max yardage

[Smossy]

depends on amount of cover and terraine.  Open country muledeer usually means lots of crawling with bow pushed out in front.  Elk and blacktails you can usually stalk by walking.  Every situation is different.  I never go into a stalk without my bow in my hand.  Spotting the bow is usually on my back.  But that's probably a thread all it's own.

Welp start it up!
I have a nice primo sling I want to get some use out of.

I use a primo sling also. Hunting elk it is a must in my opinion. It is alot quicker to get to my bow if needed than to try to drop my pack and un strap my bow.

Longest shot I will take were I hunt is 40 yards.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[throttlejocky20]

I have shot a deer and an elk at 65 yards but would prefer them closer and everything would have to be as perfect if not better than both those senerios to shoot further!

[norsepeak]

practice to 60 all the time, but my longest shot on a critter was 41 yards.  Shortest shot on an elk though was 31".  I shoot 30" arrows, and the arrow just barely left the string when it hit her.

[carpsniperg2]

Normal conditions I will limit myself to 60. Farthest I have put a first arrow into is 67 yards. I always pay the insurance even on a perfect shot. I have put 2 arrows into a lot of my animals and most of the time they are from 50-90 yards when they get the 2nd.

Double Tap?

Yes

[kentrek]

Normal conditions I will limit myself to 60. Farthest I have put a first arrow into is 67 yards. I always pay the insurance even on a perfect shot. I have put 2 arrows into a lot of my animals and most of the time they are from 50-90 yards when they get the 2nd.

Double Tap?

Yes

kinda off topic...but have you ever passed on the 2nd shot cuz you thought it might do more harm then good as in you know you hit em hard the first time but didnt wana spook em anymore

the only elk ive ever lost i sorta cant help but think me putting a bad 2nd shot (nothing but guts at 75 yards) pushed that elk further away to where i then couldnt ever recover it

[jstone]

I had a big bull tag in 06 shot a bull at 40 yards. With all the excitement I shot a little back. I am a good shot at the range. Found him 3 hours later still alive. Every time he moved I stuck him. I believe after that get that animal down. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alwinearcher]

Normal conditions I will limit myself to 60. Farthest I have put a first arrow into is 67 yards. I always pay the insurance even on a perfect shot. I have put 2 arrows into a lot of my animals and most of the time they are from 50-90 yards when they get the 2nd.

Double Tap?

Yes

kinda off topic...but have you ever passed on the 2nd shot cuz you thought it might do more harm then good as in you know you hit em hard the first time but didnt wana spook em anymore

the only elk ive ever lost i sorta cant help but think me putting a bad 2nd shot (nothing but guts at 75 yards) pushed that elk further away to where i then couldnt ever recover it

I can't speak for Carp, but I personally have never passed up any chance at a second shot.
I "double tapped" two different bulls last year. One I put both in the lungs and the other was in the lungs and then follow up in the rump.. If they are still standing I'm still shooting!

[Johnb317]

I like to jog between stations at the walk through range at Kenmore.   Need to practice shooting uphill, downhill, from a seated position, and from your knees.
First Elk was uphill and I was on my knees... 35 yards.   Last Elk I got.... 5 yards  maybe a spear?

60 is my max if all conditions are right..... wind? range the distance? a lot can happen between the time you release and the arrow gets to the animal.
I'm shooting about 260-280 ft/sec .... have to figure in 6 grs / lb bow pull   yada yada yada

[kentrek]

Normal conditions I will limit myself to 60. Farthest I have put a first arrow into is 67 yards. I always pay the insurance even on a perfect shot. I have put 2 arrows into a lot of my animals and most of the time they are from 50-90 yards when they get the 2nd.

Double Tap?

Yes

kinda off topic...but have you ever passed on the 2nd shot cuz you thought it might do more harm then good as in you know you hit em hard the first time but didnt wana spook em anymore

the only elk ive ever lost i sorta cant help but think me putting a bad 2nd shot (nothing but guts at 75 yards) pushed that elk further away to where i then couldnt ever recover it

I can't speak for Carp, but I personally have never passed up any chance at a second shot.
I "double tapped" two different bulls last year. One I put both in the lungs and the other was in the lungs and then follow up in the rump.. If they are still standing I'm still shooting!

yes thats always been my thoughts too...and still is, just need to get my confidence back up at the longer ranges...that story was three years ago lol...

[carpsniperg2]

Normal conditions I will limit myself to 60. Farthest I have put a first arrow into is 67 yards. I always pay the insurance even on a perfect shot. I have put 2 arrows into a lot of my animals and most of the time they are from 50-90 yards when they get the 2nd.

Double Tap?

Yes

kinda off topic...but have you ever passed on the 2nd shot cuz you thought it might do more harm then good as in you know you hit em hard the first time but didnt wana spook em anymore

the only elk ive ever lost i sorta cant help but think me putting a bad 2nd shot (nothing but guts at 75 yards) pushed that elk further away to where i then couldnt ever recover it

I can't speak for Carp, but I personally have never passed up any chance at a second shot.
I "double tapped" two different bulls last year. One I put both in the lungs and the other was in the lungs and then follow up in the rump.. If they are still standing I'm still shooting!

x2 If the animal still has it feet under it I will stick as many arrows in it as I can. I have never felt like I did more harm then good. It has always been a insurance for me. Once I put a arrow in the animal I want it down asap. I don't care if it's standing there walking away or even running. If I can shoot another arrow I will, not like my bow going off should really spook them more then my arrow already in it's side

I put 3 arrows into a big new Zealand boar. Shot him at 15 yards and hit him high lungs. Knocked another arrow and drilled him on the run at 80-90 yards. Luck more then anything and then he went and brushed up. I ran down and put another threw his heart and he still went 20-30 yards with 2 lung shots and a heart shot. They are tuff sob's

Last thing I ever want is to shoot a animal and have another chance to put a arrows in it. Only to let it walk away and not be able to find it. Then be left with that "I should have shot again" feeling.

[alwinearcher]

I practice more or past 100yds than I do inside of it. 

That's me as well.  Makes that deer at 45 yards feel like a 2' putt.  Since the OP didn't mention anything about hunting I'll say that I do have a 140 yard pin.  But since it is in the "Bowhunting" section I'll say that every day, every animal and every different situation my max yardage is different.  I am what "Duke" Savora called a "Threshold hunter".  Which means I keep stalking closer until I break the threshold between "I think I can kill it" to "I know I can kill it".  Some days I pass on a 30 yard shot and other days I kill them at double that.

I can tell you I have missed more shots under 40 yards than I have beyond 40.  As once inside of 40 yards I tend to not listen to my inner voice as often and take shots before reaching that threshold.  Figuring it's just too easy a shot to miss even if I haven't broken that confidence barrier.  Once I do the proper thing and wait for it, regardless of yardage, I'm nearly 100%.  And probably only short of 100% because of not seeing a branch or two in the arrows path.

Big Horns and Big Antlers really mess with the distance at which I reach that threshold.  I never really feel as though I get buck fever.  But when I've got a large buck in front of me I rarely ever break that threshold until inside 50 yards.  Which really Soucks too as I usually spook those big ones somewhere between 65 and 50 yards.

If I were to set distance to shoot based upon my best arrow groupings I would only shoot at animals at 30 yards and 70 yards.  My worst grouping are always at 40 and 50.  I think it has something to do with my eyes.  I tend to see the target and the pin best at 30 and 70 and shoot best at those distances as a result.  But I know my chances of killing an animal are much greater at 45 and 50 than they are at 70.  Even if the arrow groupings tell otherwise.

Practicing at long distance like 100 or 120 will really extend the point at which you regularly hit that threshold.  If the animal is relaxed it could take you from a 40 yard max to a 50 or 60.  If the animal is not relaxed I suggest keeping it under 30. And at times with an alert whitetail 15 might even be better!

I would also say I have missed more close shots then long ones. Normally if I'm taking a longer shot I am more patient and paying more attention to all the elements of the shot.

Your comments about good groups at 30 and 70 interest me..
Do you shoot a single pin sight or multiple pins?

[Bean Counter]

I can't speak for Carp, but I personally have never passed up any chance at a second shot.
I "double tapped" two different bulls last year. One I put both in the lungs and the other was in the lungs and then follow up in the rump.. If they are still standing I'm still shooting!

good philosophy for game and bad guys alike! 

[RadSav]

Your comments about good groups at 30 and 70 interest me..
Do you shoot a single pin sight or multiple pins?

Both.  Depends on bow and conditions.  While in a blind I'm always shooting a single pin.  When we could actually shoot bulls on the east side I always shot a single pin regardless.  In heavier brush I like a multiple pin as it's easier to determine if I'm going to hit a branch or not.  I'm much less likely to have a target panic issue when shooting a single pin so I do like them better in most instances.  Favorite on the wet side is a three pin slider.

[Axle]

here we go again! 

Yep, I've got dibs on riding shotgun (ooops, page 3 and I'm too late).

Some of us are good at long distance shots and some of us are lousy at long distance shots. Rifle, pistol, or bow - I'm normally good when it counts but I think it's due to concentration and the desire to have quality meat in the freezer. My stomach normally tells me what distance will work.

[DoubleJ]

Only bow hunted 2 years
3 deer (2 blacktail and 1 mulie)
3 shots
first deer was a blacktail at 10 yards
second was a blacktail at 5-7 yards
third was a mulie at 20 yards

I have 20, 30, 40, and 50 yard pins but, only pulling 49lbs of draw weight, I wouldn't shoot at an animal further out than 40 yards.  RadSav told me "1 yard of distance per pound of draw weight" but, I just feel like too much could go wrong in the time it takes my arrow to cover 50 yards and I'm not 100% confident at that distance