I've never even shot a deer with my rifle at 50 yards. I'm an up close and personal kind of killer. I don't even like taking 25 yard bowhunting shots at deer. (in fact I think I've only launched an arrow at deer at 25 yards or over twice in my life.) That's just me tho'.
I dont personally think size would matter in a shot i have to think if its close enough to make it or not , could be a 200'' deer standing broad side wide open at 70 yards , will i take the shot ......no ..........will i take a shot at 50 ? Yes
I practice out to 60 yards, but I only look for shots at 20 or under. At that range, I know I'm all but guaranteed to take a deer barring some horrible unforeseen issue.
There are some 50 yard shots I would take, there are even more that I wouldn't. Same goes for 25 yards. Same goes for 5 yards. A man's limitations should be made by himself, but I agree a general line in the sand should be drawn and 50 is approaching it. These 100 yard shots out west humor and sicken me at the same time, but I'm sure they react the same way to criticizing their 100 yard shot the same way I would to anyone criticizing a 50 yard shot I deem makeable.
I just wanna hunt qith everyone that only shot at 20 & 25 yards ill shoot everything else thats not. Pratice be confident and trust yourself. So now if you miss or wound a deer at 20 do u just quit all together?
I wouldn't shoot. I was talking to a guy at work today that told me he shot 50-60yds last year (he missesd) at a big one because he only gets to hunt a few days a season and figured why not. He then told me that he only practices out to 30yds as well.
That's my point exactly. IF you never ever practice shooting past 20 yards then do not ever try to shot a living animal past 20 yards but if you consistantly pratice from 10 to 60 yards then take the shot if it's right for you. I shot a doe 1 year 10 feet from my stand and we never found her my bad judgement on taking that shot and it made me sick after I thought about it. I looked for that doe until 1 am that nite then went back out for several more hours in the morning at first light. so no matter how far or close the deer maybe use your own common sense and shoot what you know you can shoot.
NO not at all a 10 foot shoot from a tree stand is at such a downward angle that it comes out of the belly area. So now the deer is bleedind from a hole in it's belly and a clot is most like to clog the hole no more blood pouring out and a deer is suffering. At 50 yards with the right shooter and equipment at a broadside shot you may not get a pass thru but you will hit vitals. I shot my buck in my avatar @ 42 yards thats 8 less than everyone is crying about and he's on my wall and in my belly. %0 yards is NOT for everyone but don't dam those of us that can make it happen
Ben It all boils down to what could happen at any given distance. Two years ago I shot my bull moose at 62 yards and my sight is only sighted in for 60. It was an up hill shot 1/4ing away. I aimed for his spine and held it dead on for his lugs,so about a foot above his lungs. I double lunged him and he only took 11 steps more and down he rolled. Three years ago I shot my Antelope at 54 yards, he fell over after 3 steps. Had a 190 buck at 25 yards on the other side of a 6 wire fence in low light. Didn't take the shot due too the fence be able to deflect the arrow. On the other side of the table now I've had a buck scent checking my scent rag laced with doe in heat urine and took the give me shot at 18 yard's. That was the 1st time I had a deer duck my arrow. Then I had a buck at 7 yards almost straight down and I hit his spine and he was down instantly. I watched that buck and it totally threw me aloop, I felt his pain as he would pull himself with his legs a foot at a time. So I decided enough was enough I aimed for an inch behind his ear and ended it now instantly. Dead, caputt,no more life. So as you can see Ben a 7 yard shot can be missed by an easy mistake and an easy 18 yard shot can be missed with in the 20 yard range of a deer due to it's instinct's and remarkable sense of hearing. After 20 yards your chance of it jumping the string are less, and more so as the further your shot is from. I would take a 60 yard shot every day ,except during winds over 30. In 85% of my stand locations ,I don't have the need too. When I Elk & Moose hunt and Antelope hunt I would .Again I would only do this is if I was practicing all summer. I've never been one for excitement during the drawing of the bow for the shot. I lost all that when I was a kid being a sniper in the Airbourne. Look at some thing green, to relax your eyes, deep breath ,hold, let out as you squeeze the trigger on the release. Something I've held useable all my life, look away and look at something green if you feel the stomach turning or jittery,it's very calming. Rocky
I let the air out of this doe at 60 yds two years ago. It was the first year of hunting with my new XForce and I had practiced for over 3 months at every distance, angle, scenerio possible. I shot a ton that summer and it paid off. The situation was perfect, I was sure of the yardage, the deer was not alert and I just "felt" like it was a slam dunk. On the other hand, I passed on several that year inside of 30 yards because the scenerio dictated that it was not a smart shot, in other words, it didn't feel right. BTW - the last deer I lost was about 7 years ago, 24 yards and what I thought was a good shot.
