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Whats the farthest

KrisWKrisW Member Posts: 633 ✭✭✭✭
edited September 2007 in Bow Hunting and Target Archery
that you have shot at an animal while hunting? A friend of mine went to utah mule deer hunting a couple of weeks ago and was telling me he shot a muley at 98yds. Took three arrows, missed the first two. Personally i dont know why you would shoot that far at a mule deer. Or anything else for that matter. He practices shooting that far, but his second shot missed big time. Just seems unethical to me. To big a chance of wounding and not finding. He is always trying to see how far he can kill deer and stuff. I am all for being able to kill something at a distance but only if you are sure its gonna be clean. I dunno. What do yall think about it?

Comments

  • fishermanbenfishermanben Member Posts: 15,370
    edited November -1
    that is unethical. In my younger days, I had a hard time guestimating yardage, and shot under quite a few that were out of my range.

    Ben
  • buckeyboybuckeyboy Member Posts: 5,833
    edited November -1
    I would have to say your friend is not the sharpest tool in the shed.. 50 yards under perfect conditions would be my max. my farthest kill was at 44 buy nothing at all in the way very little wind..
  • bang250bang250 Member Posts: 8,021
    edited November -1
    IMO, its unethical and irresponsible.
  • SCOUT5SCOUT5 Member Posts: 16,181 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Good equipment and accurate range finders has extended effective archery range by quite a bit in the last few years. Of course very few of use can shoot up to the level of the equipment offered now. The best equipment, range finder and lots and I mean lots of practice has extended ranges to 60 yards for the few who have the money, time and ability to do it. With the ability to accuratly range distance a big help, a very big help. But after 60 yards the arrow is dropping so fast even an error of 2 yards will take you out of the kill zone. 98 yards is foolish in my opinion. All that being said I max myself at 40 yards when I have plenty of time to practice and 30 yards when time is limited.

    Scout
  • HandgunHTR52HandgunHTR52 Member Posts: 2,735
    edited November -1
    I can honestly say the longest bow shot I have taken is 28 yards. And that was last year after I got my Tribute. Before that the longest shot I took was 18 yards. I hunt in some thick stuff.
  • KrisWKrisW Member Posts: 633 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    He has time to practice and has a high dollar rangefinder. But i have to go with everyone else and say it was extremely unethical. As of right now, 40yds under perfect conditions is my max. Average shot where i hunt is just 20 yds tho.
  • dcso3009dcso3009 Member Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The longest shot I have taken any animal was 50 yards I got a tree rat! Big game... 17 yards, but I have not taken that many deer.

    I practice a lot at long distance up to 140 yards. My 100 yard groups would be lethal on any deer, but I still would not shoot at one that far away. My max under perfect conditions is 50. That is as far as I have test my broad heads. They still fly spot on with my field points.
  • surekillsurekill Member Posts: 1,926 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Longest is 42 yards I didn't even make it my stand that night.[:D]
  • chilisbowhunterchilisbowhunter Member Posts: 21 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My longest shot was about 35 yarsds... And that is the only Deer I have taken... I let go at one last year, but missed... It jumped the string, and I was a little higher than I thought... Never touched the deer... Oh well, that's hunting... I just started to bowhunter tho... Anything over 50yds with perfect conditions, and perfect sighting is just not right... I limit myself to 35-40, even then I question myself!!! Just not right!!!
  • taco413taco413 Member Posts: 2,504 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    62 yards at an Elk, he never knew what hit him. Whitetail was about 40 yards on a few occassions.
  • thunderstick82thunderstick82 Member Posts: 221 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Personally, getting to be so close to the animal im hunting is a big part of the reason I bow hunt. I get such a rush out of having deer under my stand with out them detecting me. Even if I don't get to take a shot, I feel like I've accomplished something. Call me crazy!!
  • dakotashooter2dakotashooter2 Member Posts: 6,186
    edited November -1
    Your friend was extremely lucky, 98 yards (if that was even what it actually was) is too far not necessarily because of the accuracy issue but because of the long flight time and what can happen in between. I can see an arrow flying that far and if I can you can bet a deer can and can more easily jump the string at long distances. A deer that takes a step during the shot at 20 yards will still be hit in the vitals. A deer that takes a step during the shot at 100 yards could result in a poor hit. Finding sign of a poor hit is sometimes difficult at 20 yards and at nearly 100 yards it becomes even more difficult. Alos even with a rangefinnder most have a margin of error of plus or minus a couple of yards at that range easily enough for a bad hit or complete miss.

    I'm not sure where your friends regular hunting area is but terrain can also make a big difference. My normal area is woodlands and fields and my accuracy drops of noticably after 30 yards even though I practice out farther. When I go into mule country for some reason that accuracy does not drop off till 50-55 yards though I still would not consider taking a shot that far.

    We used to have a steel deer target with an 8" cutout at our archery range. I'ts funny how guys that claimed to be accurate out to 50+ yards would rarely shoot at this target for risk destroying an arrow.
  • taco413taco413 Member Posts: 2,504 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dakotashooter2


    We used to have a steel deer target with an 8" cutout at our archery range. I'ts funny how guys that claimed to be accurate out to 50+ yards would rarely shoot at this target for risk destroying an arrow.



    We have a bionic turkey at our shoots that we set at 25 yards with a 3" hole. There is a WHOLE lot more that hit it than go through it.
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