Ethical Range: 50 yards

[Jmatt1957]

could I hit the elk yes probably. but would I take the shot no way. I do not shoot hoping to hit. I shoot only high probability shots at under 25 yards or not at all.

[dbd870]

No way for me.

[hybridbow hunter]

Stick bow hunting is more about how close we get to the game rather than how far we shoot at it. If that 50 yards elk is a survival issue then yes I shoot at it but if it is sportsman bowhunting then, no way. Anyway I never saw any elk in our backcountry here    :D

[Stickbow]

50 yards?...I am surprised some would even consider it...

[Kevin Dill]

My answer depends on too many variables...most of which are internal. Abstain.

[RAU]

50 yards?!?!?!?!

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

Thats a par 3 for me!

[MnFn]

I have been in a situation similar to that.  Only difference was he was on alert, quartering away.  Distance was around thirty+ yards and moving away.

I can't judge what shot others  should or should not take, but wonder when you start shooting at 50 yards, how much movement the animal could take between the time you shoot and the time the arrow arrives.

I didn't shoot.

[Michael Arnette]

Effective range is different for everyone. This year it was 30-35 for me on elk with my heavy arrows. I had three chances at 40-50 yards and did not take them...next time I'll shoot lighter arrows and a more efficient 2 blade head for better down range flight. I'm accurate enough for elk out to 40 with practice and 500 grain arrows.

[Jakeemt]

I'd take the shot

[Matty]

I've passed on great bull elk a lot closer than 50 yards in decent conditions. It's gotta be just right. I don't want the nightmare of wounding an animal that "I should have known better" about launching an arrow at. I'll go 30 all day though...

[Crittergetter]

No, because every time I shoot that far I lose an arrow!

[gonefishing600]

25 yards and under for me.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Truth is what are the qualifications of the hunter, attitude of animals, ect.... and most of all do you feel good about the shot or are you forcing it.

 

You said a mouth full here brutha....  

There are a lot of archers that are very competent at 50 yards and shoot those distances regularly. But it all boils down to the moment of truth like Steve stated above.... If you feel confident and conditions are right, i might very well take that shot myself..... By the same token.... i passed on two 25 yard shots last week on bulls, & had another at 7 yards and never dropped the string.....

Above all things we must use our own judgment when a shot presents itself, and live with the consequences of our actions......

[Mark Baker]

You could be able to hit the bullseye every time at 50, but you would still be "chancing" that shot.   At 50 yards, there isn't a bow made (especially a trad bow) that is fast enough to negate what the animal will do at the shot.   Some say, the distance will make the noise factor and the "sixth sense" of the animal in close quarters minimal, but it's still out of YOUR control.  A single step, even a half step can turn a great shot into a nightmare.   You can't control that.  And elk are TOUGH to bring down, especially if hit badly....hard to follow up too.  

Patience for the bowhunter is a better skill to "hone" than shooting skills sometime.  A better shot may develop...wait for it!  That's my choice.

[BWallace10327]

There is alot of interest in this topic.  I thought real hard as the herd passed by and passed the shot myself.  I know just where to put my arrow tip at that range and I killed my deer last year a 40, but I opted to pass.  I'm not sorry I made that choice.  I came home that afternoon and shot 3 practice broadheads into the deer shape w/ vital ring on my block target.  At 50 yards with no warm up I put 2/3 into the vitals.  I can't say that I wouldn't have put 2 out of 6 or 5 out of 6 as I only shot three.  No matter what I did or did not do, the experience made my season.

[ChuckC]

25 and I'm shooting.  30 and I'm shooting (elk).  50 and I'm waiting and hoping they come closer.

I practiced out to 45 yards this year and was able to hit a (elk) kill zone cutout each time, but no group at all.  That was great practice but not good enough to try in real life.

Too much can happen in the time it takes my arrows to get there.
ChuckC

[WildmanSC]

I personally would not take a shot of that distance, that is why I voted No Fling.  However, if you regularly practice at 50 yards and greater and feel comfortable with the shot, by all means Fling!  I've seen Ricky Welch kill a lot of deer, hogs and turkey at 50+ yards.

Bill

[Sam McMichael]

I imagine that for every shot that would be successfully pulled off at this distance, dozens would be messed up badly with a lot of gut shot animals. At almost every 3D shoot you go to, there is a novelty target at this sort of distance. Damn few good shots are seen.

[Looper]

I'll have to change my vote, too. With my bows, 50 yards, is just too far. It's not the accuracy, that's the problem, it's the amount of time it takes my arrow to travel 50 yards.

I've always considered my range with my traditional bows to be roughly half of what it is when I used a compound (way back in the last century). So, in my mind, an equivalent shot to a 50 yard trad shot would be a 100 yard compound shot. Would I take a 100 yard shot at an elk with a compound? Absolutely not, even though I'd be more accurate at 100 with a compound, than I am at 50 with a bare trad bow.

Again, though, it's not necessarily the accuracy that is the biggest problem with long shots. Let's say that you are going to take a 50 yard shot at a broadside, stationary elk. At the moment of release, that elk decides to take a single step. By the time your arrow reaches your intended target, the impact point would likely be out of the vitals.

If your bow shoots around 170 fps, it will take your arrow around .88 seconds to travel 50 yards. In reality, that is a lot of time. Plenty of time for even the casual step of an elk.

I certainly can't speak for others, but when I committed to using a trad bow, I willingly accepted the limitations that come with it. Actually, it's more like I embraced the limitations. I'm okay with letting animals walk that I could have cleanly killed with my compound.