Well, I have been following this post for a bit, and others like it. There are definatley some posts from guys that are very limited as to the archery knowledge and or experience. There are some great points as to how far you shoot etc. I know i'm gonna get slammed, but people its not 1985. Our equipment is leaps and bounds better. I have been shooting for 25 years. My first bow was a bear whitetail II. It may have shot 185 FPS. my old brass pins rattled down after a week of shooting. I started out shooting round bales in dads field...missing half the time at 20 yrds. I was addicted, and shot everyday...good thing about growing up on a farm and having a heated shop. As my shooting ability increased so did my equipment. 60 yrds eventually became second nature. I shot quite a few animals out to that distance. This is before range finders.
About 10 yrs ago I was shooting the best I ever have and probably ever will. I could for sure shoot better with a bow than I could free hand with a rifle at 100yrds. A good friend and i would shoot out to 120 yrds...our furthest point in the yard as much as we could. Now, would i shoot at a deer that far, no, a coyote, you bet and have connected a few times. I have shot multiple animals out to 80 yrds...and have seen many others shot to that distance with a bow. I just read a post saying that only one guy would shoot past 70 or out to 70 yrds...well thats because most guys dont want to get ripped on so they will keep there comments to themselves. I know there are multiple guys that have read this, biting there tongue I just could not take it anymore!
Today I shoot 345 FPS and 95 ft/lbs of KE. A far cry from what I started out at. I have limited my distance this year due to the lack of practice in comparison to past years. Each hunting situation is different. Is the animal aware somethings up? Is it windy, are your nerves getting the best of you? There are mulitple factors I know. I have let down on a few big critters due to my nerves getting the best of me or wind blowing my bow enough I can not settle the pin. Bottom line is if I feel comfortable in the shot that I know I can make every day, I am gonna take it. There is a big difference in speed of bows. Someone taking a shot at 40 yrds with an arrow spitting out at 240 FPS...or 75 yrds with a bow kicking a stick at 345...do the math...not much different.
As far as not having the punch to kill an animal at 75+ yrds, think again. My last elk was 72 yards and a pass through. I know I would not step in front of my setup. I believe my broadheads and arrows are gonna give me the best accuarcy and penetration possible.
To finish off, would I prefer to take a 10 yrd shot...you bet, every time. The truth is though, not everytime in the field will you get that perfect shot...10 yrds, no wind, animal is blind and deaf. Cover runs out, too many eyes to sneak any further. I practice hard, in all condition, rain, wind, rain, uphill-downhill, pressure situations( for me it used to be 3D tourny's, etc) I know my equipment and limitations. If you feel you can only "ethically" take a shot at 20 yrds, well then so be it, but dont judge the guys that put there time in and take it to the next step....
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