Extended Range Bowhunting

[Archertl]

I don't see why its necessary in ohio but if you practice and the animal is calm when you make the shot it can be done ethically. A lot of the guys I know that hunt on the eastern side of Washington state bag animals out to 80 yards. That said they shoot 100 arrows at a blind bale a day on top of practicing at 10-100 yards. My very max is 60 and everything has to be right for me to take that shot.

 

[Kaiser878]

I have always used a 4inch rule which is half of avg deer size vital area..When I shot RH compound vertical bows that was a honest 40-45yrds with broadheads, which would be my max under ideal conditions....My crossbow has more then enough speed,KE,momentum etc and the bow is pretty quiet(my old 2007 Bear Compound was louder) but my max is still about 60yards on a deer size animal..I can hold 4inch or just under groups with broadheads freestanding at 60 yards and that is about my max I would shoot at a deer from under ideal conditioners ..Before I had a range finder 40yrd was my max period with any archery gear..At 60yards my 445grain arrow is still going 300fps or just over and still has over 90lb KE so power isn't a issue..

Not.to argue.....but how ddo u know its still traveling 300fps? That would.mean.at 20 yards it would be.traveling.over 360fps. That's a heavy arrow. And I.think u would.be lucky foe it to be.traveling 280 at 60 yards

 

[Jackalope]

As many of you know I have an 8 pin sight and regularly shoot out to 80 yards. The reason for this is the area in which I hunt is mostly open fields and fence rows. It might as well be Kansas in areas. If you can't shoot out to 60 yards you're at a serious disadvantage. Personally I have shot one deer at 57 yards and I 10 ringed her. I have to agree with Brock when he says they react far less at 50 than they do 20. She just stood there and it sailed right through her. I will say that the in flight time gives you plenty of time to think. I actually had enough time to say in my head "you missed" before I heard the arrow impact her ribs. Guys out west hunting antelope and mule deer regularly shoot out to 100 yards or more in practice and shoot animals at 80 yards. To them this is the norm. 50 is their 30. I don't see any difference between hunting out west and hunting some of that areas I do where it's fields for miles. I hunt a couple farms together that total about 2 square miles. Of that two square miles I would say there is a total of 75 acres of wooded cover. Probably two 10 acre blocks of wooded cover and the rest is all fence rows. When a deer is standing 60 yards out in a cut corn field feeding there shouldn't be any excuse of why I can't kill it.

 

[bowhunter1023]

As many of you know I have an 8 pin sight and regularly shoot out to 80 yards. The reason for this is the area in which I hunt is mostly open fields and fence rows. It might as well be Kansas in areas. If you can't shoot out to 60 yards you're at a serious disadvantage. Personally I have shot one deer at 57 yards and I 10 ringed her. I have to agree with Brock when he says they react far less at 50 than they do 20. She just stood there and it sailed right through her. I will say that the in flight time gives you plenty of time to think. I actually had enough time to say in my head "you missed" before I heard the arrow impact her ribs. Guys out west hunting antelope and mule deer regularly shoot out to 100 yards or more in practice and shoot animals at 80 yards. To them this is the norm. 50 is their 30. I don't see any difference between hunting out west and hunting some of that areas I do where it's fields for miles. I hunt a couple farms together that total about 2 square miles. Of that two square miles I would say there is a total of 75 acres of wooded cover. Probably two 10 acre blocks of wooded cover and the rest is all fence rows. When a deer is standing 60 yards out in a cut corn field feeding there shouldn't be any excuse of why I can't kill it.

:smiley_clap:

Well said. If its cool in Kansas, why is it all of a sudden unethical in Ohio?

 

[ohio mossy oak]

Not.to argue.....but how ddo u know its still traveling 300fps? That would.mean.at 20 yards it would be.traveling.over 360fps. That's a heavy arrow. And I.think u would.be lucky foe it to be.traveling 280 at 60 yards

Pro chrono digital chronograph..Point blank range avg was 350fps/20yrd was 335fps/40yrd avg was 325fps and for 60yrd I used all the info I already an fed it into my OnTarget2 archery software and came back with 314fps at 60yrds..Software accounts for all aspect of the arrow diameter,fletch dimension and orientation etc...All Chrono readings taken using a field tipped arrow and I feel a fixed 4blade broadhead may lose more speed so I will just call it over 300fps at 60yrd...That should be pretty fuggin close IMO

 

[Diablo54]

You know what I have to say. But I'll say it again. There are to many variables at that range. IMO anything past 40 with a compound is just to far. It can be done of course but your taking a big risk. Spend less time playing with your pins and shooting your bow at 70 yards and more time learning how to hunt. A good bow hunter can set him or herself up for "bow hunting" shots. Not slug gun shots. If you can't get the deer into 40 yards or closer you need to improve your setups.

 

[Fluteman]

You know what I have to say. But I'll say it again. There are to many variables at that range. IMO anything past 40 with a compound is just to far. It can be done of course but your taking a big risk. Spend less time playing with your pins and shooting your bow at 70 yards and more time learning how to hunt. A good bow hunter can set him or herself up for "bow hunting" shots. Not slug gun shots. If you can't get the deer into 40 yards or closer you need to improve your setups.

I like the way you think!

 

[bowhunter1023]

HA. I love that argument. Because we all know the best hunters hunt the best spots and the best spots NEVER let a deer walk past further than what 18, 20 yards? Yep. Be the best and you'll NEVER EVER have to shoot a deer past 20 yards. :smiley_clap:

 

[Diablo54]

HA. I love that argument. Because we all know the best hunters hunt the best spots and the best spots NEVER let a deer walk past further than what 18, 20 yards? Yep. Be the best and you'll NEVER EVER have to shoot a deer past 20 yards. :smiley_clap:

No you don't have to be the best. But you can set yourself up well enough that these shots are likely. Getting close is the name of the game. It is the challenge and it is being taken away with the long shots. I've watched several nice bucks slip around me at 30 or 40 yards. Nothing I could do about it other than rethink my setup and try again. Bow hunting is supposed to be a challenge and these last few years it has been slipping away from that quickly

 

[Diablo54]

I also use to hope that we as bow hunters would have enough ethics and respect to not take those shots. I guess not. Once the arrow leaves you can't take it back. But hell I'm talking to the same people who shoot rages at deer. Lost cause lol.

 

[bowhunter1023]

You can wound a deer at 5 yards the same as you can at 45. You can hang stands that you hope will funnel deer to close range, but that doesn't always happen. Should we abandon field edges because it might temp us to shoot past 40 yards?

I've killed 20+ deer with a bow in the last decade and only one was killed past 32 yards. However I am always prepared to close the gap and when the need has presented itself, I'm 1 for 1 at long range. I trust myself to evaluate the situation and to take a shot I can be proud of. Maybe that can't be said for everyone who shoots long range, but I can hang my hat on that fact. The other fact I hang my hat on is that the equipment I use it perfectly capable of killing deer effectively at distances beyond 40 yards and what becomes ethical past that, is purely of personal belief.

Haters gonna hate. :smiley_coolpeace:

 

[Diablo54]

You can wound a deer at 5 yards the same as you can at 45. You can hang stands that you hope will funnel deer to close range, but that doesn't always happen. Should we abandon field edges because it might temp us to shoot past 40 yards?

I've killed 20+ deer with a bow in the last decade and only one was killed past 32 yards. However I am always prepared to close the gap and when the need has presented itself, I'm 1 for 1 at long range. I trust myself to evaluate the situation and to take a shot I can be proud of. Maybe that can't be said for everyone who shoots long range, but I can hang my hat on that fact. The other fact I hang my hat on is that the equipment I use it perfectly capable of killing deer effectively at distances beyond 40 yards and what becomes ethical past that, is purely of personal belief.

Haters gonna hate. :smiley_coolpeace:

And I can get shot robbing a bank or I could get shot walking down the street but which one has better chances? You know I'm right. Your equipment is capable yes under the right conditions but in the deer woods it is a different story. I would be prouder of a bow kill than I would a rifle kill because I won the game and got close but like I said that's not what it is about anymore apparently. We can have a pissing match all day Jesse but you know I'm right just admit it.

 

[Diablo54]

No we shouldn't abandon field edges but we should have enough respect ethics and patience to know right from wrong

 

[bowhunter1023]

Who set the ethics in regards to proper shot distances? Can you show me where that's been written in stone? More things can go wrong at 27 yards than at 21, so should we stop at 24 then and just split the risk down the middle?

In my experience, traditional bowhunters wound deer at a higher rate than compound hunters. Not a fact, just how it relates to me through my experiences. They have shorter effective ranges and by your logic, should always be more effective than a compound past this "unwritten" ethical distance. However shit happens regardless of the weapon and/or distance. If I had to pick what caused more wounded deer based on my experience, sticks shooting sticks or compound shots past whatever this ethical distance has been defined as, traditional hunters would be in trouble.

You're a regular Howard Hill, so I know you're skewing the results. But I bet even you know more people who've wounded deer with a stick bow at CLOSE range than people who've wounded deer past whatever distance you deem acceptable. I don't see us long range unethical hunters calling for a ban on sticks.

 

[moundhill]

I agree with you both in a way. I think Jesse is right about the equipment (most) being capable of making a clean kill of a deer at long range. But you gotta remember you aren't shooting at a foam block when you're in the woods. You have to factor in that twig that's out there you can't see because it's so far, and the fact that a deer doesn't always stand still. You may shoot and by the time the arrow hits he make take another step. I don't care how fast your bow is. Personally I have never and will never attempt a shot at a deer over 40 yards. That's my limit. The next guys limit may be 60 yards. And so be it. Good for him. Bow hunting is a lot of personal preference and people will never agree 100%. That's why it's awsome. Peoples definition of "long range" may be different. But I'd say we can all agree that after 10 yards, the further shot you have, the higher your chance is for a fugg up. No one can sit here and tell me they'd rather take a 50 yard shot than a 25 yard shot.

 

[Diablo54]

Who set the ethics in regards to proper shot distances? Can you show me where that's been written in stone? More things can go wrong at 27 yards than at 21, so should we stop at 24 then and just split the risk down the middle?

In my experience, traditional bowhunters wound deer at a higher rate than compound hunters. Not a fact, just how it relates to me through my experiences. They have shorter effective ranges and by your logic, should always be more effective than a compound past this "unwritten" ethical distance. However shit happens regardless of the weapon and/or distance. If I had to pick what caused more wounded deer based on my experience, sticks shooting sticks or compound shots past whatever this ethical distance has been defined as, traditional hunters would be in trouble.

You're a regular Howard Hill, so I know you're skewing the results. But I bet even you know more people who've wounded deer with a stick bow at CLOSE range than people who've wounded deer past whatever distance you deem acceptable. I don't see us long range unethical hunters calling for a ban on sticks.

That's pure BS. You have flopped the whole argument over to stick bows and compounds. That isn't what this is about. The effective range has nothing to do with wounding deer. It is going to happen to the best of us but we should do what we can to prevent it. Shooting at long range is not going to prevent it. Don't tell me my equipment causes me to wound deer any more than yoursI know what I can do inside of 20 yards. And you know what you can do. Me shooting at 40 yards is wrong wouldn't you agree? Just like you shooting at 50+ is wrong.

 

[Diablo54]

Who set the ethics in regards to proper shot distances? Can you show me where that's been written in stone? More things can go wrong at 27 yards than at 21, so should we stop at 24 then and just split the risk down the middle?

If your willing to take the chance then so be it. It will bite you in the ass sooner or later. Wee all need to learn self discipline and hold back on semi decent shots.

 

[Diablo54]

Of course you won't call a ban on sticks because sticks are what started the whole thing. They are just as deadly as any weapon out there.

 

[Treed]

I like getting in close because that's part of bow hunting for me, a big part. You don't have to be the best, you just have to put your time in and make your adjustments as necessary or just be lucky once in a while. As for ethical limits.......I think it's pretty clear that it's a personal matter based on quite a few variables. Skill, experience, equipment, weather, ect ect. I've been bow hunting for a few years now......just a few. I know a guy who has been bow hunting longer than I've been breathing air and my beard is getting grey. I'm pretty sure his "ethical shot distance" is going to exceed mine in most cases. There is no magic number.

 

[bowhunter1023]

That's pure BS. You have flopped the whole argument over to stick bows and compounds. That isn't what this is about. The effective range has nothing to do with wounding deer. It is going to happen to the best of us but we should do what we can to prevent it. Shooting at long range is not going to prevent it. Don't tell me my equipment causes me to wound deer any more than yoursI know what I can do inside of 20 yards. And you know what you can do. Me shooting at 40 yards is wrong wouldn't you agree? Just like you shooting at 50+ is wrong.

I didn't flip anything over. My statements were still in regards to shot distances, albeit how they applied to varying weapons. And yes, the effective range does have something to do with wounding deer, at least as you are arguing. My bow is effective at 60 and beyond, yet you say it is unethical past X yards. Have you not been arguing that shooting past X yards is unethical and therefore causes more wounded deer? Even when well inside an effective range?

As for you shooting 40 yards, I don't see that as wrong. The great Fred Bear did it, so it must be ok then right?

If your willing to take the chance then so be it. It will bite you in the ass sooner or later. Wee all need to learn self discipline and hold back on semi decent shots.

Perhaps. But I have learned self discipline and do hold back on semi-decent shots. Hence the reason I have only ever shot at one deer beyond 32 yards. The perfect conditions to do so do not come along all that often and I've learned to recognize them, then capitalize when needed. So I'm doing what you are suggesting...

Of course you won't call a ban on sticks because sticks are what started the whole thing. They are just as deadly as any weapon out there.

Nothing is beyond ban. Not in this world. Hence why we all need to stay together on this front. Archers nitpicking at other archers for personal choices is not the kind of unity that would protect sticks from being banned.