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It doesn't matter if you can hit a dime at 80 yards every time. Unless you have a deer tied up and tranquilized you can't be sure it will be in the same position by the time your arrow gets there as it was when you released it from 80 yards away.

Well, congratulations. And I’m impressed.
You are a better shot with your bow than the majority of shooters are with a scoped rifle.

He's better than anyone at the 3D archery nationals too. Amazing ain't it ? LOL

I realize it’s a few yards further, but he should be in the running for the world championships.

“the current world record for 36 arrows at 90 meters (100 yards) is 352 out of 360. That's on a target with a 4.8" 10-ring, so basically 5 out of 6 arrows per end in about a 5" circle for 6 consecutive ends. That's the world record, best archers from all over the world shooting.”

Who woulda guessed we have the slam dunk new world champion archer right here on the fire ? LOL

I always mark the spot the shot was from. I always take a picture of the shot location and make a mark on it where the animal was and where it got out of sight.

Thankfully I've been lucky as a guide and it's been rare for an animal to get out of sight actually. Pure luck mostly. But I will take it.

But knowing where you shot from and the picture on the phone goes a long ways.

I failed to do that this fall on a moose because I saw it fall. Seemed so easy. Turned around to talk to the hunter. Back around. Had bearings on a yellow bush... WRONG yellow bush.... at least the hunter thought I was wrong and he was correct and he was correct. We would have never lost that bull in there but when you look in the wrong place for a bit... before moving over about 100 yards... lol

I used to be capable to hit a milk or really close most shots at 100 steps. That was in the 80s. You and your bow had to be tuned well. It was really rare not to hit something the size of a basketball at that distance. I often shot at a coke can and would hit or come close.

But you learn quickly some game is spookier than others. Arrows make a LOT Of noise at the time in flight. They were slower. Feathers were really loud in the air. Even heads could make noise in the air.

While capable, I learned hunting mostly whitetail in TX that they are crazy fast movers and it was not common to hit where you aimed because of moving. We started filming in the 80s and going to slow motion and it answered a lot of questions.

It them became really clear that even though we could easily be accurate enough longer shots, we had a much better chance up close.

My personal limit since the 90s has been 20 yards or less. I simply will not shoot at deer any further than that.

I have not seen a moose make a wild move and figure a moose might be safer a longer ways off. But the point here is that just because you CAN doesnt' mean you SHOULD.

The same goes for long rifle shots. I"m more than capable. But conditions and animals have to be just right to do it. 500 and in is pretty easy. 300 and in is a gimme most days. I've made cold bore hits out to 1800 on plates that are vital sized. Yet I"ve never had the right chance to shoot much past 800.

Limits are set on so much more than simple accuracy.

Good post Rost.

rost495;
Good morning my friend, I hope all is well as can be with you folks. It's getting brighter in the morning so if you're not north yet, the time will be upon you fairly quickly now I'd guess.

Thanks for the post sir, my goodness can I ever feel that situation!!

Way back in the day up in some Sage, Saskatoon and Ponderosa mixed bowls, my wife shot a 3x4 mulie at what was likely her longest shot ever now that I think about it. She was resting on her backpack, was shooting downhill at what had to be 45° if not more and was using a straight 6X on her .308 Norma.

At the shot I thought it dropped, but then saw a buck running and a doe running a different way, so now what right?

We marked where we shot from with the trail tape and had to go a fair bit off to one side as it was too steep to go directly. When we got over to where we thought the buck was, I was looking more towards where I'd seen the one running initially and she went there as well, though she said it looked like it'd dropped in the scope.

Finally she said we should go look where she thought it'd been standing and sure enough, there it was...

Looking in the right spot did help!

I recall another nice 3x3 that dropped at the shot but as I had to go around the top of a feeder creek to get to it, a lot of where it was got lost in translation so to speak.

I'd marked the spot I'd shot with tape then too, might have been one of the first times actually, and was making my way through a big patch of buck brush that was between two big Doug Fir trees that I'd thought the buck was between.

So help me Jeff, I stepped on the buck and about came out of my skin it startled me so much.

No way I thought the brush was that high when I shot, but obviously it was.

edit to add;

I recall now it was so steep where that buck dropped, that when I spun him around to gut him so the guts went downhill, it took off like a sled down through the buck brush. I stood there and yelled, "Noooooo!!" as I full well knew every yard it went down would be many minutes added onto the pack trip out. That was 1987 now that I think about it.

Anyways, yes sir, been there, done that, got the T shirt and used it enough that it's now shop rags.

Thanks again, all the best and have a safe season up there.

Dwayne

I have been bow hunting since 1984, Bows, arrows, vanes, releases, and rests are light years ahead of when I started out with my Browning Super Brown Bear Bow, A picture of one below.

Back in them days I was shooting with large-diameter Easton Aluminum Arrows with feather vanes. The bow was heavy, the arrows were horrible and the feather vanes were pathetic. The FPS was like slow motion compared to the bows of today where you can achieve 300+ FPS.

I have killed many deer, bears, and moose with my bow.

This is what I can tell you for sure, especially when it comes to Whitetails at close range, as in 15 to 25 yards. At Close range, Whitetails have the time to "Jump The String" and do, making for missed shots, especially with the old technology bows, which were loud in comparison to today's bows. At a distance with new technology bows, which are very quiet and the arrows are silent in flight, whitetails do not "Jump The String" making kill shots at a distance easier.

With the New Technology, longer shots are more attainable, the new arrows are small in diameter, the vanes are small, and when you put these all together, longer shots, say 60, 80 yards are very doable, If you take the time to Practice, Practice, Practice!

My longest bow kill was a Mule Deer at 97 yards.

A picture of my biggest bear 22 1/4" skull with a bow, a Hoyte Super Slam Supreme, I hated that bow, it was heavy, huge, and LOUD! And I hated the Easton Arrows! Back in them days I did not use a release, I used my fingers on the string.

I love the New technology!

Browning Super Brown Bear.



Old Technology Hoyte Bow with Easton Arrows. With my Browning I always aimed low to factor in the "Jumping the String" factor, with my new bow I aim exactly where I want the arrow to hit. Big difference, especially at close-range shots!

PS: As per my bow shooting capabilities, and what other people believe or do not or think about what I posted. I could care less lol.

You’re pullin’ our legs, right?

😆

Of course, who uses a quarter to aim at, @ 80 yards? lol

When I practice at 80 yards I put a 5"x5" piece of paper on my target with a Golf Tee. I find the smaller the target the more accurate my shooting is.

I hit the paper most shots as in 80% with the vast majority within the 5"x5" piece of paper, many dead center.

The site on my bow is an Accent Black Gold single Pin Adjustable sight, with a Yardage Tape. Picture below.

This is my bow, compact, light, quiet, fast, and with my Goldtip Kinetic XT 300s with Balzer Vanes, topped with 125 gr. Slick Trick Vipertrick Pro SS Broadhead, with a custom hand made String and a Trophy Ridge Revolution, makes for an extremely accurate and lethal setup.

Ha! Been there, done that too. My 2014 Montana mule deer really sticks out in this regard.

I dropped him on the spot, but he shot past me like a rocket, sliding on that steep, snow covered canyon slope. The pack was uphill too so my heart sank😁 but ‘luckily’ he only slid 3-400 yards before getting hung up.

My crossbow launches a 425 grain bolt at 340 fps. I've never shot it at 80 yards but there's a noticeable and comparatively long lag time between trigger break and the bolt arriving on target from 60 yards. Plenty of time for a deer to take a step forward and turn a lung shot into a gut shot. I've killed deer with it every season since I started hunting with it 4 years ago. The farthest shot so far being 30 yards, the rest all under 20. All but one were down and out within 30 yards. One buck made it about 100 yards after a solid double lung, bleeding like a stuck pig all the way and was easy to recover. I intend to keep it that way and have no plans to ever attempt a shot past 40 yards, even though my 50 and 60 yard targets indicate I can easily keep my bolts well withing the kill zone of a deer at those distances. I simply have no reason to take anything less than a dead certain kill shot.

Some folks never disappoint...

Want to stop a deer long enough for a bow or rifle shot?

Make a "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" squeal with your mouth and LOUD, they will stop, and stand at attention, and hold steady long enough for a shot. I have been doing exactly that for many moons!

Works like a charm

I first started stopping them with a grunt or blat when I was a kid killing them with .22 rimfires. It doesn't always work at close range with archery equipment. When they immediately snap to attention focused on you, the situation is ripe for them to jump string. BTDT complete miss over the back from 25 yards with my old Browning Boss Mantis.

Like I said with the old crappy bows, gotta aim low and expect the "String Jump" to compensate at close range.

We are parsing words! Do what works for you, I have ZERO ISSUES with that, and I'll do what works for me. I guess it's all a matter of preference and experience.

It's obvious from this thread that some people are more tolerant of taking the risk of a wounded and/or lost animal once in a while than others. I've found the older I get, the lower my tolerance becomes. Shots I would have taken 40 years ago I won't take today. I hate inflicting suffering on an animal.

So are you saying that xphunter should stop shooting at Elk @ 600 yards with his handguns as well?