What if he's at 43 yards? 44? 45? You can keep pushing that out as far as you want but at some point there has to be a line. Otherwise we're saying the floating line is dependent on the size of the animal, and the amount of pride that comes from killing one of that size, and not the ethics of actually pulling off the shot cleanly.
You just need to lean out on your stand and let your harness catch you. Probably squeak another yard in that way. If if you extend your arm all the way out, BAM!, you're there. Fire at will.
I have no problem with that if you are comfortable with making that shot. Go for it! But, if the only reason you are stretching your shot distance is because of the trophy status of an animal, or because you don't really care about the potential for wounding, than you fall into a category of hunter that I wouldn't want on my properties. That's my point about headgear, period.
Hahah if there’s a booner at 42 yards I’m killing it and telling Justine I shot it at 39 so I’m still considered an ethical hunter Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
What are you doing if you gut shoot it and don't recover it? Or find it 4 days later still alive and have to stab it to death?
I would not take a shot that I didn't feel comfortable with it. And I respect the animals as much as anyone else does and the last thing that I would want to do is wounded animal. So with that being said all all my tree stand or sit at 25 yards or under. I do not like to shoot long distances and I do not brag about shot distances.I'm just telling you that I feel comfortable at making a 45 yard shot in perfect condition.
Feel bad and shank his ass. Then feel good, but change the story a little so I don't feel bad. Every year the deer will be closer and the shot will inch its way forward until its a 6 yard heart shot.
Made the mistake my 2nd or 3rd year bow hunting. Had a doe eating in a winter wheat field. Head down grazing, relaxed, breeze blowing giving cover sound. I put it right above her heart at 50 yds with my 40 yd pin. I figured I’d crunch her if she sank into it or it would go under her with a hopefully clean miss. Nope... she ducked so hard so quick that I shish-ka-bobbed her right under her backstrap. I found her 3 days later and she had just died and the meat was good. But she suffered for 3 days. I’ll never shoot over 35 yards with the setup I currently have.
All kidding aside it's a real question. You say you're going to show me what a great shot and ethical hunter you are if you cleanly kill the deer. What happens if he ducks and turns and you smack him in the shoulder? Or he ducks and you backstrap him? Or he takes a step and you gut shoot him? Will the world know about it or will it get swept under the rug?
I think this argument is symbolic of growing up as a whole. Please know I'm not calling people that oppose it children. But look at it monetarily. When youre young you tend to( I don't need examples of how each of you didn't just to argue) buy things to what you can pay for over time and desire. The older one gets we begin to buy things we need and are with in our present budget ( not projected budget ). Knwoledge....the more one learns the more they understand they know nothing. Fighting...the more fights you get in the more you recognize when fighting is needed ( verbal or physical) So in correlation to said arguement the older a bow hunter gets the less likely he is to gamble the risk/reward style shot Hope this makes sense, I'm waiting for the bow shop to open and thought I would enlighten y'all with my incoherent nonsense.
I think a lot of the answers are right in this thread, But i agree most with the age part of it. I believe when i was younger and shooting year round and could hang with most anybody on a target i took a lot of stupid shots i now know i should not have. Like you said Justin you have to live with the deer you lose, and between me and you i think i remember the ones i lost more than the trophies. So my answer is the older you get the more you learn.
Great topic and worthy of discussion. I don’t subscribe to the absolute set line in the sand distance of this conversation however I do agree with the premise. I have been very fortunate to have hunted a lot of different game in very some different topography. So from those experiences I tend to not be as whitetail centric as most on this forum. I probably am way more liberal in my shot making decisions then many on here profess to be. Just something keep that in mind when you read my closing thoughts on shot distance and selection. I recall a few shots that In retrospect I regret taking ( though in all honesty the outcomes been overwhelmingly positive ), however I don’t recall any shots that I didn’t take that wish I did.
If he happens to find it, he is posting pics of it every where he can wanting all the congratulations and pats on the back he can get. If it’s a doe, he’s not even still looking for it 4 days later Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
