Tell Me About Your Bow Kills

[Nick87]

Furthest- whitetail 60 yards plus. Terrible judgement on my part. Guessed and shot for 45 was on a slope and shouldn't of even taken that shot in the rain no less. Ducked right into thank God.

Closest 5 yards whitetail

Average I'd say 15 yards

 

[DFS]

I don’t think I would have a clue on stats. Longest shot on an elk maybe 34 yards closest probably 5 yards. Average of 14 maybe.
Deer longest was 45 average of 27.
Antelope one at 65 yards I know that one, because I have shot one with my bow.
Shooting from the hip a bit with my stats. MTFWP certainly wouldn’t trust my numbers and I don’t trust theirs.

 

[PorterHouse]

They’re not all glorious. Remember the scene in Dances with Wolves when the Pawnees come upon Timmons, and they commence to using him as a pin cushion? Yeah, my first one was unfortunately about like that.

If you hunt long enough, stuff happens…I know that. Just hoping that’s not my first bow hunting experience here in a few months!!

 

[Nick87]

If you hunt long enough, stuff happens…I know that. Just hoping that’s not my first bow hunting experience here in a few months!!

Keep your shots close at first.

 

[PorterHouse]

Yeah I’ve already decided 30 will be the absolute max…20 would be even better.

Trying to be mindful of the fact that whitetail are generally a little more jumpy than elk or mulies and them ducking the string is something I have to keep in mind.

Also, I’m sure being my first time, my nerves are going to be through the roof even if it’s just a doe I’m shooting, so the closer the better in that regard too.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

Brother I understand the excitement but don’t worry personally about the long shots. Too much can often go wrong dependent on the animal
I’ve shot I’m sure hundreds of deer with a bow. Avg shot is prob 12 yards. I hunt thicker cover. Shot 3 bucks one year alone through the back, between the shoulder blades. All three fell over and bled out. When I jacked down I had to twist stand tree around cause deer was in way. I’ve shot way more at a few yards than the one or two longer ones.
I’ll tell you a couple cool stories though.
In early 2000s I got a new Widow with my daughters names on it. They were 1-4. Each day my oldest would come home from her grandmas and ask if I killed a deer with her bow.
I was doing taxidermy, seeing deer through my back window each day. I decided I’d go tonight. I had a tree set up. As I got to it a bunch of does showed up as I was tying bow to haul line. One big one stared from yards away with chest framed perfectly. I killed the deer and hadn’t even touched a tree step to climb. My daughter asked where were the horns. Hmmm
Next time out I was skinning bears. It was almost dark but the corn was just cut. I grabbed a climber, wearing greasy pants and boots the same I ran down to tree line. Jacked up, it was 4:20 as I pulled bow up. While looking I saw a rack buck. I shot the deer, watched him run to power cut and fall over. Watch still said 4:20. Lucky for a new bow.

 

[TheTone]

Furthest: spike elk 45 yards
Closest: raghorn elk 11 steps
Average shot: probably about 20 yards, mostly elk

 

[Foggy Mountain]

So another story. My uncle taught me lots growing up. How to rope, ride, reload, etc. we were close. 2 years ago I was laid off. My uncle had just passed and my cousin wanted to pay me for some work I’d done on his house. I refused.
He asked me to wait a sec and came back with an old Kodiak hunter that my uncle used to use. Bucky said he couldn’t draw it as it was too heavy, would I take it and kill a deer w it in my uncles memory?. I took the bow, made a string and took it hunting.
Gotta be honest I felt pressure, I now have medical issues where my formerly dominant eye is shot, optic nerve was hit in a surgery, and I can’t really see out it, I’m deaf in one ear so I can’t tell direction, balance and dexterity issues. Screw it let’s go!
First night out 45 mins in, a doe parade comes through perfect. One deer down. Bucky asks me to take one more. Next night, 1-1/2 in 2nd deer down. Bucky now won’t take bow back. Says I need to take pops hunting in spirit once in a while. I’m afraid to break it, bow is from 70s and idk how it was ever stored but do use it at times. That first night dragging a deer with uncle Andy’s bow made me think of him and all the great memories.

 

[gouch]

Closest: first deer I ever killed, a forked horn at 5 yards.
Furthest: first elk I ever killed, a cow at 30 yards.
Average: I would say a little less than 20 yards.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

So one more, showing the crazy recurve luck. I typically use longbows.
Unfortunately another doe but another interesting story. I wanted a pretty short bow as I had a spot where the shot would come kinda straight down. Had an older guy with a bear KMag too heavy for him so I bought it on a Thursday. Tuned it Friday, practices with it Fri, Sat. Took it out Sunday morning .
Just as it got light a rack buck came through but my eyes were sorta blinking signals to my brain. (I’ve had a brain issue as well) Was like a real old camera. One step here, next time I saw anything was a flash there. Anyhow I didn’t even try shot but was maybe 12 yards.
A few minutes later a doe walks in his exact steps. This time the light was better and my eyes were ok with it. That deer came for a ride home that day.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

Yeah I’ve already decided 30 will be the absolute max…20 would be even better.

Trying to be mindful of the fact that whitetail are generally a little more jumpy than elk or mulies and them ducking the string is something I have to keep in mind.

Also, I’m sure being my first time, my nerves are going to be through the roof even if it’s just a doe I’m shooting, so the closer the better in that regard too.

Consider what I’m gonna tell you. You can stress train slightly and anything is better than nothing.
Once you can shoot good, make a tic tac toe board on a ceiling tile, cardboard or something. Put that on a target. Shoot against a buddy. Whoever wins best out of three has a hotter wife, smarter kids, better team, buys dinner, etc. You’ll feel pressure to beat him
You can shoot 3D in rocky areas where an arrow is busted if you miss. Can join a league, competition, etc. It’ll all help make you rattle resistant.
If you ever go to a place with a bionic deer, that’s a plate steel deer with cut out in vitals. Often placed 15 yards. Most guys miss the vitals, I’ve seen guys miss the whole deer, and break an arrow. . They’d never miss the same shot with no pressure. If that’s the case a deer will surely rattle them way more. 30 yards is too far to start off. Under 20 you should insist on. A deer hit bad with todays camera crazed world that pic will and has gone world wide viral. Do the sport a favor and limit yourself until you’re ready to make the shot not hoping to make the shot

 

[jt13]

Long: 55 yds, mule deer
Short: 5 yards, whitetail deer
Average: 25 yards, whitetail deer.. most of em

 

[grizzly63]

longest50 yds cow elk
shortest small buck 4 yds standing in the open recurve
average 20-25yds
coolest -doe ,4 yds, long bow sitting in a cornfield shot her when she walked by in the grass gully
Do not shoot if they aware something is up.
Hunting in Idaho in a treestand, 12 whitetails at around 25 yds. The only one that was still standng there when the arrow passed by was the lone buck (forky) I missed, the does were all a good 10yds away by then. I guess they are a little jumpier where lions roam.

 

[BackofBeyond]

Longest - 62 yds - antelope
Shortest - 7 yds - bull elk
Average ~25 - 30 yards for single mule deer, 2 whitetail, and 4 elk.

 

[elkhnter]

Longest, 49 yards WT buck and he took a full step forward while the arrow was in flight.
Shortest, 2’ small doe at the base of the tree.
Average is somewhere around 23 yards for everything else.

 

[Mr Feeder]

The archery bug bit me and I bought my first bow this past year. One of my hunting goals for 2023 is to kill a whitetail with it. Went to the bow shop this weekend for a tune, built some new arrows, bought broadheads, etc. It got me thinking, I wonder what everyone's bow "stats" are on Hunt Talk...?

So, all that being said, I'm interested to hear from the collective on your successful harvests with your bows:

- Furthest kill shot distance (and animal)
- Shortest kill shot distance (and animal)
- Average kill shot distance (and typical animal/animals harvested)

Feel free to include any other details you feel are interesting or relevant (bow specs, arrow specs, broadhead used, etc.)

Been bow hunting in FL for about 15 years. The area I hunt you can't see more than 30 yards so that would be my longest shot. The shortest is almost unbelievable. I'm in a blind and a 10 point stopped right in front of me. I could have reached out and touched him....well I did but not with my hand!

 

[Shangobango]

Longest- 45 yards on a whitetail buck. Was a really perfect scenario to allow for such a long shot. Next longest was 35 yards on a whitetail buck.

Shortest- 18 feet straight down. Doe was standing within a few inches of the tree I was up. She died almost instantly. Made one jump but I won’t do that again. I was young and still learning.

Average- probably between 15 and 20 yards

 

[Coolarrow2]

Furthest shot 48 yards whitetail buck.
Shortest shot 8’ big boar hog.
Avg. I would say 15 to 20 yards on most whitetail shots. Less than that on hogs. Most hogs I have stalked.
I have taken lots of deer and hogs over the years. Quit gun hunting in 1989 after my first bow kill. Nothing against it! Probably will gun hunt again when I can’t get them with my bow anymore.

 

[KipCarson]

Furthest shot- 95 yards, free-range mouflon sheep (He only went 20, but I would highly recommend against this type recklessness.)
Closest shot- 4 yards, whitetail doe
Average shot- 16 yards, on countless pigs, 30+ whitetails, 4 mule deer, 2 elk.

While I have taken a small handful of long shots over the years, 45+ yards, I actually hate shooting past 25. I kill 4-10 animals a year including pigs and I don’t think I’ve killed anything beyond 25 yards in at least the last 5 years.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Longest - 30 yards whitetail buck
Shortest - 5 yards whitetail doe
On average I would say 15 yards. Mostly whitetail deer.