Absolute max would be 40 yards. I prefer 30 yards or less.
The farther the range gets, the more iffy things get. The main thing is that the farther away, the more likely a deer is to jump the string. Most x-bows are loud, and jumping the string becomes much more of an issue at longer ranges.
I've taken a turkey at 37 yards with one shot, though there was probably a bit of luck involved with that one. The longest shot I've made on a deer was 28 yards. I missed 2 deer early on in my x-bow days that were both 35 - 40 yards away. This was before I had a rangefinder and wasn't as wise in terms of knowing when to take a shot.
Last edited by oldsmellhound; 06-04-2013 at 08:10 PM.