The furthest shot I have ever taken was a 51 yard shot at a doe I named stumpy. She had no tail and knew when i was in the stand all the time. It was a clean pass though and she went 35 yards before falling over. The area that I hunted was a small clearing and to the edge was 60 yards. I had a pin setup for that shot and practiced it alot.
I practice out to 35 yards, but I limit myself to shots at 25 yards and under. Our timber is thick, so a shot over 20 yards would be a rarity from most of our stand sets. Closest shot was 8 yards a few years ago, he didn't go 20 yards before expiring. This year I took a buck at 18 yards, and he went less than 60 before calling it quits. I only bowhunt for Whitetail, and getting them close is the challenge I enjoy the most. I am, and will always be in the "20 yards or less" mindset. That's what keeps me climbing trees every fall!
40 yards is my max, longest shot I've taken is 38 yards. A lot of talk lately on here about ethical shots and tearing people down who took less than perfect shots even if they were sucessful. Bow hunting is risk, if you're going to always wait for the perfect shot you're going to struggle to achieve consistent success. We all have to understand our personal limitations, but bow hunting is risk, you have to push the envelope if you expect to be consistantly successful.
All depends on your ability and what you practice if you practice 20 then don't go over 20 I my self practice 50 yards don't go over 40 and I shoot 80 lb Hoyt and I use my broadheads .THE furthest I ever shot a deer 40+
I practice out to 55 but would never shoot a deer that far. My self imposed limit is 35. The longest I ever shot a deer was 35 yards and that was a mule deer with a longbow in South Dakota in 2006.
Practice out to 60. Shots on game here in WI. Are kept to 30 and under. Out west in the open with little to no wind (rare) I would shoot 50-60 if needed. That's why I practice out to 60.
My self imposed distances vary depending on the number of layers I'm wearing. Early season I will take a 40 yarder...but as the layers start to pile up that distance shrinks quickly.
Never had to shoot more than 25 yards at a deer, I could take a 45 yard shot with confidence but doubt I will ever get to.
Practice out to 85 yards and would take a shot on an elk out to maybe 65-70. For my whitetail setup I practice out to 50, and up til this year given the exact right scenario would have taken a shot out to that range...but I thought I had my biggest buck ever (easy 140+) in the bag at this season on a wide open 45 yard broadside shot. He took one step as I released which made me hit too far back and I lost him. That one step at 25 would have been 2-4" back and no problem, but the extra 6-8" or so at 45 = big problem. Sucks that it took losing him to change my mindset, but just because I can bust nocks all day long at 50 yards doesn't mean that Mr. Big is going to stand still and let me do my best Robin Hood impression on him at that range. Thinking now my max on a whitetail would be 40, and even that would have to be perfect scenario. So far my longest successful kill shot was 25 on my elk...probably about the same for deer.
Currently shooting consistent groups at 80yds of 5-6 inches. I would not hesitate a 50 yd shot on a calm day. furthest kill was 42yds. The deer went 60yds before expiring. Just my two cents. Personally I feel better about a 40 yd shot then I do on a 10 yd or less shot. Chances are to great for a one lung hit which leads to a long blood trail in my experience. every release of an arrow is a risk, regardless of range, conditions, skill, or game pursued. If you haven't lost a deer or missed you haven't hunted long enough.
I practice out to 60 regularly. That being said, my personal limit on a deer is 40 yards. My longest shot on a deer was 36 yards and it came on my buck this year. I passed on the same buck the night before at 40 yards on the dot. I wasn't confident in the shot with the wind blowing so hard and I was freezing.
I practice at 50. 30 yds is my max for animal and for me that has to be a broadside or slight quarter away to take that shot.
I practice out to 60 as well, I have recently learned of a long range shooter who shoots at 120 yards max. I don't think he cares about "ethical" shots, he said if was worried about ethics and animals he would be in PETA and would not be a bow hunter.
Whitetails my max is 30 yards, farthest shot at one was 28 yards. Mule deer my max is 50 yards. Farthest shot at one was 40 yards. Mule deer aren't the string jumping, twitchy things like whitetails.
I would not shoot over 40 for sure. Because I have a modern bow with good speed and I do practice consistently past that. Even at that distance jumping the string is a potential concern I shot my buck last season at 36 being my longest bow kill. Of all my bow kills only 3 past 24 yards.
I consider myself pretty good with my bow. I have won 3 separate long shot contests including the iron buck contest at the BH.com get together. I typically practice out to 60 yards, but will occasionally practice out to 80 yards. The longest successful shot I have made on a whitetail was roughly 30 yards. All other shots have been less than 20 yards. 40 yards on a deer would be my absolute max to feel comfortable, but I've passed that shot up a few times because I didn't want to risk it.
