# Whats your longest traditional kill?



## gsubo (Jan 19, 2009)

I was slingin a few arrows with my brothers recurve this evening and consistently putting em in the kill zone at 20 yards.  Then I figured what the heck let me move back to thirty..bad idea After about twenty minutes I finally found my arrow in the woods.  That got me thinkin..I know most shots with traditional gear stay around twenty or under.  I feel like I could smoke one right now at 20..but not much further than that. I just haven't practiced out past that. What are some of you guys longest shots on deer/hogs or other type of game animals with your recurves or longbows?


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## choctawlb (Jan 19, 2009)

Back when I used to shoot 3D a lot, I could cosistently hit the kill zone out to about 40 yards , but that is on targets. I would never attempt shooting any further than 25 yards , 30 at the fartherest ,on wild game, as there is just too much margin for error. Traditional archery is all about getting close, and making a good shot. Leave the long shots to the "Training Wheel Shooters".
Ken


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## PAPALAPIN (Jan 19, 2009)

55 yds.  

Not a shot I would recommend, but it was the circumstances.


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## SELFBOW (Jan 19, 2009)

for fun put a target out at 50 or 100 yds. I shot one at 50 yds in the dark with a flashlight just on the target  and hit dead center.


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## hogdgz (Jan 19, 2009)

I have been shooting a recurve for a little over a year, I try to keep my shots under 20yds on hogs and deer, but will play around with further shots. I just dont feel comfortable shooting any further than that, but I did take a shot on a hog at about 40 yds back in the summer and I surprised myself, left to right was perfect and was going to go right in the crease of the shoulder but the shot ended up being high and the arrow skipped of the hogs back.


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## Stump Shooter (Jan 20, 2009)

Not a record but 22 steps. I have since limited my shots to 15 yards. The deer I took this year was 10 steps, and have taken them as close as 3 steps from a 8 to 10 ft stand.


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## PAPALAPIN (Jan 20, 2009)

Each of us have our own effecftive kill range.  As hunters, we owe it to our game to know that effective range and stay within it.  If a hunter has the consistant ability to put an arrow in the kill zone at 40 -50- 60 yds, then that is an ethical shot, for him.

Jack Howard pioneered the use of a sight on a hunting bow.  He consistantly made killing shots out to 80 yds.  In traditional bow hunting today, sights are discouraged in favor of learning to shoot instinctive.  However, if a sight on a bow aids a hunter in making those longer shots effectively, and does not result in lost, crippled game, I say go for it.  Personally, I do not use a sight, but I see no reason why a bow hunter should not if it makes him a better hunter.

With or without a sight, the key is to practice, practice, practice...until you can consistantly put your broadhead where it will do it's job.

Just my thoughts.


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## Buano (Jan 20, 2009)

In my younger days I hunted rabbits with a recurve. Admittedly I shot A LOT. No sights. 25-30 yards was fairly common & my furthest RABBIT was 37 yards. The hardest thing is spending enough HOURS shooting to know the range.

I can pick up my compound & be on to 45 yards when I haven't shot for months. After a lot of practice I can get to 65 yards with reasonable certainty but the 75 yard pin is still only for an animal that's already wounded.

A recurve without sights magnifies these differences & brings them closer. Most people are quickly competent to 20 yards. 30 takes a lot of practice & 35 yards will stay beyond most recurve shooters ability.


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## robert carter (Jan 20, 2009)

I can remeber a few kills over 35 yards with my longbows but the ones I remember the most and clearly are the ones under 5.I`ve killed a few hogs I could have touched with my longbow from the ground.
   No disrespect or knocking what other people do but I hunt because I love it. I love the quality of the hunt and no kidding about it I try to kill lots of stuff. I don`t use my choice of weapon as a reason on why I did`nt get a particuler critter because I feel all in all and on average I have the advantage over a compounder.
  Wheels on a bow will extend shot range but it will not add discipline on shot selection and wounding one with a longbow at 25 yards is no different than wounding one with a compound at 50.Both are out of most folks range.
  Don`t take this as bragging but I have killed and brought home 24 of the last 26 big game animals I`ve shot at.I dare say that very few compounders have done that if they are honest about it.BUT in my earlier years I lost half of what I shot at.Being honest here.
  Because I could`nt shoot accuratly past 20? No,I`ve won around 10 state championships with trad tackle.I was lacking discipline which comes from experience.
   Believe it or not people search for magical bows that shoot by themselves or that super broadhead that makes blood pour by the pint but it all boils down to one thing. Disipline on shot selection .If too far comes in your mind when your looking at an animal don`t shoot....period. 90% of the time it will not be good.Chris and I were shooting stumps and pine cones one day out to 60 yards and hitting them a lot.Chris is a very good shot .I said I`m gonna start shooting some of these thirty yard pigs I`ve been running off trying to get closer too. That was a year ago and I still can`t make myself do it.
   I probably shoot and hunt with a half dozen bows a year but they all are quality bows that shoot where I`m looking. Traditional bows are works of art to me and I love to trade and buy and sell but I will not own a bow for long that I have to change ny shooting style to adapt too. I would advise anyone starting out  to get one bow and hunt with it till your form gets set in and you can shoot without thinking and hit what your shooting at.Then if you want to try something else go for it but don`t change your form to match your bow the bow must fit you. 
   As far as sights go if thats what you want go for it but I don`t care for them. God has given folks the ability in hand eye cordination that never matures with a bow because they are not willing or able to take the time to let it.If I needed a reference I believe I would shoot three under and learn to "gap" shoot. The folks I`ve talked to say that after a few years they don`t hardly notice the arrow anymore...Shoot without thinking remember that.
    After all that rambling I`ll sum  it up saying that you can probably kill some stuff over 20 and 30 yards but you will be a much more Succesful Bowhunter if you keep `m at 15. At least till you get several years under your belt.RC


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## diamondback (Jan 20, 2009)

Great post RC.You just answered about half the questions I have been wanting to ask about hunting with trad bows.


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## dpoole (Jan 20, 2009)

Choctawlb how far were the bucks you missed this year ??


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## PAPALAPIN (Jan 20, 2009)

Well said RC

A great case made for instinctive shooting.

dpoole

Did not take a shot this year.   If the setup ain't right, the arrow don't fly.


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## John Cooper (Jan 20, 2009)

robert carter said:


> I can remeber a few kills over 35 yards with my longbows but the ones I remember the most and clearly are the ones under 5.I`ve killed a few hogs I could have touched with my longbow from the ground.
> No disrespect or knocking what other people do but I hunt because I love it. I love the quality of the hunt and no kidding about it I try to kill lots of stuff. I don`t use my choice of weapon as a reason on why I did`nt get a particuler critter because I feel all in all and on average I have the advantage over a compounder.
> Wheels on a bow will extend shot range but it will not add discipline on shot selection and wounding one with a longbow at 25 yards is no different than wounding one with a compound at 50.Both are out of most folks range.
> Don`t take this as bragging but I have killed and brought home 24 of the last 26 big game animals I`ve shot at.I dare say that very few compounders have done that if they are honest about it.BUT in my earlier years I lost half of what I shot at.Being honest here.
> ...



boy's listen to what RC say's ...... he live's to huntand boy is he ever good at it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## gsubo (Jan 20, 2009)

robert carter said:


> they don`t hardly notice the arrow anymore...Shoot without thinking remember that.




This is how a tend to shoot the best.  With complete focus on the target I shoot very well most times. When I start over thinkin and trying to look and judge the gap is when things get screwy with my shooting. Im just getting into it though. When I get that Apex bow Ill be hooked on it for sure.  Im even already thinkin about getting rid of the Mathews.    I am gaining confidence every day I shoot though with this ol' recurve.  As long as Ive been bowhunting with compound I have probably killed close to 20 deer and my longest shots were a 35, a 28, and a 27. The rest have all been under 24 yards. Bowhunting is really a 25 yard sport for the most part.


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## Al33 (Jan 20, 2009)

RC, that was one of the best reads I have read in a long, long time!!!!


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## ChrisSpikes (Jan 20, 2009)

The third deer I killed with a recurve was standing at 35 yards.  At the time everything just felt right, so I took the shot.  That was 11 years ago.  I can honestly say that I am a much better shot today than I was back then, but I would have a hard time making myself shoot at a critter at that distance now.  It's not a matter of my proficiency, but as RC said, it's the discipline gained through experience.  Too many things can go wrong that the hunter has no control over once the string is dropped.  I prefer to keeps my shots under 20 yards, and if I had my druthers, less than 10. 

I love making those long shots in practice, or on the 3D range, but when I'm hunting, I take immense pride in how close I can get.  I had a great deer season this year and never took a shot over 20 yards.  I killed a deer at 4 yards, two at 5, three at 7, one at 9, one at 12, and one at 17.  I only had one shot opportunity over 20 yards this year.  I had a doe feeding broadside at about 25 yards for a good 5 minutes.  I actually drew on her, but let back down because it just didn't feel right.  Even though I'll make that shot consistently in the backyard, there's not a doubt in my mind I did the right thing.
Chris


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## fflintlock (Jan 20, 2009)

Let's see now, hmmm
My longest trad kill huh ?
Oh yea, I remember now, here go's,
I remember it was a cool late summer day, in Pennsylvaina, around the Carlisle area. I was out stocking a big fat whistle pig, (ground hog) she was a pretty big ole fat sow I must say, wiley as heck too. She could see you comming out into the field, when you left your house !  She was good indeed to say the least. Well, the first day I snuck out of the house and she never noticed me, got away clean I tell ya. Snuck down the fence line of a corn field, across a small stream and in to the hay field. Her home was probably about 60 yards from the stream and right up next to the wood line at the hay field. I seen her feeding around with a few young'uns, she knew something wasn't right, up on her hind end and gave out a whistle, everyone headed for the den, hunt over. Two days later, in the evening, I did the same stalk, same results, man what a challange I thought to myself, this is gonna get good. Four days later I put a good sneak on her, this time I came from a different approach, came through the woods I did, up hill of her. I took 2 and 1/2 hours on a snail crawl on my knees to get to this pig and it paid off, ten steps was the final distance. Three days to kill a ground hog, that was my longest traditional kill, bar none !  
It's not about the distance, it's all about the hunt  It will get close, if you take the time to make it right. Distance is for gun hunters, not traditional archery tackle, you can be sure of that.


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## pine nut (Jan 20, 2009)

RC and Chris Both great posts.  I appreciate both your honesty and your counsel.  Guys, these two know what they are doing.  I've had a good talk with myself about a shot I shouldn't have taken this year I can only pray and wonder if they lived or died.  I said "a shot " and "they", because I took a shot at a deer at about thirty yards.  There was a second deer behind the first but on the same trail i.e. traveling tandem.  Both standing still, but alert (there was my second error).  At my release these two completely swapped places twice before the arrow got there and both lined out away from me and back the way they had come.  I cannot say which deer I hit!  Could have been either or both!  It was just not possible to keep track of the whole situation because it happened THAT FAST!.   I still feel bad about and hope it will serve for the rest of my life NOT to be so foolish ever again.  The gamble, and at that range it was a gamble, is not worth the pain I might have caused the animal.  I owe them more respect than that.


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## SOS (Jan 20, 2009)

17 and under for me for my kills.  Shot under a couple of pigs farther than that...only because I thought they were inside 20 and were farther than I thought.


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## PAPALAPIN (Jan 20, 2009)

Like I said...mine was circumstances.  If I had the time to think about it, I probably would not have taken the shot.

October, 1970  - Last day of the regular bow season

My hunting buddy and I were on Hwy 25 north of Augusta, Ga coming back from the Clay hill area about Noon.  I was napping in the passenger seat.  All of a sudden he hit the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.  He said a big buck was about to cross the road.  We both jumped out and grabbed our bows out of the back seat where they were laying strung up (illigal in GA at that time).  Steve ran across the Hwy and jumped into the woods.  I stayed on the side I was on and started walking on the right of way keeping close to the trees.  I had no ideak how far back the buck was, on which side of the road, or if he was even still there.  I crept about 20 yards when the buck stepped out of the woods a good distance away, heading for the road.  He stopped for a second as if to check traffic. With no time to reason, I dropped to one knee, drew and shot.  I did have enough presence of mind to know he was a good distance out so I held a bit over his back.  As I watched the arrow arc up and sstart down, the buck started moving forward.  I would have had a sholder hit but because he stepped forward, I got a great hit.  As soon as the arrow hit him, he lunged forward and ran across the road, right in front of a Chevy Corvair.  The driver had to hit the breaks to keep from hitting him.

It all happend so fat I did not even have a chance to get buck fever, but after the shot it hit me big time.

While waiting to trail it, we stepped off from where I hit my knee to where the buck was standing...55yds...way out of my skill zone.

We blood trailed it about an hour after the shot.   The trail looked like someone was pouring paint on the ground.  We trailed him for about 50 yds and found hm balled up.  I had a double lunger on a nice 9 pt.  

As I said...circumstances.  I think we all have our standards on shots that we will or will not take, but in the excitement of the moment, we may kind of forget about the standard.  

All's well the ends well...but...if he had not taken that step forward, I may well have had a crippled deer that would not have been found.  The dread of all hunters.

Would I do the same thing again?  My personal standards so no; but in the heat of the moment, with the adrenalin flowing, on a bow hunters dream buck...who knows.


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## GeorgiaHunter (Jan 20, 2009)

RC what a post nuff said , GSUBO to answer your question about 25 yds is my longest kill shot with a bow. I practice shots out to 50 yds but thats only a personal choice that I find improves my shorter shoots. I would never take a shot in the field over 20-25yds.


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## pine nut (Jan 20, 2009)

I know about that "heat of the moment stuff" Jack.  That is what mine was too.  I knew the deer were too far but they turned towards me and closed the distance enough so that I went into full predator mode.  It had been a lot of years since I had shot a deer with a bow and I just got too excited and lost controll. I hope you or anyone else didn't think I was intending to be critical of their actions... only my own.  When I re-read what I wrote I could see it could be taken wrong.  My apologies to anyone that thought this please.


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## John Cooper (Jan 20, 2009)

hey bill you don't owe anyone an apoligy, who hasn't done the same thing at one time or another ....even with a gun???? hunt on brothers and hang your head to no man.......


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## Apex Predator (Jan 21, 2009)

My longest was this year at 23 yards, which is further than I normally shoot at a critter.  Back up 12 months and my ranges read a little different.  Ten yards, 20 yards, 7 yards, 14 yards, and10 yards.


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## trad bow (Jan 21, 2009)

43 yds but I thought it was only 30 yds. Really it has more to do with a deer's mood and whether it is relaxed or not. I've past on 10yd shots because of fidgety animals only to take them at a longer yardage after they calm down. Most if not all my shots on deer I prefer under 15 yds. Hogs I go out to twenty just because I'm on terra firma. Four deer this past season and all were under 7 yds.


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Jan 21, 2009)

Not my story to tell but I know a trad shooter who got a pig at 70yds


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## hogdgz (Jan 21, 2009)

Ta-ton-ka chips said:


> Not my story to tell but I know a trad shooter who got a pig at 70yds



Come on, speak up and tell us some more info, this sounds like it could be interesting. LOL


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