Whats your average archery shot on mountain mule deer?

[Harborpine]

They always seem to be about 10 yards outside what I'm comfortable shooting

 

[anonymous22]

I'm very similar. But I attribute it to, calling in elk vs sneaking up on deer. It's easier to let a bull come into you and hide, than it is trying to sneak across a scree field on a bedded buck LOL

Especially when they are surrounded by doe or bachelor bucks in a group, on a hill, under a shade tree 800 yards away in terrain, in fairly open country…..and the wind is going to shift any hour…..

Even if you do everything right, get past the eyes. Elude the noses, stay hidden, move fast, move quiet, 80% of the time at 60-70y in there’s enough of a breeze to swirl your sent in. It doesn’t take much and it doesn’t have to blow directly at them for them to catch it.

I am a student of the craft though. I’d love to learn how some people get it done.

 

[Jason277]

Ive been trying to kill one with a longbow the past couple seasons and this poll is not encouraging

You picked a tough one there!

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I’ve killed about a dozen. Furthest was 34 yards, rest under 20. Stickbow hunter so I don’t have a choice but to get close, prefer sub 30.

I will pass dozen of stalks if I know I can’t get sub 30-40 cause of terrian. I just hunt areas set up for stick bow range and had to change my tactics, hunting process, and stalking approaches when I gave up the compounds years ago.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

Especially when they are surrounded by doe or bachelor bucks in a group, on a hill, under a shade tree 800 yards away in terrain, in fairly open country…..and the wind is going to shift any hour…..

Even if you do everything right, get past the eyes. Elude the noses, stay hidden, move fast, move quiet, 80% of the time at 60-70y in there’s enough of a breeze to swirl your sent in. It doesn’t take much and it doesn’t have to blow directly at them for them to catch it.

I am a student of the craft though. I’d love to learn how some people get it done.

South Cox is the goat for modern day guys imo. He’s taught me a ton about getting close to them in the mtns and open sand hill country.

 

[Grassymike]

Get your hands on Dwight Shuh's book "hunting open country Mule Deer". His system is the basis for how I hunt mule deer with my bow. Basically spot and stalk with some excellent how to do it. I have shot only three bucks at 50 plus yards, one at 15, with the majority being in the 30-40 yard range. To me the whole point of bowhunting is getting close. Nothing against guys shooting farther as long as they put in the practice, but to me this is replacing one skillset with another one. Some of my best memories are being so close to deer you can almost touch them.

 

[S.Clancy]

Ive been trying to kill one with a longbow the past couple seasons and this poll is not encouraging

I killed this buck in the prairie at 22 yards. It's more doable than you think if you don't suck at stalking.

 

[AHayes111]

Ive been trying to kill one with a longbow the past couple seasons and this poll is not encouraging

A good friend of mine has taken nine 200 inch bucks with a recurve. Don't be discouraged.

 

[Travis_Will_Hunt]

Majority of my shots have been in that 40-50yrd range with my closest being 12yrds.

 

[Mish-pop]

Haven't hunted mountains, just prairie. My shots have been 30-85 yards. I can usually figure out a way to get 60 and in. 55-60 yards is my MER now

 

[Jason277]

Thank you everybody who responded, I’m a little surprised by the numbers . 40 yards by quite a bit .

 

[justin davis]

I’ve killed quite a few bucks right at 37 yards Seems to be my magic number lol

 

[Coyote Commander]

These are my last three bucks I’ve killed most recent.

I know, it’s not “mountains”, but it’s probably more open than mountains.

The mule deer were both in the 30s, the whitetail I’m especially proud of. He was six yards.

Open country spot and stalk whitetails may be about as challenging as you can get with a bow.

The moral is, you don’t “have” to shoot crazy distances.

 

[Jason277]

These are my last three bucks I’ve killed most recent.

I know, it’s not “mountains”, but it’s probably more open than mountains.

The mule deer were both in the 30s, the whitetail I’m especially proud of. He was six yards.

Open country spot and stalk whitetails may be about as challenging as you can get with a bow.

The moral is, you don’t “have” to shoot crazy distances.

Wow that is impressive! are you doing alot of belly crawling? Knee pad country?

 

[Hunthigh1]

A good friend of mine has taken nine 200 inch bucks with a recurve. Don't be discouraged.

Who the foook is this guy?? How old is he?

 

[AHayes111]

Not going to give out a name, but late 70's, Hunted with a recurve since the 60's in multiple top western states.

 

[Half Nocked]

I must suck at stalking, but I don’t think I’ve gotten closer than 30. Granted I don’t hunt the mountains much. I hunt more sagebrush and broken topography.

 

[Jason277]

I must suck at stalking, but I don’t think I’ve gotten closer than 30. Granted I don’t hunt the mountains much. I hunt more sagebrush and broken topography.

Hey your out there in Washington hunting which is hard on any level! Ha! I know I live there too!

 

[Half Nocked]

Hey your out there in Washington hunting which is hard on any level! Ha! I know I live there too!

It definitely feels hard

 

[Jason277]

It definitely feels hard

I haven’t honestly hunted anywhere else to compare it to….. could be a case of the grass being greener in other states .