craig

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.

craig

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.

OneBear

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.

craig

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.

awshucks

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

Mojotex

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!

craig

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.

Mojotex

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'.

rafsob

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!!!

oldsmellhound

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.