Realistic bow ranges?

[CanuckShooter]

I am lucky enough to be watching a fair bit of bow hunting on WildTV...some of those guys claim shots on moose at 60 yards...one guy said 112 yards on an elk??? Is this a realistic range to be shooting such large animals with a modern bow?? Or is this hollywood talking?? I'm thinking there wouldn't be much energy left in an arrow at those distances??

What is the real in the field practical maximum range for a modern compound bow?? Assuming of course that the archer has the ability to hit his target. What is your longest kill shot??

[mikeboehm]

I shoot 90 meters all the time at burnaby, my bow a PSE Omen Pro shoots fast. I would never take a shot past 60 yards on anything. I got into bow hunting to get close to the animal. If i want to shoot past 100 yards ill use my rifle

[CanuckShooter]

Would there be enough energy at 90m to make a clean kill??? I was always under the impression that about 40 yards was max??

I guess that I should ask the same question about cross bows...what is the real life maximum killing range for these types of bows also??

[mikeboehm]

My bow probably does on a deer but i dont know about an elk

[Gateholio]

I wouldn't want to be hit by an arrow at 500 yards, never mind 100!

[CanuckShooter]

I wouldn't want to be hit by an arrow at 500 yards, never mind 100!

I wouldn't want to be hit with an arrow at any range.......but that doesn't relate to my questions. :-) I am curious as to how far a bow/crossbow hunter can actually make a ethical kill???? From what I have seen on TV, a lot further than I had ever imagined.

[Big Lew]

[QUOTE=CanuckShooter; I am curious as to how far a bow/crossbow hunter can actually make a ethical kill???? [/QUOTE]

It would seem to me that it would depend on 6 things:-
-Shooter's ability (most of us have seen videos of a few archers shooting tight groups as far as 100 yards)
-Use of a reliable rangfinder
-Bow capable of producing better than average kinetic energy
-Properly tuned bow and trued arrows matched to the bow's energy
-Target animal broadside and not likely to move during the shot
-No interference from cross winds
Some of the very experienced hunters that hunt in open areas consistently shoot animals out to 70 yards, but they have good, well tuned equipment, hundreds of
hours of practice at long ranges, and most importantly, know when the conditions are right so they can make an ethical shot.
Personally, with my equipment and level of ability, under the most ideal situations, I would be confident out to fifty yards, although I am reasonably accurate at longer ranges. I have made good clean and accurate shots out to 47 yards using a rangefinder. The few times I've not made the shot I intended have been at far closer ranges when I didn't use a rangefinder, thinking the animal was farther away then it actually was.

[Ike]

Not considering any other factors (that need to be considered in real life situations):

I chronoed my bow last week, my 380 gr hunting arrow leaves the bow at 320fps and 86ft lbs of energy. According to one of the programs archery programs it is flying at about 278fps and 65 ft lbs at 90 yards.

65 ft lbs is generally considered enough energy to take the largest toughest animals so in the case of the fast bows, the equipment is capable.......the archer on the other hand may or may not be and should limit shots accordingly. Would I shoot a grizzly at 90yards? No flippin way ;)

Cheers

[Ddog]

I have been bowhunting for 20yrs and have taken over 90 animals, i have let wayyyy more than that walk away at 45yards, now todays bows are way quicker than that of yesteryear, i would shoot at an animal at 50 yards if all conditions were perfect. i know of people shooting past that distance at animals and i also know of alot that were wounded because of the distance that younger archers taking the farther shots.
bows today can most definitely kill an animal at farther distances and i would not doubt at 100 yards an animal could easily be killed by an arrow, that being said i still have yet to shoot past about 40yards.
i like the fact that i can say that out of all the animals i have taken with an arrow.
cheers...D

[Bow Walker]

All things being equal - ethics, conditions for the shot, the shooter's abilities, and everything else - I don't think that shooting at an animal at a distance of more than 50 yards is something that I'd attempt. It's a personal thing and everyone is different. Ask five guys and you'll get five different answers.

The kill range of an arrow (on deer) is surprisingly long - much further than the average person would believe. Gatehouse has the right idea. If the arrow can carry that far - it will kill a "soft-skinned" human.

Shoot to hopefully kill and elk, moose, or bear at long range(s)? Not an especially good idea, or something that I'd even think about. All the animal has to do is to take one or two steps while the arrow is on its way and you've got a wounded animal to track and recover.

Given an arrow speed of 300 fps, it'll take that arrow all of that second (and maybe a bit more) to travel the 100 yards to the animal. How many steps can a calm animal take, while feeding or just walking, in that long second? Two, three, or more? Will it stand still and wait for the arrow? Not likely.

On the other hand, if you "sky-ed" the arrow and it came down on the animal like bomb dropping out of the air, and if that arrow was especially heavy, I suppose it could penetrate and do enough damage to kill an elk or a moose........


















Oh yeah.....if this thread starts to go south expect it to get locked real quick.

[markt308]

for me, I am confident at 60 yards but thats kinda my max on an animal. furthest kill was 54 yrds. I know guys that make kills at over 60 yrds. it's not unrealistic at all. Unethical maybe

[stoneguide]

For me I dont like to shoot over 50yrds. With that said my longest kill on an animal is 55yrds on a bull elk. Ive shot moose and elk out to 50 on numerous occasions and i know my bow could do it beyond that but I feel that when getting out past 60 or so yards its not the energy and such that I worry about its the length of time it takes for that arrow to get there. Allot can happen at them greater distances between when that arrow is released and when it connects. On Outdoor Obssesions when they shot the elk over 100yrds id say its more luck than anything. Sure he had to get the arrow in the right spot but all that elk had to do is take one step or turn a little and that shot would have been a whole different story.
So sure some bows can probably kill out to 90 or 100yrds but your starting to risk allot of other factors when getting to that distance.
SG

[Bow Walker]

It's pretty much the same story with guns. Take the .22 - it's supposed to be lethal out to distances of a mile. Would anyone in there right mind shoot to kill at that distance with a .22?

I thought not.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

100 yards in archery is like the grand in riflery ..... fun to shoot at paper ... with the right equipment the right person can be consistant ... once again with the right equipment very doable on animals.

this thread reminds me ... I was at a 3D shoot and a group of guys were yapping it up that they all killed moose at just over a hundy ... later that day a long shot fun shoot was happening ...they all entered it .... hit the moose and continue on while the line got moved back .... the yardage was given at each line .... they never made it to 100

[Ruger4]

we shoot Rineharts on my property alot , and at times at very extended yardages for the challenge and to see the capabilities of various bow setups and equipment. Shooting 3d targets at 100 yards is one thing , and yes its fun, but a live critter at those distances with all mother natures unexpected input makes these ranges unethical , imo. I've shot with some of the best 3D'ers in the country , 60 yard moose 3D target is no given 10X on any given day , nevermind 100 yards......practice practice practice :mrgreen:

[willyqbc]

The limitation is not with the equipment. A lot of modern hunting archery gear is plenty lethal at ranges of 100 yards and beyond. The Beast's hunting bow shoots a 300 grain arrow at 215 fps which has shown itself to be lethal on a deer at 25 yards.....I can gaurauntee my setup is producing more energy at 100 yards than his does at 25.....so lets take the equipment capability out of the equation for now, with the proper bow/arrow/broadhead combo the equipment is more than capable. The limitation is in the shooter and the time of flight of the arrow. The time it takes even the fastest of todays bows to cover 100 yards is more than enough for an animal to turn or take a step, no matter how unaware of you they may be. The other limitation is obviously the shooter, the amount of people out there that can CONSISTANTLY shoot a hunting size group at distance is tiny. More often what happens......guy shooting groups at 60 yards.... shoots groups of 10", 12", 9", 4"......ask him/her right after that practice session and more often than not you will be told, "getting 4" groups at 60 yds". In my experience people grossly over estimate their own ability based on their best results instead of realistically determining hunting range based on their worst results. Be realistic and honest with yourself when choosing your own effective range.

Just my opinion
Chris

[Big Lew]

It's refreshing to read a thread where most everyone is on the same page, and there's no nasty bantering....good stuff!

[Coyote]

It's bow hunting, not bow shooting. There is way too much to go wrong with shots over 40 or 50 yards no matter how fast your bow is. Unseen brush, animal moves, shooter twitches at last minute. windage, increasingly inaccurate distance estimation, energy/momentum depletion etc, etc etc.
Shorter shots= better shot placement, better bloodtrails, shorter blood trails, more animals recovered. You gotta ask yourself why you would take exceptionally long shots. If you feel the need to shoot an animal at longer distances take your rifle and make it a sure thing.

I do respect those who can shoot accurately at long distances and love to watch a well shot arrow but please, reserve long shots for the 3D range.

'yote

[huntwriter]

Great thread. There is a huge difference between target archery and bowhunting. Shooting at a stationary 3-D target out to 60 plus yards and doing the same on a live animal are two completely different things. In the time between letting the string go and the arrow arriving at the live target many things can happen that often result in a regrettable result no matter how good the shooter is. Back in the years when I outfitted bowhunters the missed and bad shots were almost always the result of long shots. In my opinion it is better to work a bit harder to get close to the animal. I can hit dinner plates at 60 yards all day long but would never dream of taking a single shot at that distance on a live animals. For me 25 to 30 yards is the maximum, preferably even closer.

[proguide66]

I grew up bow hunting and shot a dozen deer with it before I killed anything with a gun ( as my father wasnt a hunter or uncles).I always shot barebow as I was left eye dominant but shot a right handed bow.Once a drilled a bull moose double lung at 65 paces..dead moose.
Years forward , a guy from PSE gave me a new XForce bow for a tip.Holy CRAP it was like shooting a damned gun to me. Front and rear sight , trigger release and the fatses bow on the shelf at the time.
Check out Xforce on you tube. Lots of guys shooting targets at over 100 yrds.
I have been practicing like MAD with it the last few months and have a VERRY small group at 60 , 10" consistant at 80 and feel confident to hit a ram at 90 under the perfect conditions.
The 'limit' is to your own abilities..NOT what other guys 'say';)

Go on youtube , there's loads of guys shooting looong ranges with modern equipment now.

[Bow Walker]

I believe you could/can do it proguide - I also believe you will let the conditions for such a shot influence whether or not you actually attempt a 90 yard shot at a ram high up on a mountainside, with the wind blowing and swirling around your ears - not to mention the ram's ears.

If (and it's a huge 'if') everything comes together, a 90+ yard shot at a live animal is something that is "chancey" at best.

[Ike]

"Know your limit and play within it" As already posted, the limiting factor will ALWAYS be the hunter and he/she needs to respect that and not push the envelope. Unfortunately it happens with rifles too, there are rifle hunters who cleanly miss deer offhand at 50m but who will still take a poke at a moose at 300m, and that is with a scoped rifle

The excitement and challenge of bowhunting comes from stalking closer to the game, I suspect the new equipment has increased most people's maximum range a few yards, but not 30-40.

I practice with my bow out to 90yd but would not shoot that far at an animal even in the best conditions. I take comfort in the fact that I am that much more accurate and powerful at the distances I choose to shoot an animal at, which in my case is probably 50yds max.
Cheers

[Bow Walker]

Just a small 'twitch' when you let the arrow fly, in either your bow-hand or your release hand will send an arrow feet (if not yards) off target at those ranges.

Attempting shots at over 50 yards magnifies any slight imperfection(s) in shooting form. Magnifies imperfections so much that the arrow will likely miss the target/animal anyway.

How many archers have perfect form? How many hunters are experienced enough to be able to control enough variables to make a shot like that? Whether they use archery tackle or a gun.

....and by "variables" I'm talking about the intangible ones that we don't often think about, like controlling breathing and heart beat while shooting. A puffing shooter can miss by a "mile" just because of heavy breathing. Your heartbeat can put the shot off by a "mile" at those distances - let alone nominal shooting ranges.

After all - we are supposedly discussing "Realistic Bow Ranges" as the title suggests....

[Jetboater]

I try to shoot 3 times a week at a 100yds.... in the bush, takes little while to get the target out there... but it sure makes a 30yd shot feel like a chip shot...do I try to shoot animals at 100yds.... heck no, but I have killed deer at 60-70yds without even thinking about it.... range em and put that pin where it is supposed to go with the right conditions and let fly.... mind you I did get to shoot at PSE archery when George chapman was around.... so he help work out the flaws in my shooting....I also shoot broadheads all year that way there is no confusion in how the gear works....

[Big Lew]

Most hunters using compound bows, especially reasonably compatible ones, that are comfortable with their equipment and ability responding to this thread have said they consider the maximum to be fifty yards under the most idealistic conditions, but normally would try to keep under 40 yards and I would agree. There are a select few using modern, fast, and powerful bows that are confident they can make ETHICAL shots out to 70 yards. I wouldn't argue with them knowing a light arrow fired from one of these bows will most likely get there about the same time an heavy arrow from a slow set-up will reach 40 yards, so if the shooter is taking into account all the variables such as wind, ranging, and animal movement before he shoots, yes, for those few, I believe it's ethical for them.

[wsm]

your true comfortability in shooting range is best . mine 30-35 meters

[The Hermit]

All of my bows are capable of killing at far greater distances than I consider ethical shots on live game. I got into bowhunting for the challenge of getting up close and personal not making hero shots. My goal is to get to 10 - 15 yards of my quarry, when that isn't possible they will often walk or run if I've blown the stalk. I shoot HEAVY arrows - 630ish gr and expect total pass throughs. For me, max distance under ideal conditions ...

Longbow (55 lb) 15 yards on deer - 20 on elk/moose
Compound 25 (60lb) on deer - 35 on elk/moose
Crossbow 20 (225 lb) yards on deer 25 on elk/moose (I don't trust the penetration performance of shorter/lighter bolts)

[rocksteady]

I am lucky enough to be watching a fair bit of bow hunting on WildTV...some of those guys claim shots on moose at 60 yards...one guy said 112 yards on an elk??? ?

How many shots did they take to get the one, on tape, that actually hit the critter and killed it clean??? How many animals did they wound at that distance (112) that scampered away with an arrow hanging out of their guts, but the film ends up on the "cutting room floor".????

My own personal comfort factor, using my x-bow is 50 ish yards , give or take a couple, with a range finder, on a calm animal, where I can get a steady rest of some sort.

[Backcountry archer]

I shoot 90 meters all the time at burnaby, my bow a PSE Omen Pro shoots fast. I would never take a shot past 60 yards on anything. I got into bow hunting to get close to the animal. If i want to shoot past 100 yards ill use my rifle
Well said! Practice out as long a range as you want, but realistic situations will magnify bad shots due to wind and animal movement beyond 60 yards. Some of the best archers out there will keep it to a max of even 30 - 40 yards.

[Ambush]

True Story.
A [wants to be] well known bowhunter was sheep hunting in BC several years ago and made a DVD of it. He took SIX shots at sheep ranging from forty yards plus. Two at the same ram from 42 and 47.
On the last day of the hunt, with his last arrow and his last broadhead he shot a ram at 92 yards. You see the ram dissappear and he jumps around yelling "I knew I could make that shot!!" They don't show the recovery.
Now if he knew he could make that 92 yard shot, did he also know that he was going to miss SIX times under sixty yards?
Another VERY well known and respected 3D archery champ and dedicated hunter was also on the mountain at the same time. And although much more capable than 99.7% of the bow hunters out, he would never even consider shooting at an animal that far. He turned down several shot oppurtunities, on film, that he "might" have made.

Can you and will you shoot at a sheep [deer, elk, etc.] at ninety yards, only you know.
But should you? The best [respected] archers and bow hunters in NA would say no.

Stunts are just that. They don't prove the norm.

[J_T]

All of my bows are capable of killing at far greater distances than I consider ethical shots on live game. I got into bowhunting for the challenge of getting up close and personal not making hero shots. My goal is to get to 10 - 15 yards of my quarry, when that isn't possible they will often walk or run if I've blown the stalk. I shoot HEAVY arrows - 630ish gr and expect total pass throughs. For me, max distance under ideal conditions ...

Longbow (55 lb) 15 yards on deer - 20 on elk/moose
Compound 25 (60lb) on deer - 35 on elk/moose
Crossbow 20 (225 lb) yards on deer 25 on elk/moose (I don't trust the penetration performance of shorter/lighter bolts) Well said.

How many people chrono their bow at extended yardage?. I too have a bit of concern with the penetration on the lighter bolts and arrows at yardage. So much can happen in the blink of an eye.

Keep your yardage close. Good thread thus far.

[The Hermit]

Lol bam ibtl

[.300WSMImpact!]

I am lucky enough to be watching a fair bit of bow hunting on WildTV...some of those guys claim shots on moose at 60 yards...one guy said 112 yards on an elk??? Is this a realistic range to be shooting such large animals with a modern bow?? Or is this hollywood talking?? I'm thinking there wouldn't be much energy left in an arrow at those distances??

What is the real in the field practical maximum range for a modern compound bow?? Assuming of course that the archer has the ability to hit his target. What is your longest kill shot??

for me its 30 yards, but other people that practice I am sure can shoot longer yardage, its all about the shooter

[Coming_out_heavy.]

Holy skeletons fell out of the closet batman!

Bahahahaa

[rocksteady]

Forget the bow hunting.....

Let's hear more about the "Guide-ing Light":mrgreen::mrgreen:...sounds like its gonna get rEAL good... :wink::wink::wink:

[J_T]

Talk about your efficient penetration discussions. Ouch.

Well, it was a good thread.....

[Big Lew]

Well, it went well for 31 posts....

[tomahawk]

All things being equal - ethics, conditions for the shot, the shooter's abilities, and everything else - I don't think that shooting at an animal at a distance of more than 50 yards is something that I'd attempt. It's a personal thing and everyone is different. Ask five guys and you'll get five different answers.

The kill range of an arrow (on deer) is surprisingly long - much further than the average person would believe. Gatehouse has the right idea. If the arrow can carry that far - it will kill a "soft-skinned" human.

Shoot to hopefully kill and elk, moose, or bear at long range(s)? Not an especially good idea, or something that I'd even think about. All the animal has to do is to take one or two steps while the arrow is on its way and you've got a wounded animal to track and recover.

Given an arrow speed of 300 fps, it'll take that arrow all of that second (and maybe a bit more) to travel the 100 yards to the animal. How many steps can a calm animal take, while feeding or just walking, in that long second? Two, three, or more? Will it stand still and wait for the arrow? Not likely.

On the other hand, if you "sky-ed" the arrow and it came down on the animal like bomb dropping out of the air, and if that arrow was especially heavy, I suppose it could penetrate and do enough damage to kill an elk or a moose........




Well said and its great that there are still those good folks out there that take all things into consideration rather then just flingin an arrow without concern or respect for the intended animal. My longest shot was on a Mtn Goat at 43 yds and closest was a wolf and bull moose which both were 11 yds. All the rest lie somewhere in between.

[TyTy]

i believe a 100yardish kill is possible. I shoot well enough out to 35yrds with my old fred bear compound, and no sights. thats how i learned to shoot, thats what I know.

[Bow Walker]

Deleted threads because of unwarranted comments and unwanted invective.

Keep that crap to PMs guys.

Now let's carry on with civil discussion here.

[Rectifier]

I've shot 90m with Mike out at Burnaby and there is a lot of energy left in a modern arrow at 100yds. They penetrate the target just as well as any shot from 30m and I have no doubt that his bow and arrows (and probably mine as well) could achieve a pass-thru at 100yds on deer.

It's the aim of the shooter that's the weak link, definately. My max is 40m, past that at 50-60m I know I could still make the shot but would not feel good about it. Perfect conditions and enough practice and you could kill from 100 yards, but when do you have perfect conditions?

[savagecanuck]

My last 2 bucks one was 45yds and the other was 51yds.That is with an old Titan 10 point.I bought a new Exc Equinox with the intent to be succesfull at 60yds