Archers - what distance do you shoot animals?

[Dry Bones]

With my longbow if I can poke them with the arrow before I let go of the string..
Seriously though. Keep your range around 20 or less and the less being the prime point, and like stated above practice out as far as your range will allow. Makes the target seem BIG when you're close. I took a doe at 5-ish yards this year, so close can happen. It's all about location.

[Louis]

As everyone has stated it's matter of opinion. What works for me and where I'm comfortable at is 20 to 25 yards. The shorter the shot the better obviously but its where ur comfort zone is. Cross bow would b same advice from me. Good luck and let us know how it's goin

[speck1]

With my longbow if I can poke them with the arrow before I let go of the string..
Seriously though. Keep your range around 20 or less and the less being the prime point, and like stated above practice out as far as your range will allow. Makes the target seem BIG when you're close. I took a doe at 5-ish yards this year, so close can happen. It's all about location.

This^.
My first longbow kill was an axis spike at 4 yards.
Be patient and try to get them inside 20 yards. Good luck.

[Lone_Wolf]

Practice your "hunting" skills as well as your shooting skills, and I'd keep your shots under 20 yds until you have some success. You can get deer within that range easy if you're doing it right. Hunt the wind, de-scent, use the search function on this forum to do your research and you can find a lot of good tips. When I first started out in highschool, me and my buddies used to hang are stands so high we were in the nose bleed section, most shots were under 10 yards. The entrance was usually in the backstrap, and out the armpit, but as I became more experience I lowered my stands a little, and started taking a little longer shots. I've shot them straight down underneath me(which I don't recommend) and I've shot them out to 57 yds. It's all situational. But if your just starting out, work on your woodsmanship, and get them in close and aim low - top of the heart. One of the most common things a beginner bowhunter will do is shoot over the top of deer.

[.270]

I use 1 pin, sighted for 20 yards.
If they are farther than 20, I let them walk.

I am just now picking up a bow as well, and this is what I am going with. 20 yds is a lot further away when looking at a target through a peep sight to me.

[Stick'n'String]

95% of the animals I've shot were under 25 yards. I'd say my least favorite distance to take a shot on an animal is 30 yards. I believe they can still hear the bow really well and it gives them a lot more time to react to the sound of the shot and duck your arrow. On the farther shots, if you have a good quiet bow, I feel like sometimes they aren't reacting to the shot because they aren't hearing the bow.
But as someone already said, practice farther then you'll actually shoot in a hunting scenario. I practice out to 60 yards, and it makes the 20 yard shots a piece of cake. Shooting longer distance makes you really concentrate on your form

[Hix]

Practice how you will hunt. I’m no veteran but I set up my stands for under 25 yrd shots. If I have a shot opportunity it’s going to be less than that and usually around 15-18 yards.
I haven’t shot a deer past 18 yrds yet and don’t really plan on needing too. Of coarse I hunt east Tx and it’s thick woods so these setups are easy to accomplish.
I practice 30-40 yrds at time and feel I could make a shot at that distance but your recovery rate will be higher i think at the shorter distance setups.



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[MQ32Shooter]

All my set ups are at a max of about 25 yards. I like em at 20 and under. My longest was 27 yards. Seems like it took forever for the arrow to get to him.

[Graysonhogs]

25 tops for me. Prefer less than 20

[junior]

20 yds or less for me! First thing I do in my set ups is range the area with range finder.

[txoutdoorsman24]

I personally do all my set ups between 30-40 yards and have taken a few animals at or over 60 yards. I’ve been bow only for 10 years now so I feel safe shooting that distance. When I started, I wouldn’t shoot more than 25 yards.

[JSBrit]

I hunt with a crossbow - my setup is for 20 yards with the farthest possible shot at 40 yards. I am comfortable to that range but prefer to keep it under 30 yards.

[bps3040]

We set up our shots for 30 or under. My longest on a buck is 30 yards and hog 45 yards

[hogslayer78]

20 yds or less for me! First thing I do in my set ups is range the area with range finder.

This is what I do and its very important to know your distances in case you can't range an animal or range finder quits working opening weekend like mine did.

[Havalon]

I would say 30 yards max, unless you are a very experience bow hunter w/ a relatively fast bow. Every aspect is forfeited when an animal is wounded form an overzealous shot...