Comfortable Yardage

[Hot Cow]

I was curious on what yardage you are most comfortable at and what is your longest yardage you would shoot if the shot presented itself. I know there can be several situations where a 30 yard shot may not be good and a 50 yard shot would be good but just seeing what is comfortable for other hunters.
Myself - I feel good up to 50-60 yards and not sure if I would go longer than that.

[bloodarrow]

IM shooting really good groups at 65 yards right now, but thats a long poke. It would have to be ideal conditions for me to take a shot that long.....35-40 seem like chip shots though. 33 days.

[Lark Bunting]

I feel very confident at 45 yards but the groups fall apart at 50...I've only practiced at 50 yards a few times and it's usually late in the practice session. I am focusing my shooting on 50 and under now, starting with 50 but not ignoring those 10 yard shots either.

Oh yeah, my son is 12 and will be going on his first elk hunt with me this year. He is limited to 35 yard shots based on his draw weight and length. He can now pull 43# and is shooting as good (if not better) groups than I am at his maximum range. Now it's up to me to get him to within 35 yards from an animal.

[toasty tiger]

I practice at 50 regularly (everytime I shoot my bow). I am comfortable at 60. There are a lot of indicators that have to be considered before I will shoot at anything over 40. No wind - broadside - standing in an open meadow feeding - I will shoot at a whitetail all day long at 60 yards so would take the same shot on an elk. Wind, woods, rain, moving - I usually stick to the 40 -45 yard range. I am also shooting 70lbs with easton axis arrows with slick tricks so my arrows move pretty quick. The other thing that I consider in distance of shot is slope. I use my rangfinder on most shots - if it is shooting 40 then I will take it as long as it is a clear shot. I will not take any shot whether it is 10 yards or 60 yards that I am not 100% confident that I am going to make a kill shot.

[under H2O hunter]

I am really comfortable at 5 yards. But I'll take a 60yarder if I have to. Everything else is decided in the heat of the moment

[Duck-Slayer]

I can hit a 4" circle at 50 every time, the percentage drops as I get back further, I practice out too 80 at my house, but the range is a completely different than in the field, so I generally won't take a shot over 50 unless conditions are perfect, that being said I have not harvested anything in the last 3 years over 25 yards, 3 years ago, antelope, deer, 2 years ago antelope, deer, and elk, last year deer and elk, so if your shooting long ranges, you might want too practice more on your sneaking/stalking/calling in than your "long" range shooting.... imo, but lot's of time at the range will help alot, get a routine down so you don't have too think about the shot, it just comes natural every time you draw your bow,
Matt

[Mikeha33]

I'm putting a contsnt group of arrows into a 6" circle at 50, but my groups get a little more sporadic at 60, so I won't take a shot over 50. 20 & 30 are automatic damage to fletchings if I shoot the same spot, and 40 is always within 3" of one another. I hope to not take a 50 yarder, but I am prepared to if the opportunity arises. Last year, I was comfortable at 60, this year, just not as much. I know I could get there, but I got a new bow in late December, and it fits great, just not there yet. If I cant get em to 50, then I won't be too upset about not having a shot.

[LongShot]

50 yds is my outer limit, and I'm comfortable at 40 and under.

[8seconds]

I pull 51 lbs on a Bob Lee recurve and limit myself to 25 yrs, maybe 30 on a good day.

[pointysticks]

This bow? 60!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1406832217.465879.jpg (464.57 KiB) Viewed 7877 times

[ctdad]

Wind, animal behavior, and personal state of mind will dictate my comfortable distance in the field. At home I practice to 80 just about every time I shoot. There have been times I've passed 40yd shot due to the conditions of the situation. Last year I put an arrow in the heart of a bedded deer at 83. It's a very situational decision for me

[Drawnandpinned]

0-40 for me im dead accurate need to work on longer shots but for this year that's what I'm comfortable @

[RooseveltObsession]

Sixty percent of the time, I can put five arrows in a 2" circle at 80 yards, every time. So, most likely, I will shoot at every elk I see from 0-100 yards until I put one on the ground.

All joking aside, I've realized after a little accident last summer, when I'm shooting in my yard, I'm not quite comfortable, maybe even a little stressed out, so my accuracy at 50 and 60 yards is very erratic. I believe the stress and pressure to make an ethical shot in a hunting situation, where the target can move, is very similar. So, for me personally, I will limit my shot to 45 yards this season.

[Rangerz]

400 yds with a good rest. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Hot Cow]

400 yds with a good rest. Sorry, couldn't resist.

LOL. So if I lob an arrow - run real fast and retrieve the arrow - lob again etc... I could eventually get there!
Grew up in Vegas so I thought I would reply. Shot a 5pt bull there back in 1991.

[razorback]

By Chuck Adams' rules I would say 40 yards is my limit. In the open, relaxed animal, I'm pretty comfortable with a 50-60 as that's what I practice most of the time.

[twinkieman]

I would shoot out to 50 yds., under ideal conditions. I would prefer a chip shot though.

[ABQ_Chica]

My DW and DL are on the low end, so I limit hunting shots to 20-25 yards.

[pointysticks]

To be honest, the closer the shot the higher the excitement.

[POk3s]

Practice out to 90.....but hope for 10!

I believe all of us want a 10 yard shot every single time...you can't beat it! But if you're not PREPARED for a longer shot when the opportunity arrises then I believe your missing out! This is situational for me also. A lot can happen in the time it takes from shot fired and your arrow getting there when you're shooting at 70 yards. That's my maximum "effective" range and will try to get closer but if that's the opportunity then that's the opportunity I'm going to take.

[brun]

I have been bowhunting for 30 years and guiding bowhunters for 25 years and I don't think anyone should take a shot at an elk at over 50 yards in any circumstances.
I have seen many guys shoot well at targets over 50 yards, but the percentage of wounded animals goes up dramatically when people take shots at that range. There are many factors, wind, elevation change, rain, snow, branches, excitement that don't come into play at the range, but do in real hunting situations. I can count on one hand the number of kills I have witnessed at over 50 yards, but I would need both hands and my boots off to tally the mistakes at that range. I don't care how good you think you are, don't shoot over 50. If you don't take the shot you can keep hunting and the worst thing that can happen is you don't get an elk. If you do take the shot the odds are it won't end well. Sorry for the rant, but I've seen too much of this and after reading all the guys say they are going to shoot at 60 or further I couldn't help but throw in my 2 cents.

[elkoholic]

I practice up to a 100 yards, but never would attempt to take an elk at that range. I would feel comfortable out to 60. The last bull I harvested was shot at 56 yards. Missed the same bull at 23!! My excuse was I was in a cast, held my bow between my index and middle finger. One of the memorable hunts I have had to date.

[8upbowhunter]

My pins are set at 20,30,40 and 50 yards so my limit is 50 yards. When I practice I start off shooting at 50 then move to 40, 30 and so on since the longer distances are not our normal shot ranges here down south.

[elk.addict]

50 max. Hopefully 20

[Rangerz]

400 yds with a good rest. Sorry, couldn't resist.

LOL. So if I lob an arrow - run real fast and retrieve the arrow - lob again etc... I could eventually get there!
Grew up in Vegas so I thought I would reply. Shot a 5pt bull there back in 1991.

They get some big ones every year up by Mt Charleston, but it is a tough tag to draw. Most people would never think that there are big elk and mule deer within an 1 hour drive of Las Vegas.

[foxvalley]

It's easy to shoot out to 50 when you are calm, shooting at a stationary target, and have all the time in the world, now try that same shot right after you run a half mile, or do 150 jumping jacks,with the heart pumping a mile a min.At the very least, it will simulate the adrenaline rush of a bull elk in front of you, not to mention if you have chase him down.
Lets see some pics of this,a more realistic situation.

[Wagnon89]

It's all situational to me. Might be 10 yards in one situation and 75 yards in another. I think it all comes down to how confident you are that you can make the shot.

Some people are cool under pressure and some people freak out. Obviously these two would have a very different comfortable yardage in the field even if they were exactly the same in a practice environment.

This year will be my first time to hunt elk so I have zero experience flinging arrows at them, but the whitetail I'm used to hunting are high strung, highly reactive critters that can jump the string of even the fastest shooting bows. My max range is around 40 yards for them in most situations. I might stretch it out just a little if I had snuck in on a bedded buck that had no idea I was there.

Like I said, I have no experience with elk. But, depending on my excitement level in the heat of the moment, I'd feel confident on a calm elk that was unaware of me and standing broadside out to 65 yards or so. Of course, I don't know how I'm going to react to having an elk within range yet so that may change dramatically depending on the situation. I've been practicing at much farther for the past several months to help prepare myself for the longer shot opportunities.

Bottom line is I think your max range should be whatever you feel 100% confident in making the shot in a given situation.

[Indian Summer]

I don't have to tell anyone that shooting on flat ground at a target and shooting an elk on the side of a mountain with veins full of adrenalin are two entirely different things. For me max shot is 45 yards and things have to be right to take that shot.

[welka]

45 for me with everything perfect. The one item I have not seen mentioned yet is string jump. Yes an elk is big and not as quick as a whitetail, but they can still drop many inches at the sound of the string. The farther out, the more likely they will be loading up and dropping at the sound of the shot. Haven't found a practice target that can do that yet.

[RooseveltObsession]

As I stated in an earlier post, after realizing that when I'm shooting under pressure, my accuracy at 50-60 yards is very erratic; and this is at a stationary target. I would recommend to everyone who claims their effective range is 50, 60, 70 yards and beyond do this:

Hang a baseball, softball, volleyball or whatever size target you claim to hit every time at said effective range. DO NOT put up a backstop, put something you value behind it (car, motorcycle, Sitka gear, 75" LED TV, etc.) and start flinging arrows. Or, if that makes you cringe, put up a thick metal plate, so that you know when you hit it, you just blew up an arrow. This should simulate how you shoot under pressure. And whether you admit it or not, everyone shoots under some amount of pressure in hunting situations.

Please post up pictures of your flawless shooting sessions, or better yet, take some video and post that up.

Just an FYI, I was under the impression that my effective range was 60-65 yards, shooting comfortably, under NO pressure, at a stationary target...under pressure, my reality is 40-45 yards.

Good luck in your hunts! - Paul