In the Field Distance Limit

[Beendare]

No offense OP, but your "Humble Brag"illustrates your lack of knowledge and hunting experience when it comes to the reality of actual hunts.

Experienced guys know better and most of us have learned that the hard way- myself included as the guys above are trying to tell you.

Standing on flat ground at a range with all the time in the world to execute a perfect shot- is not even close to reality on hunts. The difference is your long aiming/squeezing shot process gets interrupted by the reality of animals in the wild. Watch a vid of hogs feeding- they don't stop for long.

Set up a 3D target in the woods on a hillside. Then run a couple 100y sprints. Stop at an unknown distance, give yourself 10 seconds to range and get the shot shot off.

Point is, approximate the urgency and reality of one good hunting shot for all the marbles.
That tells you your actual effective range better than stacking arrows on flat ground.

 

[Fowl Play]

No offense OP, but your "Humble Brag"illustrates your lack of knowledge and hunting experience when it comes to the reality of actual hunts.

Experienced guys know better and most of us have learned that the hard way- myself included as the guys above are trying to tell you.

Standing on flat ground at a range with all the time in the world to execute a perfect shot- is not even close to reality on hunts. The difference is your long aiming/squeezing shot process gets interrupted by the reality of animals in the wild. Watch a vid of hogs feeding- they don't stop for long.

Set up a 3D target in the woods on a hillside. Then run a couple 100y sprints. Stop at an unknown distance, give yourself 10 seconds to range and get the shot shot off.

Point is, approximate the urgency and reality of one good hunting shot for all the marbles.
That tells you your actual effective range better than stacking arrows on flat ground.

I should have left that portion of the question out. I have indeed learned the hard way and always keep that experience in my mind when making shot decisions in the field — I’m not an infallible archer.

I have drawn down on animals with my bow when conditions were not right. ( I.E, could not get steady, could not confirm shooting lane was clear when I evaluated arrow flight at full draw by looking at my shorter range pins, etc). In my mind I make every decision as if the shot is trip ending.

My main real question was just to get discussion on if anyone puts a hard cap on distance in the field regardless of your “perfect range day” true capability OR as some percentage of your true capability. Would you not shoot over X yards regardless of conditions because you think the flight time/ risk of unknowns is too great, etc.

 

[Billy Goat]

I should have left that portion of the question out. I have indeed learned the hard way and always keep that experience in my mind when making shot decisions in the field — I’m not an infallible archer.

I have drawn down on animals with my bow when conditions were not right. ( I.E, could not get steady, could not confirm shooting lane was clear when I evaluated arrow flight at full draw by looking at my shorter range pins, etc). In my mind I make every decision as if the shot is trip ending.

My main real question was just to get discussion on if anyone puts a hard cap on distance in the field regardless of your “perfect range day” true capability OR as some percentage of your true capability. Would you not shoot over X yards regardless of conditions because you think the flight time/ risk of unknowns is too great, etc.

I think everyone has an absolute max. For some it might be 20, others it's likely further.

I refrain from talking about it. I actually have shot a lot of animals 2-3 times, not because I didn't make a good shot, but because if I still have a shot I keep shooting.

Personally I think on elk and mule deer at 65 it gets to the point you don't know what will happen.

On whitetail i think it's kinda 45, except they are jumpy inside of 35 and you are almost better off at 50 than 30. I had a deer dip at the shot at 69 yards, it stood back up straight and got punched perfectly by an arrow. Luck.


I have also had a deer at 66 yards be completely gone by the time the arrow got there, same stand, same conditions as a year before where I shot one perfectly at a further distance.


It's hunting, every arrow you let go has some risk with it beyond your control. But in my opinion you owe it to the animal to eliminate as many variables as are reasonable. I guess we all draw a conclusion on reasonable. For me I feel in the 99%+ range of confident when I'm shooting.

 

[sndmn11]

Would you not shoot over X yards regardless of conditions because you think the flight time/ risk of unknowns is too great, etc.

Whatever my sight will roll down to without hitting the arrow is in play. That's the hard cap, all the variables can shorten it drastically. If I practiced with broadheads short of the above, that distance would become the hard cap.

 

[Beendare]

I should have left that portion of the question out. I have indeed learned the hard way and always keep that experience in my mind when making shot decisions in the field — I’m not an infallible archer.

Its a good question …..and one every bowhunter should determine for himself.

I’m just saying; Stacking arrows on flat ground at the range doesn’t do it.

Of course every scenario is different…..I use something like this scenario I described, shooting 3-D animals in the woods, unmarked.

Heres one for you;
A friend of mine ran a hog ranch for about five years and he had a bunch of these pro archers and target types that were very accurate at long range. They had a target in camp that went out to 120 yards and some of those guys were incredibly accurate, stacking arrows at that range.

His very informal study of the guys taking shots between 70 and 110 yards at animals; it was somewhere between 35 and 40 shots at those long ranges, most right around 80 yards. He had a total of one animal killed.

Sure it can be done….but most guys overestimate their effective range- even pro’s.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Its a good question …..and one every bowhunter should determine for himself.

I’m just saying; Stacking arrows on flat ground at the range doesn’t do it.

Of course every scenario is different…..I use something like this scenario I described, shooting 3-D animals in the woods, unmarked.

Heres one for you;
A friend of mine ran a hog ranch for about five years and he had a bunch of these pro archers and target types that were very accurate at long range. They had a target in camp that went out to 120 yards and some of those guys were incredibly accurate, stacking arrows at that range.

His very informal study of the guys taking shots between 70 and 110 yards at animals; it was somewhere between 35 and 40 shots at those long ranges, most right around 80 yards. He had a total of one animal killed.

Sure it can be done….but most guys overestimate their effective range- even pro’s.

This is why I am not a fan of guys filming hail Mary shots and posting them… cough cough mr. Slocker wells… claiming 120 yard shots on elk like it’s nothing, that arrows flight time alone makes it a hell of a risky shot…