# Effective range for a fatal shot



## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

What is the effective range for a compound bow that can deliver a fatal shot for a speed of 270fps - 300fps? How far out you shoot? Because my limit pull weight is 50lbs, I think mine is 20-25 yards but I haven't got a killshot yet.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

How many times have you been sitting, watching a deer, and an acorn falls? A deer's reaction time makes a rattlesnake strike look like slow motion.
Sound travels at about 1125 fps, MUCH faster than the arrow. So, no matter how accurately you can shoot at long ranges, the deer or other animal will hear it long before the arrow gets to them. If you are shooting targets or 3D it doesn't matter, but with a live animal it matters a lot. Due to this fact, I personally set my deer limit at 20 yards. It may sound terrible to admit, but I don't value a feral hog the same way I do a deer. For hogs I may stretch my limit to 25 or even 30 yards.


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Watch some videos of deer jumping the string. Truly amazing how fast their reflexes are. Not to bash bow hunting, but that is the very reason so many deer are recovered the next day. I wonâ€™t hardly even shoot a walking deer, the time for the bullet to get there and one step from a deer can equal gut shot. Not my goal.


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## 2Ws (Jun 28, 2016)

The first deer I lost was eating acorns at 32-34 yrds, was unalarmed when I released, he took 1/2 step while eating and I centerpunched him. I remember it like yesterday and it was prob 25 years ago. I wish he would have jumped the string but NO. Anytime you take a shot be sure it is unaware and at rest.....ANY deer that is alarmed will jump string no matter the distance. IMO the only advantage of high speed is it forgives a yardage mistake.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Have killed two blackbuck with my bow. Second one i killed was at about 10 yards. I knew it needed to be close because of the lesson learned on the first one i killed....

First one was calm, grazing at about 32 yards. I shot. He spun around and caught the arrow on the opposite side....their reactions are like the stuff of x-men.

Put your target on the hood of your truck and walk backwards till you are comfortable shooting at it. THAT is your max range on game animals....
Effective kill range is situational to the species and conditions. 
Black buck? Close....very
Whitetails? 30-40 yards and never shoot one looking at you.
A sloth? Oh about 85 yards or so....

....and if youve never been on a sloth safari its awesome....


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## FishNhuntTX365 (May 7, 2018)

Personally the closer the better! I'm shooting aMathews ZXT pulling 60#.I practice out to 50-60 yard but have never released on anything past 37. Longer practice just makes closer shots seem easier.But I haven't had the opportunity to go on a sloth safari yet! Sgem when you set one of those up let me know, I'm in! Untill then im headed to Del rio to chase Axis next week .


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

My personally set maximum distance is 30 yards. I am comfortable shooting deer up to that distance.


Here's a tip. Never shoot a deer with a bow when it's head is down and eating. He'll duck so fast you can over shoot easily.


TH


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## Bullitt4439 (Sep 18, 2014)

For me 40 yards is the limit. 

Did see my dad heart shoot a hog at 50+. Was standing behind him and watched the arrow fly and the spray of blood. Told him it looked like a perfect shot. cleaned the hog and had broadhead marks right through the heart.


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## Demtx (Oct 25, 2016)

*shot range*

"Put your target on the hood of your truck and walk backwards till you are comfortable shooting at it. THAT is your max range on game animals.."

That's a good one. But good advise here, always tried to set up for 20y.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

I can hit the target while practicing at 35 yards... honestly, shooting at a live animal I wouldn't consider shooting over 25 yards. 

Have you Chronographed your bow... and to some extent it doesn't matter. Shoot at relaxed unwary animals and you can kill them with 180ft/sec.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

sgrem said:


> Put your target on the hood of your truck and walk backwards till you are comfortable shooting at it.


Yes, but you know how to do bondo.. LOL

I totally agree with Steve on this.. but it's more like put an 8inch target on the hood of your truck....


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

2Ws said:


> The first deer I lost was eating acorns at 32-34 yrds, was unalarmed when I released, he took 1/2 step while eating and I centerpunched him. I remember it like yesterday and it was prob 25 years ago. I wish he would have jumped the string but NO. Anytime you take a shot be sure it is unaware and at rest.....ANY deer that is alarmed will jump string no matter the distance. IMO the only advantage of high speed is it forgives a yardage mistake.


Gota Agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Beendare (May 19, 2018)

Effective range? As stated there are so many factors. Not just with the efficiency of your equipment....but as stated ...animals move.

After seeing hundreds of animals die to an arrow, I style my gear to "Quiet"....which is a fairly heavy arrow with a strong COC Bh. 

If I was shooting a 50# bow like the OP, I would shoot a 500gr-ish arrow. It increases the effectiveness of your setup.....and it is going to be whisper quiet- assuming its a recent model year bow and not something from back in the 80's-90's 

Yeah, there is going to be a significant arc to the arrow, but a RF can solve that.


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## Beendare (May 19, 2018)

FWIW, I've got a couple buddies that shoot these really long shots. ....I have done that in my younger days but no longer agree with that. Too many things can happen on those long shots.

I have seen elk shot at 80 yds only go 30 yds and tip over. I watched a buddy shoot a caribou at 120yds. What these guys won't tell you is the misses...and at that distance....they have had many. 

A buddy used to guide on a really hog hog ranch and they would get big shot pro shooters in there all the time. Inevitably these guys would take long shots. They had a target set up in camp and some of these guys could stack arrows in an 8" circle at 120yds.

Different when it came to game. He didn't keep exact stats...but of appx 30 shots at hogs between 70yds- 120 yds....they had exactly one kill. That pretty much tells you something.

A couple of these guys have an adaptor in their stabilizer hole to set on a tripod/bipod. 

I give them a hard time as that ain't bowhunting to me.


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

troutsupport said:


> I can hit the target while practicing at 35 yards... honestly, shooting at a live animal I wouldn't consider shooting over 25 yards.
> 
> Have you Chronographed your bow... and to some extent it doesn't matter. Shoot at relaxed unwary animals and you can kill them with 180ft/sec.


I chronographed one of my hunting arrows with a broad head shooting my old Bowtech; 277fps. Depending on the animal and where I am hunting, Iâ€™d shoot out to 40 yards.

FYI- 70# draw, 340 spine arrows, 100 grain Muzzy 3 blade fixed, glow nocks


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## br1006 (Mar 24, 2006)

I prefer 20 - 30 yards but have taken a mule deer at 65 yards and seen a pronghorn taken at 95 yards!

going on a private land guided elk hunt in September and guide wants me proficient at 80 yards but says shot will most likely be in the 40 - 60 yard range.

I shoot 3 - 4 days a week and practice out to 80 yards grouping in a paper plate. Guide told me the kill zone on an elk is the size of a large pizza

Im shooting a bowtech prodigy FYI


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

I am able to increase my pull weight up to 55lbs now and at 30 yards I hit bull eye most of the time. So, it looks like 30 yard range is good for me for now. I will try to get to 60lbs pull weight by end of this Summer and this could be my max pull weight since I my elbow is too old for 60+lbs.


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## 2Ws (Jun 28, 2016)

Huge difference in paper and hair


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

2Ws said:


> Huge difference in paper and hair


Yep. Same as rifle. But, if you are good on paper, your chance is better on hair!


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## 2Ws (Jun 28, 2016)

000


BullyARed said:


> Yep. Same as rifle. But, if you are good on paper, your chance is better on hair!


NOT necessarily.....you WILL find out this season IF you get an opportunity. Paper don't have a first sense much less the sixth sense some say a deer have


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

2Ws said:


> 000
> NOT necessarily.....you WILL find out this season IF you get an opportunity. Paper don't have a first sense much less the sixth sense some say a deer have


Well, if you can't hit a paper, how could you hit anything? I said it improves your chance and confidence. The best sharpshooters still practice on papers or sandbags!


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## 2Ws (Jun 28, 2016)

BullyARed said:


> Well, if you can't hit a paper, how could you hit anything? I said it improves your chance and confidence. The best sharpshooters still practice on papers or sandbags!


 Im just saying there is a huge difference no matter how much you practice no matter the distance. Being able to hit a dime at fifty yards is a very small part of making a lethal shot on a deer.


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

Consideration should also be given as to whether or not you will be elevated. If you practice on flat ground and hunt 20 ft up in a tree, you'll need to account for that. I'll aim for lower 3rd of the vitals, always anticipating a little duck factor. If you have feral hogs to practice on before drawing down on a deer, Id recommend it. There is an adrenaline factor that you can't really describe.......you can only feel it.


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