Your Longest Archery Big Game Kill

Longest Big Game Kill With Bow

  • Under 20 yards

    Votes: 22 4.3%
  • 21 to 40 yards

    Votes: 132 26.1%
  • 41 to 60 yards

    Votes: 171 33.8%
  • 61 to 80 yards

    Votes: 111 21.9%
  • 81 to 100 yards

    Votes: 40 7.9%
  • Over 100 yards

    Votes: 30 5.9%

  • Total voters
    506
@biff's reloading
I agree with your post and have been thinking about this since I read this thread and made my
"longest archery shot" post.
I believe in practicing at longer ranges in all shooting disciplines which makes the shorter shots a slam dunk.
But here is what I found several years ago, one of the does I harvested that day flinched. It wasn't the longest shot of the day either. If I remember correctly, it was a 55 yard shot.
I know without a doubt that she was hearing the arrow coming. A few years after my "longest archery shot" day I pulled up to my brothers house and he was shooting his bow. I heard his arrow as I went through the air, I was quartering towards him - off side from the target.
I asked him to back up a try from 70 and I could not believe the noise. I was off side of the target by about 20'. I don't have the greatest hearing and Could only imagine what a wild animal might hear.
For the record, my furthest elk harvest is 27 yards. Never had the need to shoot longer than that.
 
@biff's reloading
I agree with your post and have been thinking about this since I read this thread and made my
"longest archery shot" post.
I believe in practicing at longer ranges in all shooting disciplines which makes the shorter shots a slam dunk.
But here is what I found several years ago, one of the does I harvested that day flinched. It wasn't the longest shot of the day either. If I remember correctly, it was a 55 yard shot.
I know without a doubt that she was hearing the arrow coming. A few years after my "longest archery shot" day I pulled up to my brothers house and he was shooting his bow. I heard his arrow as I went through the air, I was quartering towards him - off side from the target.
I asked him to back up a try from 70 and I could not believe the noise. I was off side of the target by about 20'. I don't have the greatest hearing and Could only imagine what a wild animal might hear.
For the record, my furthest elk harvest is 27 yards. Never had the need to shoot longer than that.
And in the dead calm of the moment, the thunk is like a gunshot to an animal with 8" long ears!

I practice that far because if I did flub a close shot, I can hit him again as long as I can see him. If I found him wounded, bedded, I could poke him again at long range before he stood up. It's part of the "mastery of the equipment" that guys dont usually bother with. getting a fast clean kill is my #1 priority...punching tags is the bottom of the list
 
@biff's reloading
I agree with your post and have been thinking about this since I read this thread and made my
"longest archery shot" post.
I believe in practicing at longer ranges in all shooting disciplines which makes the shorter shots a slam dunk.
But here is what I found several years ago, one of the does I harvested that day flinched. It wasn't the longest shot of the day either. If I remember correctly, it was a 55 yard shot.
I know without a doubt that she was hearing the arrow coming. A few years after my "longest archery shot" day I pulled up to my brothers house and he was shooting his bow. I heard his arrow as I went through the air, I was quartering towards him - off side from the target.
I asked him to back up a try from 70 and I could not believe the noise. I was off side of the target by about 20'. I don't have the greatest hearing and Could only imagine what a wild animal might hear.
For the record, my furthest elk harvest is 27 yards. Never had the need to shoot longer than that.
When I lived in Billings ,Montana I always took my bow to work,was a contractor,at noon every day I would shoot at nothing closer than 50 yds.,out to 80 yds, practicing this way you really learned to judge the distance, that way 50 and under were like you say Slam Dunk! hardhead
 
For the record, my furthest elk harvest is 27 yards. Never had the need to shoot longer than that.
Need? Absolutely not. Want? Yes.
Long range hunting.
Do we need to shoot elk or lopes or deer at 800-900-1000+ yards? No. I'd wager that 99.9 percent of every one of those shots could have easily had the distance cut in half. Back when I rifle hunted, I spent half a morning trying to get farther away from a muley and still have a good shooting position.

Now let me say, everything you said has a lot of merit. And the closeness of bow hunting is why we do it. But occasionally I still like to long range hunt. And in the thick woods of south Mississippi, it's waaaaay easier to long rang bow hunt. We just don't have the terrain for much LR rifle hunting.
I'm makin 109 lbs of KE with a .641 momentum factor.

Tip. I'm seeing much less wind drift with very aggressive helical fletchings. At 100 yards I don't even consider my drift leaving white vitals until 8 mph 90 degrees.
Straight vanes with broadheads are a nightmare in wind.
 
Need? Absolutely not. Want? Yes.
Long range hunting.
Do we need to shoot elk or lopes or deer at 800-900-1000+ yards? No. I'd wager that 99.9 percent of every one of those shots could have easily had the distance cut in half. Back when I rifle hunted, I spent half a morning trying to get farther away from a muley and still have a good shooting position.

Now let me say, everything you said has a lot of merit. And the closeness of bow hunting is why we do it. But occasionally I still like to long range hunt. And in the thick woods of south Mississippi, it's waaaaay easier to long rang bow hunt. We just don't have the terrain for much LR rifle hunting.
I'm makin 109 lbs of KE with a .641 momentum factor.

Tip. I'm seeing much less wind drift with very aggressive helical fletchings. At 100 yards I don't even consider my drift leaving white vitals until 8 mph 90 degrees.
Straight vanes with broadheads are a nightmare in wind.
I do t know if you have ever bow killed an elk before but they are very tough critters, that being said. Well let's just say I would never ever try to set myself up for a long range bow shot on an elk. Not that deer are any less deserving of an quick clean kill but a whitetail doe is not the same as an elk. I brought up whitetail doe because it's what my longest shot was on.
I agree somewhat with the helical twist and will add that some blazer type vanes are very noisy
 
I do t know if you have ever bow killed an elk before but they are very tough critters, that being said. Well let's just say I would never ever try to set myself up for a long range bow shot on an elk. Not that deer are any less deserving of an quick clean kill but a whitetail doe is not the same as an elk. I brought up whitetail doe because it's what my longest shot was on.
I agree somewhat with the helical twist and will add that some blazer type vanes are very noisy
Yessir. Quiet a few elk.
 
Yessir. Quiet a few elk.
Used the same setup for Elk in the Missouri Breaks, 3 4" left wing slight Helical and my Eskimo, all the way through a 375# Cow,she expired about 75 yds. away, both lugs,they are tuff she was between 35 and 40 yds. when hit. 2 different sets of crock sticks and they were dangerously sharp. when I stick bow hunt I shoot a 700 gr. arrow,when using a compound they were 375 gr. Speed does help but it must be sharp enough to shave with.
 
64 yards back in 2004. 400gr helical fletched 3 blade muzzy at 64lb. First deer I made the book with. I practice at 80 today with that same bow. I would shoot a deer at 80 and an elk at 60. I would add 25gr and a two blade cut on contact for elk. My goal is a 100yd buck I would just need a newer faster bow to put the energy on target.
 
Need? Absolutely not. Want? Yes.
Long range hunting.
Do we need to shoot elk or lopes or deer at 800-900-1000+ yards? No. I'd wager that 99.9 percent of every one of those shots could have easily had the distance cut in half. Back when I rifle hunted, I spent half a morning trying to get farther away from a muley and still have a good shooting position.

Now let me say, everything you said has a lot of merit. And the closeness of bow hunting is why we do it. But occasionally I still like to long range hunt. And in the thick woods of south Mississippi, it's waaaaay easier to long rang bow hunt. We just don't have the terrain for much LR rifle hunting.
I'm makin 109 lbs of KE with a .641 momentum factor.

Tip. I'm seeing much less wind drift with very aggressive helical fletchings. At 100 yards I don't even consider my drift leaving white vitals until 8 mph 90 degrees.
Straight vanes with broadheads are a nightmare in wind.
Do you find you have more arrow noise with an aggressive helical? I run a left hand off set with my 3in tac vanes
 
Do you find you have more arrow noise with an aggressive helical? I run a left hand off set with my 3in tac vanes
I'm sure there's a difference, but I'd say it's not a noticeable difference to human ears.

What we've found in our long range bow experiments is that broad head design is the biggest factor in in flight noise.
The worst I've witnessed is a montec g5 85 grain when they first came out. We're talking comical coyote roadrunner type sound. Like a bottle rocket during flight.
 
When I was young,dumb and about 40 I was playing around with Zwickey Delta I had a bunch of shafts finished and went outside to see how they flew I was shooting a martin 80# Dual cam, the first shaft "was shooting at 20 yds t see how they reacted" the string slipped from my fingers ,the arrow started at the target and at about half way there,it took a 6 foot dive to the left and stuck in the barn about 50 feet away!! I found out they were very temperamental and in the wind look out everyone..... went to the Zwickey Black Diamond after that the to the Eskimo, Hardhead
 
For those guys who answerd "over 100 yards" - I'd be interested in hearing you biggest fish story too.
I don't want to get into an argument. I have only done 64yds. 100yards with today's equipment and technology is totally possible. Sure a low percentage can do it Just like people shooting 1000yds. Doubters have it easy to discredit. Accomplishers get things done and don't worry about the chatter from the peanut gallary watching the show.
 
I don't want to get into an argument. I have only done 64yds. 100yards with today's equipment and technology is totally possible. Sure a low percentage can do it Just like people shooting 1000yds. Doubters have it easy to discredit. Accomplishers get things done and don't worry about the chatter from the peanut gallary watching the show.
Well said.
 

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