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How far is your comfortable bow range?

Bowhunt

New Member
Personally about 18 to 22 yards is perfect. I have shot most of my deer in that range, but taken deer at alot farther. Have never shot one under 15, but would like to get one really close this year! I might even give it a try on the ground sometime for a close one! I bought a rangefinder here the other day, they are worth their money! Sure takes away the guesswork of range estimation.
 
I shot one at 37 yd's once but I usually try to keep everything at 30 yd's or under.
I think it's ok to take 40yd shot's if you are good enough to hit were you aim at that distance but I try to keep the distance closer,it's more exciting having them in close anyway.
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I practice and shoot consistently at 40 yards but am hesitant to take a shot over 30 yards at a deer. Just a comfort thing I guess.
 
any where from 5 to 35 yards.. have a sight at 45 yards,but probably will never use it.
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I set up for slam dunks. 20 or less! I partice out to 30. Shoot some 40 to make the 30 seem close. Alot of guys would be suprised how close I set up to "the kill zone" but it has worked well enough. I'd rather get busted drawing than botch a 30 yard shot. My farthest shot 22 yards. most 10 give or take 5. I've found my effective range in the field on a BIG buck is much less than in the back yard shooting @ foam bucks. I seldom hunt open timber or field edges sticking to thicker stuff where long shots are impossible.
 
thirty yards max but i do pratice to forty but i don't feel it is worth the risk of the possiblilty of wounding a deer
 
My comfortable range is any range that I know that I can efficiently place a arrow in the goody box..... That all depends on several factors many of which a bowhunter has to measure quickly in their mind....before the shot ever presents itself...I don't go to the woods expecting I will take a shot over 40 yards ....... But I have taken some great deer out that far..... The longest shot on whitetail I took was on a doe here in WI at 46 yards ... The deer was feeding broadside and was ranged with a digital rangefinder...Double lunged her...I took my WI buck last fall at 43 yards , again the deer never moved on the string twang and the arrow passed through 3 inches above the heart... Luckyyyyy maybe ..... Preparred yes,,,,,, I learned from some years of practicing that I always make sure I practice more outside my effective range then I do within it.... When you back off 50 or even 70 yards and shoot that in a practice round,,,,,, your 30 and 40 yarders seem like chip shots..after doing this for a while.

Will I always take a shot at deer that far??? ..... No way ,,,,, But am I preparred if the right situation presents itself ,,,, you bet..... Practicing outside your effective killing range is not done by allot of archers.......Many will not even do it ,,, but it does help make you a better shot and a more confident bowhunter,,, I think anyway....

Gritty
 
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My comfortable range is any range that I know that I can efficiently place a arrow in the goody box..... That all depends on several factors many of which a bowhunter has to measure quickly in their mind....before the shot ever presents itself...I don't go to the woods expecting I will take a shot over 40 yards ....... But I have taken some great deer out that far..... The longest shot on whitetail I took was on a doe here in WI at 46 yards ... The deer was feeding broadside and was ranged with a digital rangefinder...Double lunged her...I took my WI buck last fall at 43 yards , again the deer never moved on the string twang and the arrow passed through 3 inches above the heart... Luckyyyyy maybe ..... Preparred yes,,,,,, I learned from some years of practicing that I always make sure I practice more outside my effective range then I do within it.... When you back off 50 or even 70 yards and shoot that in a practice round,,,,,, your 30 and 40 yarders seem like chip shots..after doing this for a while.

Will I always take a shot at deer that far??? ..... No way ,,,,, But am I preparred if the right situation presents itself ,,,, you bet..... Practicing outside your effective killing range is not done by allot of archers.......Many will not even do it ,,, but it does help make you a better shot and a more confident bowhunter,,, I think anyway....

Gritty

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I agree totaly. Practice the long shots, makes the 30-40 yarders much easier.
 
At a target, up to 40 yards. At a deer, 25 maybe 30 yards if it is stopped in a good opening. Most of the deer I have shot have been closer than 20 yards, probably because most areas I hunt the brush is too thick to get an open shot much farther.

IaCraig
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Effective range? Oh... maybe 50 yards or more. I too agree to practice practice practice, especially on those long shots since it makes those short ones seem easy. But... I also would say that you must know how far away the target is. When it is a long shot, you must know exactly how far it is. A 2-3 yard judging distance error at 40 yards is a much more critical mistake than at 18 yards. I also am with Scout. Most of my treestand set ups don't even offer much more than a 20 yard shot. The goal is placement, concealment, play the wind and get them as close as possible. Brag later that you shot your deer at 8 yards, or 15 yards or something like that. That is equally or more impressive than the long shot since you beat him with your brains instead of your shooting ability.

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well, i've only killed one deer with my bow which was around 10 yards away in the treestad, but i dont think i will go much past 25-30 one thing i would rather not shoot, then miss a buck everyone here i think knows that feeling. its not a good one to have! and next, its just that much funner to get them to walk right under you cant wait only 3 days
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I'm probably the odd man out here. But I don't recommend any shots further then 30 yards and even that I think for me is pushing it. The risk factor goes up exponentially on long shots, this based the deers awareness , surrounding conditions,emotions, equipment capabilities and shooting ability.I've let Pope & Young bucks walk at 35 yards rather then risk a wounding shot. I know I'll get yelled at but ethically I feel better knowing I've not contributed to the perception of archers only wound deer. I agree with the 18 - 22 yardage mark.
 
I shoot on 3d getting ready out to 40.
How ever I will not shoot that far while hunting. My last 3 P&Ys were taken at 8yds,6yds and 15yds. I perfer
to setup and wait for 20 and in. Really 15 to 18 is perfect. I have only harvested one deer at more than 20 yd's that I can recall.
Good luck to all ...huntN friend mxz.
 
How comfortable you are at the longer shots has as much to do with the confadance of your equipment.
Ive always have used 1 sight basically,my old golden eagle set at 70# shooting aluminum shaft was a 20 to 25 yard shooter max.
When i went to a pse with one cam and shooting 70# with carbon i found out this bow was much faster extending my range out to 35 yards with 1 pin.
It ibos around 305,which isnt super sonic compared to sum but the old golden eagle only did about 220 or so.
a buddy of mine has a new mathews that his pin is set at 40.
You have to know what your bow is capable of.
At 35 yards on the target my arrow still has good penatration,at 45 it dosnt have near as much.
My longest kill to date was at 37 yards and a pass through.
I practice at a target with a 4.5 inch dot.20 yards it hits the top and 35 it hits the bottom.
I also practice shooting sitting down alot for most of my shots at deer are taken when i am sitting down.
I now all the vetern bow hunters here know there bows and their own capabilitys but some of the younger hunters starting out may be wonering why there can be so much of aspread in what everyones comfort zone is.
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I see bowhunting as a close in sport. I practice for shots up to 30 yards, but rarely shoot over 15.

Developing good close encounter hunting skills is part of the challenge I enjoy.

Each bowhunter must decide what they can live with.

When I want to snipe something, I go muzzleloading with my Knight rifle.
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Be safe and have fun.
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Good feedback guys, I appreciate hearing other people's opinion's. I guess it up to your best judgement on how far you can make a good clean kill. I have taken some close ones and then taken one at 48 yards, complete pass thru. It was the perfect set-up for a shot that long. I routinely practice at 20 to 50. When you shoot long ranges, the close ones seem very easy. Good luck to all! Aim small, miss small!
 
When I was younger and dumber I was willing to take long shots and practiced long shoots often. One year years ago my friend shot a buck out of my tree stand after field dressing his buck I climbed back into the same stand he shot his, so he could push a deer drive to me anyway I did not see any deer, but when he came back he sat under my stand and we talked for a while and I was in the middle of imitating a buck grunt I heard the evening before. When all the sudden a buck popped up over the hill and was on a trail far from my stand, but I knew the trail was 61 yards away as he was coming I asked my friend if I should go for it. He said sure. I aimed 4.5' over his vitals and let it fly I thought I missed but I watched the buck go down with in 35 yards. When I made the shot he was perfectly broad side, but when we retrieved him I noticed the arrow went in the front of his chest and out behind his lung. I knew to aim low, but I never thought a deer could move that much in a fraction of a second, he actually turn 45 degrees before the arrow stuck him. Anyway I learned a valuable lesson that day and now I stay under 40 yards and aim low over 30 yards.
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Very good post and discussion. It may seem a bit redundant and it is up to each individual, but many many great factors and views to take in here. EXCELLENT...

My two cents. I like 15-25 yards the best. I two went to a single cam 76 lbs with graphite arrows and don't get near the arrow drop. I practice to 40, but now would like to add a pin and practice farther to make those shots seem easier. However I don't like more pins than I need. I have one pin good from close - 30 yards. Then I have a pin that is right on at 40. A smidge high at 30 and right on at 35. One thing to keep in mind is targets are stationary. Deer many times are not. I pay very close attention to deer to read how spooky or calm they are. This has a LOT to do with how far I will shoot. My farthest is 38 yards on an angling away deer that had his head down and was eating acorns. I greased him complete pass through and he left a blood trail about 2 feet wide. Luck - some, but mostly preparation, confidence, and being able to calm BUCK FEVER.

One thing I have noticed is that many times does, not bucks, are more spooky that bucks. I don't think I would shoot that far at a doe. I agree that nobody has anything to prove with a long shot and has more bragging rights getting one at a close range.

Good luck and shoot within YOUR limits.
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