Archery Elk Shot Distance?

Joe2Kool

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For all you western archery elk hunters, what's a typical distance for shots? I've seen references on here for 80 yard shots and can't even begin to think about that. I'm asking because I've got enough AZ points to seriously think about being drawn in the next couple of years, provided COVID point creep doesn't bite me!

My archery hunting has always been big woods whitetail hunting. A typical shot is 20 yards. I think the closest has been 6 yards and the longest I've taken has been 35 yards.
 
I am with you on not even beginning to think about 80 - 100 yard shots. 3 pins on the old Matthews :
20
30 and 40
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I won't let my son shoot past 40 either. {I still shoot fingers (tab).} Guess I am an old school prick and do not think shooting 80 yards with 'primitive gear' is ok or ethical.

But, the typical distance depends on the hunter's ability to get in on em. Or the ability to talk to elk and call them in.

Had a bull come down the trail one Opening morning, make a mess of a tree, never sees me....and flew one over the top at 15 yards.
 
Most places we hunt in SE Idaho are so brushy you can’t shoot over 40. My closest was 4, most 30-40, and one at 60 in the wide open sage.
 
I've killed nine elk with a bow. Longest shot was 42 yards. I practice at 80+ but i'll never shoot at a bull over 45.
 
I've killed five with my bow at ranges from 15 to 80. The 80 yd shot I had plenty of time to get comfortable, had it ranged, no wind and I have an 80 yd pin I practice with a lot.
 
I’ve guided elk hunters in New Mexico for several years and always tell bow hunters, because I’ve seen it, that you are setting yourself up for a big heartache with a long shot and we will probably spend the rest of your hunt looking for a bull we will never find. Seems like the younger and guys who just started archery hunting elk always tell me.... I’m good out to 100 yards.... BS, let’s call one into 40 yards.
 
40 and under is my preference. Further shots can add more pressure on you, and we all have had bad or missed shots. Closer is more fun too.
 
I shot a spike a couple years ago. I don't think my arrow had left the string yet. I was literally 3' away. Distance has always been a touchy subject. Rule of thumb, whatever you can consistently hit a paper plate at is your max distance. My daughter shot a spike a couple years ago at 54 yards. Her bow was set at 42 pounds. The arrow passed through!
 
I have shot three elk so far this year with my bow in various states. Two cows and a bull. First was a cow at 40 yards. Second was a cow at 60 yards. And third was a 6x6 at 7 yards. I have one more elk tag, but will probably hunt it with a rifle (late season).

There is no need for especially long shots on elk. You can typically get in close, and that is the main part of the fun. I shot the bull nearly in self defense (kidding), as he would have passed by me at 2-3 yards if I didn't dump the string when he was at 7 yards.

THAT is bowhunting fun!
Bill
 
I have shot three elk so far this year with my bow in various states. Two cows and a bull. First was a cow at 40 yards. Second was a cow at 60 yards. And third was a 6x6 at 7 yards. I have one more elk tag, but will probably hunt it with a rifle (late season).
Pictures
Come on

There is no need for especially long shots on elk. You can typically get in close, and that is the main part of the fun. I shot the bull nearly in self defense (kidding), as he would have passed by me at 2-3 yards if I didn't dump the string when he was at 7 yards.

THAT is bowhunting fun!
Bill
 
I usually practice at 120. groups are not so desirable but those 70 yard shots after all that long range practice seem sooooooooo easy.
I must advise against that range for practice if you cant afford to buy a LOT of arrows for the first few weeks. My little bitty block target is covered by the pin. So I place the top under where I want to hit. Either way its the whole principle of "aim small, miss small" concentration, arrow release, writs pressure, etc are all forced to be brought into top form. If I don't practice at long range then my short game starts to really SUCK after a few weeks of getting lazy with my form. I think my usual shots are 60 to 70. I free range hunted a kudu in south Africa in the Natal mountains. Super fun but the 60yard shot up hill definitely proved all my practice to have been for good reason.

In short you need only shoot where you know your range is solid and you know with 95% certainty you wont hit a shoulder or guts. Bow hunting is more for the patient. another good practice is to shoot rabbits in thick cover. Eye shots only. learning to thread the arrow in all the limbs really helps you place that arrow right behind the shoulder. rabbit shots are always around 10 yards and is super difficult.
 
My bow kills have come at 45 and 78. I practice out to 100 without the intent to shoot that far, for two reasons. One, as posters above mentioned, practicing at 100 makes a 70 yard shot feel relatively routine. Two, if I happen to make a poor shot and have a wounded elk stop and look at me from 90-100 yards I want to be prepared to make a prudent follow-up. I shoot a 3-pin black gold slider with pins set at 30/40/50 and ability to dial bottom pin to 100. Once you get past 70 things change a ton and you get to a point where you really have to have the exact number because of how much you're dropping every 5 yards. In my relatively limited experience, if the big bulls won't leave their cows and come to calls then the ability to stretch it even to 60 yards presents a lot higher probability of success on a stalk with cow eyes everywhere.

To sum it all up, I'd recommend preparing yourself to at least be highly proficient out to 50, with the ability to shoot 60 in good conditions (broad side, plenty of time, not huffing and puffing from a climb, etc).
 
The distance one can shoot normally depends on how many Instagram and other social media "likes" they are trying to get. Gotta smoke that bull at 80+ a couple of times because those sponsors won't pay unless big animals are hitting the dirt!
 
I hunt where it's pretty thick and nasty so when setting up to call, I always make sure I can't see any farther than I want to shoot. If that distance is 20,30, 90 whatever. Different story if hunting wide open terrain but you can still use topography to keep the distance closer. If the bull should be able to see you from 120 he may not come any closer than that.
 
I think the margin of error is far too great to shoot at a bull at more than 60 yards. MAYBE 70 if conditions are perfect and you've practiced a lot at that distance. Heck the dam things are hard enough to kill at 25 yards ! Shoot your arrow once at 70 yards and pay close attention to how far it drops and how long it takes to get there. Then ask yourself "is that really a shot I want to take ?"
 
In my post above I was not saying 120 yards is a shot to take. I was trying to say don't setup where you can even see 120 yards. Elk want to see what they're looking for and if you setup in open timber they might hang up out of range. Get setup within your comfortable shooting range. People always think I'm handicapped for shooting a stick bow with a max range of 30 yards but if set up properly there's no issues whatsoever getting a bull into range.
 
I personally wouldn’t shoot Anything further than 40 yards on an elk I wouldn’t even think about a 80 yard shot that’s asking to wound an animal that big
 
I hunted archery for several years with an old Damon Howett 58#. I was able to take 4 elk..all under 40 yds. To me the reason I hunted with stick & string was the thrill of the hunt ! Getting really close and getting the job done was a big thrill and challenge. The reason I quit was I was finding a few elk every year that had not been recovered and that made me sick I knew with my equipment and lack of being really proficient it was just a matter of time and I would loose one. I have hunted ML for the last 15 years and rifle on some hunts for that reason
 
Personally, I treat it as a MOA style. 4” @ 40 5”@ 50 .. 5 shot group CONSISTENTLY...first 5 arrows of a session preferably. If I’m getting 5” groups kneeling, standing and sitting at 70 yds. I feel good about that shot with little environmental factors in the mix. Think about the decibel level of your bow to... analyze the area you are hunting and archery success rates? Honestly if it’s a high rate of success in the unit “more likely a bull will jump the string “ therefore a closer shot will give a filled tag and not a wounded elk.
Elk are tough be bring down (especially during the rut).
I have seen bulls shot at 18- 40 yds live longer than bulls shot 70+.
4” difference in arrow impact can be a dead, wounded or maimed elk..
aim small miss small!!!
 
9 yds to 70 yds is my best
I missed my first elk this year twice once at 54 and at 82 just don't know what happened?
I'm going to try Traditional next year maybe
 

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