I have a 35,45, and 55 yard pin. I practice at all ranges and can hit the vtals in all three distances. I have only taken on shot over 50 yards. It was 54 yards. The deer was in a field and I was on the edge of the field. He ate good.
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Fifty yard shots.Who's tried it?
- Thread starter pubhunter17
- Start date
BowGuy84
Well-Known Member
Farthest kills were 41 and 43...Id take a 50 in a heartbeat. As many have said, it isnt for everyone but I shoot all year and have a 55 yd pin. I know how to hold it out to 60 and can keep a 3 arrow group inside a 4 in circle with almost no exception. I also have noticed deer dont "string jump" near as much further off.
All this being said, my average shot distance on all bow kills is...22 yards.
All this being said, my average shot distance on all bow kills is...22 yards.
FallRutSpringStrut
Well-Known Member
This is a great debate and everyone has great opinions on long shots. I can see everyones agreements and disagreements. It just depends on the person. I have a friend that lives in California and this guy is a die hard bow hunter. He has taken numberous mulies, black tails and bears out on the west coast. An alot of his shots are over 50 yards because they use mostly spot and stalk. Well in the last 25 plus years of bow hunting he has never taken a whitetail. Last year he was in town on business and he had his first chance to bow hunt whitetails from a treestand. On the second day he was lucky enough to connect on a mature doe. After the hunt he admitted that our hunting around here is very difficult and the deer are very weary. So alot of it depends on the game you are hunting.
Rickym
Well-Known Member
buzzr46 said:
plenty enough to pass right thru with a good setup.
buzzr46 said:
A bow shooting 260 fps with a 400 grain arrow generates 60 ft-lbs of KE and 0.461 lbs-sec of momentum at the bow. At 50 yards, that same arrow still generates 54 ft. lbs of KE and 0.437 lbs-sec of momentum.
Like was stated above, plenty enough for a clean pass-through.
buzzr46
Well-Known Member
f1maxis said:
cool, what's the formula for figgerin' all that out. That's neat to know
One other note, according to Easton, here are the guidelines for the required KE you'll need to hunt different species:
< 25 ft. lbs. - Small Game (rabbit, groundhog, etc.)
25-41 ft. lbs. - Medium Game (deer, antelope, etc.)
42-65 ft. lbs. - Large Game (elk, black bear, wild boar, etc.)
> 65 ft. lbs. - Toughest Game (Cape Buffalo, Grizzly, etc.)
< 25 ft. lbs. - Small Game (rabbit, groundhog, etc.)
25-41 ft. lbs. - Medium Game (deer, antelope, etc.)
42-65 ft. lbs. - Large Game (elk, black bear, wild boar, etc.)
> 65 ft. lbs. - Toughest Game (Cape Buffalo, Grizzly, etc.)
W.Seay
Well-Known Member
For todays higher end bows, 50 yards is nothing in the hands of an accomplished shooter who knows his equipment.I group the same at 60 yards as I do at 20 yards.
BowGuy84
Well-Known Member
Here are the only 4 arrows I shot tonight. All were shot at 55 yds. Not saying I am Robin Hood, or Chance B. or anything...just what a hunting set up can do with a little practice.
If you hunt out west much, you almost have to learn to make 50-yard shots. The western hunters are use to it. In the wide open, brush in between doesn't even figure in.It really all comes down to quickly reading the conditions, wind, uphill, downhill etc and then practicing enough that a 50-yard shot is no more difficult than a 30-yard shot. One of keys is to practice on 3-D targets, not dots.
Do I espouse taking 50-yard shot? Absolutley not. I have taken a few, made a few. But I have hunted with some guys who thought nothing of it and never made a bad shot. Chuck Adams was one of them. Byron Ferguson another.
It's all relative and ethics only comes into play if you take one and have to hope and pray it hits. If you make those shots on live game all the time, dam betcha it is ethical. But for the average, eastern hunter, it sure isn't reccommended.
Do I espouse taking 50-yard shot? Absolutley not. I have taken a few, made a few. But I have hunted with some guys who thought nothing of it and never made a bad shot. Chuck Adams was one of them. Byron Ferguson another.
It's all relative and ethics only comes into play if you take one and have to hope and pray it hits. If you make those shots on live game all the time, dam betcha it is ethical. But for the average, eastern hunter, it sure isn't reccommended.
stik
Well-Known Member
a deer can move a long ways before an arrow covers 50 yds. i would never shoot at a live target over 30-35 yds.
XForceman
Well-Known Member
Spoken like a true HUNTER Radar!!! Well Said.
CZ284
Well-Known Member
megalomaniac said:
Very good point mega. I killed an elk at 50 yards as well, standing broadside in an open field. They are definitely not as spooky or quick as a whitetail.
Not only is there the increased possibility of hitting something small in the way, 50 yards in the woods is a LONG way. Wind drift, etc. taken into account in my book makes a shot that long at a wihtetail a questionable thing.
Personally, in over 25 years of bowhunting, I've never shot at a whitetail over 25 yards. Knock on wood, I've only wounded one and it was a very superficial cut on the brisket. I like to get in close- in my book that's the biggest challenge to bowhunting, gettin in close so you have a greater chance of a short, accurate shot. Long range shooting is best left for field archery. JMO.
wskp1
Well-Known Member
I shot a buck at 64 yards from our 40' tree hut. He dropped right where he was standing. Not a good practice but I had practice the shot from the stand. Never would shoot from a distance that I had not practiced from.
Blue5
Well-Known Member
IMO todays bows are very capable of 50 yd kills! With practice!
Thats the problem with many businesses today No ecthic's.I wonder how many guys that would not take that 50 yard plus shot saw it and say if he can do it so can I.???They never show the gut shot unrecovered deer. They only show the perfect shot and perfect recovery's. I used to watch all the hunting shows. Don't watch any of them anymore. I prefer the one man uneditted show when I hit the woods.Some days are perfect,some not so perfect. They're all good if I'm in the woods.pubhunter17 said:
Radar
Well-Known Member
WestTn Huntin'man said:
Just like on a hunting forum , No one will talk about the shots they missed or wounded , just brag about the good shots they made . It's human nature I guess .
I have nothing against an accomplished archer and bowhunter taking a shot within their effective range , regardless of the range . The point I have been trying to make is knowing your personal 100% effective range in hunting conditions present , and when it's best to pass up a questionable shot at any given range .
I'd rather help a new archer to get within their effective range than to encourage them to stretch their limits and take "pot shots" at deer just outside their shooting range .
It's not unethical to take shots within your effective range , regardless of the distance , but it is unethical to take questionable shots and flinging arrows way outside your effective range .
Every situation is different in the woods when shooting at live deer . When in doubt , let down and pass on the shot . If it feels right , you are confident in making the shot and is within your 100% effective range under the hunting conditions present , go for it .
POSSUM HUNTER
Well-Known Member
Radar said:
very well said
