I personally like to see what the pattern looks like in a 20 inch circle so I know what he's going to run into if he moves left or right as I squeeze the trigger. I am not a numbers guy by any means, I am a nice evenly distributed, killable pattern from ranges of 15-20 and 40 yards guy. I'm sure its already been mentioned also but shoot your gun from a hunting situation, butt on the ground, back against a tree. Better yet take a shot or two standing, we've all missed and have had to stand up for that follow up shot or have had to use terrain to put a sneak on one and the only shot you have is standing. You need to know how your gun feels against your shoulder in every situation possible so your prepared when adrenaline takes over.