# shot distance how far is too far (for you)



## team-A&S (Feb 1, 2010)

how far is to far. had a rifle hunter tell me 80yd's is unethical with a bow, He tells me stories of shooting elk at 500 on the run. But i think if you are confident in what you can do then, be my guest. but me i think for deer 80 2 90yds with a bow is not that far for today's equipment. but let here what you stopping distance is. this thread is for you to post what your stopping distance is not to bash anyone who shoots past what you think is unethical. with that said happy posting


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

I never really shoot past 60. I am very confident out to 50. But I don't have a brand new bow or anything. IMO it takes a long time for an arrow to hit at distances much farther than that. I don't feel comfortable shooting that far at an animal that will probably move. But that is just my confidence range and opinion.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

I restrict myself to 40 yards or less with a bow. I took a shot at a real nice 5x5 at around 60 yards many years ago with my bow and watched the arrow sail over the bucks back. After the shot I did a lot of thinking about it and weather it would of been a kill shot or not. I came to the conclusion that if it would of hit the deer I would of had a very very long tracking job ahead of me to even figure out if it was a good shot. I was glad that I didn't hit him.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

Here is a little practice for you guys

http://www.officegamespot.com/officegam ... hooter.htm


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

:rotfl: Well, Bax*, I just shot my friend's head off at 45 feet!

I've told myself it's 35 yards and in on my elk this year. I've been practicing shooting through trees and up and down hills and beyond 50 yards I start to get iffy on my shot placement if it's not a straight, clear window.


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

well 45 ft on apple shooter, But for deer I want my max to be around 45 to 50 yards this year.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

o-||


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

121 yards is too far for me...........that is where my sight becomes so low that my arrow vanes hit it as it comes out. 120 or less, it's dead! :mrgreen:
That is because I have a slider sight. If you don't, and your animal is at 90 yards, just hold a little high.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

*Re: shot distance how far is to far (for you)*

I like my broadhead making contact as the nock leaves the string. How's that for close. 

This is always a heated topic. Ethics this, ethics that...

It all boils down to one fact. The farther away it is, the more that can go wrong...

What YOU do when nobody is looking is what defines YOUR ethics.


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## iluvchukars (Oct 21, 2009)

well said TEX. I have always admired your posts. I also like what elk22hunter says as i also have a slider with a sight tape out to 150yds. The farthest I have practiced so far has been out to 115. DANG its fun shooting at targets that far but would never on a live animal. 

Each situation is goin to be different. Wind, distance, snow, rain, etc etc.
Thats why i practice ridiculous shots to make myself better so when i do have a 50, 60 or even a 70 yard shot, I know I can put it where it needs to be.


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## team-A&S (Feb 1, 2010)

o-|| o-|| o-|| this is to funny keep them coming.


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

I personally have taken two shots at 55 yards. Both were one shot kills. One was a little farther back than I liked. That is my limit, but it has to be an open broadside shot with nothing and I mean NOTHING between me and the animal. If he is quartering or there is a a possibility of a blade of grass getting in the way I don't take the shot. I attribute this kind of shot to a 300 yard shot with a rifle, not impossible but you need steady conditions. I think each situation is different. Two years ago I had a buck at 45 yards but he was quartering away at a steep angle. So I closed the distance to 31 yards and moved out to get a bigger shooting window. 

This year I will likely dial it in to around 35-40 yards. I had surgery and haven't been able to draw a bow until recently so I am out of practice at the greater distance. My wife has a freind whose husband always talks about 90 and 100+ yards shots. I know he doesn't practice that far because he tells me. I will not hunt with him for this reason.


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

40 yards is the MAx I'll let one fly this year...Target shooting proficiency should not be your overriding criteria when figuring out hunting conditions max yardage. The old "Hold Alittle high" has no business in my hunting camp!


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

Are all the old timers gone? Two years ago (or so) this same topic was going when a poster posted that he was with his son and they had a small buck out at 90 yards. He told his son to "Hold a little high" and let one fly. The forum went BALISTIC! That was what my post earlier was refrencing but nobody seemed to remember. ha ha
I personally don't have a limit because every situation is different. If I had a 60 yard shot that was in the open, broadside, zero wind, non aware of my presence, but no possible way of getting closer, I my take that shot. I may not take a closer shot with different conditions. I was talking about my 121 being too far because of my sight interfearing with my arrow in jest. I practice as well out to 120 yards. I absolutely love it. It tightens my groups at closer distances but also shows me how vulnerable my shot can be at the further distances and how much the other formentioned factors can play into the shot. 
Every person has different limitations. They have different abilities, equipment, and circumstances. Each should come into play at EVERY circumstance.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

60 yards


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## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

For ME my max shot distance is 50-60 yards. I love to shoot longer distances out to 100+ yards in practice but I personally won't take a shot longer the 60 in the field. Even 50-60 is pushing it sometimes. I have a friend that had a 40 yard shot at a nice busk broadside, for the time (13 years ago) his bow was pretty fast. He aimed behind the shoulder but at the sound of the shot the deer jumped and he hit it in the neck. We found it but it could have gone wrong very easily. 

Another fun question would be how close is too close. I have had a couple animals at under 10 yards and didn't dare draw back because I didn't want to spook them.

Mark


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

If If calculate for angle, wind, elevation, atmospheric conditions, mood of the deer I can usually just put my bottom cam on the target a touch over 200 yards and pop balloons all day long. cant wait to go out and gut shoot a truck load of 4 points this year. -O|o-


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

SW- WHo you kidding? You'll gut shoot 2 points also.

I had a self-imposed limit of 35 yards, until the closest I could get to the shiras moose I shot was 37 yards. So now my limit is 37 yards........


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Packout said:


> SW- WHo you kidding? You'll gut shoot 2 points also.


o your right i was counting eastern count because there are no big bucks in Utah. :O>>:

now if I was shooting Moose I could probably get another 50 yards because their guts are so big. :mrgreen:


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> Another fun question would be how close is too close. I have had a couple animals at under 10 yards and didn't dare draw back because I didn't want to spook them.


I think you can get too close. Inside 15 yards a deer is really hard to get anything over on. They can see you blink and hear you breath at that distance. Unless you're in a tree.... 8)


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

According to that game 55ft is max! <<--O/ 
In all honestly it my limit is probably 45 to 50 comfortably. There are just to many things that can effect the arrow at longer distances. On my antelope hunt I thought I would have to take a 60+ yard shot to get one. But I kept passing them up and got mine at 35 yards. I honestly think most of the time people shoot such long shots is because they don't want to waste the time to sneek closer. I know thats not always the case but it happens quite a bit. 
I remember seeing a guy shoot from the back of a jeep at a 2 point over 90 yards from the road. :evil: It wasn't bad enough but I was about 40 from it when the arrow came over my head and hit a tree just behind the deer.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

60 yards the max for me and for me to take that shot it has to be wide open and no wind at all and the deer cant know Im there.For fun I shoot up to 90 yards and that just for fun. 

for to close one. Im going to be 5 yards from my bow or cow moose when I shot :mrgreen: . My goat im going try to get withen 10 yards. :mrgreen:


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> I remember seeing a guy shoot from the back of a jeep at a 2 point over 90 yards from the road. :evil: It wasn't bad enough but I was about 40 from it when the arrow came over my head and hit a tree just behind the deer.


Had the same thing happen to me down on Kolob mountain one year. I spotted a nice 4 point feeding about 100 yards off the road. I ditched my truck and made a big wide loop through the woods to get the wind on him. I was 40 yards and closing when a Jeep full of guys stopped on the road and they all started unloading on the deer. I stood up and yelled at them so I wouldn't get hit with a stay arrow. They all about crapped their pants and made a speedy retreat. They didn't know it but I got their plate number and called it in on my cell phone. I gathered up the arrows I could find and kept them for evidence. Later that night I got a call from the sheriff that they had caught them. I never heard anything more. The little maggots probably got away with it... :evil:


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> > I remember seeing a guy shoot from the back of a jeep at a 2 point over 90 yards from the road. :evil: It wasn't bad enough but I was about 40 from it when the arrow came over my head and hit a tree just behind the deer.
> 
> 
> Had the same thing happen to me down on Kolob mountain one year. I spotted a nice 4 point feeding about 100 yards off the road. I ditched my truck and made a big wide loop through the woods to get the wind on him. I was 40 yards and closing when a Jeep full of guys stopped on the road and they all started unloading on the deer. I stood up and yelled at them so I wouldn't get hit with a stay arrow. They all about crapped their pants and made a speedy retreat. They didn't know it but I got their plate number and called it in on my cell phone. I gathered up the arrows I could find and kept them for evidence. Later that night I got a call from the sheriff that they had caught them. I never heard anything more. The little maggots probably got away with it... :evil:


Its pretty safe to say that if those little Maggots are on the forum, they now know who turned them in. :mrgreen:


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## adamsoa (Oct 29, 2007)

Come on I can flock shoot deer all day long at 150..........


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

I am going to be totally honest here. I have shot at and hit three elk and four deer with my bow over the last nealy 20 years. The first was a doe facing me at 40 yards. heart shot and retrieved. The second was a cow elk 30 yards broadside in the heavy pines. Fatal liver hit and retreived. Now it gets ugly... Third was a small 4x4. A thirty yard broadside moving shot. the arrow hit low and back but still in the ribcage. I chased him too soon and never saw him again.
Fourth. a bigger 4x4. 50 yards broadside i forgot my armguard and the string got in my sleeve. A solid butt shot. It broke the far femer and two hours later we came back and tracked him down and I got lucky. even worse... number five was a big 3x3 at 55 yards. Quartering away steep. He took a step after the release and the arrow hit him in the back leg low..He bled alot and we tracked him to a bed.. an empty bed where he had quit bleeding. I felt horrible. Next was a small 5x5ish elk called in to 50 yards and hung up. I had drawn my bow too soon and held it too long. The arrow hit the shoulder bone and did not penetrate. Tracked him 300 yards uphill and lost the trail...this sucked bad. It gets worse though... Next was a spike elk. called in to 30 yards and froze when I drew. I shot him facing me and watched the arrow dissapear in him.must have got between his leg and the rib cause after 440 yards(gps confirmed) he quit bleeding out and that was It.. -)O(- The shame.. I have missed twice at 50 and once at 65. I have learned some things the hard way.. Never shoot an animal facing me. always remember the armguard. Always give them time to die. And 50 yards is too far. Too much can go wrong when bowhunting.


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## bullelk7 (Sep 27, 2007)

Hey, Tex. I'm trying to understand your story, I know road hunters blow but if these guys in the jeep all got out and started flinging arrows from 100 yards away what did they do that was illegal and made you call them in? If they didn't know you were there and if they stepped 1 foot off the road what was illegal about that? It sucks your stalk got blown and no that wasn't me and that's not how I hunt I am just trying to understand your reason for calling them in.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Last year had a shot, first day at two cow elk broadside at 70 yds. Could I have made the shot....? Probably. They knew I was there but weren't spooked. They didn't know what i was, wind was in my favor... but I passed because it was just too far. My limit right now (and I shoot almost every day for an hour) is 60 on both deer and elk. I could kill an elk at 70 but why when I KNOW I can get that close because I'm a sneaky little ******* and have done it several times over the last three seasons.  Last season was bad luck with elk and no deer tag... year before was me not having a range finder and thinking I had to get too close so I got busted. Should have killed that nice buck at 35 yards. First year I had no idea what was what, tried a shot I had no business taking and wound up gutshooting an aspen. :lol: I'm hoping this year it all comes together. It should if I do my part. 

This sport we take part in... isn't one of the basic ideas to get close enough that you're sure of your shot? IJS. Like some of the other guys said, I won't hunt with folks who make it a point to take or brag about questionable shots. Tex is right, its a purely personal decision. I've heard some things firsthand by folks I used to be around a bit that just make me think... some of the folks hiking around in August/September "bowhunting" have no business hunting with a bow. If they want to shoot a long way at something, they do have a sport with an unmoving, multicolored target face where you can "hold high at 90" all day long and actually get paid for it when you do it well. You dont even have to make up stories about extra holes in the target either... :shock:  :roll:


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

bullelk7 said:


> Hey, Tex. I'm trying to understand your story, I know road hunters blow but if these guys in the jeep all got out and started flinging arrows from 100 yards away what did they do that was illegal and made you call them in? If they didn't know you were there and if they stepped 1 foot off the road what was illegal about that? It sucks your stalk got blown and no that wasn't me and that's not how I hunt I am just trying to understand your reason for calling them in.


Well, for one, you have to be 300 feet off an improved county road before you can legally shoot a weapon on any sort. Second, who said they got out of their jeep? None of them got out of the jeep, they just stood up and started shooting, from a vehicle and from the road. There's two laws broken. And last but not least, and something I didn't mention in the first place, I was on private land that only I had permission to hunt. So, to recap, Shooting from inside a vehicle, on an improved county road, at a deer on private property. Three strikes and your out!

Shooting at a deer at 100 yards with a bow SHOULD be illegal, but it's not...


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

You gotta love the guy that justifies shooting @ 70+ yards away @ live game. Too funny, no wind, not spooked, perfect broadside, ideal conditions. I know for me that a deer can easily avoid a perfect shot from my bow @ 30 yards, this means not a bad hit but a comnplete miss. It would be a bad hit @ 20 yards. A shot @ 80 yards a deer has time to run off make a complete 360 and come back to the exact same spot before my arrow gets there. I have seen this with my own eyes. Reminding you this was uinder "ideal conditions". I have wounded my fair share of animals. And there is nothing worse. The older I get the more kill shots I get and less wounding goes on. I personally have shot over a dozen deer and a dozen elk, with my bow. Those are the ones I found, you could add at least another dozen wounds I am sure. Been hunting with my bow for 22 years now, almost hung it up a few times after a wound, but somehow made it back. 

It is hard to live with youirself making such low percentage shots but like Tex said, the type of man you are is defined by what you do when no one is looking.


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

HOGAN said:


> Been hunting with my bow for _*22*_ years now,


THIS IS YOUR LUCKY YEAR!!!!! :mrgreen:


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

8) 

Lets hope!


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## wapiti67 (Oct 2, 2007)

Hope is not an option! Confidence in your abilities and how much work I KNOW you are going to put into this hunt will insure a Hunt of a lifetime...if you can hunt that "Front", you can hunt anywhere... :lol:


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## HOGAN (Sep 8, 2007)

While I agree with you 110%, a lot of luck never hurt anyone either.


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## TopofUtahArcher (Sep 9, 2009)

I just got one of those fandangled ranger deals that compensates for my lack of ability on angled slopes... and tells me exactly where to put my new dangfangled slider sight all the way ta 150 yards too Elk22... yous oughta get one of them contraptions that contains your arrow and then jumps down outta the way when ya shoot so you can turn your vanes a bit and get down and dirty at 130 or more!

I am shooting an 8" paper plate at 130 right now, but my furthest shot on a big game animal was 63 ranged. I have shot rabbits and pot-guts at double that though.


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## TopofUtahArcher (Sep 9, 2009)

Hey Hogan, I will have been hunting with a bow for 25 years this coming fall. 

I have taken shots at exactly 7 deer and 4 elk with my bow in that 25 year time ... 

I've missed 3 deer and wounded 1: one last year - shot right over his back cause I read my stupid rangefinder wrong (I sold it a few days ago), one in 1989 in the Uintahs that my shot went right under, and another in 1991 that I shot under at 45 yards... I've only hit and lost one deer because he went into the neighbor's property and they wouldn't let me recover him. 

For elk (years ago) I have had 2 bulls shrug off my shots when my arrow hit them in the shoulder. The rest of the animals I have shot at with my bow were all dead within 100 yards. Shots ranged from 21 yards to 63 yards, with the closest shot being the longest tracking job cause he saw me beaming a really big smile as my arrow dissappeared in his armpit


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

I shot tonight at 120........I was lighting it up so I guess I can't answer this question because I haven't tried a shot that was too far yet.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

elk22hunter said:


> I shot tonight at 120........I was lighting it up so I guess I can't answer this question because I haven't tried a shot that was too far yet.


Ppppbbbbbt! coughcoughcoughbull****coughcoughcough...You couldn't hit a 6 inch balloon at 80 yards last Friday night, and I watched you shoot at it 30 times! What has changed since then? Was there less mosquitoes and pollen in the air to deflect your arrow? :roll:


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## c3hammer (Nov 1, 2009)

All my long shots have resulted in dead animals. My only lost critters were elk at 22 and 34 yards in 30 years of bowhunting. That being said I passed a really nice 175 buck last year at 68 yards slightly downhill. My longest pin is 70 yards on my hunting bow. I shoot the target recurve out to 98 yards (90m) all the time and can hit a paper plate at 75 nearly every time with it. There's just something wrong in the back of my mind about shooting so far out there. I can't get myself to do it even though I know I can. To each his own I guess when there's no one around. Luckily this year I'll be lucky if I can see more than 15 yards where the elk are on the San Juan 

Cheers,
Pete


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> elk22hunter said:
> 
> 
> > I shot tonight at 120........I was lighting it up so I guess I can't answer this question because I haven't tried a shot that was too far yet.
> ...


I know Tex o Bobber, It was like a light went on! I am shooting MUCH better and I think the only two things that I changed were that I bought Archers advantage and built me a sight tape, and then I sighted in my pins a bit better................Go figure! :mrgreen:


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

c3hammer said:


> this year I'll be lucky if I can see more than 15 yards where the elk are on the San Juan
> 
> Cheers,
> Pete


Great, you had to mention the SJ word...................Now I wont be able to focus on ANYTHING today! :mrgreen:


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## c3hammer (Nov 1, 2009)

elk22hunter said:


> Great, you had to mention the SJ word...................Now I wont be able to focus on ANYTHING today! :mrgreen:


Sorry, but that's my life 24/7 these days. I've come to the conclusion I may as well just move down there as I'm not getting anything useful done around here 

When you going down for your next scouting trip? I'm thinking of going the middle of next week through Sat. LOL!!!

Cheers,
Pete


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

c3hammer said:


> elk22hunter said:
> 
> 
> > Great, you had to mention the SJ word...................Now I wont be able to focus on ANYTHING today! :mrgreen:
> ...


I most likely wont be getting down there until the weekend of July 31st. I'm just shooting, shooting and doing more shooting. Oh and talking to guys who have had success along the way.


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## TopofUtahArcher (Sep 9, 2009)

Hey Elk, I will be down there the first week of Sept helping video a friend's archery hunt on the SJ unit too... maybe we can hook up and work some elk together.


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