Whitetails, and long bombs.

[Cvanheel]

This is the second time i've tried to put my thoughts down here. First time got way to long, and rambling. So straight to my question. What is everyone's thoughts on ethical whitetail ranges with archery gear? Personally I feel that anything over 40 yards is pushing the limit on being ethical no matter how long you have hunted or your shooting ability. In my opinion a whitetail is just to agile of a critter, and even at 40 yards a lot can go wrong.

[Bowonly]

Lots of variables here but the average bowhunter probably can't hit reliably at 40 yards with broadheads under hunting conditions. Especially when you consider the time a deer has to move at 40 and beyond.

I spend time practicing at 60 to 80 but limit the vast majority of hunting shots to 25 yards or less. High percentage results at those ranges but to each his own I guess.

[stash59]

IMHO, anything 30 yards plus is iffy with whitetails. Especially mature animals. Both bucks and does. They're just too edgy!

[Kraftd]

When I shot daily out to 50+, I convinced myself that 40 was doable. Every time I pushed that limit I didn't' come home with a buck. Luckily never wounded one more than a bit of a cut on the ham one time. A couple yards makes a difference in where you hit at that range and unless I had an exact range, it didn't work out.

Now I don't have the space to shoot past 25 on a daily basis, so I'm 30 and under, usually way under. I shoot pretty flat out that far.

That's me though, and my bow is 12 years old. If you're shooting daily to 60+, and the conditions are right and the deer is totally unsuspecting and calm, I think 50ish can be ethical. Over that and I'd have questions.

Modern archery equipment is pretty incredible, but so are these animals.

[PK_]

The furthest you can consistently group -20 yards.

Not shooting at a deer >a set distance is not appropriate imo. They can jump the string at 20. A misjudge of yardage on a long shot or deer jumping the string almost always leads to a complete miss or non mortal wound. It is what it is.

[MichiganMike]

30 yds max for me if it was needed, but most of my setups are usually under 20 yd shots. Im in pretty thick cover usually anyway and doesn't allow for long distance shots- nor would I want it to.

[Dewey]

I limit my shots to 30 yards or less especially in thicker cover where unseen obstacles become and issue. Tough to let big bucks just outside that range walk but that’s all part of the game. Bowhunting is a short range sport and the close encounters are what we all seek. Save the long bombs for a much more capable rifle.

[Edcyclopedia]

IMHO, anything 30 yards plus is iffy with whitetails. Especially mature animals. Both bucks and does. They're just too edgy!

Yup - this.

Also, ethics should include HIGH percentage shots @ the deers position (like broadside, etc).
As well as, what's between you and them, especially @ dusk... Meaning give the animal, Gods Creature(s), the respect & trim your ' lanes!

Way too many hunters wound animals with Archery equipment!

[JakeB]

Anything over 30 usually doesn’t work out that great for me.. and even 30 yds compared to 20 to me is a big jump.

It always seems when I talk to guys they always brag about the buck they shot at 60.. maybe they are just better shots then me..

My hats off to the guys that can get it done at longer ranges. There’s just so many chances to have that arrow hit somewhere other then the kill zone out that far for me to take a chance.

I like it when every pin is in the kill zone and my whole peep is brown.

[Sloepoke20]

35 is what I tell myself is my max range at a whitetail but I’d prefer to be 30 and in. Maybe there could be a set of circumstances where I’d shoot a little longer but that hasn’t happened yet.

[Ranger12]

Anything past 40 is just foolish. They will always have time for movement, even at 40, more less 60! Absolutely ridiculous. I’ve heard of a lot of guys personally, “trying” to hit deer at 50-60 and the result is always a wounded deer and no recovery. So why even do it in the first place? It’s about killing the deer fast and efficiently. It’s not about adding a notch in your long distance archery belt. Do what’s right for the deer. You owe them at least that much..

[Grizzlyadam]

I personally can put 9 out of 10 arrows in the kill zone at 50-60, but anything over 30 on a live animal is asking for trouble. They can just react too quickly.

As far as ethics go, it's all subjective to the individual. Some guys think it's only ethical if you use a trad bow at 15 yards on the ground on public land wearing a hand made buckskin loincloth, while others think shooting a deer with a spotlight from the bed of a pickup truck doing 50 miles an hour at midnight is ethical.

[Maverick1]

That is kind of a situational and personal decision.

[Boogieman1]

I hunt with a simple bow and arrow the entire season because I enjoy the rush of having to get close. Launching Hail Marys defeats the purpose of what I’m trying to accomplish. I like the predator feeling of lying in wait for my target to get close. For me, 25 yards and in is how I do business. In most my spots I can’t see beyond that anyway so it’s never really been a problem.

[phade]

I have a handful of long-distance kills on the wall, including my first "beast style" buck which to this day is still my oldest buck killed. I shot him at 55 yards and double-lunged him. I've shot a few at 40-42 yards. I haven't even been in a position to shoot that far on a target buck in 6-7 years though, and I'd think long and hard about it situationally.

The buck I killed at 55 yards was planned as my scouting and the terrain layout was what it was, he had two exits, one that brought him to 10 yards and one that brought him to 55; no real in-between. Any further away from his bed and it became a guessing game that I simply couldn't figure out and had zero confidence in setting up on. I practiced for quite some time at that range as well as the close range specific to that tree set-up. Opening afternoon and like clockwork he came out to the 55 yard spot. Never knew I was there or what hit him. I guess the moral of the story is that I simply wouldn't wing a 55 yard shot in nearly any other circumstance. It was something that was intentional and practice practice practice. Could have still went wrong.

In all truthfulness, the shots that intimidate me are the 30-35 yard range. I've worked on it for as long as I've been hunting and really have to focus on them. I think I discount their ease when practicing and didn't have the mental focus necessary when in the tree or blind; at 55 yards, I knew I needed to "A" game it. At 30, it's "just another shot" and that has been the problem. I don't like thinking about past encounters at that range except that it is a constant reminder to focus.