Forty years ago thirty yards was considered ethical , with the bow speed and arrows straighter than ever believed imaginable its not out of the question to shoot sixty yards today.

That being said I think its foolish and unnecessary but what do I know.[]

I wouldn't try at 60. I feel comfortable at 40. My longest kill was 43 yards. I don't practice at 60, so I wouldn't take the shot at 60.

.........Roger that

Is it ethical to take a 60 yard shot at an animal? It is easy to say NO. However, whether it was ethical or not I have killed three mule deer at 50, 70, and 80 yards. All were one shot, clean pass through kills. FYI, I actually had someone with me to witness all three shots. Now, let me say that all of these shots were several years ago when I was chasing the 3-D circuit hard and all were perfectly boradside, wide open shots. At the time, I practiced daily and probably shot 500 arrows a week. I practiced out to 80 yards mainly in preparation for antelope hunting. It just happened that the long shots that presented themselves were all on deer. I believe every archer has an obligation to determine a maximum effective range. If you do not have confidence you can make the shot, do not take it. Even though I still shoot an occasionsl 3-D and practice year round, I would not take a shot over 50 yards on anything as big as a Deer and nothing over 40 on an Elk. So, I guess I am saying it is only ethical if you have put in the practice to develop the skill and confidence to take the shot. After all, you have to live with the results once you pull the trigger.

For me, it would be stupid, as well as unethical, to shoot at a deer 60 yards away.All of my shots are inshooting lanes in big woods close to thicketand pine lines. A few field stands, but again, right on the woodline. Hitting the anamil at 60 would be one thing, but tracking it would be quite another. It wouldbe tough to pick up the blood trail 60, 80, or 100 yards away. To me, an ethical shot is a recoverable animal.

This is a topic that comes up frequently.Personally I don't think it is an ethical shot on a whitetail deer,I don't know enough about other game animals to speak to the validity of taking shots at that distance.
I don't care how good a shot someone is they cannot control the movement of the animal that they are shooting at.The deer takes a step forward,or shifts to one side or the other and your in their guts or shoulder.Drilling bulls eyes on a target at that distance and drilling an animal are night and day different.
What is an acceptable liklihood for someone,if they can make the shot 9 out of 10 times,8 out of 10 times?Some would say 10 out of 10 times,meaning if you absolutely don't know that you can make the shot you shouldn't be taking it.I am of that belief.

If a bowhunter can consistantly shoot good groups a 60yrds then yes;it would be an ethical shot.What would make that shot unethical is to not know your own limits and taking a shot you are'nt prepared to take.Me personally would not take that shot,but if I praticed hard and got to the point where I could consistantly group at that range then you bet I would take that shot.It is no different for a capable archer to take a 60yrd shotthan it is for a capable gun hunter to take a 700 + yard shot,it all depends on the person's skill that is doing the shooting.

i shoot 1-2" groups at 40. just started shooting 50 and the couple times i have been 4-5" groups.

whats my max distance?? 25yards. you might call me crazy, stupid, an idiot...yes i can shoot. dad says shooting is my gift...i can shoot anything that is shootable..not tooting my own horn...with practice, i honestly believe ANYONE can shoot well. and that i do ALOT more than the average guy around here...but the reason my limit is 25yds is because ive never seen a foam target move. although the arrow is in flight for somewehre between 1-2 seconds, thats ALOT of time in "Deer time" also...my good groups and good shooting has been on the flat level ground of my back yard. days when the weather conditions are perfect. my muscles are warmed up but not fatigued. i feel i owe it to the animal NOT to try stickin them at 40+...

IF i hunted with a range finder AND had the time to range that animal AND the weather was absolutely perfect(no wind etc) AND i had a wide open field or something similar to shoot into i would take farther shots. but still not much farther.

only way im using anything other than my top pin is if i ranged it and conditions are perfect(might have a 30yd shot in my orchard this year...but i gotta hit it with my buddies range finder FIRST) and weather gotta be GOOD. other than that, if i wound one and it runs and stops 50 or 60yds away, i will do my best to try and get another arrow into that animal. 2 arrows would be alot better than 1 IMO...even if they are both bad..

It would either have to be a very big animal or a very small animal.

Or with a rifle....

As it is, I can't see 40 yards in the thick swamps I hunt. If I was going out west or to some place where shots average 30+ yards (like in some types of elk/mulie/antelope hunting, you bet I'd be practicing those super long shots... Heck I practice them now. But there is no point in even thinking about taking a shot that long, not where I hunt.

I'm comfortable under correct conditions to about 40-45 yards.

Longest shot ever on game was 32.

Average is about 13... and that I'm proud of.

You can argue the fact that 60 yards is way too far, too much can go wrong. The deer can move, the wind can blow, the list can go on and on. There are some people who shoot enough and are good enough that 60 yards is comparable to 30 or 40 yardsfor others. I shot 60 and beyond all the time, I practice more over 50 than I do under 50 yards. If you get good at those shots the 30 and 40 yarders seem easy. In my opinion the equipment is more than capable and if the shooter is than by all means let it fly as long as the situation permits it.