I was watching a Fred Bear video from many years gone by - those guys were taking 60 yard + shots on Moose, Elk and Rocky Mountain Sheep with their traditional bows and making good kills.

We exist in a world of the modern compound bow, a bow capable of killing any mammal in the world with a single shot when done correctly - we also have electronic range finders to exactly establish distance. Are we being to restrictive upon ourselves with this technology in our hands or are we simply being more responsible? (By no means saying that the hunters of yesteryear were irresponsible.)

What is your preferred hunting distance?
1. From a blind/treestand.
2. Walking and stalking.
3. What is the max distnace that you are
prepared to shoot an unsuspecting animal
at for your first shot.

Interested in your thoughts on this....

..........LAND mammal that is!

I prefer to take shots only out to 30 yards for the most part. However, from the ground I'd take a 40 yard shot if the conditions were just right.

I think some of the TV shows poorly direct newbies. For instance, I was watching a bow hunting show a couple of weeks back and the guy shot a goat running below him at about 30 yards then he shot it again at 80 yards running!! My hat's off to the fella for being able to hit moving targets at said distance but, why show it on tv and tempt every day hunters to try such shots?

Also saw some idiot shoot a turkey at 70 yards in the wind?????? IMO, He needed to learn how to call.

Reloader

I'd say that a big reason most hunters today don't shoot at those distances is practice and familiarity with their equipment. Not to say that it isn't feasible, or even ehtical under certain circustances, but you odds go down exponetially when you stretch the range of archery equipment. A lot of the videos today show plenty of deer being taken out around 50 yards, but these are people who generally shoot a lot more than your average hunter. The last 4 whitetails I've killed with archery equipment were between 30 and 40 yards. Past 40, I won't shoot. That's my personal limit, but there are a lot of people who can shoot farther. Doesn't make much difference if I'm in a tree or on the ground.

gd

Those that could do it years ago would shoot all day, every day. Most of us have to work for a living today and are either not rich or are not sponsored. If you make your living with archery, you can make those shots. I shoot a lot to 50 and 60 yd's but limit my game shots to 30 yd's and under. The reason is I don't shoot every day.
It is the same with pistol, rifle, shotgun and revolver competition shooters. They can never be without a gun in their hand or they lose the edge.
Howard Hill was still the best and I wish I could find his movie, Tembo. (Spelling?)

It's true Fred bear was a great shot, I've talked with someone who knew him personally and he confirms it. I've also seen ample evidence that the archers of old times took unethical shots by todays standards. If they missed, no big deal and if the animal was wounded they just went and found another one.

the chef

Times have changed for sure.

If anyone has the Howard Hill movie, there would be a lot of interested bowhunters willing to purchase this side. Let me know if anyone has please?

I really don't see why anybody who is shooting one of today's powerful bows couldn't or wouldn't take 60 yard shots. If you can hit the target at 60 yards then you ought to be able to shoot an animal at that distance. I shoot bullseyes all the time at 40 yards with my little 48 lb bow and if i was strong enough to shoot a fast and powerful 60 bow, i'd take 60 yard shots. You bet i would. But only if i could shoot bullseyes at 60 yards.

Plinker

I know 2 compound shooters that are consistent at 90 yards. One took an elk at close to that distance. The problem arises when an animal takes a step, it takes a while for the arrow to get there. Wind also becomes a huge problem at longer distances.

Also, target shooting doesn't involve the adrenaline that hunting does. Try running 50 yards or so, then quickly pick up your bow and shoot. Shooting stationary targets in ideal conditions is a far cry from hunting conditions. JMHO

gd

I always make sure that I am good out to at least 70 yds. By that I mean that I make sure that my distances are set 100% on my slide and that these are in tune with my Nikon. I also practise these distances on the 3D range often, very very often.

I have seen 20 yards or less shots go wrong with the hunter only set and prepared for 20 & 30 yd shooting. On the follow up, you have to be prepared for longer distances. (Go for the best but prepare for the worst, right.)

I do agree that we need to be careful not to create the wrong impression to newcomers to our sport with regards to effective distances.

I also agree that target shooting and hunting is very different. I have a friend who makes 100 yard shots look easy on the range but when it comes to hunting, he "shakes, rattles and rolls badly" and 20 yard shots are challenging.

Very true! I am dead calm with game because I have taken so many and have been around deer so much. In fact, I relax too much some times and have to wake up for a shot. When I first started archery hunting the fever would start when I seen a deer. What always saved me was when I added pressure to the string, the fever went away and I was calm for the shot.
My friend comes out with his revolver and though he is a great shot on paper and shoots a lot, he can't hit a deer at 10 yd's, he will hit a tree 10 feet from the deer. The reason is that he has only lucked into one deer in his life. With a bow he is helpless.
That was one of the secrets of the best old timers. Confidence in their shooting, lots of practice and enough kills that they did not get excited.
A new hunter shakes, rattles and rolls and his heart goes wild. That drastically limits effective range.

A lot of the shooting distances nowdays are governed by being PC. PC is actually communism in disguise in that everyone is the same, no exceptions.

I know exceptional shooters and bowhunters that can and do take game at over twice the range that's considered PC. Not bragging but I'm one of em. I'll add knowing the game is just as important as being able to hit the mark.

Don't shoot. He's too far for you.

Yeah, you guys are right about the wind and with the animal taking a step and also allowing for some hunter excitability. I forgot about all that. I've not even been able to draw a couple of times, usually toward the beginning of the season. Lot of times taking a long shot would just insure that the animal gets away and you don't get a chance at a closer shot. If a person truly feels capable of a 60 yard shot though, i think they should live up to their capability.

Plinker

quote:

Originally posted by bfrshooter:

Howard Hill was still the best and I wish I could find his movie, Tembo. (Spelling?)

I've got that movie, but it looks like every shot is on a canned animal. You can actually tell that the leopard is tied to one spot on the ground! I would bet you can find it on amazon.com if you really want to see it.

PS I just checked and Amazon.com has 6 used "Tembo" Howard Hill VHS listed.

Thanks - I'm going to try and get one of those.

Thank you, I seen the original movie and never noticed anything that looked faked.
He shot a horrible bow at an ungodly pull for some of the game. I knew a few guys that bought Hill bows and they let me shoot them. I was strong back then and could draw two 55# recurve bows together 30" I used to take my bow scale and bury it past 120#. But these bows stacked so bad I could not hold them back, once full draw was reached the things had to be shot. The hand shock and recoil had to be felt to be appreciated. Then the sting through the armguard. I have to give Howard credit for what he did with them. He did all the trick shots for the early movies like Robin Hood.

quote:

What is your preferred hunting distance?
1. From a blind/treestand.
2. Walking and stalking.
3. What is the max distnace that you are
prepared to shoot an unsuspecting animal
at for your first shot.

2. Walking and stalking.
This is what I do for rifle also. I prefer it. I will sit here and there for 10 to 20 minutes then look around real good then move a little then sit then move then ... well you get the point.

As far as distance, if I can get better groups with new arrows I will stretch it to 50 maybe 60 yards, if not I will keep it to 40 and under to keep myself ethical on a clean shot.

quote:

Originally posted by Soroko:
I was watching a Fred Bear video from many years gone by - those guys were taking 60 yard + shots on Moose, Elk and Rocky Mountain Sheep with their traditional bows and making good kills.

We exist in a world of the modern compound bow, a bow capable of killing any mammal in the world with a single shot when done correctly - we also have electronic range finders to exactly establish distance. Are we being to restrictive upon ourselves with this technology in our hands or are we simply being more responsible? (By no means saying that the hunters of yesteryear were irresponsible.)

What is your preferred hunting distance?
1. From a blind/treestand.
2. Walking and stalking.
3. What is the max distnace that you are
prepared to shoot an unsuspecting animal
at for your first shot.

Interested in your thoughts on this....

Since my youth I've used recurves, longbows and selfbows. I tried compounds but find my joy in archery is lost when using a mechanical wheelbow w/ a mechanical release. A compound to me is more akin to using a mechanical baseball pitching machine to launch the ball over the plate whereas longbows are more akin to actually pitching the ball.

As to whitetail I've noticed a common theme at or near about 20+/- yards. They have an amaizing ability to move straight up or drop straight down the height of their body at the sound of a bow release when the arrow is traveling at a moderate longbow/recurve speed. At distances closer than this the arrow closes the gap faster than they can move and at distances greater than this they seem to not react to the release. Years back someone actually took hunting videos of various speed arrows shot on deer at various distances to measure this. The video had a graph superimposed over the deer to highlight the deers jump or drop. IIRC, their conclusion was close to my observation and they measured the deers ability to drop or jump arrows flying in the low 200fps range at a yardage distance somewhere in the high teens to the low 20s from the sound of the shot release. The deer tended not to react at distances further and were unable to move fast enough at distances closer.

With that said, most all deer I've taken have been inside of 20 yards but I've taken deer from the ground broadside beyond 30 yards.

GVA

I'm good out to about 30-32 yards. Past that point errors in judging distance are critical. Most deer I've killed with bow have been between 15-20 yards. I actually missed one DIRECTLY under my treestand???

On a target with known distance I can hit 6" circles consistantly out to about 40+ yards. In the woods branches, unknown distances and adrenaline knocks that down about ten yards. If I ever quit getting some shakes, I'll start doing something that does excite me.

Archers are interested in how far out they can hit the target. Bowhunters are interested in how close they can get to an animal before shooting. My best bow kill? A bobcat at eight feet.

quote:

Originally posted by stubbleduck47:
Archers are interested in how far out they can hit the target. Bowhunters are interested in how close they can get to an animal before shooting. My best bow kill? A bobcat at eight feet.

That is an excellent summary. I tend to brag more about how CLOSE the shot was rather than how long.

I’m confident out to 30 yards hunting but prefer my shots within 20 yards. 90% of my shots are within the 20-yard range. I do practice out to 50 yards. Knowing how and where to set up aids greatly in getting the deer within 20 yards. I usually kill two to three deer a year with my bow. I haven’t missed or lost one in a long time.

Congrats on that Bobcat Splinterhands! You are 100% correct as well with regards to seeing how close we can get.

You got a brag pic of that Bobcat? Also, what setup did you use for interest sake?

BTW - my best was coincidently also a 8 yard shot on a warthog on the Limpopo - it was sleeping under a tree and all the conditions favoured me - hell of a rush being up so close.

That reminds me of a hunt a buddy and I went on a couple years back. After the morning hunt we met up and he said he got a buck and a bobcat. I went to his stand location and he had shot the bobcat at the base of the tree he was in. The arrow went through the top of him, out of his chest, and buried in the dirt and the cat never moved(just slid down the arrow shaft to rest). Pretty neat.

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by Soroko:
Congrats on that Bobcat Splinterhands!

As much as I'd love to take the credit, that was Stubbleduck. I quoted him in my reply.

I'd still like to see the pics though.