longest shot?

[MagKarl]

I tried to shoot a BT doe in the late season many years ago.  She was broadside, but staring right at me.  I swear she moved so fast she had time to swap ends and bound by the time my arrow got there.  Range?  Maybe 30 yards.  Learned a lot on that one. 

[KimberRich]

My one and only archery kill was a WT doe at 21 yds a couple years ago.  I was instantly hooked for life.

[PA BEN]

Anyone who shoots over 47 yards is not a true sportsman or bowhunter... it is unethical and would make Fred Bear roll over in his grave. Howard Hill too.... Geesh....

Howard Hill killed an elk at 125 yds, he missed with his first shot and got him w/the second one. I've killed two elk at 60 yds. Most of my shots are between 14 to 30 yds.

[huntingaddiction]

I think a lot of this is first of all your gear and is it capable of that.  Also How much do you practice and are you comfortable shooting at these distances!

[Jonathan_S]

I think a lot of this is first of all your gear and is it capable of that.  Also How much do you practice and are you comfortable shooting at these distances!

I think the quality of equipment is higher than the quality of 98% of shooters.  In my opinion, if you can put a Washington legal arrow and sharp broadhead in the right place, it will kill that animal everytime. 

Putting it in the right place is obviously a combination of equipment and shooter but as long as a mainstream bow is set up properly, it's in the shooter's hands   

RadSav just recently posted about his wife killing elk out to 55 yards and I doubt she's shooting 70# bows with blazing IBO speeds and heavy pile-driver arrows. 

[RadSav]

RadSav just recently posted about his wife killing elk out to 55 yards and I doubt she's shooting 70# bows with blazing IBO speeds and heavy pile-driver arrows.

If she would shoot the dang things head-on at 3 feet she wouldn't need to shoot 55 yards

But, yeah this whole western hemanly high poundage, need the energy of a 30-06 out of my bow thing isn't necessary.  Maybe if we are talking traditional longbows it's an issue, but not much with modern compounds and good sharp broadheads.  Lorraine doesn't always get exit wounds, but she has only a 24.5" draw length and shoots 50#.  Since she knows where the heart is we rarely need to blood trail her animals anyway.  Her last big bull was also at 55 yards.  Shooting Beman ICS 500's she got 24" of penetration after breaking a rib.  That bull went unusually far for her average elk kill.  I'm thinking he made it 60 or 65 yards with a blood trail a blind angry squaw could follow without stopping once.

Even with her low poundage and short draw length I rarely ever find an arrow in a deer she has shot.  Usually takes longer to find the arrow five or ten yards past impact than it does to find the deer.  And trust me...she is a killing machine with a bunch of critters under her belt!  So these aren't flukes!

[D-Rock425]

Radsav is right (as usual). Really high poundage isn't a must anymore.  Look at uncle ted he's been shooting 50 pounds for a long long time and probably kills more animals in 1 year than I've killed in all my life. 

[RadSav]

Let's look at it this way;

In my hayday I was shooting a good number of animals a year between most western states, Catalina, Texas and South Carolina.  I was shooting 68# with a 28.5" draw length and 2115 X7 aluminum arrows cut to 27.5".  My chrony speed was 225 fps.  Now if I were to take my current Bowtech Experience and wanted to shoot the same arrows I did back then I'd have to drop my draw weight to 43#!  Yep, 43# of draw weight to equal the setup that landed me about 16 elk back in those days, not to mention all the big bear and pigs that went along with that.  And here is the real kicker - If I type those numbers into Archers Advantage (Experience, 43#, 28.5" draw, 27.5" 2115, 117 grain point) guess what my estimated speed is?  Yep, 225 fps.  Same as it was 25 years ago when everyone told me I had to shoot at least 65# to get adequate penetration and performance to shoot more than 45 yards.

[D-Rock425]

Alright since your throwing out numbers and stuff in your opinion do you think the 6 grains per pound rule is still necessary for Washington or is it kinda outdated law?  I really think a 350 grain arrow at 65 or 70 pounds would blow right through an elk

[RadSav]

Alright since your throwing out numbers and stuff in your opinion do you think the 6 grains per pound rule is still necessary for Washington or is it kinda outdated law?  I really think a 350 grain arrow at 65 or 70 pounds would blow right through an elk

I honestly don't believe the 6 grain rule was passed to assure penetration and/or efficiency.  In talking with Glen St. Charles, who actively lobbied for it, his goal was to keep bowhunting "Primitive".  He feared that success rates with fast arrows would lead to the loss of hunting days for bowhunters.  And since those in Olympia don't understand anything about archery equipment conjecture and fear were the tools used to sway the vote.  He told me on more than one occasion how disappointed he was they did away with the 400 grain minimum. Even if it did discriminate against women and young bowhunters.

To answer your question about 350 grain arrow from 65 or 70 pounds let's once again look at the success my wife has had.  The arrows she has been using for the past eight or so years have been 356 grains.  For her that's 7.1 grains per pound of draw weight.  From her 50# Kobalt they travel at 215.3 fps.  She has not once failed to kill an elk she has shot.  And I do not remember ever tracking an elk she has shot for more than 80 yards (Most have been less than 45).  She has proven it not only accurate, but deadly efficient out to 63 yards.

[kingfisher82]

28yrds on my first deer. All the rest at 15yrds or below

[xXLojackXx]

Alright since your throwing out numbers and stuff in your opinion do you think the 6 grains per pound rule is still necessary for Washington or is it kinda outdated law?  I really think a 350 grain arrow at 65 or 70 pounds would blow right through an elk

I honestly don't believe the 6 grain rule was passed to assure penetration and/or efficiency.  In talking with Glen St. Charles, who actively lobbied for it, his goal was to keep bowhunting "Primitive".  He feared that success rates with fast arrows would lead to the loss of hunting days for bowhunters.  And since those in Olympia don't understand anything about archery equipment conjecture and fear were the tools used to sway the vote.  He told me on more than one occasion how disappointed he was they did away with the 400 grain minimum. Even if it did discriminate against women and young bowhunters.

To answer your question about 350 grain arrow from 65 or 70 pounds let's once again look at the success my wife has had.  The arrows she has been using for the past eight or so years have been 356 grains.  For her that's 7.1 grains per pound of draw weight.  From her 50# Kobalt they travel at 215.3 fps.  She has not once failed to kill an elk she has shot.  And I do not remember ever tracking an elk she has shot for more than 80 yards (Most have been less than 45).  She has proven it not only accurate, but deadly efficient out to 63 yards.

So you're implying that my 84 lb draw and 505gr arrows will penetrate adequately? 

[RadSav]

So you're implying that my 84 lb draw and 505gr arrows will penetrate adequately? 

Even if they are wearing sinter block and plywood flack jackets   I know they must wear them somewhere.  Because that's what all the experts test broadheads for!

[throttlejocky20]

Longest shot on elk 65
Longest shot on deer 55
Passed a 75 yard shot on a buck last season (there was to many variables, Up hill and side hill, slight wind, adrenalin, ECT)
With that said I practice out to 100 yards and have a hard time shooting an animal over 60. The only reason I shot the elk is I had my old man behind me telling me I could make the shot and whispering behind me all the things I needed to hear (smooth breaths, steady anchor, pick a spot, smooth release). With out him there I would have passed the opportunity.