Just wondering what's the furthest you've taken an animal with your trad bow. I'm new to traditional, figured this be an interesting thread to start.

Most of the time I try to get as close as I can, but I did shoot a coyote at just over 30 yards once. The farthest on a deer was 22 yards. Most of the time it's closer to 15 yards though.

Where in Iowa do you hang your hat?

I love those deer shots under 12 yards.

60 paces (woodchuck).

25 yards on whitetail.  I don't attempt further.

Hit a red squirrel once at 30 yards and his tail was on my back quiver for 15 years (until the cat got it).  That was my best shot ever; period.

30 yards on a gopher   . 30 yards on a deer is easy if you can hit a gopher.  Furthest deer is around 25/28 yards, I like them closer but I'm not against longer shots if things are right. You'll hear all sorts of folks telling you about their "self imposed" distance limits, if it feels right and you're confident, let 'er rip!

29 yards but I didn't know until I paced it off after the shot............

Shot and killed a nice buck at 38 yards once.

With a real bow 65 plus yards a hare,35 a walking fox.on larger games the closest is the best.

Black bear 10-12 yards.

I killed a rabbit at 36 steps with a Hill longbow. It was like magic watching the arrow as it arced and hit the rabbit in the head. I would never take a shot on a deer at that range.

Some pretty long shots on small game, but I don't think I have ever shot at a big game animal beyond 20 yards.

Just to clarify why....perfect heart/lung shot placement isn't critical on a rabbit....it is on a deer.

25 yds last year on a Whitetail. Prior to that everything has been under 20 yds.

Not far, longest was a bit under 20

What Roger said.

BUT...just out of high school, I once lobbed an arrow a LOOONNNG ways into a hayfield at a coyote.
Martin Lynx recurve, 2219 Gamegetter, three blade Thunderhead 160...

up, up, up, looking good...down, down, down, and THROUGH the hip! Killed him almost instantly!

Coyotes weren`t thick like now, and only a few people had seen one. With all the fur, I though it would weigh 50 lbs, and he wasn`t quite 30lbs.

22yds on a whitetail. About 37-38yds on a groundhog. Closest deer kill was 8ft

32 yds on a buck....Howatt Hunter and my 1st bow kill.  I'd never shoot that shot again, but I didn't know any better back then.

60 yards on a dirt clod and cans.  Longest kill was 45 yards on an elk a long time ago.  Don't think I'd attempt that again.  Killed a couple of deer at 26-27 yards.  Most of the deer I kill are at 12-18 yards.

Longest Deer kill was 27 yards. I did kill a gopher one time at about 80 yards.

I just missed a bucket on the other hillside a couple weeks ago at a measured 95 yards.  We were goofing and tried for 100 but the fence kept me from it.  Guess I coulda moved the bucket further.

I'm not a good enough shot to try that on deer or other critters.  As you can see, 20-25 is a max for most of us and I REALLY prefer 15.

As above, watching the arrow sail to your target is really a pretty neat thing.

I once made an impossible shot with an elder gent present.  I call him Dad (he is a good friend's father) and I built him a bow during a bad time in his life.  He took to it and loves to go stump shooting with us now.

Anyway, a South Dakota CRP meadow, mid November,  windy, cold,  did I say the wind was blowing ?  We chose the corner post of the wire fence.  I have no idea how far away it was, but it was over 100 yards for sure.  He pulled back and was holding too low, so I said "higher, higher, higher"  and when he released he very nearly hit it.  He was whooping and smiling. (this is a normally quiet guy).

My turn, I pulled back and instead of launching, I pulled my bow up so it shot nearly vertical,  way up there, held into the wind to allow for drift, all of that.  When the arrow came down, it bounced off the top of the post !  Dad screamed "you got it !" and I heard about that shot for months.  

No way I could duplicate that shot if I tried the rest of my life.... most certainly someone above was steering that arrow, not me.  But it made Dad smile and forget about some of his concerns for a while.

Long shooting is fun and can get under your skin, but shooting at critters is typically a short game for me.

ChuckC

55 paces on a caribou. 70 yards on a gray squirrel.