# How Close?



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

How close is your closest archery kill?

I came across this video the other day on YouTube and was amazed at how close the bull elk was, skip to about the eight minute mark -


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

at least one of those guys is a slc local. i had a whitetail at a yard away at full draw once. couldn't get the broadside shot i wanted after sitting there for two minutes i had to let down. now i try to take the shot before they get that close. 15 yards is about right for me.


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## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

Pretty sure I had an arrow hit a turkey before it left the string. If not it was dang close. I looked down the shaft for an aiming reference and completely abandoned the sights


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I've killed two deer, a bear, and an elk with my bow. 

Deer 1 = 21 yards
Deer 2 = 22 yards
Bear = 22 yards
Elk = 26 yards. 

At least I'm consistent! The closest I've ever been to a target animal is probably about 7 yards, but I've never shot anything that close.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Cow elk at + or - a foot at a little over a yard. She came in from behind me when I was into a herd of them. I don't even know if I had a full draw when I let the arrow fly. 

Deer was about 2 feet. He walked straight at me feeding with his head down. He had to turn sideways to keep from running into the tree that I was in front of and I let it fly as soon as he was close to broadside.


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## Slayer (Feb 3, 2013)

12 yards Bull Elk


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Thanks for the responses - pretty awesome stuff!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Had a ground blind on a slope, a cow at 3 yard staring at me... her head was taller than the blind, but I had no angle to the body as it was too low. There was a nice cow beyond her broadside at 30 yards who hadn't seen me yet. I drew back and aimed over the one in front of me, at the broadside cow. At that same moment I had a calf behind me leaning over sniffing my neck and hat. It was literally touching me when I released.

Craziest hunting situation I've ever been in.

-DallanC


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

Deer shot - 15 feet
Elk shot - 25 yards.


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## bowdude (Aug 11, 2019)

10 yards or less at the biggest mule deer I have ever shot at. Still haven't figured out how I missed. Probably shot under it at that range. I searched for hours for signs of blood but found nothing. I can still see the surprised look of shock and horror in his eyes when he heard the release of the arrow and turned his head towards me to look.


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## BGD (Mar 23, 2018)

bowdude said:


> 10 yards or less at the biggest mule deer I have ever shot at. Still haven't figured out how I missed. Probably shot under it at that range. I searched for hours for signs of blood but found nothing. I can still see the surprised look of shock and horror in his eyes when he heard the release of the arrow and turned his head towards me to look.


 oh the agony! I bet you've replayed that moment in your mind more than a few times over the years.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

bowdude said:


> 1... I can still see the surprised look of shock and horror in his eyes when he heard the release of the arrow and turned his head towards me to look.


I've seen that look many times with many different animals...deer, elk, turkeys and other birds. That eye-to-eye contact is probably the most memorable and haunting experience you will ever have as a hunter.


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## olibooger (Feb 13, 2019)

DallanC said:


> Had a ground blind on a slope, a cow at 3 yard staring at me... her head was taller than the blind, but I had no angle to the body as it was too low. There was a nice cow beyond her broadside at 30 yards who hadn't seen me yet. I drew back and aimed over the one in front of me, at the broadside cow. At that same moment I had a calf behind me leaning over sniffing my neck and hat. It was literally touching me when I released.
> 
> Craziest hunting situation I've ever been in.
> 
> -DallanC


WoW, that is super neat.

Did you harvest the cow at 30 yards?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I think that this thread should also include how close was your closest shot that you blew. 

Mine was a 5 yard shot at a 200+ inch buck that I blundered into. All of a sudden he was just standing in front of me. I think that I would of done better if I would of just threw the arrow at him.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

My closest blown shot was about 10 yards. I aimed low because he was so close........ I hit barely below his body and it pegged into the quakie he was standing in front of. When he ran off his back legs snapped my arrow like a twig. 
So I missed the shot, and lost an arrow and tip. 
At least he wasn't a big one.


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## bowdude (Aug 11, 2019)

One of the things we do in the winter league is shoot a 5 to 10 yard shot just to learn how to do it. With my setup, at 5 yards, I need to use my 55 yard pin. 2 full... if you aimed low to begin with, you really shot low. Everyone needs to learn how to shoot close distances.


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## Jonboy1100 (Aug 7, 2019)

Whitetail - @ 3 yards. Elk 11 yards. held at full draw once on a cow for almost 3 minutes, while watching her eyelashes twitch, her head a mere 6 feet or so from the arrow, (the only part not behind a small tree). 😖


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

It was 35+ years ago bowdude. I have learned a whole lot since then, and killed a lot of deer..........;-)


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I'll add to the "how close" by include the distance from my truck.

The spike was about a 20 yard shot. I could still see my truck from where I shot. The pack out was less than 100 yards.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

olibooger said:


> WoW, that is super neat.
> 
> Did you harvest the cow at 30 yards?


Yes. I'll admit, nerves, shakes... adrenaline etc... I pulled the shot a little. Lucky for me, it hit a tad high and forward on her. Clipped the arteries off the top of the heart. She went maybe 30 yards from point of impact and fell over stone dead.

-DallanC


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## hunting777 (May 3, 2009)

not me, but my oldest son. He shot his first buck with a bow at 8 feet. He was 13 at the time. We were making the stock when I told him to go ahead. I watched him draw his bow from about 40 yds behind him. He was shaking like crazy. He was aiming for the vitals and ended up shooting him in the neck.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I once had a 28" wide buck feeding broadside at 12 yards right out in the open and I managed not to get a shot off. My arrow fell off the rest when I was pulling back.


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## BGD (Mar 23, 2018)

ridgetop said:


> I once had a 28" wide buck feeding broadside at 12 yards right out in the open and I managed not to get a shot off. My arrow fell off the rest when I was pulling back.


. I had an arrow rest experience - nice 3 point at 10 yards broadside. Didn't know I was there until "clank," the arrow falls off the rest. Would have been my first with a bow at 15 years old. Life has gotten in the way of archery hunting so still no bow kills for me 28 years later.


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## bowdude (Aug 11, 2019)

2 full... I can relate to what you are saying, I still remember when we thought that you aimed high on up hill shots and low on down hill shots to compensate for arrow drop. I got caught up more than once in that mis-information. Like you, I am much more educated now... but the shot opportunities are fewer and farther apart anymore. Wonder why that is?


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## bowdude (Aug 11, 2019)

Ridgetop... I too had an arrow fall off the rest on the shot one year. I am not sure who was more shocked at what sounded like a gun shot... me or the deer. Funny what nerves will do when you have "buck fever". I think I could fill pages in a book on "near miss's" and "dumb mistakes". I suppose that is what attracts me to this sport and keeps me coming back year after year... it is never a sure thing.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I think part of the reason we think we get fewer shots is that we don't shoot at the little ones anymore. We used to be just glad to get a deer with a bow. Now we pass up deer we would have been tickled to get back then. 
Plus when we were starting out u could still get a bow tag and a rifle tag. So we would shoot any buck on the bow, and horn hunt on the rifle. 
We were proud to say that we got a deer on both hunts......


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

As for bloched shots. The first deer that I ever released a arrow at was a lucky one. 

I had done quite a bit of hiking that morning and decided to sit down on a small ledge and just watch. Well, a little while later I was asleep only to be woke up by something hovering over me and snorting. It was a doe and a 2pt buck. Well I threw my bow and arrows over the small ledge when I jumped up and watched as the deer trotted off. I retreived my equipment and got back to where I was sitting to look and see the doe about 30 yards off looking uphill. Yep, there was the 2pt about 15 yards away. 

I figured that he was dead meat so I pulled a arrow out of my quiver and pulled my bow string to full draw, settled on where I was going to hit him and let the arrow fly. Now for some reason unknown to me the arrow went about 5 yards to the right of the deer. When the arrow hit a tree the deer calmly trotted off never to be seen again. 

I still can't figure out what happened.


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## bowdude (Aug 11, 2019)

I had an elk standing broadside about 25 or 30 yards in an unobstructed clearing under a growth of trees. It was picture framed nicely between a couple of trees. I carefully took aim and let the arrow sail in its direction. I heard the arrow hit and watched the elk trot off but to my amazement, it did not quiver or shake and disappeared into the shadows. My son and I walked up to where it was standing when I shot and found my arrow in 3 pieces scattered about. No blood on the ground or on the shaft pieces, everything was clean. We never figured that one out either. I was sure we had meat in the freezer. We still joke about the elk having iron underwear. That was all it could be, surely I would not have missed.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Spike elk at 4 yards (Idaho 66A). I saw him coming up the trail that led in front of me. I was drawn and ready for him when he walked by.
Montana black bear at 13 yards. He dang-near ran me over trying to get out of there.
Idaho (unit 58 ) Pronghorn buck (72 [email protected])at 20 yards.
Idaho (unit 58 ) Pronghorn doe 13 yards. (Across Birch Creek from my blind.)
Sitka Blacktail (3x3) at 15 yards.
Sitka Blacktail (mini 4x4) 18? yards.
Sitka Blacktail doe on the beach at 10 +/- yards.

I don't have a choice, I shoot a longbow, so I have no choice but to sneak in close. Inside 25/30 yards and I got this shot...after that......?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I missed a bull elk at 7 yards. It's a long story.....but I tell it so well.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

wyogoob said:


> I missed a bull elk at 7 yards. It's a long story.....but I tell it so well.


I'm still waiting on that sheep story.

It has been long enough that the hurting should of subsided a little.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Critter said:


> I'm still waiting on that sheep story.
> 
> It has been long enough that the hurting should of subsided a little.


Sheep? What sheep?

Ha, funny you bring that up. Yesterday my neighbor's buddy was over showing off his 14 year-old son's 165ish sheep horns. They asked me if I wanted to watch a video on a cell phone of the young lad harvesting the big ram. I said "No thanks, I'm going in the kitchen and cut my wrists"

.


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

bowdude said:


> One of the things we do in the winter league is shoot a 5 to 10 yard shot just to learn how to do it. With my setup, at 5 yards, I need to use my 55 yard pin. 2 full... if you aimed low to begin with, you really shot low. Everyone needs to learn how to shoot close distances.


I kind of geeked out on this and have been the butt of a few jokes... oh well. I did some work and put a dope chart on my bow. I know it is a bit much but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. 
I run a three pin slider with the fixed pins at 20, 30, and 40. I figured out which pins to use for the in between yardage and maximum point blank rage for the 30 pin since it was zeroed at the closest range (5 yards).


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