Lets talk effective range...

[rhendrix]

I've been really trying to stretch my practice sessions out lately so that I can maximize my effective range for a mule deer hunt in Utah. I'm comfortable right now out at 50 yards, any more than that and I think they're are just too many variables that can go haywire and cause me to wound an animal. Is 50 yards a good effective max range? What is your max effective range? How do you go about determining it? Do you try to stalk right within your effective range and take the shot, or do you try to get as close as possible in order to make an effective and lethal kill. The reason why I'm asking is because I'd hate to be inside of 50 yards on a shooter buck and blow the stalk because I feel like I could get closer.

 

[Jon Boy]

Im comfortable at 65 yards. I feel just as sure at 65 as I do at 25. It comes down to the shooter, the practice they take, equipment, and the animals behavior at the shot. Everyones max range will be different, 50 yards should be just fine.

 

[TEmbry]

Im comfortable at 65 yards. I feel just as sure at 65 as I do at 25. It comes down to the shooter, the practice they take, equipment, and the animals behavior at the shot. Everyones max range will be different, 50 yards should be just fine.

I agree with this entire statement, except for the second sentence which just isn't possible. If you are just as good at 65 as you are at 25, you either don't hold yourself to a very high standard in the accuracy department or you need to enter the next Olympics.

 

[justin davis]

I practice at 80-120 yards just for practice.
Some days I shoot tight groups and other times more open. Furthest I ever have shot at an animal was 50 yards.
We are bowhunting and not rifle hunting.

To determine an effective range I think one shoot have tennis ball groups consistently.

The problem is in my opinion it's very easy to shoot accurately at a target when everything is calm.

In a hunting world it's a little difference. Nerves and adrenaline play a factor. As well as animal behavior. An animal can move alot in the time it takes an arrow to hit from 60 or 70 yards. Even one step could mean a miss on the vitals and a unrecoverrd animal.

 

[Jon Boy]

I agree with this entire statement, except for the second sentence which just isn't possible. If you are just as good at 65 as you are at 25, you either don't hold yourself to a very high standard in the accuracy department or you need to enter the next Olympics.

I said just as sure not as accurate? You should have 100% confidence in every shot you take no matter what range it is, or you shouldnt take the shot. Plain and simple. When I squeeze the trigger at 65 yards and the conditions are right I know I will hit my mark, just as I do at 25 yards.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

The older and more experienced I get the harder it is for me to answer this question.
Short answer would be I feel confident on an animal to 60 yards, somewhat longer answer would be if the conditions are not perfect, if I'm tired and hungry, and the animal is skittish that might drop my effective range to 20 yards or so.....rare are the times that conditions are perfect....for me at least

 

[rhendrix]

Do you guys ever try to mimic hunting conditions by elevating your HR? And if so does this help? My goal before August 17th is to know that if I get within 50 yards of a buck I can nail him without sweating it. Never having shot an animal that far though, I'm not sure if 50 is truly my max range.

 

[rhendrix]

The older and more experienced I get the harder it is for me to answer this question.
Short answer would be I feel confident on an animal to 60 yards, somewhat longer answer would be if the conditions are not perfect, if I'm tired and hungry, and the animal is skittish that might drop my effective range to 20 yards or so.....rare are the times that conditions are perfect....for me at least

I realize the situation ultimately dictates how far ill shoot, I guess I just don't want to limit myself like I do in a tree stand.

 

[AGPank]

I practice with my target bows out to 80 yards, but I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting an animal that far. I have a pin for 60 yards and I practice shooting broadheads to that range. I'm very comfortable hitting a 6-7" circle at that range, but not sure I would shoot at an animal at that range. A lot of variables come in. An elk has a larger vital zone, but I don't have enough experience at that range to have confidence that I can cleanly take the animal. A mule deer doesn't take as much energy, but has smaller vitals. A whitetail requires a little less energy, but again smaller vitals.

I personally feel that outside of 40 yards is a long hunting shot even with a lot of practice. I read somewhere the skill of bowhunting isn't how far you can shoot, but how close you can get.

 

[Bowhuntr64]

I practice out to 80 regularly and would possibly take that shot if the conditions were absolutely perfect: calm and stationary animal, no obstructions, no wind, etc. The further the distance, the more perfect the conditions need to be. In terms of experience, the furthest shot I have taken was a (now dead) whitetail at 55 yards.

 

[Eagle]

I can asure you that a lot can happen at 40 yards, been there, done that. Shot a buck at 42 yards, he started to move as I released, and what should have been a perfect shot, hit him in the arse, thankfully cutting his femoral artery and ending his life very quickly. It could just as easily have missed his femoral, and finding that buck would have been a chore. After that happened, I lowered my range to 40 (on deer sized game) and under and only on animals that had no clue I was in the world.

On shots past that, too many variables can change in the time it takes your arrow to arrive (assuming you shoot 290fps, it takes your arrow at least .414 seconds to arrive at 40 yards, probably more like .44 seconds due to drag and arrow speed diminishing over the distance, more than enough time for sh*t to hit the fan) like a predator you didn't see in the area spooking the animal, or a wind swirl, or any other crazy thing we all know happens.

Now that I'm going to strictly longbow shooting, I'll likely end up keeping everything to 20 yards and in on deer, maybe 30 yards on bigger game. The bows are slower and more can go wrong like a loud bow if the release isn't perfect. Just know your equipment, ethics, animal and capabilities, only you can ultimately make the descision.

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

There is no right or wrong answer for this question other than each individual will be different based on their confidence, equipment, and knowledge as well as the conditions at the time of shot such as wind, the animal's behavior and positioning, as well as the mood of the hunter. Everybody will be different. It is up to each individual to determine their "maximum effective" range.

What I shoot for range and feel comfortable with will not be the same for very many other archers. The distance as to which I have shot animals before and made clean kills will cause others to critisize me. But I will never loosen an arrow at an animal that I know I cannot make an ethical shot on or will I never make a shot that I am not 100% confident in. Food for thought.

"The best archer is the one who knows his own limitations"

I plan to expand a bit in a future blog of mine.

 

[tstowater]

I got back into bowhunting this year (elk in Wyoming) for the first time in about 20 years. Equipment today is amazing. After getting myself and the equipment fine tuned, it is not hard to shoot respectable at 50 yards with broadheads. I want to be able to shoot at 60 before I go hunting with the intention of keeping shots under 40 and hopefully under 30. I just don't want to have an opportunity to shoot the bull I want at 50 yards and not be ready. Biggest obstacles right now are time and mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are the equivalent of elevated HR and a bugling bull at 25 yards right now. Jared put it best, know your own limitations.

 

[Rolo]

My maximum effective range is: whatever the distance is at the time, under the circumstances exist, that present a shot that I 'know' I can make and that will be effective in killing the animal quickly. That distance may be 20 yards on a given day, and it may be 80 yards the next day. It's all situational.

What is a good max effective range? For some, it is 'far'...for others, well IMO, it is 0 yards, without a lot more practice and knowledge. But, there is no one answer to the question.

And yes, I attempt to get as 'close' as I can to an animal before I shoot it, but sometimes 'close' is 'far' to others. I don't really care though, it's my failure that I am concerned with.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I like this answer!

My maximum effective range is: whatever the distance is at the time, under the circumstances exist, that present a shot that I 'know' I can make and that will be effective in killing the animal quickly. That distance may be 20 yards on a given day, and it may be 80 yards the next day. It's all situational.

What is a good max effective range? For some, it is 'far'...for others, well IMO, it is 0 yards, without a lot more practice and knowledge. But, there is no one answer to the question.

And yes, I attempt to get as 'close' as I can to an animal before I shoot it, but sometimes 'close' is 'far' to others. I don't really care though, it's my failure that I am concerned with.

 

[jmez]

Rolo pretty much covered that one.

 

[Rolo]

I like this answer!

Hey...where's my pack? Quit posting and start building...and buy your wife some more flowers while you're at it.

As an aside...it sure is a lot more enjoyable to have this conversation here, as opposed to other places...

 

[velvetfvr]

My maximum effective range is: whatever the distance is at the time, under the circumstances exist, that present a shot that I 'know' I can make and that will be effective in killing the animal quickly. That distance may be 20 yards on a given day, and it may be 80 yards the next day. It's all situational.

What is a good max effective range? For some, it is 'far'...for others, well IMO, it is 0 yards, without a lot more practice and knowledge. But, there is no one answer to the question.

And yes, I attempt to get as 'close' as I can to an animal before I shoot it, but sometimes 'close' is 'far' to others. I don't really care though, it's my failure that I am concerned with.

X2^^^^^^

 

[Stinky Coyote]

X3

I have 3-4 deer kills in the 50's and two mid 60's....pinned and practice to 80. A buddy pinned and practiced same has couple kills in 70's. Very individual thing.

 

[J-Daddy]

My maximum effective range is: whatever the distance is at the time, under the circumstances exist, that present a shot that I 'know' I can make and that will be effective in killing the animal quickly. That distance may be 20 yards on a given day, and it may be 80 yards the next day. It's all situational.

What is a good max effective range? For some, it is 'far'...for others, well IMO, it is 0 yards, without a lot more practice and knowledge. But, there is no one answer to the question.

And yes, I attempt to get as 'close' as I can to an animal before I shoot it, but sometimes 'close' is 'far' to others. I don't really care though, it's my failure that I am concerned with.

Yep I'm right there with you...I've missed close shots and drilled long shots. Hell I missed a B&C 10pt whitetail last year at 30yds and that's a shot I can always make and flat out ruin arrows in a 3-D target at 30yds. If conditions are right my max range differs, I've shot animals at really long range before and shot them at close range, lol...I'm like everyone else, I'd prefer a 20yd shot on everything but it doesn't always work out...I'm not against shooting something at 80yds if the conditions are right and I feel right. Ethics police get under my skin, let everyone decide what they can or can not do...But make sure you can do it before you try it.
I know plenty of guys who shouldn't shoot at a deer "or anything else" at 10yds and it's a miracle if they even touch one at 20yds.