Would you take a shot at 80yds?

[gerald strine]

No I would not their is to much time for the deer to move at the sound of the shot causing a poor hit.

[Shotnbeer]

Nope. I don't take 20 yard shots unless I feel 100% on the target. Like agingxbower in my younger day with a compound and lots of practice 50 yards was not that tough of a shot but as I get older I think you start to think alot more about what happens afterwards if the shot isn't perfect.

[Archer Ontario]

shoot what you feel comfortable shooting
as for me i have hunted with my compound for 25 years and have taken 2 moose 11 bears 2 caribou and 6 turkey and many many deer closest is 4 yards fartherst 32 yards.
but 80 yards ??????? its archery CLOSER THE BETTER.
i shoot a vortex now and shoot all the time and i can shoot to 100 in practice but wont pull trigger after 40 while hunting!!!!!!!
dont need to dont want too!!!!!!!!!
if you watch shows all the time and the general hunting community see guys shooting 70-80 yards with there equipment then they think its alright to do it sending the wrong message IMO

[FLA-XBOW]

I can shoot 3 1/2 inch groups at 75 yards and it buries the bolt over half way in my block fusion with my buck commander, i wouldnt hesitate with a shooting stick on a deer at that range.

Sean

[rtravers44]

My phoenix throws boltcutter tipped bolts into a nice tight cluster even at 50 yards, that being said however I wouldn`t like the guy in the mirror the next morning after I wound a deer. No way do I take a shot even outside 40 yards. There is way too much that can go wrong and the animals we hunt deserve better.

[gendoc]

the animals we hunt deserve better.

best reason i heard so far, other than "no way past 40"

[papa bear1]

NO!!!! But i am a person who believes if something can go wrong it will !!. Lot's of variable's... when i started bow hunting back in the late 50's , you didn't have the bow's like we have today,, you waited for the right shot to present itself or you didn't shoot...! I guess that still is embeded in my brain Even with the technology of the equiptment we have today, i am still a 20-25yrd. hunter.. I guess I always will be. BUT with that said (IF"") you are good at long shots then by all means go for it;;;; let your concious be your guide I am sure you will make the right shot when the time comes.

papabear1

[bob1961]

i seen a show with one of those black rifle xbows and the guy did try it at 90 yards ....missed by at least 3 feet to the right to boot ....then went on to say he never shot the bow before, that he just got it ........bob

....

[Onetimeonly x-->]

80yds is a long way! I don't think you would want
to try it in the hard woods. Maybe in an open field.
I would have to say no! Too many variables!

[awshucks]

Once upon a time............Smokepole Hall, aka Vixenmaster, went to a benefit shoot for a war vet in damn near Knoxville, I picked him up in Memphis.

I petered out of the 3-D, too hot and hilly, so was amusing myself shooing at an "unknown" distance target for 1/2 the pot. The target was a 2.5' white bear w/ a snuff can sized target on it's chest. I'd shot maybe 9 arrows and never even hit the bear.

As I was sitting in the shade at scoring table, I noticed a butt target way back at end of range. It dawned on me that this was the 100 yd range and I pegged the bear at 80 yds, 81 actual.

Mike showed up, it was 2nd day, we were wanting to get on the road.... My scope has aim points to 60 yds.
I put the 60 on bull, looked to see where 40 was on butt backstop, shot 3 more arrows by holding 60 yd over where 40 was. Hit the bear all 3 shots, missed bull by 1/4" and 3/4".

So for me, 80 yds is not only No, but Hell No!!

[TYE]

I'd take a shot at any nice lookin doe no matter how far she was!

Oh, darn you're talking about deer.... Oops

[ninepointer]

When I was a rookie crossbow hunter I foolishly attempted a long shot (estimated 40 yards) at a doe in the woods. I had a clear opening and I told myself, “I can do this, I do 40 yards at the range all the time.” So I held on my 40 yard chevron and let fly.

The first thing I noticed was the sound of my arrow colliding with branches, well ABOVE the opening I was looking through. I had of course forgotten just how high an arrow has to travel above the line of sight.

The second thing I noticed was the clatter of my arrow hitting the forest floor beside the deer. My arrow had been thrown off course and the deer left the scene unscratched. Thank goodness for that.

[sumner4991]

If I were trained to take 80 yard shots, then I would take them.

However, I am only good to 40.

[agingcrossbower]

Another option on shooting longer distances is SNOW. I would take an 80 yard shot with snow if the freezer was empty any day of the week. Would be sure of a hit or miss and could track it to the ends of the earth if wounded. Only problem would be yotes getting to it first.

[wabi]

I have had a forum member tell me he shot & killed a buck at 60 yards with an Exomag. The deer never moved when he shot, and his aim was true. I believe him, but I also consider him somewhat lucky and a whole lot foolish.

This was several years ago and at the time it inspired me to do some experimenting. During the summer/fall (before season) I spent a good bit of time in my tree stand overlooking the food plot with my Exocet and field points (not sure it was 100% legal?). I would range what appeared to be calm/relaxed feeding deer, then shoot an arrow into the ground below the stand and observe the deer's reaction to the noise.

As the distance increases the chance of "jumping the string" decreases!

I seemed to be somewhere around 50 to 60 yards where a good many deer seemed to basically ignore the sound. Some would simply go on feeding, some would jerk their head up and look my direction, but a few would still bolt at the noise.
(I've also had deer at 30 yards ignore the sound, but not very often!)

Some deer seem to be a bit "higher strung" than others, but it's impossible to judge them from appearance! It does seem the older the deer the more likely it is to react. A yearling at 80 yards would be a better bet for a successful shot than and old buck or doe.

At 80 yards, even if the deer doesn't react to the noise it still has a lot of time to shift it's position before the arrow hits. One small step to get that tuft of clover or acorn "over there" could mean the difference between a lung shot and a gut shot!

It isn't worth the chance to me!
If that "buck of a lifetime" is 80 yards from my stand/blind today, I'll simply try to figure out a way to decrease the distance to 20 yards tomorrow.

That's just one of the things that keeps me spending so much time hunting them.
Killing deer is a big part of it, but it's also about outsmarting them.