Stand off to the side of someone making a 50 yard shot at a static target and you will note rather quicklythat it's like an artillary round. If you want more than bow range get a rifle with a nice scope.
As a side note I don't have a shooting lane over 30 yards at any of my stands and my goal is 20 yards and under.
Rather than defend my use of a Xbow I now just tell people to go &*^%&^

Hotburn76,

Yes I'm new to bow hunting. I didn't take your words as nasty or rude. New to close range deer hunting? Well, yes and no. I come from a lifetime of gun hunting. With the exception of one at just over 400 yards, all my deer have been taken from about 15 to maybe 50 yards. Rifles and pistols. The best being what most call a 10 pointer at 35 yards. I hunt in CA where we don't normally get long range shots. At least that's my experience in the places I hunt. I have no doubt that just about any deer (minus the 400 yard shot) I've shot with my gun I would probably have been able to take with this bow. I hope to get a chance to prove it to myself.

Gimphunter, You have to ask yourself exactly what are you trying to achieve? last year my son shot a nice Pope and Young buck at all of 6yds out from the treestand we put there to do just that, Our objective is to get a shot at 20 yds or less and you can bet most bow hunters will agree, the challenge is real, you must know all the variables about the animal you hunt,guys on this site will help you. I bought my first crossbow a couple of months ago, and guys on this site have been very helpful. Good luck

I have no doubt I could lay the smack down on a deer at 30 - 35 yards with my itty bitty Xbow, but the first think I figure up when I get into my stand now is my 20 yard mark from my seat. I mentally make note of this for all my shooting lanesfor several different stands. I just know when a deer walks into that 20 yard zone the lights are about to go out.

Hope to pick me up or have Santa bring me a range finder with ARC or TBR so make this a lot easier for me and at all yardage from my stand.

fishead,

Remember that I'm a gimp in a wheelchair. I'm looking into how I can get up into a treestand. That would/could change everything. But for now, I'm on the ground and have a bit more challenging issues to deal with.

First off Ed it's seems harsh calling yourself a gimp wheel chair or not. Of course it's your business alone.

Anyway, I love my ground blinds and they sure can get you into spots where treestands won't do the trick. Get them set up a few days in advance and the deer don't even seem to see them. I hope you got a hunting bud to lend a little assistance when needed. I sure would if I was local. Good luck and keep hunting.see you in the woods...

Gimphunter, first of all, let me congratulate you on still getting out there hunting and enjoying the outdoors, even with you in a wheelchair. BUt I do have a little to disagree with your above statement.

Yes todays crossbows (most of them) can hit very accurately out to 60-65 yards. Actually my crossbow (Excalibur Relayer @ over 25 years old) was hitting 1 inch targets at 65 yards at new and still today. BUt the time for the arrow to travel from the bow to the target at 60 - 65 yards is alot more then you realize. What I will usually advise people to do is to (if you can safely do so) go stand down range at the longer distances and listen to the bow firing and then the arrow hitting the target. You will find it very noticable, actually enough that you will probually flinch the first time before the arrow hits the target. IF you can flinch, the deer can do more then that.

Even if the deer does not react to the sound of the bow firing, the normal actions of just walking could move the deer far enough that it will create a bad hit. 30 - 35 yards is about max distance for a safe clean kill for deer and a little longer distance for the larger slower reaction animals like moose.

Grumpy,

This is exactly why I'm here. I have such a great wealth of knowledge available to fix some of my potential screw-ups before they occur. I'm seeing the error of my ways. It's always easier to extend a shot when you've learned enough to know what will and won't work. I'm a virgin again and must remember I'm in an entirely new ballgame here.

I appreciate this forum more than you know. Thanks again to all.

Gimphunter no problem. We all had to learn the ins and outs of the crossbows, just some of us have had many of years in this learning curve. The major problem with crossbows is the MISINFORMATION that the anti-crossbow people spread about the crossbow. THey tell people that they are like guns and are flat shooting. PEople will believe this because they do not know any better and it is easy to believe. Even some of the crossbows companies try to stretch the truth and blow up their abilities just for sales.

Good luck and enjoy your bow.

I'm one of the craziest gimps you'll ever meet. Gimp in my community isn't a slur by any means. I also refer to myself as "the poor little crippled boy" when it'll get a laugh. Not bad for a 200# 5'10" white boy with a beard and a hole in my ear an arrow will pass through. While I do have particular challenges in going hunting and fishing, I'm still out there enjoying every minute. I just wish I could get out of this state and hunt one of 'dem 'dar whitetails you guys keep referring to. It isn't a racial slur is it?

When I'm not enjoying myself outdoors, I'm a private Civil Rights Worker. I am a Disabled Access Specialist and I spend my time teaching attorneys and judges what the various disabled access laws say and mean. I help create access and standards in the outdoors for my disabled community. Lately I'm spending a significant amount of time just gaining access to our Fish and Game offices. Trust me, no need to worry. But I appreciate the thought.