100 yrd. pokes

[rreda]

I am with Tedi on this one. I bowhunt because I like to be close. And I believe that there are too many things that can go wrong when you are taking 100yd shots. Hell, a 100yd offhand shot is not a slam dunk most rifle shooters.

[michihunter]

Every reply on here is from people that are not hunting plains animals. Totally different situation in my opinion. Until I experience that situation, it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to make that call. I do know that a lot of westerners are shooting much greater distances than us here in the midwest and east. Kinda hard to smeak up on an animal without cover.

[Greg Krause]

It dosen't have anything to do with where you hunt. 100yds is 100yds, whether it's in the east or west. you can always get closer. set up a blind, dig a pit, belly crawl..or don't shoot. as I said, accuracy at that distance isn't the problem. it's the fact that animals can move.
I have been talking this over with a few buddies and I was asked what scenario would have to happen for me to take a shot at "my" longest range. I may shoot 70yds, if there was no wind and the area was totaly open from obstructions, I felt confident and the animal was bedded and relaxed. I would also have to know the exact range. as I said before 70yds is a far cry from 100 or more yards and in all my years of hunting I have never seen the "perfect" scenario I mentioned above. I like to keep my shots right around 30yds, almost no chance of screwing it up there. If you wanna set out with a goal of shooting at 100 plus yards, buy a 3d target.
Now if you had some of the arrows the Duke boys used.........go ahead, even a miss is a vital hit.

[tedicast]

Plains animal or not Ted...100 yards shots with a bow are flat out WRONG!

[BT]

hehehe......knew I would get some good stuff out of this one

Well I have to say that indeed....there is always a way to get up close.

Plains Indians did it on horse back / while wearing animal skins or by other means and they had bows that were far from what we have today.

In other words....they couldn't have killed anything at 100 yards and so they had to get closer

Ishi's bow isn't as strong as my weakest recurve and he kept himself well fed in the midst of the California hills.

Be that as it may.....at 100 yards you would be more likely to miss me than hit me due to the fact that I tend to step around....even when I am just standing around.....kinda like an animal moves while feeding

I used to shoot field archery where 80yrds. was the norm and I could 10 ring the target every time ..... yet the target never once moved
So..... I don't think I am qualified to shoot that far considering I haven't shot thousands of arrows at targets which can move at will.
(over such a distance.)

[michihunter]

So where is the line that it becomes ok? &0 yards as Skip mentioned? 35 yards as the majority of hunters? What is the LINE? Where is it surpassed to make it "unethical"? Or are you only going by your own abilities? I do not believe there is ANY difference in a 70 yard shot and a 100 yard shot. The difference in time of POI is miinimal. And to say that one is better because of the extra 30 yards is only kidding yourself. There are MANY archers that practice long distance shooting. 90m is a set distance for competition archers. They can hit what they are aiming at consistently. And as I said, the difference in time of POI is a fraction of a sec. 300fps is 100 yards in a second. Period. 70 yards is 7/10ths of a second. Not much of a difference at all. So once again, I ask, what is the LINE of no return?

[vonottoexperience]

BT wrote "Now....I am not looking to stir a bee's nest here" ........... yeah right ;D

[BT]

michihunter said:

So where is the line that it becomes OK? &0 yards as Skip mentioned? 35 yards as the majority of hunters? What is the LINE? Where is it surpassed to make it "unethical"? Or are you only going by your own abilities? I do not believe there is ANY difference in a 70 yard shot and a 100 yard shot. The difference in time of POI is minimal. And to say that one is better because of the extra 30 yards is only kidding yourself. There are MANY archers that practice long distance shooting. 90m is a set distance for competition archers. They can hit what they are aiming at consistently. And as I said, the difference in time of POI is a fraction of a sec. 300fps is 100 yards in a second. Period. 70 yards is 7/10ths of a second. Not much of a difference at all. So once again, I ask, what is the LINE of no return?

I think you have posed a very good question...perhaps a better one comes out of this discussion

But first....

300fps leaving the bow....what fps at 100 yards?
Thats where we need those heavier arrows of your Michi

Now back to your point.

For me?.....I know the difference between ethical and not ethical and I have not practiced it 100% of the time or even close to it

BUT....I have only gone well past the limit a few times in my life
(No excuse....my bad )

The fact is that I can shoot (ethically) to 35 yards. by holding the bottom third from (ground level) 0 - 18yrds. and 3" below the bottom of the chest from 20 - 35yrds.

After 18/19yrds. I am out of the drop zone enough for it to get to close.
After that if I aim off the deer I either miss clean or hit clean on the drop out.

You have to be willing to miss in order to be willing to kill in this scenario but wounds don't weight into it when shooting in this manner

Have I always done this?....not at all but I started recently because I realized I was doing wrong by choosing the shot over the quarry.

[Greg Krause]

Remember I said 60yds, unless somthing made the planets align, than I MAY go 70 on a bedded animal. there is a big difference between 60yds and 100yds and "the planets hardly ever align". saying there is no difference between 60-70 yds and 100 is well, silly. That is like saying if you can shoot well at 10yds you must be able to shoot just as well at 40 and 50yds and there is no more of a chance of wounding/missing at those longer ranges.
I see where you are coming from Michi- who sets a limit and how can it be set. I think common sense should set the limit.

[michihunter]

But what determines common sense? If you see a bedded antelope at 100 yards in the middle of nowhere, no wind, and you've been practicing to 100 yards on a regular basis, you wouldn't attempt the shot? What if you were a world class archer? One that regularly scores great at 100 yards(90m)? Would your answer change? To put a limit on anyone other than yourself is WRONG. That's what I'm trying to get at.