Your Longest Archery Big Game Kill

[lee31]

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.

Like he said yes Dan, Levi,Reo and Jesse are on the short list for best in the world. I see Dan just won a big tourny this past weekend . I heard he won over $10,000 not a bad weekend.

 

[longrangehuntr]

It will never cease to amaze me how many hunters, sportsmen will continue to go well beyond their limits. I will agree that some train to shoot and long distances however more so are those hunters that think they can shoot what they see and end up wounding and never finding the animal. I would say 70 yards and beyond is pushing the limits. Just like during rifle season when you hear shoots back to back and then at the game check station you hear a guy bragging about how he shot a dear running. the same deer that has 3-4 holes in it and not much meat to take to the butcher. It is not about just killing something it is about spending time in the outdoors, teaching your kids about the woods and putting food on the table. if you just want to kill something go to a game ranch and shoot something. I got into an argument with a few guys on this forum about long range kills where the guy shot the entire chest area out of a pronghorn. guys with 1000 plus yard shots at moose and elk. maybe it is just me.

 

[jaybirdjtski]

Nope. It's not just you. Shooting at a range is not the same thing as hunting.

 

[TOM H]

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??

I'm new to archery started 2011 and I agree with you. there is very few pro that make a living from archery and lot of them own archery shop,give lesson etc.

I purchase CBE sight with tapes out to 100yds and I've shot in a match 80yds was max. Archery shop I got my bow from has indoor matches start Oct and they have match almost every weekend during the summer state wide.

I've met lot of match shooters that do indoor or 3D just to keep shape for hunting season and that include me. I got a range at the house to 80yds and I got another spot 125yd something going to work on for next year.

I haven't killed anything with the bow, so maybe this year. If I had a good shot I'd take a 60yd shot. Wife and I drove down to Las Vegas in Feb this year for that big match just to see what it was about was interesting.

Big question to me is how good would all those top shooters be if they didn't have lens,aperture sight,lights etc what would there score be like.

 

[longrangehuntr]

indoor shooting wont prepare you for outdoor shooting, with weather, tree stand height, movement of deer and so on. 80 yards is a long ways for an arrow to travel and with deer being able to hear the sound of the shot and often jump, distance leave more room for a miss or to wound the animal.
by all means, shoot targets at 100, 125yards and let us know. however people getting bored punching holes in paper therefore taking up hunting so they can test their skills. if you are hunting to just kill an animal, stay home. nothing worse then guys that go out to the limited hunting areas and light up the woods because they shoot 4 and 5 times at a running deer. I know this is an archery so you won't be sending a bunch of arrows off into the woods but my point is, indoor 3d targets is not real world hunting and we all need to do your best to take animals as effectively as possible.

 

[TOM H]

indoor shooting wont prepare you for outdoor shooting, with weather, tree stand height, movement of deer and so on. 80 yards is a long ways for an arrow to travel and with deer being able to hear the sound of the shot and often jump, distance leave more room for a miss or to wound the animal.
by all means, shoot targets at 100, 125yards and let us know. however people getting bored punching holes in paper therefore taking up hunting so they can test their skills. if you are hunting to just kill an animal, stay home. nothing worse then guys that go out to the limited hunting areas and light up the woods because they shoot 4 and 5 times at a running deer. I know this is an archery so you won't be sending a bunch of arrows off into the woods but my point is, indoor 3d targets is not real world hunting and we all need to do your best to take animals as effectively as possible.

What world do you live in? Last time I checked you have to learn how to be accurate with a bow to shoot something so how do you get to that level? practice is practice doesn't matter if it's indoors or outdoors.

At 71, I sure don't need a lecture on how to hunt or when to pull a trigger. Only reason I haven't taken anything is wanted wife to be first one with bow kill and she got her deer at 53yd right in the heart last year and she was 70yrs old. Only took her one shot and shot wasn't from no tree stand.

I spend lot of yrs BR shooting and it sure didn't effect my hunting rifles I have build.

Archery this year got bear,bull,buck archery tags and wife got buck,bull tag and 7 days after archery season closes we'll be in St George, Ut for the senior games. We'll be shooting match 30 arrows at 40,50,and 60 yd for total of 90 arrows. After we get back I've got rifle elk hunt planned.

There an old saying practice makes perfect

 

[bigmo101]

It definitely takes a lot of preparation to be able to shoot the further distances. One thing that I notice is the further out the less chance of an animal jumping the string. I try and stay 60 yds and out. I usually hunt spot and stalk so a 20 yd shot is not the norm. There is a lot that I do to prepare. For example all my arrows are within a grain. I only cut from the straightest part of the shaft. I use low profile vanes which really cuts down on the arrow noise going down range. I shoot all my arrows with a shooting machine to ensure they're impacting the same. I shoot a target style set up with side stabilizer to have a rock solid hold. The bow shoots bare shafts out to 40 yds with the fletched shafts. That isn't all that I do for the prep work, but I hunt out west in the open and it is super tough to get that close.

One thing I would like to add is the maximum distance is not always the same. The situation will dictate. Weather, shot presentation, shooting ability etc all come into play. I think the bottom line its an individual thing on the maximum range. You have to be honest with yourself. Kentucky windage even 10 yd gaps in between shots are tough to land consistently. That takes too much guess work. If my rangefinder says 87 yds I set my sight to 87 yds and aim dead on. Then I start squeezing with my back.

I equate shooting 10 yds with a bow to shooting 100 yds with a rifle. Most people that I know that shoot that far with the rifle dial the scope in and aim dead on. Wind is a different deal. But no matter what method you use to estimate the wind you have to practice a lot to get it right. At the end of the day its all about how much you put in to it. Its about the details.

 

[longrangehuntr]

Tom H, I am all for practice but shooting your bow indoors where the room temp is 60-70 degrees will not be the same as shooting your bow outside when it is 40-50 degrees. the limbs of the bow will shoot very different. Same with shoot a rifle, br shooting is different than shooting off hand after hiking up rough terrain. Im not lecturing anyone just say there are irresponsible people out there. congrats on the tags

 

[TOM H]

Tom H, I am all for practice but shooting your bow indoors where the room temp is 60-70 degrees will not be the same as shooting your bow outside when it is 40-50 degrees. the limbs of the bow will shoot very different. Same with shoot a rifle, br shooting is different than shooting off hand after hiking up rough terrain. Im not lecturing anyone just say there are irresponsible people out there. congrats on the tags

I live north east of Colorado Spring @ 7700ft unfortunate we made the news as I live in Black Forest and we were one of the lucky ones.

Like I said I have a range at my house and I live in whats called Plains unit but I don't hunt here I go to the high country and hunt around timberline and wife hunts lower down.

As to this claim of your about climate change shooting bow indoors and outdoors I guess if you only had one bow that might be a problem but since I own more than one bow not much of a problem.

You seem to be lecturing about your hunting standards and that's fine if you can find someone who cares which I don't.

 

[longrangehuntr]

thanks for the attitude, so you shoot a bow indoors and then you take a different bow and shoot that outdoors? So temperature has no effect on accuracy and equipment?
like i said, im not lecturing anyone, stating experience from hunting everywhere from alaska to washington to missouri to georgia. I have seen guys who just want to kill animals for fun and i have seen sportmen and women who have respect, MY OWN OPINION.

 

[jaybirdjtski]

Tom H, I am all for practice but shooting your bow indoors where the room temp is 60-70 degrees will not be the same as shooting your bow outside when it is 40-50 degrees. the limbs of the bow will shoot very different. Same with shoot a rifle, br shooting is different than shooting off hand after hiking up rough terrain. Im not lecturing anyone just say there are irresponsible people out there. congrats on the tags

Amen to that!! For me "hunting" is vastly different in so many ways than what I do at a range. Hunting, for me, isn't trying to hit live 3D targets at any range! And at a rifle range?! It's like, "You've got to be kidding!" watching some folks try to hit an 8" bull at 100 yards and that is from a bench!! And when you include having to duck for cover when they sweep the crowd with their muzzle! Phew...
So, bow or rifle, when you add in everything you get in a hunt, and if you have any respect for the animal you're hunting, you'll spend years getting ready to take that shot! A "Lucky Shot" is never in the equation!

Plus my big freezer is already full. I think of hunting as "trying to outwit a smart animal in it's habitat" and when you do, giving thanks to the animal for everything it's provided you. I guess it's just me and people have told me I live in the wrong century. I love shooting at long range both with a bow and gun but add in a game animal and I darn well will be sure of my shot regardless of the range. Just how my daddy raised me. Heck, I have almost as much fun playing around with the deer on my property, seeing just how close I can get without them even knowing I'm around. But I still aspire to the skills needed to take whatever tool is in my hands and use it to take a trophy at the limits rangewise of MY ability, not someone I watch at a range!
I just won't attempt a shot I'm not sure of and I respect those who possess the skills to take a 70 yard shot! I'm better off with a rifle at 700 yards! And that is why, for me, I just try to add a yard or two to my comfort zone with a recurve!
I know there are guys who can consistently take 50 yard shots with a recurve or longbow in hunting situations but right now, it sure isn't me!!

 

[Rupe]

I shoot a 55# Bear Kodiak Hunter recurve, no sights just a Bare bow. Back in the late 70's I shot a large grizzle bear in the front left leg at 80 Yards. Now if he had been real and not made out of paper I would never.have taken that shot. The cool part of the story was I was shooting against 3 guys with compound bows and none of them came close to hitting him. There sight pins only went to 60 yards.
Now for the longest shot on a live.animal was 20 yards on a squirrel.
Rupe

 

[wyoming4x4]

Friend Kris just shot a antelope at 92 yrds, bowhunter montana. he is also one of the best archery shots i have ever met also. he shoots competitive all over and his indoors scores are usually perfect and high x counts.

 

[winmag]

63-1/2 yds.
BowTech Assassin
100gr Shuttle T's over Gold Tip 5575's @ 314 FPS.



Nothing to brag about horn-wise. But I was Rifle bear hunting as a first priority.
Only brought out the bow cause he was there, & I wanted meat. Didn't draw a rifle tag, so I practiced all summer with my new bow. Payed off I guess, but not much "hunting" involved. Saw a deer, walked up & shot the deer. Believe it or not, I passed on even bringing my bow for the first 8 bucks I saw on opening day. But after I saw a whitetail I got very angry, & wanted to have a bow handy incase I saw another one. Those midget rat size deer are ruining my Mule Deer country!