Is the 100 yrd shot ethical?

[Guest member 25165]

For those of you who practice at longer ranges...say over 70 yards...how do even see what you are aiming at? I use a .019 pin on an HHA sight and at that range, your sight pin has to almost cover up a good portion of your target. I see guys at a rifle range shooting open sights at 100 yards (maybe a lever action or such) and they are putting bullets in say a 3" group and that is with a rest. Now take a bow without anything to rest it on and if you have a larger pin (maybe a .029) size, I wouldn't think you would be able to get a lot of consistency at that distance.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

don't get me wrong I love practicing at long ranges with my bow it's a hoot to see those arrows come out of the atmosphere and hit the target, I shoot a black gold ascent with a 4 inch dovetail on a hoyt faktor with 4 pins in the sight housing I made the last pin a .10 for the longer shots so the fiber took up less of the target but in my opinion not an ethical shot at all, that distance so many things can go wrong, I watched a guy two years ago on the late hunt for deer in Idaho ( 39 archery ) shoot a buck at what he claimed was 64 yards when I ranged it 88 yards right in the guts he blamed it on his sight getting bumped I helped him look for the buck and we were never able to recover it, bottom line I thought the whole point of bow hunting was the rush of getting close to the animal? If you wanna shoot those 100 yard shots you might as well go back to a rifle

 

[JohnCushman]

You see people gut shoot deer and other animals at 15-30 yards all the time on TV. Also, if part of the thrill of bowhunting is getting closer to the animals, which I'm assuming you mean stalking, then why not get rid of treestands? Why 'hunt' a patterned animal from a trail camera to a foodplot or something like that and sit above the animal's line of sight or sense and call that 'hunting'?

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Never said it doesn't happen at those close ranges, just my opinion at the longer ranges the chances are better but hey if you feel comfortable letting one rip at 80 plus be my guest the burden won't be on me. Ya know it's funny you bring up food plots I talked to a guy from Kansas at work the other day and got to bullshitting about hunting and I told him my opinion on food plots to which he responded once the difference in hunting antelope in mid August over water, well couldn't argue with him lol

 

[Sainte_Terrer]

For me personally it is a question of flight time. I've met some very good shots who can consistently hit that far. However, none of them have yet been able to demonstrate control over wind gusts or an animal's movement. There is just too much that can go wrong from Point A to Point B. Deer jump strings at 30 yards all the time---how much more so at 100?

 

[Orion406]

I am new to this forum but am an avid archery hunter and a lifelong resident of montana, I have been very blessed to grow up hunting in this beautiful state, I have gone through many transitions in hunting, I have battled internally about what I feel is ethical and what I do not, and what is important to me and what is not such as antlers or distance or equipment, I am getting older and appreciate the finer things, so to make my point I feel completely against a one hundred yards shot with a bow, it is in my opinion unsportsmanlike, maybe not unethical but it goes against the idea of what archery is about, as we evolve our rifle shots are reaching out to over a thousand and our bow shots are at 100, we by doing this are missing out on the beauty of being an outdoorsman, archery equipment has evolved into a machine, a machine that barely resembles a bow anymore, it's pullies and cams and cables and releases and stabilizers and fiber optic sights and fall away rests, Fred bear didn't need any of that, there the same animals we just don't want to earn it anymore, we are always looking for the easiest route to our goal, grab a recurve, practice every day, reinvent yourself as a hunter, you will be blessed with encounters and pride of the kill, giving the animal you hunt the respect it deserves, the meat will taste better and the story of the hunt will be on the top of your hunting memories

 

[Trial153]

100 is a little too long of a poke for me on an un injured animal...60ish is probbly my limit with ideal conditions.

 

[tjones]

Never said it doesn't happen at those close ranges, just my opinion at the longer ranges the chances are better but hey if you feel comfortable letting one rip at 80 plus be my guest the burden won't be on me.

.

But the wounded lost animal is also yours.

You haven't bow hunted much if you can't see the difference in wounding loss between close and long range.

 

[JohnCushman]

I am new to this forum but am an avid archery hunter and a lifelong resident of montana, I have been very blessed to grow up hunting in this beautiful state, I have gone through many transitions in hunting, I have battled internally about what I feel is ethical and what I do not, and what is important to me and what is not such as antlers or distance or equipment, I am getting older and appreciate the finer things, so to make my point I feel completely against a one hundred yards shot with a bow, it is in my opinion unsportsmanlike, maybe not unethical but it goes against the idea of what archery is about, as we evolve our rifle shots are reaching out to over a thousand and our bow shots are at 100, we by doing this are missing out on the beauty of being an outdoorsman, archery equipment has evolved into a machine, a machine that barely resembles a bow anymore, it's pullies and cams and cables and releases and stabilizers and fiber optic sights and fall away rests, Fred bear didn't need any of that, there the same animals we just don't want to earn it anymore, we are always looking for the easiest route to our goal, grab a recurve, practice every day, reinvent yourself as a hunter, you will be blessed with encounters and pride of the kill, giving the animal you hunt the respect it deserves, the meat will taste better and the story of the hunt will be on the top of your hunting memories

Reinvent yourself as an author and try some punctuation

 

[Idaho Wanderer]

100yds? Absolutely... on foam

 

[archer wapiti]

Once you find your comfort zone, you won't need anybody else to validate it. Experience will tell you what to do. If somebody's asking the question, they probably don't have the experience and probably shouldn't be taking the shot. How does one get that experience? Well...There's a lot of good rules of thumb on this thread already.

Why is this even an issue? Bow technology? Perhaps, but I believe that the main reason this is an issue is because we have the internet and social media and our egos. There is no requirement anywhere that we disclose the distances from which we shoot at animals, yet we all do. I always am curious and want to know how far somebody was, but does it detract from your story on social media or on here or wherever? Ignorance is bliss. Omitting details isn't lying in a situation like this. We're all here to learn from each other ultimately, so I guess one could argue that it's not our egos, but in the interest of full disclosure as a teachable moment that such details are disclosed. Either way, you've got to realize by now that if you're shooting at animals beyond 60 and feel the need to post it up, you're going to get some flak.

 

[elkhnter]

I remember not too many years ago, outdoor writers were trying to crucify Chuck Adams for advocating a 40 yard shot. Now we're talking about 100 yard shots. Too many variables like wind and animal moving.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

I remember not too many years ago, outdoor writers were trying to crucify Chuck Adams for advocating a 40 yard shot. Now we're talking about 100 yard shots. Too many variables like wind and animal moving.

I remember when 100 yards was pushing it with a muzzleloader but now they can shoot well past that... Now an arrow at 100? Seriously

 

[Tufrthnails]

I remember when 100 yards was pushing it with a muzzleloader but now they can shoot well past that... Now an arrow at 100? Seriously

It really is crazy I was out last season ringing an 8" gong at 200yards with no problem at all with my cousin's new muzz. I can do that no prob with my old muzz out to 150, but after that it is a wild guess where it will hit. He has since started shooting 300 yards with it. granted those are sationary steel targets, but it still amazes me.

On the 100yard bow shot I don't have to worry about it. I practice 75 yards, my furthest kill was 52 yards and the doe ducked the arrow enough to get spine shot. 40 yards is my max for a deer. It blew me away when she ducked that far that fast.

 

[abqbw]

F no!

 

[Brian in Montana]

I have a 2 step little formula for hunting ethics that I tend to hang my decisions on:

1. Is it legal? If the answer is no, then don't proceed. If the answer is yes then...
2. Will my conscience bother me after this? If the answer to this is yes, then do not proceed.

Another one is: How would I feel about this if one of my kids did it?

So anyway, 100 yard shot with a bow? For me, the answer is a clear no. There are folks out there that can shoot 100 yards all day long under controled conditions, but yeah, like others have said, there are way too many variables in any hunting situation to think 100 yards is a good idea in my opinion.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I remember not too many years ago, outdoor writers were trying to crucify Chuck Adams for advocating a 40 yard shot. Now we're talking about 100 yard shots. Too many variables like wind and animal moving.

This.

I remember Chuck getting crucified over that too. Funny how times change. I really dislike the direction bow hunting has largely gone. Seems like 25 years ago the prevailing philosophy was that if you aren't sure you can make the shot, you should pass. Now it's more like, how do you know you can't make the shot unless you try it.

My longest shot on an animal was a cow elk at 54 yards. I knew exactly the distance and practiced regularly at 60, she was down quickly but I still didn't make a perfect lung shot on her and probably wouldn't do that again. There was more wind than I estimated and my arrow hit a little forward - still clipped an artery and she bled out in about 20 minutes, but it easily could have been a lost elk. I don't want that.

 

[Lawnboy]

Unfortunately we often times find out our limits by making that "bad" shot. The animal many times ends up wounded and dying. While these experiences suck it's at these moments I believe that shape us into who we are as hunters. I've taken a shot with my bow that didn't work out. It was a frontal shot at super close range. The bull ran off and I never found it. I felt horrible and knew it wasn't the "text book" shot we learn about. Because of that I won't take that shot again. I had a friend take the same shot and I witnessed the bull take the hit and die. I know it can work but it has some risks. I'm not confident anymore personally. To each their own. I know some guys that are ringers with a bow and their range is way farther than mine. I guess until they have one of these moments I can't and won't judge them. Same goes for rifle shots. Hopefully though the ding bats that consistently wound animals will take a self assessment and stop the nonsense.

 

[MTGomer]

My longest shot registered 55.5 on my rangefinder and was definitely pushing the edge of my comfort zone. It was the bull in my avatar.
Wind was calm, he had no idea I was there, but definitely wasn't getting any closer. The cow he was on was going to be moving off, and the cow, calf and spike at 15 yards from me, knew something was up. It was a 'now or never' moment.

Although I wanted it closer, I had no doubt I could make that shot under those circumstances. I double lunged him and he didn't make it 30 yards. I couldn't imagine almost doubling that distance at a live animal, but I am also not going to place my limitations on others, as I know there are many others that coudn't have made that shot, and I hope wouldn't place their limitation on me.

 

[tjones]

One thing I have found, bowhunters will talk about the long shot that hit and killed. You never hear about the long shot that hit and wounded.

The wounding loss difference between short and long range archery cannot be denied.