GaryO

Back in the day, the rule of thumb was a 40 yard shot with a compound bow while deer hunting. These days with the newest speed bows around 335fps, can you extend that range? What say you? Thanks...

iayotehunter

If the deer is calm and unalert I feel comfortable out to 60. If alert I have a hard time justifying a 40 yard shot.

grinder67

25-30 yards on a deer. I have never shot one that far (22 yards is my farthest in over 30 years of bow hunting) but confident I could. Good out to 50 on targets though.

Topgun 3006

Why push the yardage and risk wounding a great animal when bow hunting was meant to be a "close up" sport?!!!

fingerz42

35-40 is as far as I'll shoot at an animal calm or not.

rockport

I think I have shot pretty much all my deer at 20 yards or less(usually less). That is kind of the point of bow hunting for me I guess.

I don't think you can really put a rule of thumb on it. Abilities in people vary greatly.

Bows (even older ones) are more capable than the people shooting them.

BowStringDepot

I am not afraid to take a 60 yard shot. But where I live that ain't gonna happen. I might have 40 yards at the most. But at any given time its only about 30 yards



Hutch

Wisco94

45 yards is my max. I'm comfortable shooting 60 yards, but with a live animal, in the woods, too much can happen from the time you let the arrow fly to the time it gets to your target. I had a deer turn inside out at 17 yards this year and almost get under my arrow when I shot. Given I had to stop him in a shooting lane and he looked right at me but non the less they can be very jumpy.

fingerz42

When arrow flight times go over a half second, it doesn't matter how good of a shot you think you are. The animal has way too much time to move, jump, or drop during those 6 tenths of a second. It's a risky shot.

ManofTheFall

My longest shot was 40 yards. 95 percent of my shots have been between 15 and 25 yards.