gselkhunter

I practice up to 80yds. I have good groups at 80, so 40 is a chip shot. Elkcrazy8 and I have talked about this. This doesn't mean you have to shoot animals at 80yds, it just means that form and mined are in the right place to make shots at 40 down. I never have used a range finder, this has helped me very much. I walk in the mountains and shoot judo points at stumps and yes out to 80yds. I am very comfortable with my shooting and that is what you are looking for. When I killed my ram in 2000, I practiced with broadheads at 80yds. I knew my bow and I were ready. When the shot came, 55yds, I was ready and have a full curl ram because of that. In short there is no range to practice at that is to far, but most set ups are good to 40yds for taking animals. Practice alot!
One trick I came up with years ago is to set pins at 25, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80yds. With the speed of bows today a 25yd pin is good for most hunting shots. And 1 pin is hard to mess up with.
Gselkhunter

muley69

I have sorta changed my mind on this issue. I believe you should establish a comfortable effective killing range and go with it. If you are confidant you can take an animal at 80 yards, then do so. Some may only go out to 40, like me, but that's all I'm comfortable with. Let's face it, some just shoot better then me and they can make an 80 yard shot as well as I can a 25 yard shot, I'm ok with that. However, a trip to the bowhunting forum in October will reveal "I wounded one" post after post. Only you know your effective range.

Elkcrazy8

I am like GS. I will practice out to 100 yards. I could probably make 90% kills on bulls at that yardage. Notice that I said %. In bowhunting elk I wil never take percentage shots. A good way to keep yourself from pushing the limits when the bull of a lifetime steps out ,is to remove the pins that are out of your good kill range. That way you will be less likely to shoot outside your effective range. When I go onto the hill, I only have a 20 and a 30 yard pin. I can stack for 40 if needed. That keeps me within my 100% kill range. I have never had to use anything other than my 20 yard pin yet. Usually they are right in your lap. If you can practice and shoot consistantly at farther yardages then go for it. If you are not shooting good at these yardages then move in. Perfect practice makes perfect. Your confidence may suffer if you are not grouping at these yardages. I for one am not a big supporter of practicing in the wind either. Practicing in the wind can easily breed form flaws that will carry over to calm days and can breed target panic in one way or another. I could go all day about practice confidence but we could start a whole new thread on that. Just practice until you find where your comfort zone lies and when it comes down to crunch time, make your shot count with a cool head. I practice yardage judging all year for competitive shooting and can usually guess to within a yard or two out to 50 yards, but I still make use of a range finder when hunting. I wear it around my neck and tucked into my jacket. When I set up on a bull I will range trees, rocks etc. I find no shame in using one for hunting. GS brings up good advice though, as you should not learn to rely solely on a range finder. You should learn to do it without also. Because like anything else it could break, or be sitting at home on the counter when it is time to use it. Good luck on your hunt and keep the wind in your face.

gselkhunter

The 2 most important parts of bow hunting for me, are tuning my bows and practice. The last thing I ever want to think about is can I make the shot? I have done my work, yes I can make the shot. I hit a bull in the shoulder bone, early in my bow hunting days. I didn't kill that bull, but I felt so bad I almost quit hunting right there! I am doing everything in my power to see that it doesn't happen again. When I think I have worked hard enough, I think about that bull and I work harder. You will hear me talk about grouping broadheads at 80yds, that is why. If they don't group at 80yds, I am not ready to be in the field, because my bow isn't. I take it that serious and always will.
Gselkhunter

BareBack Jack

Thanks guys I've been practicing out to 60 yds and that is about as far as I'm going.I can draw my bow at most angles and sitting or kneeling position.I can shoot groups about the size of a coffee cup out to 50 on my knees or accross my body.

I do practice in the wind,and shoot thru the grass and shelter belt around my house.I've been think of ways to create every posible hunting situation.

Thanks again.
BBJ

Elkcrazy8

One thing that you might want to try bareback, is have someone tell you when it is time to draw and when it is time to shoot. I am sure every experienced elk hunter here has pulled back on a bull and had him stop just short of exposing his vitals. The guy I elk hunt with and I used to do that all the time. It can also show you how long you can hold and still be effective if the need arises. Another good tip is to practice with your partners bow. A couple of years ago we were on a back country hunt. The guy that was with me was having bow problems. After I was done with my bow he picked mine up and killed a bull with it. We figured out where we needed to hold with each other sights and became fairly proficient at it. That paracticing meant the difference of going home empty handed and going home with some meat. Good luck this year.

Howler

I guess us westerners get used to being prepared for longer bow shots. I also practice a lot, out to 65 yards, and also practice holding for long periods of time! I also practice letting down slowly and controlled!! I have yet to kill any big game past 40 yards, although I beleive I could if the opportunity arises, but I did nail a coyote last year at 60 that I was sure proud of My best friend has filled his elk tag the last two years with "extreme" range shots of 51 and 63 yards respectively!! I give him crap all the time about if that's all the closer he wants to get then he should concider taking up black powder

gselkhunter

Howler, You and I are hunting in CO. This is a totally different environment than ID, where a lot of the hunters here are from. I would include that as west. The tree cover is much thicker than what you and I see here. To get a shot over 30yds is not the case. Elkcrazy8, Elknut1 and Idahoelkinstructor and I have talked about this at length. I have taken some animals at longer distances also. Last years bull was taken across a pond[40yds]. It was a good shot, but I am set up for it equipment wise. And am comfortable with that distance. But the best shooter here I know of [Elkcrazy8] might have passed on that shot because of the distance. And if you want thick cover go back to my home state of NY, 40yds out of the question. I guess the point is we live in a state that is unique. But in many ways is easier to hunt, because we can see at a distance. I like watching a bull come 200yds to my calling. A lot of these guys don't get to see things like this, but they might be better hunters because of that. I would encourage a guy from back east to practice for longer shots if they are coming here because it is so open. But if they hunt with me, I want them to take an elk at no more than 30yds. The first time you have an elk in front of you, it boggles the mind, remember.
Gselkhunter

Elkcrazy8

GS, I forgot where in NY you are from. I was born and raised there and I am heading back for a week in June with my daughters when they come to visit me for the summer. Now back to elk. Normally we don't see the bulls coming, but ALOT of times we can hear them coming. It sounds like a steam roller coming at you. I live for elk hunting. I saw around 300 elk last weekend while I was roaming the woods. They all looked pretty good to me. Especially the young bull who just lost his antlers. He was standing at 60 yards with about 2 feet of grass hanging out of his mouth. It was a heck of a sight.

datamax

I think you'll find shooting elk not to be any farther than shooting anything else. If you can make the shot, take it. DO NOT take the shot because you think thats just the way it is out west, thats an old wives tale