brush up on my skills for bowhunting season:
- Find an open, safe area to shoot off some arrows (a field is a great place, as long as you have permission)
- Set up a couple of targets at different distances, heights, and angles
- Try shooting each target only once before moving to the next one. Change your position from time to time as well.
What I like about this is that it better mimics the need to get the shot placed well on the first hit. Instead of concentrating on only one target, this will help you to get a better feel for judging distances, which is one of the main differences between shooting at a range and bowhunting.
If you have 3D targets set up, this can really help you to develop a natural feel for where to place the shot.
For a really great target that can handle broadheads and field points, check out this one on Amazon. If you can consistently sink your arrows within the dots at 30 yards, you’re probably ready to go hunting.
If you’re doing this on a budget and want a DIY approach, I’ve got a ridiculously simple target that I like to make using just old heavy-duty plastic (drop sheets, industrial bags, etc), a 5-gallon pail, and some duct tape:
If you set out a few cheap targets like these, you’ll get some great practice for judging distance and getting your placement right on the first try.
Ethics
This is one thing I like to bring up with anyone starting with bowhunting. When you take your hunter safety course, there will probably be a lot of focus on ethics.
For bowhunters, there’s an additional element beyond this.
If someone takes a bad shot with a rifle, the animal could be injured and walk around with a limp (for example) for the rest of its life.
People will look at the animal and think, “oh, poor animal, I wonder what happened to it.”
If you take a bad shot with a bow, the animal will have an arrow sticking out of it. Everyone will know what happened, and this for sure will make it to social media and people will get very worked up about it.
When this happens, it just makes it harder for everyone else that wants to enjoy hunting.
Things can always happen, and you can never guarantee a perfect shot, but please be responsible. Always use the appropriate tips (don’t go shooting animals with field points, for example), wait until you’re doing well on target practice, and only take ethical shots.