Just curious guys, what distance are you guys comfortable shooting to. I personally feel accurate out to 25 yards, and at this point would not take a shot at game further than this. I am also a fairly new at trad and look forward to increasing distance.
as far as i can see! :laughing: :archer2:
just kiddin, about 25-30 yds.
Under 25 yards.
It is not an issue of accuracy.
It is an issue of how long it takes the arrow to reach the target.
In the time it takes to get to an animal at longer distances they could simply take a step ot two forward and then you have a gut shot. Not ethical IMO.
Joshua
i pratice out to 30 for ibo tournys,but im most comfortable at no more than 25
Thats a real good point jhg and something to be taken into consideration.
Twenty-five yards is plenty far whether you are new to trad or not. It is kind of my self-imposed limit on big game, and I am a long ways from new.
Just work to improve your accuracy from 25 yards in and to improve your woodsmanship to get you there. Remember, your adrenalin is going to be working overtime when a game animal is in range, so be extra sure you are proficient inside of 25 yards. The area I hunt is pretty thick, so 25 yards is an awful long shot here.
By the way, welcome to the greatest sport/hobby/addiction known to man! Also, welcome to Tradgang!
I am with you guys at 25 yards. I practice out to 40 but keep my hunting shots 25 and in. Out to 40 yards I get the same feel instinctive I do at 20, but after 40 I have to adjust and it doesn't work for me. 25 and in I am good to go.
I like to keep them under 20yrds.I do practice at all kinds of ranges.The closer the better,just as long you go undetected.....AimSmall...Shoot Straight.......
Hunting shot: always under 20 for me and prefer closer to 15 or less.
3D: I am usually up for just about anything. Fun to try some of the really long shots knowing that for me I would never try them in any sort of hunting situation.
Where I normally hunt I can't see a deer much past 20 and have to cut some lanes to be able to shoot that far.Just never needed a long shot many times.Still it does not hurt to carry a good 30+yd shot in the back pocket just in case.I practice for those few occasions I might use it. :)
As far as animals moving at the shot goes..Had lots more trouble with them moving on close shots than long ones.I usually won't take a shot closer than 15yds from a tree and had much rather have it at 20 if I get the chance.Better shot angle and they jump less farther from you.jmo
I like to think I can make a killing shot out to 20 yards. BUT in a hunting situation I want to be more to the 15 yard and in mark. I shoot a good bit, and one thing I have found is that shooting 20 yards and out is a day to day thing for me. Some days I am on and other days all over the place.
I would not feel comfortable shooting big game over 20 yards. I would however take a longer shot at squirrels or rabbits with blunts.
Hunting is so entirely different than shooting in the backyard where your standing up wearing a tee shirt with nothing to hinder the shot.
Where I hunt, twenty yards is a long distance in the brush, trees, twigs and sitting for hours on end with a lot of clothes on not moving.
I think the guys out west probably shoot that on a regular basis where it is wide open.
With how I'm shooting right now, 25 and in.
I practice to 40 (more critical of form etc).
Just because I can hit well out a ways, that doesn't mean much in the deer fields.. They like to move, at the shot or just "because", so I like to keep it 25 yards and in.
After gun season even closer.
FWIW if I could kill all my critters at 10 yards I'd be tickled.
Knowing and acknowledging your effective range in a particular hunting situation is paramount in taking game. Every one and every situation is different. Once you have established your effective range and can make adjustments depending on the situation and your own recognition of your excitement level, you will have much greater success. This being said your effective range may vary over 50% giving certain circumstances. Learning to set-up and hunt within your effective range will be your next exciting challenge.
Though I practice at longer distances, my goal for hunting shots is 25 yards or less. The reason for this is the same as some of ya'll have said. Shooting at live game is totally different than shooting at 3D targets.
I love shooting long distances 50 60 or more yards but I practice my hunting shots from 20 and under.
I shoot the longer distances because it gives me more flight time to watch the arrow. As long as I keep them on my side of the back stop it's all good but when they drop into that sweet spot I'm shooting for it's nothing short of ecstatic for me..lol
God bless,Mudd
Friend very good post.
Although most of my shots are within 20 yards I have no problem taking one much farther. That particular moment is what tells me to shoot are not. Last season I took a doe at 43 steps, where I have passed deer at 30 before. But everything felt right. She didnt make it 50 yards from where I shot her.
I practice at 40 -50. Hunting proficient at 30.
I dont shoot past 20 yards at game I prefer a 8 to 12 yard shot and 12 yards is my longest shot to date. In the back yard I shoot out to 25 to 30 yards but dont shoot that far at game.
I practice out to 40, but will not attempt to shoot at anything over 25. Practicing at 40 makes 25 seem so much more easy.
Small game as far as I need to, for deer 30 and under if I am shooting good. If my stump shots for the day are not the best, 20 yards and less.
Prefer my hunting shots 15 yards or under, proficient to 20 yards and practice random distances including 30 yards +.
I'd rather take a shot at 20-25 than at 10-15. Comfortable to 30 yds. Longest kill I estimated at 35 yds.
30-35 closer the better
I hit can hit the 8 ring at 50 yards constantly:)!!!!!!! But i wont shoot past 30 in hunting situations!
I practice to 25yd. but limit my hunting shots to 20yds. or under. I would prefer 12-16yds. for those shots. :archer:
25 for me but if you're new to the game and sinkem at 25, next fall 30 aint unrealistic.Shoot often and pic-a-spot.
I haven't shot anything, YET, but like the comment about the time the arrow takes to get there the farther out they are. That's what I notice about the lobs I take at longer distances mostly to watch the arrow fly. 20 yards seems maximum for me, with the closer the better.
You have to be well set up though, my chance last season at a nice 8ptr was about 10 yds, but he stopped and looked right up at me and Mexican stand off time for about 2 seconds and back behind cover he went. I'm too new to be too critical, but longer shots at small game are seen to be OK, but isn't that a bit disrespectful of the living being? Poorly hit anything is not good.
I have a limit of 20 yards.
But if there is a wounded animal, well then there is a different story.
Right now I`m rebuilding my shooting from a heavy attack of target panic, but before this hit me, I always did practice out to ca 60 yards because of if there is a bad hit, I`ve would like to have the confidence to know I could manage a hit at these distances.
I`ve been hunting in Africa and the awareness of these animals tells me that a shoot further than 18-23 yards is at least for me out of range. I have never hunted whitetails or any game in the USA but I do believe that they also are fully capable to string-jump. I have never seen a video of pig-hunts where the pigs are totally cool and stays perfectly angled for a shoot for more than a second either :archer:
Margly
If the deer is alert, 10 yards. If the deer relaxed 20 yards. I agree with a previous response, it's how long the arrow takes to get there. Dick
No farther than 20 for me. I like up close and personal. For real.
Trad bows don't have the speed that wheelies do and for most guys that are into trad it's about getting close from what I can tell.
I agree with the comment about the shot feeling right as well. I had a 170 or better buck at less than 10 yds this past season and let him walk. The absolute biggest deer I have ever seen in the woods, but the shot wasn't right. It was good enough just being there. 3 or 4 years ago I would have been pissed that I didn't take a shot and just being there would not have been good enough.
Sure was great seeing him 5 times through season and watching him do his thing. He survived through the winter and I bet he's gonna be a brute this year. So maybe next time.
Stiks
20 yard max for me too, but I'm with Margly - if the animal is already wounded and I'm taking a follow up shot, I wouldn't think twice about shooting farther.
When I practice in my yard, I do a little drill to see my effective range. I shoot three arrows at a time. If all three are within an 8 inch diameter circle (approximately the size of deer's vitals) I move back 5 yards. If two of the three are in there, I shoot from the same distance again. If only one is in there, I move up 5 yards. Most days when I'm doing this drill I end up bouncing back and forth between 25 and 30 yards, so to be conservative I'll restrict shots at deer to 20 yards and less. This afternoon I was shooting pretty good and could have moved beyond 30, but I ran out of yard:) Shooting at 30 yards sure makes those 20 yard shots seem easy.
I've never killed anything with my bow past 15 yards.
25 yards and under. I prefer 10 to 20 yards. The point of trad is to get close. Remember the old saying "hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes".
The challenge is NOT how far you can shoot. The challenge is getting close. H
I do most of my practising 20 yards and under , not very consistant past that so thats where I will keep it!!
Ideal 12-15 yards,No more than 25 yards,
Kurt
Closer the better. I agree with the others about an animal taking a step. I don't care how fast a bow it is ( even the fastest compound ) on a long shot a perfect shot could turn into a very bad shot.
Closest kill has been 5 yds. Furthest has been 28.Better than 95% have been no further than 15 yds.Practice out to 30, but always try to get into position for 15 or in.
Stiks - "It was good enough being there." That's how I felt last season with my first real bow encounter and an 8pt. Not big, but close, but didn't happen. And then not upset, but strangely pshched. Different from having the gun and no chance. This archery state of mind.
Getting close IS more fun.
I have shot and killed deer at 30yds and have passed up shots under 10yds. It depends on how I feel at the time. Normally I feel confident at 30yds and in, but I won't shoot at a animal that is on full alert, no matter the range even if a wide open shot presents itself. For example, a couple of years ago I passed on a nice buck that circled behind me and caught a bit of my wind before presenting me with a shot at about 12yds, but then later that evening killed a walking buck at what I later paced at 32yds that was totally unalarmed.
Depends on the animal and the situation... :campfire:
I don't think I ever consciously think of yardage when I'm hunting, or stumpshooting for that matter. Now, my internal "that's too far" meter is a little more sensitive on deer than on rabbits.
There are too many variables to speak in absolutes about this. Wind, ambient noise, state of my quarry's alertness, the bow I'm shooting, my position, weather, and other stuff all factors in.
practice to 30, hunt 20 or less.
I practice out to 40 yds but man i love those 10 yd shots on game.
When an animal is over 20 yds a lot of bad things can happen when shooting a stick bow although i am very accurate out to 25 yds.
25 and under hunting - practice out to 40 and 45 though it is truly hit or miss out there (pun intended)
Really in the woods where I hunt you'll be rare to get a shot over 15? but if it arises I can do 25 pretty easy.
J
I will field or target shoot at any distance as long as it is safe, I can shoot good enough for 20-25 yards with a clear conscience. Having said that I try for a shot at 15 yrds or under for the thrill of being that close to a game animal. I also would add that I have never been on a high dollar once in a lifetime guided hunt, that might make me want to go longer with a shot. Getting Eyeball to eyeball with a whitetail has cost me a lot of harvests, but it sure is fun.
I'm totally confident up to 30 yards. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it sure helps. Shot 2 arrows at deer last year. Got 2 kills, one at 27 yards and one at 31 yards.
My thoughts are , in the woods 20 yrds. looks like 30 yrds. esp when you have been shooting in an open yard, or a range. I have found even though I can see the shot clearly, there is usually something out there in the way, like a branch that is not in my vision. So 20 yrds. is far enough for me.