I am shooting a 450 grain arrow with a cut on contact head. My bow is shooting 270 fps. Within 30 yards I can usually get with a yard or so by estimating, but like with this years mule deer I used a range finder to pinpoint 62 yards. I practice this yardage all the time and can group them about the size of a coffee cup by stacking.

I love the 20 yard shot and almost every animal I have killed has been within this range. But with practice, I KNOW I can make the 50 yardshot. But this is up to every individual. You shouldn't take the shot until you KNOW that you can group 10 out of 10 arrows every time in an area the size of the killzone.

I will ONLY take a longer range shot if everything feels perfect. Just before I killed my mule deer this year, I passed on a nice buck at half that distance, it just didn't feel like a good shot selection. Just because an animal is within range, does not mean that you must take the shot either.

Penetration does suffer the farther you are from an animal, thats why I like a medium weight/ heaviershaft for open country hunts and shoot 450 grains and go with a cut on contact head. Lighter setups at the 50-60 yard range will retain less energy that is needed to put em down quick. I hunt some country that does not have enough vegetation to cover your shoes, let alone deflect an arrow. Would I take a 50 yard shot while elk hunting? No I wouldn't,not onlybecause I can't even see that far through the vegetation, but because I am usually shooting through trees and vegetation. Just remember that even with the best of abilities, the environment plays a key role in what justifies a shot or not.

Another key factor in having a heavier arrow is the forgiveness factor. We don't need to get into a big discussion on this thread about forgiveness, please save that for another. But I know that I can shoot a ton more accurate with a heavier, slower arrow. I shoot my indoor marked yardage proelite at 219 fps with a 543 grain arrow, and that bow is much more the tack driver than even my hunting setup. Sure I can still shoot a 300 on a five spotwith 45 or so x's with my hunting bow, but with the slower more forgiving setup I can hit 300 with 50+ x count.

Charlie P derserves a pat on the back for bringing equipment selection into the equation, usually it is far less considered when long range shooting comes into play.

I want toask a question. What is worse? Taking a thouroughly planned out perfect 50 yard shot that you know that you can make, or a rushed poorly chosen 20 yard shot that you think you might have a chance.

I was once a new archer and can tell you that I was so excited for an opportunity that all I wanted to do was shoot and get an arrow in an animal, and I think that it would be safe to say that most have experienced or are experiencing that same thing. I could make shots further than 60 as I have practiced that too, But I limit myself to 60 in the perfect situation. I am a firm beleiver while practicing, to push the limits, find out what you are capable of, and limit yourself short of that to build the confidence that you will need either in the field or on the range. If you know for sure that you can make the shot, you are a heck of alot closer to actualy making the shot.