I would like to here what people feel their effective/confident range is killing an animal with a bow?
Effective (Confident) Range
- Thread starter labman
- Start date
Old Hunter
Banned
Ranchhand02
Member
40 yards. I practice at 50 yards, but I have only shot one deer at 50 yards. I try and get set up for a 20-30 yard shot if possible, but I am hunting whitetails from a tree stand.
Shot last year at a buck at 60 yards conditions were right everything felt great. Released. Deer dropped his shoulders and I watched my arrow keep on going which has now limited me to 40 yards I can shoot all day at 100 yards but there is not a whole lot of variables while shooting a paper Target. I decreased my range due to variables that I learned the hard way with a big can of tag soup
Old Hunter
Banned
CrimsonArrow
Very Active Member
I'm pretty deadly to 60, but draw the line on deer-sized game at 40. When setting up for whitetail, I like to be within 30, but most shots are around 20. Of the 36 deer I've shot with a bow, the farthest was just over 35, and that was my muley this fall. Of all the whitetails, the farthest was 32. If you ever hear me bragging about distances, it would be how close I was, not how far.
sjsmallfield
Veteran member
In the last 5 years I've killed 4 bulls with my bow and all shots were under 30 yards. The year I wasn't successful, I missed a 6pt at 25 yards. I practice out to 50 regularly but there are way to many variables and you don't always have time to range them. I'm all about patience and it has rewarded me well over the years. The kids and adults I've taught we usually go to several 3d shoots to give them real life experiences and they can tell at unknown yardages what their limits are.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
hvfd21walker
Active Member
RUTTIN
Veteran member
I shoot regularly at 120 yds. for fun, my effective range on game is at 50yds. It's amazing how shooting at longer ranges makes you a lot better shot at closer range. There are to many variables when shooting at a living animal that no matter how calm can move far enough to get out of the way of an arrow, or worse yet be wounded. No matter how fast your bow is when you start shooting at longer ranges there is to much that can go wrong.
Jon Boy
Active Member
50 yards on undisturbed game. If I ever got serious on hunting WT id probably take that down a bit, but then again if I was serious id hunt out of a tree stand, seems like the most effective way to hunt those buggers. Elk and mulies dont seem to duck the string nearly as much.
Doe Nob
Very Active Member
Practice out to 60, pretty confident at 40. Conditions depend a lot on what distance is ok, wind and angle of the wind, how big is the target, what position am I shooting from etc.
brandenbowhunter
Member
I shoot a lot at long ranges...makes the close shots feel easy. I shoot at 120 just to watch arrows fly, plus you can find out about your little flaws. Ones you don't know you have if all you shoot is 20 yards all day. I am very condident to 60...but prefer close shots. I do enjoy the long shots practicing though....very fun.
I practice the majority of the time at long range during the summer month out to 100 yards. On animals I have had 2 different ideal scenarios at 80 yards and I was very comfortable with the shot and both were clean kills. Average shots I would say are 40 to 50 yards.
Joe Hulburt
Active Member
Me too, exactly! This summer I grouped 3 arrows so tight at 70 yards I thought i had missed with 2 until I got right to the target and saw they were all in a 1" group but based on consistent groups day in and day out 60 would be my max and probably only on an elk. So far I have never shot that far at a live animal. I killed by bull in 2010 at 55 yards and was able to center his heart and the broad head just punctured thru the hide on the far side. Here you can see a trickle of blood where it started to exit. I hit a rib on the near side then the arrow angled into the shoulder a little and kept it from being a complete pass thru. He didn't go far....
Just wanted to add that in 2011 I had my bull at 48 yards for quite a while but I didn't feel like everything was perfect so I passed on the opportunity. A little while later he walked down the hill to exactly30 yards, turned broadside and looked away. He didn't go 30 yards.
The vast majority of my elk kills and all my deer and pronghorn kills have been at 30 yards or less.
Last edited:
griz
New Member
AZbwhuntr
New Member
40yds is my limit on game and practice, only because thats the farthest shot I can get in my back yard.