What has been your closest harvest shot?What is your average harvest shot been.Trying to get a idea of what to expect.Iknow every hunt and animal ordeal is different.This is going to be my first year on the ground.Just curious to know how another hunter has filled the freezer.
When I was a senior in high school (and still shot a wheelie bow), I had a problem with my scholder dislocating and the doc said not to do any pulling/pushing over my head (e.g. climbing trees), so I was confined to the ground that season. I ended up shooting what is still my largest buck that year at 8 yards. Since then, I've killed a few more off the ground, but they've been in the 15 - 20 yard range.
I think it's more important to have good cover behind you compared to infront of you to break up your outline. For that buck at 8 yards, I was standing infront of a huge oak tree. For others, I was sitting infront of a patch of thick grape vines.
I shot a spike at 4 yards on the ground. I was sitting in the middle of a waterhole in my waders and the spike came to the edge of the water to drink. I've shot other deer at 6, 12, and @30 yards from the ground with longbows and recurves.
nearly all are between 10-20. never hunted from a tree. I thought about trying it once this year though...
I'd average it at 15 yards for me. And I focus on back cover and up front I do try to get about knee high if possible
Never hunted from a tree or blind iv had shots as close as 3ft but most are around 10-20 yards with the od one out as far as 30
Jim
A coyote at about 6 feet. A couple of years ago, I touched a feeding whitetail fawn, but didn't shoot. A bear at 7 yards. Around 20 yards is more average.
i hae shot 2 doe last year on the ground one at 15 and the other a 10
I hunt hogs from the ground..spot and stalk or surprise..average shot is 5 to 12 yards. I hunt white tails occasionally from a ground blind. Those shots are 15 yards or less.
For Michigan whitetails, I build my natural ground blinds from 10-12 paces away from the major trail I'm hunting.
For me, anything closer than 10 seems too close and anything farther than 15 feels too far.
When an animal is in my comfort range, I don't like for them to get too close. When they're too close, they seem to notice the slightest movement. My closest ground shot has been 12 yards and I hope they don't get any closer.
The deer in my avatar was ground level on foot at 11 yards. That was my closest still-hunted deer.
Closest was about 18". Had to lean backwards to draw bow. Average is about 15 yards.
Hap
Every countable yard. I like 15
closest was about 5' farthest just under 40 and 95% are between 15 and 25
I shot a huge cow Elk at 8 feet last season, good cover behind me and a wispy bush between us. I could see her trying to figure me out.
Most of my shots are 15 yds.
Closest, about five yards. Farthest was 50 yards with a wheelie bow.
closest was about 5 yards, we surprised each other. Average is around 15 to 20 yards.
have shot pigs at less than a yard, and took a Fallow buck at about 8 yards and Water Buffalo at 6 yards.
Have seen a mate so close to a pig which was bedded in the embankment of a dry river bed he actually had to step back from the boar to draw so he would not touch the boar with the arrow
QuoteOriginally posted by Night Wing:
When an animal is in my comfort range, I don't like for them to get too close. When they're too close, they seem to notice the slightest movement. My closest ground shot has been 12 yards and I hope they don't get any closer.
Perfect advice
Average shot is about 10 yards. Closest deer (no shot taken) was the fawn that stuck it's head in my natural ground blind and sniffed and licked the fletching on the arrows in the quiver by my feet. I love it when you can count the eyelashes!