Campo

35 yards tops for me!!!
However, I will try to keep them all under 30, but I much prefer 25 or less.
Practicing I can place 10 out of 10 arrows in the vitals at 40 yards, but I still dont feel confident enough to release an arrow past 30.
Maybe next year I will shoot 40, takes alot of practice and confidence.

MDNewbie

I prefer to be inside of 25 yards but I'm confident out to 35 yards. To me bow hunting is more about getting the animal as close as possible without getting busted. I shot deer with a gun for years and just started learning how to hunt when I picked up a bow. It's more personal/spiritual when the animal is inside of 20 yards.

Anything out past 40 yards I will save for shotgun and Muzzleloader season.

Finch

My answer to this question last year was 30 yards.

I have a new answer for this year and that is 40 yards. I can consistently shoot at 50 cent size sticker at this distance. The conditions would have to be perfect while hunting to achieve this distance though.

All of my bow kills last year were under 20 yards however and my rifle buck was also about 15-20 yards.

Whitehair

It depends on the situation, everything from the deer (Not sex - I.E- Nervous v. Calm) to the terrain, to my confidence that day, etc...assuming (always dangerous) everything is right, I'll shoot to 50, no more.
I hold a four inch group at 50 with broadheads, so the accuracy isnt an issue, but we all know that shooting foam is nothing like shooting hide...

davidmil

I do know that more than 90 percent of the deer we DON'T shoot at will get away.[&:]

huntingson

"I know I'm not going to miss at 15 yards." -gzg38b

Those wordsmight come back to haunt you some day.

Just because you can't do something doesn't mean someone else cannot. I take the first decent shot I get. If you wait for perfect, you will not kill very many animals.

tschammel

I don't care how good of a shot you are, you should not shoot at a deer at 50 yards! I don't care if your 10-10 at a target from 50. Shooting at that range, your depending on the deer and not your shot. The deer could duck your arrow or move alot by the time your arrow gets there! And don't give me the, "well they can't hear the new bows now days" because they can still hear them. They may hear it, they may not, but is that a chance you want to take with a live creature. Deer are wounded enoughf we sure as hell don't need poeple taking 50 yard pokes at them when they don't know how the deer will react for "sure" by the time the arrow gets there. If you take 50 yard Pokes at deer you really don't care what happens to the deer, all you care about is that you might kill it from 50 then you look like the al mighty hunter. PUT THE DEER FIRST NOT YOU!

Howler

Huh! with that kind of thinkin', no one should shoot at a deer at 20 yards or less either. After all, how many times have we seen and heard about deer ducking the arrow at those ranges? Lots and lots of times. SO, better not take those shots either!!
By the way, I guess I'll have to say I feel very confident out to 60 yards. Since I shot my antelope last year at 60 yrds. This years antelope was at 47 yards. My turkey was at 35 yards this year. My elka this fall was at a mere 20 yards. And get this, I have wounded and lost 2 animals, both whitetails, one was at about 8 yards and the other at about 17 yards. Go figure.

tschammel

"Huh! with that kind of thinkin', no one should shoot at a deer at 20 yards or less either. After all, how many times have we seen and heard about deer ducking the arrow at those ranges? Lots and lots of times. SO, better not take those shots either!!

Wow...thanks for proving my point for me!!!

Also, Mr. Howler......Im not arguing that it can't be done. Good job at killing things from a 47 or 60 yards. Just stating that it is unethical to shoot deerat that rangebecuase you don't know how they will react. Like you said they can duck arrows from 20 yards I've seen it countless times on videos. So what do you think happens at 50! I just put the animal before my ego and I care about wounding an animal. I don't want it sitting and suffering over night because I though it wouldn't react to my 50 yard shot but it did. Plain and simple your about 50% more likely to wound an amimal shooting it at this range, Im just not willing to take that chance.

huntingson

I'm sorry, butthat statement is too extreme for me. If I did that wouldn't I be a vegetarian?I see by your avatar that you put yourself before that nice buck.