Well said Dan!

ditto what dan said. i try to set up for shots of 15-20 yds or less. for years i shot nfaa events and had to hit targets at 80 yds. i am capable of shooting 50 yds or more and the bow is likewise capable but, that does'nt mean it's a good idea. one of the biggest differences between bow hunting and gun hunting is that with a gun....you can pretty much shoot any deer that you see....with a bow you have to pass up a lot of deer. the bow hunter has to limit his yardage and take comfort in knowing that hehas the "right stuff".

never over 30 yds..i am not experienced with crossbow but have tested them this year..let abuck walk if over 30 yds..i seen enough deer jump a arrow on real quiet bows and at 10 yds..

crossbow is noisy as h..

Ditto on some of the other posts. Just because a crossbow is faster doesn't mean you can shoot a lot further. I like to think that a crossbow gives you better accuracy and faster speeds than a compound within the same range limitations. A crossbow can sure hit a target at 50 or 60 yards (I've shot a groundhog or two at 50+ yards). BUT, unless you have a rangefinder, misjudging the range by even a couple yards at longer ranges will cause you to miss or injure a deer. Also, like the other posts said, a LOT can happen in the time it takes an arrow to travel 50 yards.

Whether or not the deer is relaxed is a big factor in how far I will shoot. I've had nervous deer jump the string at 20 yards. I've also connected on relaxed deer that were standing still at 30 yards. My theory is the closer, the better. I'd love it if all my shots were "slam dunk" 10 - 15 yarders. However, I would shoot out to 30 yards under ideal circumstances.

i missed MANY a buck in 40 years ,at 10 yards from a apple tree ,up about 8 ft,with bear kodiack recurve bow..the buck would jump up in air from NOISE and my bows were real quiet too..

i went to great lengths to quiet my bows back in 60s and 70s..like said, you folks hunt with crossbow but i still think the noise will make deer jump..

deer are more spooky now than they were 40 years ago..hunting pressure has deer that are left ,very high strung..