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What's the longest shot you have made?

avidhunter

avidhunter

New Member
I'm working to get good groups up to at least 40+ yds, but I feel confident right now out to 30 (w/bow).
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I would really like to dial it in with my muzzleloader, up to 200+ yds
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Well before this year I really didnt feel completely comfortable at 30 yards but I've gotten all the bugs out and I've now become pretty comfortable at 40 yards. I don't think I'd want to take a shot at over 40, part of the fun of bowhunting is being able to get a deer real close, just makes it more exciting.

Thefrgt10
 
Targets are one thing and shooting a live deer from a tree is something very different.

Someone should not assume because they stand in there yard and shoot over and over at a target 40 yards away that they will have the same outcome on a deer in the timber.

Set your stands up for high percentage shots at close range.

I don't want it to sound like I'm preaching here, but I also don't want new hunters to think everyone shoots a 40 yard shot at a deer. I don't and won't!
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Main point being.....know your effective target range and back it off a bunch on a deer and stick to it. Should have a great blood trail to follow or better yet, watch him go down.
 
I am pretty much stuck at practicing at 40 yards but would probably not make that shot at a deer. Too many things can go wrong with the arrow traveling for 40 yards such as twigs, wind, deer moving...........etc.

In order to practice for the shot at 40 yards, you need to add in the buck fever ratio. Best thing I have found to mimic that is sprint the 40 yards to and back from your target them immediatly pic up the bow to take the practice shot.
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ditto to what ghost said.

i killed my buck last year at 34 yards but the conditions were perfect. i generally don't set up in a place that gives me shots over 30 yards, many things can go wrong on a real live deer.
 
I shoot recurves and consider my effective range to be only out to 20 yards. I practice out to 30, but am only comfortable out to 20.

I took one at a bit over 30 yards a few years back!
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This deer was walking up a very steep ridge and was positioned above me as I was hunting on the ground. The distance seemed right when I let the arrow go, boy was I suprised when I walked to look for my arrow. Must of been something about the steep incline that made that shot look close and happen so well. He was heart shot, ran 40 yards up to the edge of the timber, stopped to look out over the field then tipped over. When I'm out scout'n that farm, I always seem to end up walkin past that spot and replaying the shot.

I always tell my friends that bowhunt'n is not about how far you can shoot the deer, but actually how CLOSE you can get and pull'r off.

I scout hard to find those 15 yard set ups. But knock'n one off at 30 has it's place to.
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A few years back in Iowa I estimated one at 40 yards and took the shot. I was less than thrilled to see the arrow dropping WAY to low to be a good hit. It was a gut shot.
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We went back to the stand later that day with a borrowed range finder to discover it was actually 47 yards. Luckily the buck was recovered the next morning and it was a HUGE bodied animal. Not what I was accustomed to seeing here at home.

Lesson learned, a big Iowa deer looks a lot closer than it really is. Bought my own range finder! NO MORE Hail Mary shots!
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Not going to get into the circumstances for my long shot even though it's kind of an intersting story. Don't have enough space or time to type. But 20 years ago when I hunted everything that moved and could shoot straiter I shot a one antlered buck about 100-120 yards away with my shotgun. I aimed about 2" above his back and nailed him through the heart. But anymore I don't shoot anything past 30 or 40 yards.
 
Ghost nailed it - targets are one thing, and drawing back on a nice buck from your tree stand that you've been sitting in all morning in the cold is another......I like em to get in under 20 yds....
 
7 years ago i was hunting on the ground and shot a buck at 41 yards with my old proline point blank (probably wouldn't have tried out of a tree). my collective shots in the past though have averaged between 10 and 15 yards...
 
35 yards on a doe, Double lunged her she had no idea what happen and ran about 5 yard and stood there trying to figure out what just happened and tipped over right on the spot.
 
Haven't had to make a long shot yet. Last year was my first bow kill at 11 yds and this year I started with a doe at 13yds. I would take a 30yd shot at max. (I practice at 40 but feel better at 30)
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My first buck was at 30 yds., standing broadside. Had two trees blocking the majority of his body, his vitals were exposed. It was perfect situation and a perfect shot! Since then my average shot distance is probably 15 yds. Closest has been 4 yards. To me bowhunting is about closing the distance. But, that is my opinion. I will not take a shot at an Iowa whitetail greater than 20 yards.
 
"The need to succeed is directly proportional to the distance of the shot that one will take".
 
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"The need to succeed is directly proportional to the distance of the shot that one will take".

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I am not proud and should not have taken the shot but I did.
Two seasons ago in Nebraska a 154" 11 point bedded 54 yards from my tree with a doe. I didn't have a clear shot so I unhooked my safety belt and got down on my knees on my stand and leaned out to the right and let it go.
It won't happen again I realize how lucky I was and you can't get that lucky twice in one lifetime. Is what was wierd was that I climbed in that stand two days later to pull it down and could not believe I took the shot due to all the branches and folage.

I would not have even told this story except that I think a few new bowhunters can become more educated by it. Moral of the story do everything opposite of what I did
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