I agree with it all except the last part. Because I already realize that I’m basically a youthful ignorant lil brat. Haha. I get that. Where I get upset is when a difference of opinion turns into a loss of respect and a dissing of the other person due to conflicting viewpoints. I’ve learned more on this forum than at my highschool. So many great people have literally given me a hunting tutorial. Your point about only one past 40 is true. I agree but I guess I was saying that it was a very light women’s compound I was using. Anyway, you know I love ya covey. You’re a teammate and I leaned from you and others even just last year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Lol, I don't think you're an ignorant little brat, I think you're a sharp young man with an iron will. I'd respect that if nothing else. A little women's bow is just about as capable of tagging deer out past 40 as any other bow. That's kind of like comparing a little .357 rifle to a 30-06. at 150 yards.
Seems you were defensive in your reply to me. I did not say anything about how far you or anyone else should shoot at a deer. I wanted to see how much experience you have backing your "arguement" of shooting over 40 yards, killing "big bucks". One instance is a very small sample size. If you are going to take long shots at deer keep a level head and let ethics be your guide with your shot selection, never antler size.
Forgive me for going back a few pages, but somehow I missed this response. And since it's still July let's keep this thread going for a while longer. While I will agree that these are both opinions, I've yet to see any points from your end to support shots over 40 yards at whitetails. I understand that you believe it's on okay thing, but I've yet to hear the "why". I've asked on a few occasions for examples and elaborations on your points but, unless I've missed them, they haven't come yet. So I guess I'll post them again. Individual archer's ability & confidence level. I've stated that my opinion does not take these into consideration due to the fact that the accuracy of the archer has no bearing on how much a deer will react when shot at. What is your opinion on this? Conditions under which 40+ yard shots are okay. I've heard a lot about conditions in this debate and how they need to be taken into consideration. What exactly are the ideal conditions for taking long distance shots on whitetails? What's your line in the sand number? No "conditions" or "confidence" variables here. Just the maximum distance you feel is still an ethical shot on a whitetail deer, regardless of it's antler size, with archery equipment. So what makes them "perfectly capable" of this? A few highlight clips of some deer they've shot at 40+ yards? Without knowing the other side of that coin, which is how many misses or errant shots have happened at those distances it's impossible to say whether or not your statement is accurate. Fair enough. Although I don't believe it was an accident that you used high profile bowhunters/archers to make your point. Using them as an example simply reinforces how the decisions of these people have an effect on the general hunting public. It's a 'monkey-see, monkey-do' world out there. IMO the whole reason we're having this discussion is because long range shots on whitetails has become increasingly commonplace on today's TV shows. Over the last decade those decisions have trickled down into the everyday bowhunting world to the point where we have an entire generation of new and young hunter who have never been taught or shown anything other than this. You're misinterpreting the analogy here. In your example there is a tangible way to counteract the effects of eating the cookie.. Simply eat less the next day or work out more. My comparison wasn't in the effect of the decision itself and how to counteract it because that simply isn't an option in hunting. Once the arrow is gone there's no way to get it back. The point I was making was that it's a slippery slope once you've crossed whatever line you've set for yourself. Whether it's distance of shooting an animal, adherence to a diet plan or anything else.
I think the longest shot I've been successful with was around 30 yards. When I was young and first getting into bow hunting I took some longer shots where I either missed or wounded a deer. I smartened up and learned how to setup to kill deer within 20 yards. The whole rush of bowhunting for me is getting that buck in as close as possible for the shot. I practice shooting at 60 yards regularly and out to 80 at times. I'm perfectly confident I'm going to hit my GlenDel full rut buck in the vitals and if I were hunting GlenDel Targets, I'd be comfortable taking those shots. Whitetails are unpredictable, a 50 yard shot is roughly a half second of travel time for a 300fps bow. A lot can happen in that half second. For me, the worst thing I can do is wound an animal, so I take pride in making clean and ethical shots within a range where I have the greatest control of the outcome.
Plus there is something awesome about a deer in close range! Max adrenaline. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
9 pages it’s kinda all been said. I’ve never shot a deer at 40+ yards. Never shot a deer at 30 yards. My four deer have been sub 20. I’d take the shot at 40+ though if I was committed to shooting a deer that morning/evening if the conditions were like I said way back on page one or two. I see a lot of post that elude or say “when the wind is calm”. I’d rather have a 7-10mph wind for the noise. So...it’s a road I haven’t traveled and a lesson I haven’t learned in my bow hunting travels. I have learned, however, each one is different. I’ve shot a coyote with a 12g and 20 mins later killed a 2 1/2 yo buck. On the other hand, I’ve been busted just watching them. Each situation is different, I assume. Maybe I’ll learn one day. It’s sort of a theoretical discussion for me I guess.
