I think we as bowhunters should be careful to judge what is ethical and unethical for other hunters. If you hunt deer where I do, shots under 30 yds are very rare. I DO believe we have a responsibility to be ethical for the sake of our sport, but don't be too quick to judge what is ethical just because YOU hunt where 10-20yd shots are the norm.

My personal choice of how long a shot is determined by how accurate I am at that distance. I took a New Mexico buck at 70 yds a few yrs ago, but I knew the distance.....and had a 70 yd pin. I was putting 5 out of every six arrows in a paper plate at that distance. The buck went only 50 yds after a quartering away shot.

My current limit is 50 yds until I adjust some of my new equipment and prove to myself I am accurate enough to shoot beyond that.

Besides, there is RISK involved with ANY shot, bow or gun, at ANY distance! By exercising good judgement and ethics that every hunter should have, we MINIMIZE that risk, but we don't completely eliminate it.

Until this year, I had NEVER lost a deer that I hit with an arrow. It was a sad event, but it didn't happen because I am an unethical hunter. I searched for the buck for 3 days, and I believe he did not die from the wound, but cannot be absolutely certain. What is ironic about this is that my stalk this time put me within 20 yds. We all know this sometimes happens at any distance. As bowhunters, it is a sad time, but a time to learn from the experience...figure out what we could have done differently...and try our best to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Yes, we should limit our shooting distances to the ranges that we are accurate and confident. That does not mean I am unethical because my shooting distances are longer that yours!

Congratulations on your 7 yd shots from treestands, where you can't even SEE the deer more than 25 yds away. I have 4 tree stands and have used then in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Colorado. However, where I currently hunt for deer, there aren't any climbable trees within miles, and not much cover at all. Don't try to tell me my 50 yd shot, attained by a 3 hour stalk...an hour of which is spent crawling on my belly...is unethical.