would you shoot at a deer at that distance? I know this is beaten to death but I figured I'd put a new spin on it. If you shot a group of arrows (all touching) at 40 yards, would you attempt that shot at a deer? Just throw human error completely out of the picture. I've taken a few deer at forty yards but I'm thinking about making my max distance 30 yards this year. Especially since I'm not 100% cure of my target panic.
I would not. I figure, if I can't get a deer closer than 40 yards I don't deserve to try and take him. I might as well go back to gun hunting then if I start taking deer at those distances. Part of the the thing that attracted me to bow hunting is the challenge of getting in close.
Depends on the conditions, If calm, relaxed and right angle maby,,,,I turned down a beautiful 160" ten point at exactly 40 yards last season. conditions were as... He was broadside and stopped BUT was nervous (early season) The wind was blowing HARD 25 mph+ crosswind. I couldnt take that chance under those conditions.
I suppose a lot would depend on the situation itself, but if you're shooting those groups consistantly, you probably have the confidence, and I think the confidence factor plays a big role in whether a shot is true or not. So, in a word, I might:D
I won't hesitate to shoot an animal at 40 yards as long as the situation is right. I've killed 3 deer over 40 yards. I missed only one over 40 yards and I purposely aimed low, never again.
If conditions are favorable, most likely Yes. But my setups rarely allow for 40 yards due to cover...almost never hunt field edges. I have only shot once past 29 yds.
Like Rob said, I'll drop the string on one at 40 as long as the situation is right. Shot one a little over 60 years ago and passed on a bunch of great bucks alot closer.
40 yards might as well be 5', for me. I've put extreme emphasis on practicing at 40-70 yards. I mean hours and hours and hours and hours, every single day. In fact, I rarely shoot less than 40 yards when praticing. Today, its nothing to slap shafts at those ranges. To some people, it just comes naturally- no matter how long they have been shooting. I will say, when I first started shooting out past 40, up to 60+, there was NO WAY that I would take a shot at a living animal at that range. It took many hours of practice, not to mention impeccable form, proper bow set up and proper bow-arrow marriage. Today, given the proper variables such as wind, temperament of the animal in question, shot angle, locationg and alertness of any other animals present- I'm confident shooting a whitetail out to 60+yards. I would not suggest shooting at an animal, at those "extended ranges" in the woods, though. There are way too many variables. For example, there could be an animal around that you dont see, but its got you pegged- you release, your arm moves and it snorts, next thing you know, the animal you're shooting at drops and you hit somewhere you did not want to hit. Or, obviously, there may be a small branch that is nearly impossible to see, and your arrow deflects just enough to bring your POI to a non-lethal area. Shoot within your means and practice, practice, practice. I really respect when newer archers, or any archer for that matter, sets a reasonable range limitation on themselves. It shows a maturity within, and a respect for their quarry.
I guess the whole reason I brought this up was because I used to shoot a group of arrows within one of those orange dot stickers, consistently. I'm not saying I did it every single time but I was pretty consistent. And when I wasn't all in the dot, I was well within a 2-3 inch group. Now, I can't do it and it pisses me off. It's hard for me to decrease my maximum range when I used to be great out to forty. BUT I don't want to injure any deer so I think it's best. It sucks not being able to shoot as good as you once did. I'm still working on it though.
Quit practicing at 40 if you want to get it back. Go to 10 yards and shoot several hundred arrows over a period of a couple of weeks. Quit worrying about what your trying to hit, and instead focus on what you need to do to shoot good shots. Forget the outcome, focus on the process. Then you will be shooting like Droptine in no time at all. :D
LOL.....yeah you're right. My form has probably suffered somewhere along the line. On a side note....that arrow saw works great. I couldn't find the 2" blades (looked everywhere) but I did find 3". Just have to watch how far I go down when cutting or it will cut the base. Thanks again!
You should start putting in for the KY elk lottery. A buddy and I did this past year but didn't get drawn. It's a whole lot closer than CO.
I doubt it's form (maybe small part of it), more often it's anticipating the shot and focusing too much on trying to keep it on the dot. You see........trying to hold steady on a 1" dot at 40 yards is going to be like herding cats. The harder you try to do it, the harder it's gonna be. You need to just focus on setting yourself up properly, and executing strong, and remember what it feels like to just pound the middle out of the target. It's a LOT easier to do this at close range than it is from a long distance. Hope this helps. Edit - Glad you like the saw and it works for you! It collected a LOT of dust at my place for the past few years, so it's nice to see someone putting it to use!
Yeah, I am anticipating the shot. I bought the Carter Squeeze Me release this year and only used it a few times but it helped tremendously. I couldn't even hold my pin on the target without punching the trigger. It fixed that. I can now put the pin on the dot and tell myself not to shoot and I don't. I know that sounds crazy but that's how bad I had it. Like I said, i'm gettin' there. Thanks for the advice, Matt. It's much appreciated.
