mysticguido

For deer size game no more then 30yrs, but something like a Elk & Moose & Bear 40yrs I think it has more to do with the time of the shot.... Like the others have said Heart...Heat....Cold...Rain....wind.. I shoot from sunup to sunset... and I think of myself as a good shot, but no more then 30yrs for me

Live to Hunt.....Hunt to Live
NAHC & BuckMaster Member

Tree climber

I have bow hunted for about 35 years now,25 yrds is the max. for me.
I can consestanly pack in baseball at 30 and 35 but I lost two deer years ago at about 30 yrds because of the unpredictable hunting situation factor.
since then 25 yrds. has been max. and I have not had a loss.
it will all come with years of hunting with your heartbeat.
there are a lot of things that happen.
just my 2 cents,there are 98 more.


I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

duck killer

This was my first year bowhunting and I stuck a bobcat at about 22 yards and thats where im comfortable. I am ok with shooting 20-30 yards without missing. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep still enough to hit an animal. Well I lost that fear after making a good clean bowkill on an animal smaller than a deer. One of the best things to do,if possible is take a broadhead target,get in your stand with your hunting clothes on and everything, and practice every situation you think that animal approached. When I saw that bobcat sitting there,he was just to the right of a situation where I practiced, so I knew exactly how far and everything.

PORK CHOP

30 yards is the farthest I would shoot with confidence......but I usually set up where I have 20 yards shots. Like most said here, go with what feels comfotable. Elk and Mule deer are larger animals so target is bigger than Whitetails.

Arthur P

DG3, yes. I am talking about grouping with broadheads. I assume everyone else is too. After all, that's what our arrows are wearing when we go hunting. Right? <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

keith meador

i agree with a lot of the responses here, but, i think if you do practice, and you are a veteran bowhunter longer shots can be made. the shots i am talking about are 35 up to 50 yards. some folks think they can take longer shots at elk and mule deer &quot;because&quot; they are bigger animals. i dont like that logic. they may not be able to react to the arrow as fast, making shot placement less critical, due to a slower reaction time.
i have taken several deer past 35 yards, and would not hesitate to take a shot at deer out to 45 yards that are calm. i find that the further the deer from me, the less likely it is to react to the sound of the bow. i dont care how much string silencers and tricks you use, a deer can hear your bow. it may be quiet to you, but probably sounds like two frying pans to a deer.
speed is not as important as accuracy. i take a bow capable of shooting extremely fast, martin fury, 325+ and shoot a heavy arrow at 270. less vibration, less noise, and plenty of K E to finish the job. shoot the most forgiving hunting rig you can assemble, fashion and fad mean nothing to deer, and shoot it as much as you can. participate in club 3d events, and you will find your ability will increase drastically in a short period of time.
bottom line is, shoot what you are comfortable shooting. dont let pride get in the way of good judgement. practice yardage estimation equal to bow practice. you cannot hit it if you do not know how far it is. good luck to you.

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

Pro-Line

I shoot a recurve, and 15 yards is ideal...20 is good. In the right situation, with good light and a relaxed deer, 25 is acceptable for me. It's not that I'm not accurate further, it's just that at 170fps a deer 30 yards away has .53 seconds to react.

An alert deer has time to make a sammich and have a cold beer in that amount of time. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>