I have to start off by saying the points made are quite valid, and possibly even a very good guideline in most cases. But guidelines aren't rules, and therefore, I'm going to attempt to shoot you down.

I've been bowhunting for 6 years now. I don't put in endless hours in the off season, mainly because up until now, I've lived in an apartment in the middle of town and failed to prioritize to give myself enough time to head out to a place I could shoot and get plenty of practice in. But in the couple months before season, I'm getting plenty of time in to be very tuned by the time I have a whitetail behind my sight pin.

I choose to make 40 yards my limit. I do so because I consistently group under 4" (often under 3") at that range. So that's where I can feel confortable. Your point of how the deer can take a half a step and the arrow will be out of the kill zone is completely accurate. However my view is, this can happen no matter what distance you're shooting at, and can happen at any time. What I feel is right as a hunter, is I'm taking the time to make myself a fine tuned hunting machine. I'm taking the time to ensure if a shot presents itself, I can hit that shot out to the distance I have set for myself. That is ethical in my opinion because it's what I'm capable of. If I was capable of predicting what a deer's next movement would be, I wouldn't even bother going hunting because I'd be bored after one hunt. And some of those unforseen instances can cause a wounded animal and a very unclean kill, which I believe is very very unfortunate. But I don't feel as if my reducing my range to 30 yards will effectively eliminate that "chance" in the hunt. Hell, one could even argue that if I practiced til I could shoot my bow in my sleep and could make a 60 yard shot, I'd be that less likely to spook the deer by movement and smell than I would at 30 yards. (With the exception of jumping the string, but I haven't had that happen to me yet, *knocking on wood)

Your next point on the "magic of bowhunting" is a very valid point as well. I whole-heartedly agree that technology and advancements take away from that magic and there is some sadness to that fact. The difference, I would say, is that the "magic" you speak of, is different for everyone as well. Just like the ethical distance of shot can be. I've stalked to within 15 yards of a pronghorn antelope using ravines and had my heart going like no other. But I've also spent an hour stalking within 150 yards with my rifle and still had the same adrenaline when I saw a gorgeous whitetail in the scope. There's something to be said for being inside that distance where the deer just senses you, knows you're there but not quite sure where, snorts and wheezes and stomps the ground, all the while you're close enough to smell the animal. There's nothing like that, but that's magical no matter if I'm planning on releasing an arrow at 10, 20, 50 yards, etc.. A sportsman should strive for moments like that where he/she can find a connection to nature and beast unlike anything else we could experience, but I think that is an entirely seperate issue from a distance someone should shoot game.

Without a doubt in my mind, to be an ethical hunter, there is a distance absolutely everyone should not shoot beyond. But that distance is different for each and every one of them. To be ethical, that person better damn well know what that distance is. If not, get outta the field.

SD_Whitetail_Hntr gave a very in-depth answer, and I agree with him. To summarize: rather than setting a blanket limit for everyone, each individual needs to determine his own maximum ethical range and stick with it.

If you want a short blood trail, 'cause they will not all be DRT, let them call you "short shot, the merciful."
I stand.

I agree, 30 yards, treestand or not. While I have yet to successfully take a deer with my recurve, I know I can usually hit at that range or less. I keep trying, though tendonitis limited me to shotgun season last year. Of course in the tangled second and third growth woods where I hunt, there are virtually no possibility of shooting an arrow unimpeded by leaves or brush at ranges greater than 30 yards anyway.

Archery seasons started out offering the close up challenge that is why in most parts of the country they are long. Now with all the new tech that has been brought to hunters they seem to have developed an invincibility complex leading some to sloppiness.
Each season I continue to find more deer arrow wounded or dead and not recovered. In addition to these wasted animals; while processing my deer about one in three have old wounds with embedded broadheads other hunters are relaying similar stories.
30 yard limit is a good benchmark that would help keep bow hunting viable for future generations of hunters. I keep my shots 20 yards or less mainly because I like the challenge of getting close and the certainty of a quick kill.

Let's see how many people I can hack off on this one . . . I think that the reliance on technological breakthroughs has, more than anything, made hunters a bit more impatient than they used to be and feel like they HAVE to take a longer shot simply because "the ad says you can consistently hit bulls-eyes from 50 yards and beyond". Some feel that they don't want to take the chance of getting too close and spooking the animal or taking too much time to get close. I guess I have no real opinion on whether 30 yards is the magic number, but I certainly agree that each hunter should know his own limitations. If you aren't geared for a longer shot, or aren't comfortable with it, you shouldn't take it. I couldn't condemn someone if they made an ethical kill at 50 yards, either. But I would question whether they had the gear and ability to do it consistently.

I'm sure plenty of hunters think 30 yards is a chip shot and they will swear up and down they're dead on out to 60 yards. Good for you and I wish you luck, because yours is running out. I have never shot farther than 20 to 25 yards with almost all my shots no farther than 15 yards. I set my stands as close as possible to scrapes and runways, and I don't shoot if the deer is on high alert. The last thing I want is a 9 hour tracking marathon for a gut shot deer.

I AGREE THAT 30 Yards is a very reasonable limit on most shots taken with todays modern equipment. BUT,,will agree that hunting Western States many shots are often taken at longer distances. I do have a good bit of experence bending a bow, I started when my father and brother bought me a Bear Kodiak in the Mid 60s,I was 11. I have never looked back, about 43 years! As for deer jumping the string, I made a bad shot at 18 yards last year, I released a shaft just as the deer turned, nothing I could do but back out and track it later. It was not a bad shot to take,,but the deer just moved! I have had several deer jump the string, over the years,,If you havent had one do that, YOU WILL!! Bottome line,,,,dont take shot that you know is beyond your ability!!! best longbeards

I don't have an arbitrary shoot don't shoot range and here's why. I will pass on a shot that might be only 15 yds if the deer is obviously alert and ready to jump at the slightest sound. Likewise would pass on a shot at a walking deer. On the other hand a buck in the act of making a rub at 35 yds, broadside is a very stable target that I can double lung hit every time from my stand or blind. I always clear shooting lanes and do not try shooting thru brush. Also the Rage 2 blade broadheads I use are deadly (and fast). We have not lost a deer yet when shot with this set up. Do practice shooting from your stand and/or blind. It will make you a better hunter. What I'm trying to say is each shooting situation is different and range is only one part of the equation. Sorry Buckhunter, guess ol' Del has to disagree.

30-35 yards is as far as i will shoot because i to agree that the slightest movement of a deer and can cause wounding or you could shoot it in the gut and the animal may not die for a couple a days and you wont find the deer. But i do see that if you are comfortable shooting at farther ranges, its fine with me...just make sure you can pull the shot off

Two shoot down arguments I read here:

"I can shoot a certain size group at a certain range, therefore that is my comfortable range." - First off, field shooting and practicing in your backyard are completely different and the latter never works out as well as the former. Second, you don't get to shoot groups at deer. Sure your groups look good, but there are fliers. That flier is FAR more likely to happen in field shooting.

"Deer can jump the string at any range, so why limit it?" - You can also crash at any speed, so should you try to drive 180 down the highway? Extending your range only increases the chances of this happening. "I have deer jump string at 20" - "Yeah so let's try even more range and see how that goes!" Great logic...

Basically y'all are failing miserably at shooting this one down. That's because you can't. It's a rock solid rule of thumb.

I also hate to hear "it's all about your ability and what you're comfortable with". Not necessarily true, whether it's running deer, long range rifle shots, or pushing it with a bow. There are variables that are beyond even the greatest shots' ability to control or overcome. I guess some aren't willing to admit that their abilities are limited to less than they think or that there are in fact things they can't control. Unfortunately some game will suffer due to these "abilities". 9/10 isn't good enough for me.

I agree with hengst, It's nobodys business but yours.

Shane- I often see the same arguments as yours for people who think absolutely everyone should limit themselves to a specific distance.

"field shooting and practicing in your backyard are completely different" - You are only half right here. This is no different than the rest of the point I was making. A person has got to know the difference between shooting in the backyard and shooting in the field. When I'm sitting in a treestand, my max distance is usually 20 yards unless there happens to be a huge open shooting lane which there typically isn't.. but 30 yards in a tree stand is an absolute max. Same goes for hunting timber even without a treestand. But I live in the high plains. Last year, I grunted my buck from a marsh out into pastureland. With the exception of the hill I was laying on, flat for miles. No tree branches or other outlying factors. The only difference, is this target isn't high density foam, and here's where our opinions differ completely. I was taught, when I'm practicing archery, every single action has to be mechanic. The way I draw the bow, the way I breathe, the way I align(kisser button first, then string to nose, then peep to sight)... every single thing I do from nocking the arrow to release needs to be a mechanical movement the exact same every time.. Why was I taught that way? So in the field, with a nice buck standing 20 yards away, I don't let the deer get the best of me and alter my movements in any way at all. So when it comes to my actions and my abilities, shooting in the field is ABSOLUTELY NOT different than shooting in the back yard. As long as I recognize 1) the differences in my surroundings and 2) the variables brought forth by an extremely elusive creature with unparalleled senses.

You say "There are variables that are beyond even the greatest shots' ability to control or overcome". Yup there are. In bow hunting those variables can ruin a shot at 10 yards the same as 30, same as 40 (I consider my limit). An arrow shot from my bow at 292 fps takes one tenth of a second to get from the 30 yard line to the 40 yard line. I don't understand how you can accurately tell me that in that tenth of a second, variables will have so much greater an effect on my shot, that I absolutely can not take it.

Let's be sure I'm understood as to how I actually react in the field. In the last 5 years of archery hunting I have released 2 arrows aimed at deer. One was at 15 yards, double lung, not even sure how it missed the heart when I checked the wound. Second, 23 yards, double lung and heart. Neither deer went more than 80 yards before dropping cold. I'm VERY picky when I take a shot, ESPECIALLY if there are factors limiting the shot. Last year I sat in a treestand with the biggest buck I've seen on an archery hunt 25 yards away. There was 2 small branches that were sort of in the way when he was in the only opening. He toyed around with corn stocks at the edge of the tree grove for 30 minutes before disappearing into the corn. I could have had 4 or 5 opportunities with those two branches that I honestly think there was a 95% chance they wouldn't have come into play. But I didn't shoot. But if I'm in a ground blind, with a whitetail deer standing at 39 yards drinkin out of a water hole. I'm releasing that arrow.. And not a bone in my body believes for a second it won't smoke through his vitals. Because I know I'll make that shot.

Time to upgrade and retire Daddies bow!

2poppa- You are grounded, go to your room. I also like to shoot long distaces for fun, but to take that shot at an animal is completely unethical. A couple inches one way and now you have a deer suffering with a broken jaw. If it is so far away you cant tell the differance between a buck and a doe, I would say thats too far. You are one heck of a story teller, but I would have prefered this one ending with, then I woke up. If anyone else had posted this, they would be all over you like flies on s**t, but thats how it is with the F&S inner circle of blowhards.

I agree with dukkillr and SD_whitetail_Hntr everyone has their own limit. To illustrate the point, I currently will not shoot at a deer past 200 yards. I know my rifles capabilities as well as my own. In a few years I may feel differently, but for now 200 yards is my personal limit for rifles.

One more thing, each and every shot is a case by case bases just like a fingerprint!

Same deerstand and same exact location I may pass today, may pass tomorrow then who knows what I will do on the next day??? I may never shoot at all!!!

IMHO I agree with the 30 yard rule but I'm not that experienced with a bow so anything beyond that is out of my comfort zone. I'm new to Archery shooting/hunting.

I also think it depends on your ability and skill. Some people I know practice out to 50 yards and hit the kill zone on 3d targets.

been bowhuntin 38 years- Shot to far-WAY to far in my early years-for me anyway! now use a pendalum sight- only good out to where the bow shoots flat-32 yards- That's it for me! Won't trim my shooting lanes any farther.

Rseidl-that excuse is so full of crap.I dont even know where to start.

Does a crossbow give you added range? They are now legal in Tennessee?

How far away was Fred Bear when he took alot of his shots???????? To each his own I will still shoot farther than 30 if an animal is NOT spooky and confortable. I go to great lengths to keep my bow quiet.

Hengst- Do you even know what your effective range is, or are you just shooting cause the animal is still standing there.Your how far did Fred Bear shoot line, does not fly either.

I agree 30 is right. To me its all about how close I can get to the deer before I kill it. If I want to shoot over that yardage I'll use my muzzleloader.

I have one setting on my bow that shoots from 8-25 yds it is red and despite the bow specialist telling me everyone misses their first deer I connected on a doe the evening before gun season taking off the camp meat pressure of the gun hunters that were sitting around camp while I was nestled in a prime stand sending rage expandable through boiler rooms. Red is dead within my rookie comfortable bow range, and if my stand isn't in the right spot I'll just wait until muzzle loading season to take a shot. CVA with Nikon BDC...affordable accurate whitetail medicine and the rut in AR peaked in Muzzle loading, so forget, MOA Centerfire, how accurate are you and your muzzleloader? Your tags will be filled before you ever break out that self-bought Christmas present bolt action.Cheers.

totally and completely agree

I know a guy who has been bowhunting for prob. at least 50 years he shoots a homemade recurve and his range is 70+ yards he has practiced so much and he is so expericenced he just knows... everything to do with bowhunting

Ol Scott got some face time on the Gun Nut tv show. Great tip Bestul. I like the thought you put into your decoy set up, and it sounds like it might just dup that weary mature buck.

SD_Whitetail_Hntr- You definately won this one. You understand when a longer shot is acceptable and ethical. Good luck with the antelope this year. If your hunting during their rut try the decoy. My 3 best antelope all came running in from a long way, to protect their harem. Its the best way to get the dominant buck, when the time is right, but they get educated real quick, so you got one chance.

Hope I'm not too late to put in my 2 cents worth.
I know one gentleman who is an "instinct" shooter. He shoots an older recurve, no sights. Makes his own cedar arrows. I have seen him make 50 and 60 yard target shots consistently.
Few folks anymore shoot "instinct".
First time I picked up a bow at a target range was in San Antonio, Texas. The bow was an "El Cheapo" from probably Sears or Western Auto. In the center of the range was a life size deer target on rails that continually moved in a circle and would pass within 15/20 yards of my position. At nine years of age, I had no idea of "limits". Just shoot at the deer! My sisters husband walked up as I plunked my third arrow into the target.... and was amazed as I plunked the remaining six or eight arrows I had into the kill zone of the moving target!!
I still shoot "instinct" much better than I do with sights....and a compound, to me, doesn't lend itself to "instinct" shooting.
My shoulders (age, physcal condition) no longer allow me to shoot a recurve or long bow.
Those of you who are still able, owe it to yourselves to attempt "instinct" shooting! You may be amazed at your accuracy and range!

Bubba

FirstBubba,

My instinctive range is a whopping 20 yards on a good day.

Don't "should" on me!
Several times a year a bunch of guys get together for a 3-D shoot, we call BowFest. It's mostly fellowship and an eye towards tuning our bows one final time prior to opening day bow season here in Kentucky.

Over the years we have opted to incorporate several shots that the average bow hunter may not encounter in the woods. One of them, we have placed a large 3-D deer on a long cable that decends a hill quite fast, to simulate a deer running away from an unsuspecting hunter.
Since it is on my friends farm (BowFest) I have practiced this shot over hundreds of times, if not a thousand. When I practice, my aim is at the kill zone, not just hoping to hit the runaway deer somewhere on the body. Each BowFest I'm usually in the top two, if not the winner. Why? Because I practice more than anyone through many shots of repetition.

Another 3-D shot is the "long distance shot" at a standing bear, with a twenty foot high backstop of bales of straw. We are never told the distance, and range finders aren't allowed.I've won this shot for the past 12-years, with the longest distance at 155-yards. Yes, I know that is a football field and a half. But it started out at 90-yards, but my brother kept hittin' the deer also, so they kept movin' it back to a distance until one of us was eliminated. I practiced shooting at the bears head (brain). We are allowed 3-shots and the one closest to the kill zone of course wins. I use one of my 3-shots to seal the deal, with the other 2-shots sticken' out of the bears head.

Why would I aim for the bears head?
It makes for a more accurate practice (shot) and if I missed the head, I missed everything, no harm, no foul, especially to the animal if it were alive.

I typed all of that to type this. I'm not your average hunter, nor do I proclaim to be an archer. I like to think outside of the box, there is much more freedom to expand ones awareness and perceptions.

Having practiced shootin' at these distances have allowed my huntin' season to become more expanding and exciting as I love the bow season, more than gun season.
With that being typed, my longest bow deer kill occured several years ago. I had been on a Monster for several days, when one night I could hear him and several others coming my way, but they dropped down to a creek for refreshment and eluded my well laid plans. After I heard them cross the creek, I decided to still hunt back to the truck.

I was in a treestand on the edge of a field that ran for several hundred yards. I slowly made my way when I saw a deer feeding in the middle of the field. I had my range finder available, as it read the distance of 127-yards. The deer would put its head down and bring it back up for a minimum of 30-seconds and chew her dinner while staring in the direction she was facing, broadside to my approach.

I pulled my Mathews, Black Max back and aimed for her ear. As my arrow made its way, I lost sight of it, as I watched the deer take 2-steps forward and several back towards my position and fell to the ground. Dead!

I made a slow stalk, arrow nocked, only to find my arrow stickin' in a 3-point bucks left ear. Is that a normal shot for the average hunter? Probably not. Is that the average shot for me? Probably not, but it certainly within my scope of confidence and practice level.Had I missed the shot, it probably would have missed the whole deer since my point of aim was the head.

Buckhunter you made a profound statement that echoed through my mind that very day,"But with each step back,the magic of bowhunting becomes more distant." Well said my friend!

And it's so true. It's almost as if the veins that allow the adreneline to pump through, shuts down and eliminates the sudden rush of excitement ... for the moment.

I liken' it to someone who drives a large pick-up truck, and over a period of time it fits him like a glove, so to speak. When that same person "trys" to operate a Fiat, a very small car with 2-seats, it becomes uncomfortable because the "fit" isn't there. But, should that same person make that Fiat his everyday vehicle (practice) it becomes more comfortable producing a sense of familiarity.

And with that ... that becomes the question," what are you comfortable and familar with?"
Repetition,Repetition and more Repetition, that is key!

But again Buckhunter, the fun, the passion, and excitement comes at the 30-yard pin or closer!
Great Blog and a Great Job Buckhunter!

If you sit in treestand 30 feet up shots should never be under 30 yards. We place our corn bait at 30 yards and shots are typically 35 yards. If deer where closer the angle of the shot would be too steep and you will not get clean double lung pass thru. Deer NEVER jump string when sitting 30 feet up. I think bow string noise is on a higher plane and deer are unaffected.