Ethical Range: 50 yards

[Sixby]

Blaino:I go hunting; not killing. Nothing is a 100% given while hunting.

Absolutely true: But I've seen some claims. One guy claimed to have killed over 100 animals and never wounded one.
That is either the luckiest man on earth or a fibber.
I have guided professionally, Killed several animals myself. Seen many many killed and with just about every weapon. Truth is I have seen as many wounded by rifle hunters as I have by bow hunters. Sorry to say that is quiet a few. My last guide hunt I was hunting four guys for rifle elk. I called and a large herd ran in from a distant aspen patch. Looked like a herd of horses coming toward us. There was at least 75 elk and I had positioned the hunters on the side of a draw I thought they would come through. They opened up when the herd was straight across from us and emptied their rifles. One large bull went down and one bull calf with little spikes. Blood trails going everywhere. It literally made me sick but I couldn.t stop it. We tracked several trails a long ways but found no lay downs and none leaving the herd. I went back next day and looked for birds from the end of blood and was able to find nothing.
That was my last time for guiding. I quit and never looked back.

Point is a lot of animals get wounded. As bow hunters I hope we all do our best to make that not happen.Butttttttttt, I  learned many years ago to not go to pieces when it does. Read LBRs post if you haven't yet. It pretty well says it.

God bless, Steve

[tracker12]

Originally posted by Mike Mecredy:
there are lots of bow hunters that can consistently make clean kill shots at 50 yrds or more.  I'm not one of them, but if I honed my shooting to be confident at that distance I would take shots like that.

I would disagree that there are lots of guys that can take an elk at 50 yards.  Maybe a few but not many.  Plus you better be shooting a pretty hefty bow to get penetration at that distance.  My answer was "NO"

[Mike Mecredy]

Should I have said there are around 127 guys that can consistently make clean kills shots at 50 yrds or more?

[BowDiddle]

Originally posted by Mike Mecredy:
Should I have said there are around 127 guys that can consistently make clean kills shots at 50 yrds or more?

I'm not knocking anyone, but if there were a way to find out the numbers, I'd be willing to bet there are less than 10% of the people who visit this forum (or any other for that matter), that can pull off 50% of their shots in the kill zone of an elk at 50 yards. Very few practice to that distance.

[Dirtybird]

Originally posted by Kevin Dill:
Agree completely with what's been said about close shots having their own risks...sometimes they don't work out BECAUSE of close ranges and animal senses. A 15 yard shot might tend toward better accuracy than a 40 yarder, but accuracy is far from the only factor which affects the outcome of shots on game. We fool ourselves into thinking closer is always better...I do it too.

I hear the word 'respect' used, and I understand it this way: I have enough respect for the sport of hunting to make the best possible shot and follow-up possible, whenever I decide to take a shot. Our bowhunting history and heritage is brimming with bowmen who routinely lobbed arrows at big game at distances that most compound guys wouldn't try today. Were they phenomenal shooters or optimistic hopefuls? You decide. Was respect a factor in their minds? You decide. How do you see the animal and choose your shots? You decide.

WELL SAID!!!!!

[pdk25]

Originally posted by BowDiddle:
 

Originally posted by Mike Mecredy:
Should I have said there are around 127 guys that can consistently make clean kills shots at 50 yrds or more?

I'm not knocking anyone, but if there were a way to find out the numbers, I'd be willing to bet there are less than 10% of the people who visit this forum (or any other for that matter), that can pull off 50% of their shots in the kill zone of an elk at 50 yards. Very few practice to that distance. [/b]

I am sure that it is less than 10%, but that is still alot, and those that do practice at further distances are better able to know their limitations than those that don't.

[Terry Green]

Well it was a good thread while it lasted now it's change direction it's now about percentage of hunters and now a question about Bow weight has changed the original intent of this thread....its now going to turn into an argument over stuff that's not even related.

BTW.....if a 50# bow won't kill an elk at 50 yards with a properly placed arrow we all need to put down our bows....no argument there.