Your farthest shot at game? Penetration?

[DanielB89]

I am wondering what is the farthest you have ever taken an animal with your stick bow, and what type of penetration did you get at that range?  If you want, you could even go into your set up.  

before you reply, this is not for those guys who think that anything past 12 yards is too far, or for the people who are nay sayers.  

I am honestly just curious.

[bobman]

45 yards and that was with a super fast 70 Lb Quillian canebrake and a 30 inch draw.

I was on the ground and the buck was watching me when I shot...he was able to completely turn 180 degrees around prior to the arrow hitting him and by pure luck I hit him in the vitals on his opposite side than the one I originally shot at.

The arrow passed completely thru him, 2216 with a bear razor head.

since that happened I have never shot at a live animal over 20 yards, that incident could of been a real mess

[Brad Arnett]

I honestly wouldn't take the shot now with my current bow but from the time I was about 19 or 20 years old until I was about 32, just a few years ago, I shot a Wes Wallace 3-piece Mentor that was 60# at my draw of 28". I don't remember my arrow set up, only that I shot Easton Aluminum's back then. can't recall the head but it was likely a Magnus 2 blade since that what I shot the most of back then.

I used to shoot that bow ALOT and was very good with it. I killed a big 11pt at a ranged 38 yds. He was quartered away and arrow entered right at the back of the ribs on the right side and buried to the fletch with the head lodging in the off shoulder. I seen him go down from the stand. I was about 23 at the time.

Killed a Texas Dall while I was stationed in  Texas around 1998 or so that was just over 30 yds with the same bow/arrows/heads and he was broadside and I was on the ground. Hit him tight to the front leg halfway up and that arrow exited.

Steve Clandinin on tradgang here owns that Mentor now, or at least he did. It was truly a great bow and I wish my elbow could still handle it. Wes engraved that bow with "Hit Him and Hit Him Hard".....and that bow sure would do that.

[Norminator]

Curious thing! Took my longest recurve shot last month on a nice eight point. 25yds.  Also my first pass through. Go figure.
Used my 54# KMag with 125 grn Magnus two blade.

24yds on an impala. Buried the arrow to the nock.

22yds on a kudu. probably only got about 15", but the broadhead hit the heart!

I'll add this too; I did not like either of those shots! I much prefer 15yds!

50# @ 29.5" Sarrles Blueridge longbow, with a 10gpp arrow.

If you have a well tuned bow with good heavy arrows, penetration should not be an issue, even at longer distances.

Bisch

[Nick Barber]

I'm not sure if this counts but I had a pass through shot at just under 80 yards on a snowshoe hare two years ago. I was out doing some small game hunting and stump shooting in late September two years ago and saw an interesting looking clump of grass at about 80 yards across an old gas well field and decided to lob a couple of arrows at it. The first arrow fell about 3 yards short the second arrow hit right in the middle of the grass clump and started to jump around a bit funny after it hit. When I walked over to pick up my arrows I found that the second arrow had hit a snowshoe hare right behind the shoulder and had gone through and pinned him to the ground where he had been hiding in the clump of grass. I had been pretty happy about just hithing the grass clump but was even happier to find the hare being that I had missed three in a row earlier that day.  The set up I was using was a 55 pound Martin Mountianeer with ash arrows, the point was a field point on the one arrow that killed him.  
On larger game my longest was about 25 yards on a 6 point whitetail using a 50 pound Bear Super Kodiak shooting a maple shaft and a Zwickey eskimo, the arrow went through the lungs and left about 3 inches of the backside of the arrow sticking inside his chest. The deer jumped a bit then just slumped forward and collapsed after I hit him, it was the easiest tracking job I have ever had on a whitetail.

[Michael Arnette]

My two biggest bucks were at 36 and 38 yards...not normally a shot I would take but it just happened.
The 38 yard shot was low in the vitals with the 69 pound tall tines, 650 grain arrow with the Muzzy phantom 4bld ...I got a complete pass through.
My most recent buck was at 36 yards. I hit about 8 to 10 inches back from the shoulder with a 59 pound tall tines recurve, 540 grain arrow, and 145 grain snuffer. The arrow buried to the fletching.
That being said, I haven't found penetration to be any issue inside 40 yards, if anything my penetration has been slightly better past 20 yards due to reduced paradox. I don't normally take shots this far but I sure do practice hard out to 35-40 yards so that when the time feels right I'm able to take that one chance.

[wingnut]

35 yds on a cow elk.  Centered the 10 ring for a double lung.  Arrow did not stop.  I was shooting poplar shafts and WW heads.  My bow was a bamboo backed osage 58 @ 28.

Mike

[kstout]

Many years ago, when I was young and foolish.  I had a buck come out in an alfalfa field, angling away from me.  I got the bright idea to shoot over the animal, thinking perhaps when the arrow hit it would spook the animal back in my direction. I was shooting a 65# @ 28" Howatt Hunter.  I drew back aiming high and forward of the deer.  The buck heard the shot and started running, I could see the feathers as the arrow spun, and thought that is going to be close.  As the buck, and arrow converged, the arrow struck the buck just behind the shoulder, and went through, but got hung up on the fletch.  I could see the broadhead end of the arrow sticking out, along with blood spray as the deer continued running.  He went about 80 yards down the field and dropped.  I counted 71 paces to the blood trail, and walked down to the deer, and found the arrow stuck through its heart.  That was in 1978.  I had hunted in 76, and 77 with a Proline compound, and 78 was the first year I went back to a recurve.  I've shot many deer since, but never tried a shot like that again.

[trubltrubl]

took a small whitetail 3 point buck at 40 yards from the ground...didn't even think of the distance when I shot as I stump
shoot out to 40 yards all the time...usually try to keep within 30 yards but I was shooting the bow well that week....
the buck initially came to me to 20 yards quartering to...looked at me...I was wearing a plaid pendelton shirt..had my face covered with a camo buff when he looked at me he was a little nervous ...he turned and walked another 20 yards and gave me a standing broadside shot..let the arrow loose and initially I thought my arrow dropped just under the belly but a bright red spot appeared on the chest behind the leg...took the bottom of the heart off...the arrow was a complete pass through...
arrow was a 630 grain (total weight) carbon express with a 100 grain brass insert and 100 grain ferrule and a 125 grain magnus from what I remember..here is the deer
bow was a three piece takedown by BOWRIVER archery
60# at 26" and bow was 62" cocobollo riser with osage lihere is a photo...holding my bow upside down LOL this was in 2009

     

[Friend]

Red Stag....24 yards...50@28 Dryad Orion..250 gn VPA Terminator...100 gn insert...563 gn total...centered punched one lung... thru the other and BH  lodged in off shoulder blade...watched him go down at the 70 yard mark.

[shreffler]

Originally posted by kstout:
Many years ago, when I was young and foolish.  I had a buck come out in an alfalfa field, angling away from me.  I got the bright idea to shoot over the animal, thinking perhaps when the arrow hit it would spook the animal back in my direction. I was shooting a 65# @ 28" Howatt Hunter.  I drew back aiming high and forward of the deer.  The buck heard the shot and started running, I could see the feathers as the arrow spun, and thought that is going to be close.  As the buck, and arrow converged, the arrow struck the buck just behind the shoulder, and went through, but got hung up on the fletch.  I could see the broadhead end of the arrow sticking out, along with blood spray as the deer continued running.  He went about 80 yards down the field and dropped.  I counted 71 paces to the blood trail, and walked down to the deer, and found the arrow stuck through its heart.  That was in 1978.  I had hunted in 76, and 77 with a Proline compound, and 78 was the first year I went back to a recurve.  I've shot many deer since, but never tried a shot like that again.

I recall reading a story of Fred Bear doing this exact same thing on something like a cougar or mountain lion one time. Cool stories that sorta make you wonder how it all worked out.

[Looper]

When I was 16 I shot a big buck on the opposite side of a little hollow I was hunting. I had been taking really long shots at squirrels all morning (and missing), and when that deer appeared, he looked gigantic. I drew and shot him after he walked out from behind a big poplar tree. The arrow zipped right through him and stuck in the ground past him. He took a couple of big hops and just stood there confused for a few seconds, blood spurting out from his sides. He finally staggered a little and just fell over.

When I finally calmed down, I realized just how far the shot was. I paced of 30 steps down to the creek, 4 across, and 25 back up to my arrow, which had stuck into the bank behind the buck. This was way before any range finders, but I figure the shot was around 42-45 yards.

Looking back, there is no way on this earth I'd take that shot today, even though I'm a lot better now than I was then. That bow was a lemonwood longbow, backed only on the back with fiberglass. I think it was around 60# at my draw (I used to use my bathroom scale and have no idea how accurate that method was). My arrow was a hickory shaft and a homemade trade point. I think it weighed right at 2 oz (900 grains or so).

[Charlie Lamb]

In my twenties I shot an antelope buck at 70 yards. The hit was through the ribs. The arrow hung out the off side by the nock. The buck whirled around and the arrow was thrown clear.

The bow was 73# and arrow roughly 630 grns. The broadhead was a Grandpa Specialties Red Rury 4 blade... not designed for great penetration.

Then there was an antelope shot at 55 yds. with a 65# Howatt Hunter arrow penetrated to the fletch. Broadhead was a Zwickey Delta two blade.

Shot a black bear on the run at 40ish yds. The wooden arrow tipped with Bear Razorhead quartered from left hip to right shoulder and out beyond. A second shot at 50ish as it tried to climb a tree passed through the chest and then beyond.

I told the story in the "Bear and The bouncing Bow" in the stories section. The bear had been wounded previously.

[stykshooter]

Bow was 65#'s about 10 years ago,35 yds on a cow elk quartering away complete pass thru

[njloco]

All impressive shots !

[Stone Knife]

25 yards 45# bow complete pass through.
   

[mnbwhtr]

65 yards with complete penetration on a mule deer buck in 1972 out in North Dakota. 75# bear T/D with bear razorhead.

[Bowwild]

Broadside @ 21 yards. Complete pass through lungs with 414 grain arrow (Beman MFX Classic with Helix 125 Grain Single Bevel) out of 47# draw weight recurve. Deer fell dead in sight 52 yards out.

[screamin]

Shot from a 54# Brown Recluse longbow. 32 yards with a 29" 2117 and 125gr Magnus 2 head, 5' fletch, total arrow weight was around 525grs. Centered the lungs of the cow elk about 12" above the leg elbow. Arrow never slowed down on its way through and she never knew she was shot. Walked about 80 yards and fell over.