I don't get the idea of not shooting to your guns limits.
Here's the way I see it.
Many hunters can't judge distance, and all hunters can misjudge distance. I was once setting up on a gobbler just below me, and was ready to give my first call when...
Ka-Boom! Someone shot below me. I stood up and walked to the edge of the hill and saw the guy throw his hat on the ground in disgust. I walked down to him and asked what happened. He said, "I don't know. He was within range but I guess I missed." I asked how far away he was. The guy said, "50 yards."
I don't know what kind of gun he had, but a lot can go wrong at 50 yards.
First, 50 yards is a pretty far distance for most shotguns that aren't specialized turkey guns.
Second, a 20% range estimation (easy for anyone to do) might mean bird judged to be at 50 yards was actually 60 yards away. I shot a bird last year that I thought was 35 yards away, and he was actually 42 yards -- a 20% mistake.
Third, something can be in the way that you don't see, and disrupt the pattern. I once shot a gobbler at 35 yards, and a 1½" sapling was nearly cut in half by the shotgun shell wad, and took a beating from the pellets. I was lucky enough made it through to kill the bird.
Fourth, your pattern on paper might tell your your gun's absolute limits under perfect circumstances, but hunting seldom offers perfect circumstances. If you twist your body to the weak side, you might not get the bird's head in the center of the pattern. That has happened to me more than once.
Bottom line is that when you get into the woods and call a gobbler in, a number of variables can turn a chip shot into a miss or a wounded bird. Hope that helps.
Steve.
