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Too far?

SaskGuy

SaskGuy

Active Member
How far is too far for everyone with a bow? I know I'm new to this but here\s what I think so far. I dropped four pins right off, set the one left at 20 and am pretty bang on from 10-25. Anything past that gets to walk I guess. I'm just wondering at what kind of yardage do other variables start to come into play, wind, string jumping, deer taking a step??? Just curious what other peoples comfort zones are, I know I'm new to this but how does my 25 yard max compare?
 
I am shooting at 60 yards right now and grouping about a 2 inch group. I wouldn't be scared to shoot a deer at 60 yards if all conditions were right. I have been practicing out to 70 yards regularly. So 60 yard max for deer, and 70 yards for elk this fall for me. You really gotta shoot what you are comfortable at. If you are comfortable with 25 yards, then 25 yards it is.
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My first season out I passed a open 38 yard shot at a very mature, very at ease buck because of so many comments I had heard about ethical shot distance. I was proficant to that distance and everything was right. I should have taken the shot. But I'll never forget the moment even without the shot. It's great just to be there. You'll have to decide.
 
I'm comfortable out to 40 yards in the open. My 50# draw weight does however put the ARCH back in ARCHERY. 100 grain montec on 28" gold tip works great for me with plenty of KE for pass through out to that range.
 
I can shoot well at 40 yards all day in the yard, but from 25' up in the timber that 40 yards looks more like 80. I'd rather not shoot over 30 and never intentionally set up at more than 25 from where I expect them to offer a shot. If I had my choice they would all show up at about 18 yards.
 
I feel pretty good about a shot out to low 40's. But like was said conditions have to be right. W/ no obstruction or really high wind. I have shot further at a buck though but i was younger and would probably be more patient now.
 
I'm shooting a new bow this year and am still trying to get the feel for it. I have a five pin sight and wanted to get it setup with my 20yd pin on top and then drop down to 25, 30, 35, and 40...but I ran out of adjustment so my top pin is now a 10yd pin and my second is a 20 yd pin and that's all the further I've got it setup so far.

I'm going to try to put the remaining pins at 25, 30, and 35.


I believe the bow will shoot at a distance further than I'm comfortable shooting and further than my pin-setup will allow. I have some open stands, but most of my stands put me at a max of 30 yards.
 
I practice at 40, feel the best at 30, but will take a shot at 40, if all conditions are right. I have taken 4 does at 35-40 yards, but again my "comfort" zone is at 20-30 yards.
 
I practice out to 50, but that's not saying I would ever get a 50 yard shot on a deer. There are alot of things that can happen from the time you release that arrow till it reaches that 50 yard mark. Plus the odds of getting a clear 50 yard shot in a timber is little to none. Most of my shots have been at 20 or less. I will say that practicing at 50 makes the 10-30 yarders seem like chip shots.
 
Saskguy, your yardage/confidence will increase over time with practice. If 25 yards is your max now, it may be 35 next year. Last year I shot more that ever and would feel confident to hit a kill zone everytime at a still target at 45 yards. This year, due to alot of factors, I have not practiced near as much and right now I would not take any shot over 35.

Only you will know what is too far from your experience shooting your bow and your developed consistancy.

Good luck this year
 
I have in the past practiced out to 60 yards.

This year I have a new bow with a much larger peep sight than I have used in the past. I like the larger peep for lower light conditions and hunting out of a ground blind.

I started centering the whole sight housing instead of each pin like I did with a smaller peep.

I was confident out to 60 yards with the small peep, but with a big peep 40 yards is probably the farthest I would consider taking a shot. And the wind and the deer would have to be calm for me to even consider it.
 
Getting pretty proffecient out to 40yds. I like to shoot just 30 and 40 anymore when I go to the range, makes the 20yd shots seem like 10. I would take a 40 yd. shot if I felt the conditoins were right, but usually I dont' trim lanes much past 30 yds. Longest shot I have ever taken was 33yds, I just don't typically have the openings for longer shots than that.
 
Saskguy, are most of your hunting spots on field edges or in the open? Or do you hunt mostly timber? The more open your hunting area the farther you're going to want to stretch you effective shooting distance. Twenty-five yards is a great start for your first year. But I'll bet you'll want to be shooting farther next year. With the equipment available today, there's no reason the average archer can't be shooting thirty yards with regular practice. I can't wait to hear of your first archery season, I hope you'll do some online journaling for us southerners.
 
my longest shot was a doe at 63 yards. double lunger. I am not proud of the distance. It was a little rediculous but I crawled up on her and knew my distance. have shot a few from 30-40 and have shot most 75% under fifteen. all my buck hve been under 25
 
I guess I am most like J-T-R right now - practice out to 50 with quite a bit of confidence, real tight at 40, but most comfortable at 30 or under. Under 30 I am expecting very short track jobs unless I don't see all the obstructions in the flight path.

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I stick to one pin set for 25 yds and have shot out to 35. I don't like having a bunch of pins to decide between when a big one walks through. I've never had more than one pin on my bow and probably never will. Simplicity is the best for me.
 
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I stick to one pin set for 25 yds and have shot out to 35. I don't like having a bunch of pins to decide between when a big one walks through. I've never had more than one pin on my bow and probably never will. Simplicity is the best for me.

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Ditto for me!

For 20 years I shot instinctive, fingers, no sight, no release. It forced me to work for close shots.

Now, the new stuff (wheels, cables, releases, sights) is pretty neat.

I rarely hunt field edges and the thick stuff I do hunt also limits my range.

It's all about your confidence level, if you are not confident you can make a clean kill shot, don't draw your bow.

A mature buck is definitely not a foam target!
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