CG

Would anyone agree that laser rangefinders have extended your effective range? My set-up is 1 pin that puts me 3" high at 20 and 4" low at 37 yards. So out to 35 yards I just put the pin on ' em and touch it off.....BUT I would take a shot out to 50 yards IF I knew the exact distance to the animal AND the wind wasn' t blowing hard AND if the animal was relaxed AND.......well you get the point......But I don' t hunt those squirrilly whitetail......you have to screw up pretty bad to get a mule deer or elk to jump the string, at least that' s my experience anyway....

smyth

Ausie-guy' s earlier post has it right. Bowhunting is a short range sport so if you want to see how good you really are, try getting in closer. Almost all the posts here talk about only shooting at a relatively close range, say 45 yds and under. Why, because most of us know that usually only bad things happen at longer ranges because of movement, angle, wind, limbs, ect, even if you can shoot dimes at 80 yds. The risk is not worth it and I think most bowhunters are NOT impressed with the guy who brags about the 80 yard shot he made. Of course it is everyones decision of what range they shoot, but we would hope for the sake of the animals we hunt that we restrict our shooting to those " for sure" shots, cause we all know those sometimes go badly also. You should also consider the disservice you do to us, the bowhunting community and the fodder you give to the anti' s every time you leave a wounded animal out there. Just my thoughs!

loner

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR SPORT TO MAKE A CLEAN KILL.TAKING THE SHOT IS ALWAYS THE DECESION OF THE HUNTER.THE RANGE DEPENDS ON THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT SHOT WITH THE EQUIPMENT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH.THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THOSE THAT WILL TRY TO ESTABLISH " ARBITRARY" RULES OR ETHICS THAT MIGHT NOT FIT YOUR CAPABILITIES.IT IS LIKE NOT TAKING A SHOT AT A GOBBLER WITH A SHOTGUN OVER 40 YDS. TODAY' S TECHNOLOGY WITH HEVISHOT PROVES THEM WRONG.YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FINAL DECESION.

Macdaddy

Thank' s guys for the info. I guess this must touch off some deep feelings in bowhunters out there.

I mearly wanted to know if you' all could qualify your statements of Comfort Zone with your setup. BobCo19-65 stated that he shoots a wicked fast powerfull arrow. and is very accurate. That said his 28 yard max range can be taken the right way. He shoots that distance IN SPITE of having a longer distance setup. What if he was lobbing arrows to get to 28 yards?

Some responded with their feelings on the topic yet didn' t tell me what kind of rig they shoot.

My reference point for distance shooting comes from shooting about 125 " Tree Rats" (Squirels) every year with my bow. They taste great in pot pies and take a lot of the " Live Animal" jitters out of ya. I have taken them up to 80 yards. I also like to grouse hunt with my bow although it is MUCH tougher and if I get 2 per season I' m extreamly pleased. It really helps me get my yardages down pat.

benhuntin

I dont think it has anything to do with KE, accuracy in the backyard, etc.
If you want to shoot at a deer at 80 yards thats your choice but I think your going to end up wounding more than you kill.
To many variables to deal with at that distance. Wind drift, range estimation, and of course the animals movement/reactions. Maybe if you' re hunting elk on the open mountain or moose in an open meadow.
Then theres the hit. High lung shot, low hit, a little too far back, what? How can you tell at those long distances.
The reason most of the veteran bowhunters I know shoot at Deer at 35 yards or less is because they know the risk of wounding goes up dramatically beyond this range.
If you want to shoot a deer at 45 yards or more, (I dont care how good you are in the backyard), use a gun.
MD, with shooting like you describe, you are obviously in the top 2% of shooters out there. The other 98% of us will stick with fast bows and short distances.[:-]
The squirrels in my area dont stand still long enough for a 80 yard shot.[:' (]

skeeter 7MM

I agree shooting paper or foam has little to do with what we can or can not due while hunting. I practice long range, but only b/c I have found it has made me a better shooter at my actual hunting range. My setup generates enough speed and energy to kill much further than I limit myself to. However as other have, I have experienced first hand the difference between expectations and real life, as such my max is 40 yards with the perfect conditions. To date the longest shot I have taken is 37 yards, however I usually setup my location to be within 30, with most harvests coming in the 20-25 yard range. I have heard all the stories about 80 yard double lungs and while I can hit the kill zone at that distance, I know how much my group can and sometimes does open up under field time pressures (hunting). I prefer to not even put myself in the position where a decision has to be made that may have a poor outcome on the game end. While I admit I have been faced many times with that long yardage shot, I know my wall/limit and don' t attempt it. Personal satisfication, conviction is all I have to go on and I don' t want to go home knowing that I could have done something differently to turn the events into a positive outcome. I view every opportunity of the close call (the one that was almost in range) as an opportunity to come out to try and even the score and turn the events in my favor. Guess what sometimes it happens and sometimes not, hey I call it hunting not harvesting!!!! I don' t expect things to be easy, sure or even predictable....that is why I love it so much. Thinking back the close calls while bowhunting make up as much of my memories as the perfect double lung shot and harvest.

As stated by others and I agree, only one person can make the call and that is the guy holding the bow. Cause in the end he or she is the one that has to live with the desicion in which they have made.

My views don' t hold to just bow hunting, but all forms of hunting. Ensuring we make a clean. ethical, quick harvest is of utmost importance and to do so we must know our limitations and adhere to them. By following this practice it will lead to more satisfaction, min. game loss, less negative light on the sport and a sense of accomplishment that we can pass on proudly to others. Which in turn will teach those how to responsibly act and think when taking to the field.

Lefty Llewellyn

I can see the majority of posters have what I feel are high ethical standards so let me throw the same statement back to Mac. I do feel ethics needs to be preached as often as possible. I relate it to the sin of silence when it comes to religion. You' ve got to state your beliefs in order for others to decide for themselves.

Mac, Do you feel an 80 yard shot on a live deer is ensuring you are make a clean, ethical, and quick harvest? Are you thinking or caring about the risks involved?

WV Hunter

Great post Stickemup!!

My personal limit is 40 yds, and that' s really on a rare occasion, under certain circumstances. I usually limit myself to 25 and under, and 99% of my shots have been at that distance. I practice farther and can shoot confidently out to 50. But no way am I taking long shots. Way to many things can happen at long distances. A deer could lay down and go to sleep by the time the arrow get' s there at 80, even with a fast bow. Too much room for error.

c903

Most everyone posting replies to this subject has been " tongue in cheek" polite. It is time to end the dance. ' Get me a shovel!!!'

Any person that takes an 80-yard shot at a common sized Whitetail -and I don' t care if it is paralyzed... should have their head examined. I have been hunting Whitetail too many years with too many good hunters to accept that BS!

Macdaddy

Lefty & c903,

Geeeezzzz guys, I hunt squirels at 80 for pete sake. Passed on pleanty of bucks over 35 yards. Would I take a long one? Who knows, put a booner in front of each of us standing still, with it' s head down, quartering away, 60 yards, no wind, lazer rangefinder, Deer 30, etc, etc. You will find out what you would do right then.

THE QUESTION WAS. COULD YOU PLEASE TELL YOUR SETUP WHEN YOU PREACH ETHICAL DISTANCE?

You must back up ethics with situations. That' s the difference between ethics and morals. Ethics apply to a situation, morals don' t they are constant. IMO that' s why we have an ethics problem. We preach but we don' t give info to back it up. BobCo19-65 gave an example and I can accept that. What about New/Young hunters look at it and say " but the chart says I can do this, see" . What about the guy adding to the thred with YEA 40' s my max! but he shoots a 30lb recurve with stone tiped arrows? If he doesn' t let us know his setup then we would all say " yea that' s about right"

Here is my last example from my elk hunt 2 years ago.

The rancher said that 300 yards was a " gimmee" . he went on to say that he shoots a hotrod Lazzaroni and regularily shoots coyotes at 500 yards with the same gun. The other hunter that was in camp said that 200 was his limit. He had never practiced over 200, was using a 30-06 remington semiauto with a 4x fixed scope. One guy is 50% different from the other! Some would say impossible that both could be right. If they had both just posted thier " Ethical Limit" who would be right. They both are. You can' t judge the situation ethically without looking at the variables.

PS Lefty. God gave us science to prove that the universe is to complex to be an accident.