How far is too far??

[portugeejn]

I have been doing this traditional archery stuff now for a year and a half, and am very comfortable taking shots that are 15 yards away (knowing that my mind may shrink 20 down to 15 in the presence of game).  My question is this;  How far do you take a shot comfortably ("I can make this shot, ethically and with certainty")?  And how long did you have to practice to get there?  Thanks.
RonP

[Deadsmple]

For me too far is anything I am not comfortable with. Somedays it's 10 feet, others it's 50 yds. It's up to the individual hunter and what he or she can live with. JMO

[IB]

That hit it SPOT ON Vaughn....

[cory hunter]

some days i find im "off" and i need to let a few loose before i feel comfortable hunting, other days i feel that my shooting i so dialed i could take a dime at a hundred yrds lol. Im not sure about you guys but for me its a mind set i have to be in as well as a certain ability.

-cory

[portugeejn]

So too far is whatever you are not sure you can make?  That makes sense I guess.  What I'm trying to figure out now is why I was able to improve pretty much until now, but don't seem to be able to get any better.  I would really like to be confident out to 25 yards or so.  Any hints to get past this plateau?  I am willing to leave the long shots to Pope, Young, and those with more experience than me.
RonP

[Van/TX]

How far do you take a shot comfortably  

I've never taken a shot with bow and arrow that was comfortable.  When that time comes I might as well take a photo.  That's what makes hunting with a bow special.  You never know what might happen when you let go of that string    ...Van

[mcgroundstalker]

Everyone has a different "comfort zone" for shots at game ... Maybe ya need to test yourself at a 3D shoot or by stump shooting ... If you are gonna hunt from a tree stand, practice from one ... If you are a ground pounder then do some real practice in the woods ...

I read somewhere that if you can keep shots in the kill zone at five yards then go hunting! ... Just keep your shots to five yards and under ... All will work out in time ... You are at this trad stuff just over a year ... Keep at it and you will improve with the "right practice".

... mike ...    ...

[Landshark160]

Van, you hit the nail on the head there.

[Brian Krebs]

some days are diamond; some days are stone.
I suggest you shoot a couple arrows before hunting the day you hunt; and see if your having a diamond day or a stone day.
  Practice makes perfect; but 'a  mans gotta know his limitations....  

[Mike Orton]

Ron,

You ask a rhetorical question...How far is too far?  You tell me.  You're the only one who can tell how far too far is, for your shot.  And I damn well am sure that I'm the only one who can tell how far is too far when I'm shooting.  

Last year in Colorado I drew but did not release an arrow on a cow elk.  She was 10 yards past my comfort zone.  It all felt right, except for the distance.  But I own that memory...it was a spectacular moment for me.  I was ridculed by my training wheels friends in camp for not taking the shot.  But it was right at the time and I hold no regrets.

Years ago I shot a whitetail so close that I was worried the arrow would leave the string before striking flesh.  I was nearly kicked by the animal upon impact.  That one was definately close enough.

You care enough about the question and the ethics behind the question to post, however in the end it's a confidence thing.  You either have it or you go get it.  You get it from experience, both at the range and walking in the woods stump shooting.  Most guys will carry an extra arrow tipped w/ a judo point just for stump shooting.  That's why God made Bunnies, to increase the confidence level of archers.

Now go for a walk in the woods and tell me how far is too far, for today's confidence level.  Tomorrow that distance will change.
 

[Apex Predator]

The way to increase your range is to practice, and then practice some more!  I shot well at 15 and would step back to 20 and lost all confidence.  This was for a couple of years!  I finally started forcing myself to shoot at 20.  My groups started to improve.  Now I am comfortable at 20!   15  Yards is a slam dunk, 20 is within my "killin range", and now I am practicing at 30!  Stick with it and don't practice past your endurance level.  If you are getting tired quit for that session.  I've been shooting seriously for about three years now.

[James Wrenn]

Oh I like everything in the 15 to 20yd range.Somedays that is too far depending on the time of day and swadows cast.Other days a 30yd shot is something I would take without a second thought.I never put max or mins on myself.I just shoot when I know the odds are stacked in my favor and do the stepping off of distance after it is all over.Too far under a certain set of circumstances might be 10yds and other times it might be far enough I would not post it on here.  

[Chuck Mullaley]

Van summed up my feelings, exactly.

[30coupe]

I agree with Van...sort of. I never feel comfortable, but there are definitely shots I will pass on. Distance is only part of the equation. The angle of the shot, the position of the animal, the wind all play a role in my decision to release an arrow. Comfortable? No. Confident? Yes, or the arrow stays on the string.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

There is a fact that everyone seems to be missing here guys....the distance someone can shoot consistantly, or even on those good days if you are an "On-Off" kind iof shooter, has nothing to do with the fact those animals MOVE...."How far is too far?" With the average trad bow shooting less than 200 FPS...it is in my opinion unethical to shoot past 30 yards....even that would be pushing it....maybe 25 yards would be closer to it.....the sound your bow makes alerts those critters way before that arrow gets there....whether you are lucky enough to have them stay put, is another question....are we talking ethics?....or luck here? before i switched over to trad i could group broadheads at 6" at 80 yards consistantly.......my bow shot over 300 fps too. it takes a full second for an arrow to travel that far at that speed.....it would take almost a full second for the average trad bow to make 50 yards.....do you feel lucky????

That's why i'm here today guys....if i can't count the hairs on that critters nose i ain't shooting.....period!!!.....

PS: This one hit a sore spot guys....hope i didn't go off too much here.....Kirk      :eek:

[vermonster13]

If you have any doubt then it is to far for that time.

[Matt E]

I agree with Van and others.If you think it is to far, it is and if it doesn't set your mind to burning you are wasting your time. You also have to take into consideration that regardless of how well you shoot you can't predict when an animal will take a step and make a good shot turn into a horrible one. For this reason, a shot at deer beyond 20 yards is my cut off,that is after I got my head on straght.

[JasonV]

Deer jump a string at 10 yards too...
and if you want to be completely objective about it: they are LESS likely to do so at 30 yards and beyond.
They are also less likely to be alerted to your presence at longer distances, so are more likely to be at ease, easier to "read", and easier to chose the appropriate time for your shot....

So I still think that placing an arbitrary numerical limit on distance is exactly that: arbitrary.

Whether a shot is determined (by others) to be "ethical" or not will often depend on the result (though "ethics" certainly has very little to do with the result) - if you were successful, you're not likley to hear criticism, miss or wound an animal and its another story.  But criticism also has very little to do with "ethics" - THE INDIVIDUAL determines "ethics" (for that reason, its a slippery word that I try not to use)

The bottom line is that everyone's "limit" is their own.  If you can reliably hit your intended target at 100 yards, and you are skilled enough to detrmine when an animal will be stationary long enough or to predict where it will be when the arrow gets there, then who am I to tell you it shouldn't be done?????

Howard Hill successfully took VERY long shots on game - I doubt there would be a line of people waiting to tell him he was wrong....

[Ric Anderson]

KirkII, I agree with you 100%.  It's not just about the ability of the archer,  it's about the multitude of other variables that can and will happen.  Jumping the string is just one of those variables.  Animals are constantly moving, they don't stand still for long.  There is a point, where no matter what the speed of your bow is or how good of a shot you are, a variable like a gust of wind, or another animal startling the animal, or that single step to grab another blade of grass or what ever, that the distance becomes too far.  What is that distance?... I really don't know, but to just say that it depends on the comfort level of the hunter at that particular time, is not looking at the whole picture.  I will say that most bowhunter education courses teach that approximately 40 yards under ideal conditions is  about the max.  Please notice the word approximately.

JasonV, no one and I repeat no one can tell when animal is or isn't going to move and I will use the word unethical when it comes to 100 yards shots at a living breathing animal.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Ethic's is something that is detrmined my the majority, not the individual Jason. i am a man that shot long distance competition for years. i had a bow that could do the job with fast flying arrows too....Would you say a good "prediction of when an animal would stay stationary" would be quartered away, bedded down, and looking away from you? .....Well i thought so too.....that bull elk was on his feet before my arrow got there in less than a second.....clean miss..(thank God)..But that arrow went EXCATLY where my pin was ..... i could have just as easily gut shot that beautiful animal.....

i realize there is an element of chance to all hunting...and stuff happens....long distance shooting with a bow and seeing animals wounded and not retrieved,is a big reason i came over to traditional archery...There is a lot of long distance shooting going on right now with all these high tech bows..

It has nothing to do with your confidance, shooting ability, or your equipment....every 10 yards of distance you add to your shot increases the chance that animal is going to take a bad hit.... i am not willing to take those chances anymore....i'm a gambler, and every now and then if things feel right...you get lucky!.... But i think it is unethical to take unessisary chances when it comes to making a clean kill or nor.... i'll play cards or go flick long distance arrows at rubber deer or elk if i feeling like gambling.... Kirk