Longest shot ?
 

I'm interested in just how far most would shoot with your Xbow.

Figure a open, no/or very light wind in your favor, broadside or quarter away angle on a calm buck larger than any you've taken. The ideal.

What would be the longest shot you'd take?

If you'd care to expand on reasons that would be good.

Thanks.

For myself I'd shoot up to 50yds.

While I can hit the vitals of a deer every time at up to 80yds when target shooting, a target never moves, never jumps the string. While I've not seen this happen, I don't want to.

As I dread the idea of loss of a wounded animal, I'd keep my shot on game much shorter, 50yds.

30yds Max! Anything farther than that the chance of a miss do to jumping the string, hitting some brush or a bad hit is far to high. Waiting for the right shot at the right distance is the best part of the hunt! No animal deserves to be wounded and run off to die a slow death due to an avoidable bad shot! There is always another deer and the right shot at the correct distance will present itself, Patience is the name of the game!
Even with the super fast crossbows, shooting at a critter farther than 30 yds is foolish.

My bow shoots 418fps with 420gr arrow, not the makers specs, from crony. I bought such a fast bow for just the reason you suggest, avoiding problems with wounded game. Given the ideal shot I suggested above I'd take the 50yd shot, given the shot you suggest with brush ect in the way........I agree, the range gets shorter & shorter depending on what the individual situation is.

I"m in farm country in the southern lower, so shots are more often open & completely clear here. I understand such a shot may be rare indeed in some other locations. Which is part of what I hope to see from all responding.

I also practice a lot at 30-70yds & sometimes a few @ 80yds.

My limit is 35-40 yds, there's always tomorrow...........

About 45 yards for me. I have several at around 35 +/- without any issues. I did try a shot ranged at 42 yards. Fatal but the bog dow wheeled enough that the bolt hit a tad back of where it would have if she had not.

I did try a 75 or so yard shot at a coyote. Ranged it at 72 yards. Missed it high about a half a foot I am guessing. He had not moved, I would have hit it square in the rib cage. Might have been fatal if the penetration would have been enough. Not sure at that distance!

I'd bet the penetration would have been more than enough to give a pass through on a yote.

What was the coyotes reaction when the arrow went by him?

By the way, what bow & arrow set up were you making use of?

I'd absolutely love to get a shot at a coyote. That would be a memory maker for sure.

The coyote was almost perfectly broadside ... facing away from me a tad. I was hunting deer at the time from a brush blind I had made in a stand of thinned pines that was about 75 yards from a food plot. The coyote was easing along the edge of the food plot. I was sitting on the ground. My "rest" was my knee. The coyote only jerked a tad as the bolt passed overhead. Did not seem to pick up on the "whap" of the release of the cross bow until it would have been too late. Looked around a few seconds and then bounced off. Definitely not comfortable at the commotion.

I was using a Parker Tornado, Red Hot bolts, and 125 gr. Montec 3-blade broadheads. The sight I use is a Nikon that has the BDC type cross-hair. It has a 60 yard "pin" that is darn close for what I shoot .... I aimed about a foot high expecting a dramatic drop in that last 15 or so yards. Was not as severe as I thought it would be, so I wound up shooting over the coyote like I said ... looked like about half a foot or so.

I did kill one the previous season with my cross bow ... about a 17 yard shot from a climbing stand that I was up in about 20'.

I practice for 30 yds, but my longest shot was 38 yds. I shoot a Horton Vision. Don't believe in shots beyond 40 yds. That would not be responsible, at least in my book!!!

JMHO folks!!!

Absolute max would be 40 yards. I prefer 30 yards or less.

The farther the range gets, the more iffy things get. The main thing is that the farther away, the more likely a deer is to jump the string. Most x-bows are loud, and jumping the string becomes much more of an issue at longer ranges.

I've taken a turkey at 37 yards with one shot, though there was probably a bit of luck involved with that one. The longest shot I've made on a deer was 28 yards. I missed 2 deer early on in my x-bow days that were both 35 - 40 yards away. This was before I had a rangefinder and wasn't as wise in terms of knowing when to take a shot.

Same here...:biggrin:

40 is my furthest , 15 my closest. I prefer 20

My shots are dictated by the area i hunt in. So pickin out a set yardage isn't practical fer me. My place here allows shots from 5 yds to maybe 40 yds. Some spots on 2 stands i could get a clear shot out to about 54 yds. Thats abit fer for my Vixen, but my E'cet 200 could make the shot if'en i was huntin wid it.

My location is much like you say yours is.

One stand is 5-20yds, but also have others out to 60+yds. And the long reach ones will depend on wind a lot. Not going to shoot in more than a VERY light wind beyond 40yds. My Scorpyd offers the potential to reach out more than many, but can't still a real breeze.

From several of the responses I've had to this thread, others with much the same potential look at it much as I do. The farther it is past 40yds the more perfect the shot window must be.

Thanks for the response.

Shootin deer at longer ranges would be a personal choice. Only you knowed if'en you n yer crossbow will make the shot. If'en thar be any doubt on the shot call better to wait another day. I am not a rack hunter but will shoot deer wid racks. The rack size won't make me shoot if'en its too far or jus bad, i will jus pass on the deer. Tomorrow maybe a better shot never knowed

I should have left out the part regarding rack size from the original post, but I know that DOES matter to many. For myself, I'm more a meat hunter by far than a rack hunter.

Back in the 70's I spent two years chasing a buck with a huge rack, passed on others to try'n get the big'en. Result was 2 yrs. of unfilled tags & buck was killed 2 weeks after season ended the second year by a VW bug. learned my lesson & have not done that again.

A good year to you friend!:party0005:

You Would have to be shouting over 1000 FPS for a deer not to jump your string? The point is if deer is on alert don't shoot.

yup...10-40yds...for me...anything else Im not comfortable with...

You ask how fer & throw in the Big Buck thing! I will shoot to 40 yds regardless of sex of my meat deer. I preferr my deer so close i can watch it blink before i shoot!

I would shoot honestly up to 40-45 yards accurately to many varibles past 50 yards

Target shooting I hit bulls out to 50yrds and more on a calm day. In a hunting scenario I prefer my deer 30 yards or less. Though I have taken a deer at 40yrds with perfect conditions. My personal prefernce. I repect the deer enough not to wound it. and have a possible loss. To each his own.

With my excaliber I can shoot 50 yard targets all day but an animal is much different.I prefer 20 to 30 yard shots but max would be 40 under ideal conditions.I prefer not to chance a long trail afterwards.Seems like most guys are on the same page here.

I am in the 30 yd camp. I feel very comfortable shooting at a deer at 30 yds. and a clean kill is a very big priority with me. I know other are better shots but I think beyond 40 yds is risky.

One of my personal favorite topics. I am a 40 yard shooter all day when I hunt, I try to set it up that way. I shoot, they look up and die. For me 50 yard is my max because that is what I practice out to now. 50 yard offhand shot is easy to me, if I don't know I have a clear lane then I don't shoot. The very last thing I worry about is a deer ducking my arrow, they hear a thump off in the distance, these modern bows are fast and powerful. I lost arrows at 50 yards with my sz380, kept on going. Don't shoot past your skill level, if 20 yards is what your comfortable at, have at it.

the deer moving, taking a step, that's my concern when I pull the trigger, I only shoot offhand, even when I sight in, its not an issue. The amazing thing to me is how little they react at these distances, arrow and bow noise included, they just look up at the sound of the bow and the arrow hits. If it was a higher risk in my mind and experience, I wouldn't do it. A wounded deer isn't acceptable to me. But, all of mine drop in 60 yards or less, so.

lol... I hear ya ... sure, lot's of folks can easily hit the killzone or even a bullseye on a target shot out to 50 yards and beyond, myself included. But 99% of people I know or have talked to (including myself) would not shoot at a deer at 50 yards offhand with a crossbow for reasons other than their skill level...People generally try to keep their shots at 40yards and under because the animal may jump the string or move before the arrow reaches it. No matter how fast the cb, but have at it.