Your Longest Archery Big Game Kill

[PrunedaleMike]

That"s Fantastic! One day you're baby boy will do the same.

PM

 

[Twanger]

Once shot a doe at 25 yards and it ran out to 50 and just stood there with blood dripping from the bottom of it's chest.
I ranged it, mocked another arrow and drilled it through the chest again.

 

[cfvickers]

This is the first time in quite a while I have looked at the Archery page.
My longest Kill shot on a deer was 67 yards with an Oregon Black Knight (the original Black Knight) in 1996. It is one amazing bow, but difficult to shoot. My velocity was over 300 FPS and I had been practicing for quite a while out to 75 yards shooting 3-4 inch groups. I don't believe I am as good now as I used to be back in the day.

 

[speeders]

My longest kill was last fall. It was on a bull moose who I had seen multiple times. He had an injury to his back hip and was packing his back leg for 3 weeks at least. I was elk hunting one morning and the moose walked out in front of me at 150 yards. I shoot a moveable pin sight that has a computer generated chart. I have tested the chart out to 130 yards and it is dead on. Anyways I had friends with me that day and one took the range. We snuck down until we ran out of cover. The bull was at 117 yards. I slid my pin to 117 settled the pin and squeezed my back. Instantly my buddy said I'm gonna shoot way high. I was shooting luminocks so it looked like a fireball topping the trees. It was like watching in slow motion as the arrow came down. It drilled the bull and the luminock disappeared. The bull took off and we ran down until I got a glance at he bull. He was 50 yards standing broadside. I let another arrow go. The bull jumped and made it 10 yards further.

I was shooting 85 ft/lbs of KE. The 1st arrow went all the way through and broke off right in front of the fletch on the off side. The second arrow was lodged into the shoulder blade on the off side.

In the pictures you can see how much lower the exit hole was from the arrow dropping. Of the 2 entry holes, the one furthest from the shoulder was the first arrow.

When we skinned the bull out he had a fairly recent bullet wound. Bullet hit high and lodged in part of the spine??? Looked like a small caliber. Rifle season was still 3 weeks away.

Anyways, I know a lot of guys will say that bs or irresponsible. Like someone one here mentioned, each opportunity presents a different scenario. This day the bull was very slightly quartered away, not spooky, no wind and my nerves were under control so I took the shot. A week later I passed up a bull elk not a 1/2 mile from there at 60 yards. I was revved and couldn't get a great shot.

I've been shooting for 26 years now and predominantly bow hunt. With proper training and a crap load of practice, a hundred yards is not that hard. Would I prefer a 15 yard shot, you bet

My previous record on an animal was 114. Poor coyote didn't know what him.

 

[speeders]

Sorry could only attach one pic. Here is the exit.

 

[Pigsta]

Great site and some very inspirational stories, I live in Darwin Australia, I have recently started hunting and I practice out to 80 meters on my block but hunting wild pigs the group I hunt with tend to sneak up real close.

I shoot a PSE Vendetta set to 65 Pounds.

Also doesn't help that we mostly hunt on wetlands (vision wise).

When you sneak up on a pig around my neck of the woods you have to be sure your not competing or being hunted in turn by a snapping handbag. On one occasion I managed to creep within 10 meters or a pig only to find a four and a half meter salty had managed to get about the same distance away on the other side of the pig. I graciously let him have that one.

My longest shot to date barrelled a 94kg, 22cm tusk boar was 35 meters feeding on a rather ripe buffalo carcass that was half submerged in a salty swamp.

I usually don't shoot outside 20 meters and about 70% of the time I shoot within 10 meters. I suppose there is no real reason I can't take longer shots I just enjoy the sneak.

Hunt well and look out for your mates, and drop me a line if you ever find yourself kicking back in Darwin with a couple of days to spare.

 

[jmillo]

38 yds

 

[Elk Addict]

I practice out to 100 yards, and I'm pretty good and making a good shot, usually. But I learned a long time ago that alot can go wrong with long distance bow shots.

I had a bull at 67 yards, very slightly quartered away. He busted me when I went to full draw, but he was standing still, my pins were steady on the mark, so I let an arrow fly. After the shot, he had time to whirl just a bit and it caused my arrow hit alot further back that I had aimed. After a 1/2 mile tracking job I found my bull. I felt pretty lucky to find him. I don't think I'd try that again unless the circumstances were better.

 

[LayinItDown]

Shouldn't the question be, "What's your closest bow kill?" The object of archery hunting is to get close. That's the real challenge isn't it. I've seen trail cam pics and run across too many elk in the woods that have been lost. My closest kill on a bull was three steps. After we locked eyes I sunk an arrow in him.

 

[lee31]

I get a kick out of these guys that say they shoot 100-140yds yeah right. I shoot alot I have a 70yd pin on my bow. I have shot targets at 100 yds one time and I could hit the target which was about 4ft by 4ft. But my arrows were all over the place there is no way I would try to shoot a animal at 100yds or farther. If you guys are so good with your bows why don't you go to a ASA or IBO shoot and see how you do I'm thinking not so good. The top guys like Levi Morgan and Dan McCarthy would whoop you guys. My buddy hunts with Dan and he said Dan has a 110yd pin on his bow but would never shoot a deer past 50 or 60. When shooting that far there could be an object in your path that you don't see that your arrow could hit.

 

[japple]

I get a kick out of these guys that say they shoot 100-140yds yeah right. I shoot alot I have a 70yd pin on my bow. I have shot targets at 100 yds one time and I could hit the target which was about 4ft by 4ft. But my arrows were all over the place there is no way I would try to shoot a animal at 100yds or farther. If you guys are so good with your bows why don't you go to a ASA or IBO shoot and see how you do I'm thinking not so good. The top guys like Levi Morgan and Dan McCarthy would whoop you guys. My buddy hunts with Dan and he said Dan has a 110yd pin on his bow but would never shoot a deer past 50 or 60. When shooting that far there could be an object in your path that you don't see that your arrow could hit.

This is a good post. I have shot a lot of Tournament archery and know Dan who is one of the best shooters in the world. I have shot elk out to seventy yards, because it was a wide open shot and the target was plenty big. With a tournament set up, not a hunting rig, I can hold 8-10 inch groups at 100 yards, I know other shooters, Dan, Reo, Jesse Broadwater who can hold 4-6 inch groups at that range. Arrow flight, wind, and time of flight are all a factor at long distance. If there is any wind, it will severely effect a arrow with a broadhead on it at that range. Plus they are bleeding off a tremendous amount of energy. I am by no means saying that no one has killed animals at that range, but with so many factors that could effect the arrow it is somewhat irresponsible.

 

[Broken arrow]

I find it amusing that just because some can't do something they don't think it is possible. As far as the pros go, these guys are good but do you really think they are the best in the world just because they are one of a few hundred guys that compete at the game??

 

[japple]

I find it amusing that just because some can't do something they don't think it is possible. As far as the pros go, these guys are good but do you really think they are the best in the world just because they are one of a few hundred guys that compete at the game??

While it is very possible to make the long shots over 100 yds, it is just questionable about whether or not it should be taken given a number of variables.

As to whether the pros are the best shooters in the world, I have no question in my mind that they are. For one you said the best of a "few hundred shooters". First there are thousands of people shooting tournament archery, and the same handful of guys win all the time. Second, these guys make a living shooting a bow. Reo Wilde made 50,000 in three days at a single tournament in February, and has won that shoot 3 times in the last 5 years. Jesse has won four cars in the last 6 years shooting a bow. If the people not shooting tournaments were better than those guys, they would be shooting tournaments and getting free equipment from any manufacturer of their choosing. It is simply a quite lucrative profession if you are good enough to win. So YES they are the best shooters in the world.

But to the original post, long shots are possible and sometimes ethical. Other times they are very much not ethical. And that is a personal question and judgement that each hunter has to make. Personally I would be questioning my wisdom to take a shot on an animal much over 70 yards.

 

[Elk Addict]

While it is very possible to make the long shots over 100 yds, it is just questionable about whether or not it should be taken given a number of variables.

As to whether the pros are the best shooters in the world, I have no question in my mind that they are. For one you said the best of a "few hundred shooters". First there are thousands of people shooting tournament archery, and the same handful of guys win all the time. Second, these guys make a living shooting a bow. Reo Wilde made 50,000 in three days at a single tournament in February, and has won that shoot 3 times in the last 5 years. Jesse has won four cars in the last 6 years shooting a bow. If the people not shooting tournaments were better than those guys, they would be shooting tournaments and getting free equipment from any manufacturer of their choosing. It is simply a quite lucrative profession if you are good enough to win. So YES they are the best shooters in the world.

But to the original post, long shots are possible and sometimes ethical. Other times they are very much not ethical. And that is a personal question and judgement that each hunter has to make. Personally I would be questioning my wisdom to take a shot on an animal much over 70 yards.

I had a guy at work that said he believed any shot over 50 yards was unethical, and is some circumstances it is. But his comment still bothered me, I'm a better shooter than he is

But seriously, I think you nailed it here, I agree with this 100%.