Your Closest Archery Big Game Kill

My closest kill was the width of a row of corn. I was about 19, walking to my stand through corn headrows during peak rut and saw a blur of brown cross about 40 yards ahead of me. I peaked into next row and saw a good buck walking briskly at me. I stepped one row back knocked and barely got to full draw when he got to me, he turned his head wide-eyed and saw me, as he began turning away from me to run I let it go. Looked down the row as he was running away and saw my arrow sticking out of both sides of him. To this day I can't believe that I was able to pull it off in that short order. If my arrow would not have been drawn it would have been touching him with my arm extended, I actually felt the impact in my left arm as it hit him. Probably why my arrow didn't go through, I don' think it left the string before it hit.

Whitetail in VA at 12 yards and a black bear in AK at 12 yards.

I'd have to say a tie between an elk at 11 yards and a bear at 11 yards, both while I was on the ground. Called bull in and shot right through him, small one, but great eating. Fall bear, called this one in with a cow call, came to 11 yards and shot him quartering to me, slid it right behind the shoulder and he only went 80 yards, watched him expire. Fun being close to critters in the wilds, you can't imitate that adrenaline.

About 20 yards give or take ive mine on the biggest bull I have taken so far. I didn't even need my range finder. Just settled my top pin and let it fly.

13 yards on two different bulls and killed a vine maple once on a bear at 12 yards

155 inch Ga public land buck at 30ft straight down. I drew on him 3 times before he finally got far enough from my tree for my arrow to lay on the rest instead of dangling from the string! Cut his right lung in half and exited center heart right between his front legs. Most adrenalin stoked hunt i ever did .

6 yards on a cow elk. It was pretty intense.

Rattlesnake at 8 feet.

I beat my old record!! Eight yards!

It is great when you get close enough to see the heart beat in the veins in there neck and can smell them. That is also when you realize how big they really are.

Congrats !!!!

J E CUSTOM

1...spike elk @ arrow lenght..on other side of little tree in an old logging road...
2...4 point elk @ 20'..heart shot..died 20' from where he was hit....
3...doe @ 5'...i was making bird calls and she walked up to see what dumb bird could sound like that.....
Had 2 black bears with in 10-15'.....no tag....
But the closet wild critter....calf elk on other side of fence....i think the measurement is barbed wired strand thickness....maybe 1/4" inch.......

in a ground blind by a water hole,10 ft shot with bow.

Scouting a ridge, heard a deer coming up and was going to crest right on me. I was standing next to large oak and peeked around to see what it was; if doe, needed to fill freezer so sure enough, it was big one. I drew back and she walked right past the oak I was next to; I think the arrow may have cleared the rest before it hit her! She spun and ran right next to me inches from me heading back down the ridge. I had blood spray on my camo pants! She ran down the ridge right towards my truck which was another blessing that NEVER happens to me. My uncle came over to me where I was dressing her out and didn't believe I shot her on the ground. The shot angle was so steep it was CLEARLY a treestand shot in his mind. I literally had to shoot down quite a bit since I am 6'4" which would mean I had to really focus on shooting down. I still think it was one of my hardest bow shots I have made. I showed him my pants and still couldn't believe it. This was 45+ years ago and remember it like it was yesterday since it was such a cool experience!

My first whitetail with a bow when I was 13 years old was at 8 yards. Killed quite a few within 20 yards. It's always fun getting close to animals. I've been within 5' of deer I haven't killed and have been within 10' of elk I haven't killed.