Your Longest Archery Big Game Kill

[daniel brothers]

well.... back in 1990... I was bow hunting caribou in alaska with wade nolan, gary beaton, and bob kirshner from Pa. caribou were hard to find on that trip. finally we spotted a lone bull bedded on a ridge top. We spread out and made a stalk on it. I got within 40 yds of it and was getting ready for a shot, but he spotted Gary with a rifle and stood up...which was great for me.. but I didn't allow for the 40 mph wind... and my arrow missed him down his left side as he stood there facing me straight on. He then ran down the hill with me running around ahead of him. When I came over a small rise.... there was Gary with the rifle, getting ready to shoot the bull which is standing broadside about 125 yds. I said.... Stop... let me shoot one more time...and he did. I drew back..... aimed for the vitals and raised up my pin way over his back until it just felt right.... and let go. And once again that 40 mph wind carried my arrow far to the left..... causing the arrow to penetrate the center of his rear leg ham. I yelled to Gary.... don't shoot I got him..... he'll die in a minute.... and sure enough... he did after walking around in circles for about 2 mintues...looking and wondering what that was in his ham. After he bleed out and fell over and died.... I then got out my rangefinder and it said right at 125 yds. Could I do it again...... don't know....but who knows what can happen when pure instinct takes over. It's true guys.... I wouldn't waste my time sitting here typing this out if it wasn't...... thanks.... Dan ... Ps....I use to Co-Produce Quest Bowhunting Videos.... maybe you heard of them....

 

[188MULE]

Hello, I'm new to the sight but not to long range bow hunting, about six years ago I decided that setting my personnel limit at 50-60 yards with my bow was not of my own doing but had been instilled in me by other bow hunters. All I had ever heard was anything past forty was almost impossible. I'm from west central North Dakota, wide open rolling hills. I noticed that my personnel restriction on range was costing me some fine critters, so I decided that my equipment and practice routine needed a drastic change. What did I do?
I practiced every day gradually moving back, after several months of this I was shooting as good at 100 as I had been at 50.

Over the last six years.
Antelope 80, 75, 80, 92, 44, 94
Mule deer 53, 76, 92

 

[daniel brothers]

Wow 188 mule..... that is great shooting... and I can see why you would have to incrrease your shooting ability.... and why not.....? Todays equiptment has the ability...why not the shooter. Howard Hill could do it all day long with a long bow.

What kinkd of bow are you shooting.....?
Broadheads........?
Fletching.........?
Arrows.....?

It would be fun to come out there and shoot some P Dogs at long range.....

 

[188MULE]

I shoot a Bowtech allegiance maxed at 73#. Sight is a PSE F-35 7 pin that now has 9 pins. Rest is a dropaway microtune . Arrows ar GoldTip hunters that first has one inch cut from the back of arrow which I'm told helps the straightness. I have them cut to 28.25" with 4" non helical vanes. They have a white cress for visibility. My broadhead is a rocky mountain Gator which is now getting hard to find. My release is a Truball. Also all my arrows are tuned and shot to find the ones that suck.

The critters and ranges I've listed all have been killed with one arrow except last years antelope at 94. I was on a tall butte in the badlands, he was below me milling around in a prairie dog town at 94, I was in a slight breeze up top.
I held about 18 inches for wind, put my 90 right on accounting for the steep down hill angle and released. Unfortunately there was no wind below the butte and the arrow hit right where I was aiming, Thru his back ham. I made a round about sneek and put another arrow thru his vitals at 50. I've shot antelope at 25, 35, 40, but I've missed more below 50 and shot at alot more below 50 than over 60. My success rate over 60 is really good. Also there is alot of prairie dogs out west on public ground, after shooting my goat we continued to shoot prairie dogs with our bows out to 50 yards lots of fun.

 

[daniel brothers]

That Bowtech is a good bow..... I shoot a Constitution right now. I killed 10 deer with it last year here in SC...we don't really have a limit out here. I even have some Gold Tip arrows. I remember when Johnny from Utah came out with those arrows...I hunted with him in W. Va years ago. He and his friends were long range shooters as well... but they didn't score out here... not sure why... they did fling some arrows at deer standing in open clearcut areas. That long range prairie shooting sounds like fun. We should trade out some hunting trips if your interested. I have bowfishing for Big Catfish at night off my boat .... anytime..... and then in April.... Turkeys and Hogs with a bow.... and then of course our deer season starts Aug 15 th- Jan 1. .... with unlimited numbers of deer... not rabbit size deer either..... 150-200 pounders... which is good out here were they don't need alot of fat for our easy winters. Let me know if you want to hook up.... later..... Jesus Bless you....Dan

 

[188MULE]

I started my long range bow hunting with patriot and moved to the alllegiance, the patriot was getting tired. Still got him for a back up.
I may have to find somewhere to shoot some deer. Last years winter took out about 60 - 70% of our deer herd up here, then the brilliant game & fish dept issued 40,000 more doe tags this year. Now another killer winter, I really don't know what a guy is going to do. Ten warm and almost snow less winters had our deer population way up there. I would buy up to five doe tags a year plus my regular any deer bow tag. But not any more, I won't even kill a doe for awhile, just not enough around and probably no tags available anyhow. Pretty depressing, on a up note I think the prairie dogs faired pretty well.

My heaviest whitetail up here weighed in at 275 lbs live weight 215 field dressed, got him with my patriot 25 yds off of the ground during the rut. My blind was an old combine. Gross 144 P&Y. My highest scoring whitetail with my bow is a compact 7x5 with long tines that grossed 169, also shot out off the ground at 57yds, forgot to add that one to my stats.

Let me think about the hogs.

 

[Wildyote]

Late to the party, once again.

I don't think I've ever seen a "long range bowhunting" thread before.

MY personal "longest" was 2 right at 30 and my very first deer at 42 yards. All shot with compounds. I wouldnt repeat that last one again, these days.

The LONGEST local shot Im aware of was a competition shooter shooting from permanent tree blinds, lazered at 61 yards............and it wasnt his first shot.

He also hunts his own LONG time off limits to everyone, maintained for bucks, minerals fed and all, land and dont let anyone in that dont have a tv camera (and is on some bowhunting programs you would know of).

Not into "bashing" people's LEGAL methods but.......no thanks. It's a sign of the times that people use the multiple, over advertised feed "bonuses" to grow their own so to speak. More and more are doing it and IMHO it's their money, their time and it's legal.......enough said.

But bowhunting for more than 4 decades, makes me an old crudmudgen (that cant spell) and I have to admit the percentage of people responding to the polls indicating kills over 40 yards...WOW! Id have never guessed it......I believe a LARGE percentage of them are out west. OR at least hope?

For me and my methods of bowhunting (totally ground stands for some time) and my 1967 Super Kodiak and 1971 Pearson Mercury Hunter......25 yards is a long shot. One I can make but just get more zippity do da out of one about 15 yards.

Some excellent shooting by some here but when things hit 50 yards I think I can speak for most the bowhunters in the area, and I know a lot, that's considered "gun range".....even though THAT range got pushed out further as well due to new and improved technology and our new "rifle" rounds allowed and the use of specialty pistols.

To each their own, and luck to all, but Ill stick with CLOSE range for the maximum excitement........my main reason TO bowhunt. Thankfully, I have the specialty pistol I can use for my "main meat" or I too would struggle to get "enough" deer meat but Ive done it some years.

Love my longer range hunting with the pistol (actually the LONGEST range LEGAL gun you can use here) but for pure excitement and satisfaction, one average buck at 15 yards will be way higher up the ladder than 8 taken "way out there".

As always, we all seek difference results in our sport. Just my two cents.

God Bless
Steve

 

[Axtell3]

Silly me, I thought bow hunting was about being close to the game.
I draw and suffer through it. low draw wieght though.

 

[sydleier]

Wow I just saw this and it's awesome. I've never seen a long range bow hunting thread before. I grew up shooting with pins out to a hundred yards, but it was only a few friends and myself that would shoot this far together an we never really talked about it with other bow hunters, because you would be looked down on for it. While I would never try and take an Elk at more than 40 or 50 yrds, we've taken lots of speed goats at 80 + yards with the longest being my buddy Ryan shooting one at 97 yards about 8 yrs ago. A know most bow hunters look down on this, but hunting antelope in eastern Montana your really not going to be able to get that close alot of the time. Unless you sit in a blind in front of a dugout and really is that anymore ethical?

 

[devins]

I started shooting traditional 39 years ago this Christmas. Started bowhunting 30 years ago. I have not bow hunted or shot a bow nearly as long as most of you, I am sure. I have shot competitively with a bow and shotgun. I have beaten a lot of shooters that people knew them and not me, that is fun, especially with your hunting rig to their target rig. Longest kill shot was 53 yards on a mid 330's bull. I routinely practice to 70 yards and I feel I could hunt further if I practiced further. In those years I have forgotten how many good shots I made, I quit counting at 35 many years ago. I remember 4 shots though. 2, I caught that branch mentioned earlier and had clean misses. Both at under 15 yards. The 53 yard bull would have been a one shot kill if I had done like the guys on tv and said I am going to back out and give him some time. The fixed blade sailed on me in the wind and hit back farther than I wanted. When I was able to work up on the down bull and place an arrow in the perfect spot he was out almost immediately. But I remember that one and one buck that was close and the arrow deflected off of the shoulder instead of into it. Bad judgement on my part. But he was only 5 yards from the tree. The point is, I have had more problems over the years on close shots that long. I think about the long shots a lot more though just like most of you have said. You think about the wind the games attitude and position. Practice, practice, practice and just be honest with yourself. If you can live with your decision, that is really all that counts.

 

[Gary22-250]

35 yards is limit i wont shot at an animal over that . i do have a 40 - 60 - 80 yard marks on my sight and can put them in a paper plate at 80 but would not even think of shooting a animal that far . i guess i figure to much could happen between the release and impact .

 

[Grouseman]

For those guys who answerd "over 100 yards" - I'd be interested in hearing you biggest fish story too.

Just to let you know this is no fish story and I would gladly prove it to you. Cow elk at 102 yards arrow entered in front of back leg quartering forward through her stomach lodging in her front shoulder Two other hunters were on the other side of the clear cut to witness this. As a matter of fact I have taken other elk from 15 yards to 75 yards. The hundred yard shot was to prove people wrong about arrow penetration at longer yards. Hey maybe you should ask the boys at myth busters huh!

 

[ScottB]

Just to let you know this is no fish story and I would gladly prove it to you. Cow elk at 102 yards arrow entered in front of back leg quartering forward through her stomach lodging in her front shoulder Two other hunters were on the other side of the clear cut to witness this. As a matter of fact I have taken other elk from 15 yards to 75 yards. The hundred yard shot was to prove people wrong about arrow penetration at longer yards. Hey maybe you should ask the boys at myth busters huh!

Not sure how someone would go about proving this? Maybe do it again with a video camera....but please don't.
Personally, I'd pass on the long range, maybe the shot will hit the mark, hail mary, the animal will suffer if the shot doesn't hit the mark, or any number of other things that would go wrong. And I'd certainly never shoot an animal throught the rear end to get to the vitals. I shoot some targets from the roof of the house to 75+ yards in the backyard, but those don't move and they certainly don't suffer if the shot was blown by a gust of wind.
Most arrows fired from even some of the fastest bows would fail to penetrate even half the distance needed to get vitals under perfect conditions. Never mind what happens if a gust, say 15mph kicks in at full value and the arrow hits heavy bone!

But I guess since this was just a cow elk, it didn't real matter if the shot went wrong?



Scott

 

[Scot E]

Interesting thread. I have no qualms about shooting long range because I spend a ton of time practicing and shoot to my comfort zone. However, bow hunting is a different beast IMO. With rifles the projectile gets to the animal before the sound, not with archery. That makes for a very different outcome in many instances. In addition it is much more difficult and takes much more practice to shoot well at long range with a bow than it does with a gun.

I have heard some interesting tidbits shared on this thread some of which makes me wonder how many guys actually have much if any experience killing big game with a bow. Numerous guys mentioned their preference of shooting pronghorns or deer over elk at long range but almost everything about those statements defy logic and reality.

An elks vitals are 3 times the size of a deer or antelope which actually makes long range shooting on elk much easier. In addition, speed goats and deer are notorious string jumpers even when perfectly calm at the shot. Elk very seldom jump the string and even if they try they don't move as fast as deer or pronghorns. I have never seen an elk in person or in film completely jump the arrow. I have seen many, many deer and antelope cause complete misses on correctly aimed shots.

Equipment is very capable of extreme ranges today. I practice out to 85 yards with my heavy arrow hunting setup and can put them all in an antelopes kill zone even when shooting in the wind. I guess ethics aren't to be discuses here but it does seem prudent for those potential newbies to archery to read with a bit of caution and realize the great amount of practice and setup that has to take place to attempt things like this. It is MUCH,MUCH more than what must go into long range rifle shooting. Not saying some of the stuff posted here can't be done, it can. But it does seem unlikely that a guy that spends his time on a long range rifle shooting forum also has enough time to practice archery to the extent that he can be efficient in both long range pursuits.

I don't know maybe I am just cranky and skeptical tonight!