How Far to Take a Shot?

[Ragnarok Forge]

I am good on a pie plate to 30 yards so I drop 5 yards and shoot to 25 for deer.  With Elk I am comfortable all the way to 30.  I can hit beyond that but don't trust my skills to shoot any further.

[Mike Vines]

20 yards max for me.  I'll practice at longer, but I find doing so makes me shoot better at closer ranges.

[Bill Kissner]

Size makes all the difference in the world. My yardage on a Pinto would be less than a Cadillac and MUCH less than on a Freightliner!   :D

[Margly]

I feel comfortable inside ca 25 yards.

Since I`m shooting instinctive I`m not so in to the distances but more in for the "feel" of what I can do in the situation.

It`s a whole other scenario to have an animal standing in front of you instead of a foam target.

But I do practice shooting under different kind of weather from sunny to rainy, windy days.
With my hunting setup and broadheads.

I also like to practice on recovery shots T long distances so I know I`ve done the basics if I should come into a situation where that is needed.


Margly

[rholzie]

15-20yds. with confidence!

[bear1336]

20 yards max 15 yds is great.

[wollelybugger]

Thats a funny question, I killed a ground hog and a racoon last year at 35 yards and missed a doe at around 15 yards.LOL.

[lpcjon2]

20 is good but then again it depends on the moment and my testosterone level.  

[bornagainbowhunter]

I like them inside 20 yards.  My favorite was when I thought I might bump a small buck with the arrow when I turned to draw, he never seen it coming...  

[Mint]

I let a 140 class buck walk last year since it was out about 35 yards. I surburban hunt and if you don't get both lungs there isa good chance it will make it to the houses to die where you can't retrieve game or have a small chance of finding it. I like to wait until they are about 20 yards, for hogs I like 15. But that 140 class buck got shot by a compound guy at 45 yards and he thought he gut shot it but ended up hitting it in the kidney. That hurt.

[Zenzele]

Practice to 20 but hunt to 15 yards.

[Sam McMichael]

In the thick stuff, I don't clear shooting lanes beyond 20 yards or so. It helps resist temptation to shoot too far. When things are more open, I try to rely on my best estimation of 20 yards and even if the feeling is good, try to resist anything longer than that. I have not killed a large number of deer with the bow, and most shots were probably 12 - 15 yards.  

I sometimes practice at longer ranges for fun but just don't seem to pick the spot as well as I move further out. A  30 yard shot may as well be 30 miles - I just can't pull it off.

[BigStriper]

I'll go with 20 yards or Less,10 or 12 would be Great,

Kurt

[BowMIke]

For me, 20 yards max. Prefer 10 to 16 yards.

[windrover]

10 to 20 yds for me, over too uncertain to hit, under 10 too hard to draw if you are on the ground.

On the ground, I prefer shots of about 25 yards. The only pass throughs that I did not get in the last 30 years were shots under ten feet.  I have had pass throughs on every deer over that. I think that I can get by with a little more on the deer that are not so close. When they are real close it seems that they can hear me blink.

[giff]

I like shooting targets at 30, but I think 15 - 20 is a good hunting distance.

[Huntnjim]

No more than 25 for me and prefer 15.

[frankwright]

I shoot two deer targets in my back yard from my deck, one is at 15 yards and one at 22 yards.

This is the distance I can shoot at and this is the distance I feel good with. Closer is always better and I try to sit or set my stand for 13-15 yards.

I would shoot to 25 on a calm deer in an open area if everything was right.

[mwosborn]

I like 15-18, if things are ideal out to 25.