Deerslayer_37

i think alot of people overestimate the ranges they're shooting at when they dont have a laser range finder. I feel comfortable out to about 275, maybe 300 ona good day. However, look almost all hunters, i prefer to take them at closer ranges. i shot a doe once at 9 feet...i was lying down in some corn stubble covering a ridge while my uncle was tracking a buck up on it. she came out and i shot her when she was almost right on top of me. i did score with my shotgun this weekend at 100 yards, but during normal circumstances, i would have let the deer come closer. the fact that she was wounded made me kind of shrug off my uncertainty and take the shot to put her down. i'll usuallly any shot to plug a wounded deer. i hate having wounded animals around and its best to just put them down.

basically, i think most people can't estimate range well and overestimate. i know you're not alone out there if you dont like shooting very far. a few people i know dont like to either. it takes a good shot to take deer consistently at 250-300 yards.

slayer

NY Bowhunter

30 yards max for me

Bob H in NH

This is the KEY!! The girl had practiced at this range, KNEW the distance, good conditions and was calm about it. The gun is WAY more capable than the hunter is almost all cases, as long as the hunter stays within their limits, go for it.

Personally around here, you can rarely see 100 yards, but we don't have open areas like in those pictures. 50-75 yards is a LONG shot in the woods of NH. Heck most rifle ranges around here don't go much past 100-150 yards.

--Bob

Talondale

I don't think I've shot at a deer over 80 yards. It's just not likely where I shoot. I don't hunt fields, and no self respecting deer would be caught dead in the open where I hunt during daylight hours. You have to get back in the thick where I'm at. The buck I posted here this year was shot at close to 20 feet! And that's the earliest I could see him. I often dream of the long, 150 yard, broadside shots that I see in videos and hear about, just for the experience. I never get one, but if I did and missed, I'd be longing for those short shots again. HA HA. It's neat to shoot a long range shot, but it's neat to be up close too.

Your post is one reason I think women often make better hunters. They are more concerned about the deer than their ego or the challenge. Most guys see a long shot as a challenge to be overcame. She sees it as a risk to a quick kill. Don't let others pressure you by their example to do more than you are comfortable with.

Firehawk7309

My opinion on this is that you are justified to pass on some deer since you know at what ranges you are comfortable shooting out to. I'm the same way with a bow. I guess every person has a different bottom line range.