Instinctive hunting distance you’ll shoot?

[smokin joe]

15 yards and less feels best, so that’s my yardage.

[MnFn]

It's kind of like one of my dad's best lines.

When talking about shoe sizes he said
"I can wear a nine, but a twelve feels a whole lot better."

I can shoot 20 yards or maybe a little more, but 15 feels a whole lot better.

[Mike Orton]

I use my built in range finder....if I can spit a lugee at it and hit usually I can hit it with my longbow....head wind and tail wind are very important to my range finder.   :p  

Bayonette charges are not out of the question either.

[Bowjunkie]

With selfbows and wooden arrows in most of my situations here in Pa, stillhunting, I generally like to get within 20 yards or so of deer, but have taken them as cleanly as any I've killed out closer to 30.

I like to get closer to smaller, quicker animals like squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, etc.

That said, it isn't a distance thing for me so much as it is a feeling when everything comes together, and it's time to pounce. I guess I've done it enough that recognizing those highest percentage shot opportunities happens without much conscious thought. If I have to think about it much, or 'force a shot' even a tiny bit, I hold the string.

I may pass one at 8 yards and kill the next at 25.

Shooting into the sunrise or sunset is a big limiter for me when I have glasses on. I had a small buck at 20 yards and a large doe at a longer shot last night.  The evening sun lit up my glasses.

[tzolk]

What kevsuperg said. I feel good practicing out to 30 but when I set up a blind for deer, I really want a max 15 yardish shot. Last week I shot a buck and he was about 15-20 feet away and lucky enough, I hit where I was looking. But the monster buck that came in before him almost as close had my heart thumping hard and I felt a bit weak, you know-buck fever.  Times like that I don't think I'd  feel comfortable taking a 20 yard shot on a whitetail. They are so darn alert and jumpy.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

My average shot distance is 12yds on whitetails from stands or blinds and I try to set up for 10-20. I've killed bucks as close as 5yds and this years buck was at 27yds when the arrow took out both lungs.

It's not a distance thing for me either, it's focus! Once I know I'm going to shoot it's like a auto pilot thing I'm zoned in on one thing no distractions, no shaking, no over thinking, just getting that one perfect shot at that one perfect spot.

It's no different then stump shooting, I look at a stump and say that's 22yds, never!!! I could care less! All I know is I'm going to kill that stump and not only that I'm going to kill that little hole in that stump. Overthinking will make you miss every time before you ever even pull your bow back. You can't force that arrow to fly we're your not really looking JMO

Tracy

[kennym]

Originally posted by K.S.TRAPPER:
My average shot distance is 12yds on whitetails from stands or blinds and I try to set up for 10-20. I've killed bucks as close as 5yds and this years buck was at 27yds when the arrow took out both lungs.

It's not a distance thing for me either, it's focus! Once I know I'm going to shoot it's like a auto pilot thing I'm zoned in on one thing no distractions, no shaking, no over thinking, just getting that one perfect shot at that one perfect spot.

It's no different then stump shooting, I look at a stump and say that's 22yds, never!!! I could care less! All I know is I'm going to kill that stump and not only that I'm going to kill that little hole in that stump. Overthinking will make you miss every time before you ever even pull your bow back. You can't force that arrow to fly we're your not really looking JMO

Tracy

^^^
Yep

[Jerry Gille]

I consider 15 yards to be kind of a long poke on a deer.  Somewhere 15 to 20 is going to be my max.  Never really cared to try to kill any further out than that.

[stagetek]

I like close. 8-15 yards. 18-20 is about max. I sometimes surprise myself at longer ranges, but targets are one thing, I wouldn't take the same attitude with a live target.

[mnbwhtr]

When I get zero'd in, concentrated, on an animals chest distance doesn't matter, when it feels right I shoot. In 53 years my kill shots have been from 6 ft to 65-70yds. My average over those 53 years is 17 yds.

[black velvet]

I always say, I may not know the right distance but I sure know the wrong distance at the time the shot presents its self.

[Producer]

If you feel that the animal senses something is wrong you best be close when you shoot if you want a humane kill.

[Thumper Dunker]

Close in as possible.

[dnovo]

I like them close but again it's a "feeling" thing. My average on whitetail is 11 yds, but I have a couple at 27 yds. Distances always look farther from a tree stand.
It also has to do with how I've been shooting. If I've been shooting really well, I have my confidence up to make that longer shot.

[DeerSpotter]

I stop hunting because of shoulder issues, problem solved ! I just got back into it not too long ago.  I am practicing right now 10 to 15 yards.  But 20 yards would be my max once I'm back at.  You always want to make sure you are hitting the spot.  You never want to wound anything, because of a wild shot. You never take chances, you will always have another opportunity. You just have to wait for the right time and distance.  That's why they call it hunting.


DS

[zwickey2bl]

Normally about 20 yards, but I just shot at one about an hour ago that was 25. I had a wide-open shot, but he was cagey already for some reason. He jumped string pretty bad even in the stout wind that was blowing here this afternoon, but my shot didn't look good anyway, Seemed like it windplaned pretty bad (crossing wind). Shooting a 2 blade Zwickey Delta, fairly heavy (larch) shaft. Dang I hate missing. Pretty decent buck, too.

I've killed two deer at 35+ but I was really in good shooting form then, better than I am right now. I'll be glad when I can give up one of my two jobs so I can shoot as often as I want/need to.

I know that I have deer killing accuracy out to my point on, I practice way too much, but the opportunities to use it are far and few between on deer.  But this thread particularly asked for instinctive distance. I am not sure what 'pure instinctive' is, as I know that the crown of my point ferrule is just under the deer's chest at 45 yards.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Pavan you no the difference between instinctive and aiming with the tip      

For me it's pure instinctive, swing draw, no holding, never see my arrow or anything else, no judging distance just pure focus!!!

Same way I shoot shotguns as example, I grew up working at a gun club. Learned to shoot both eyes open thousands of shots later you don't even notice the barrel or anything else. I had sponsors, compeated shot all through my tenage years and learned to just relax always pick a spot on a target, not just look at it and your instincts will take over.

Swing draw can be a slow or fast motion but as you call it grip and rip just depends on how you use it.

Tracy

I know that I can see the arrow, the bow and a bunch of stuff when I shoot and I shoot pretty fast.  I shoot thousands of shots a week from March to the start of hunting season and I can always see the arrow without shifting my focus, even at my fastest less than a second draw to release tempo shots.  As the distance increases the arrow gets more into the picture and the tempo slows up some.  After years of doing it, it has become an automatic part of my shot.  The  graduation from close less aimed shots to long hard aimed shots is not a clear and definite yardage with me.  What one sees and what they acknowledge what they see is often quite different.