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How far would you realy shoot?

MattMan81

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Jan 13, 2020
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If any of you guys are shooting these 400fps or faster bows, how far would you shoot it at a deer? No judgements here. But what is your actual comfort level with it? That ravin 500 says 3" groups at 100yrds. That's probably on a bench. But what would you say is real world?
 
If everything was perfect...good rest...got an actual range....no brush in the way....calm animal...not moving....broadside/quartering away....no wind....50 yards.

Longest actual was 39

Ravin R29
 
I consistently practice out to 60 yards at the house, and still have yet to have everything work out to where I have taken a shot over 40, and usually 40 was I thought it was 30-35 and things just worked out. The better I get at hunting the closer my shot opportunities in archery season have become. When I first started, I picked trees with 80-100 yard lanes. Now, I get into spots where I might have a 25 yard shot by choice.
 
I used to practice to 60. After that doe ducked me at 40, I haven't practiced past 30 yards.
 
When I was thinking about this, I thought of him.
I was contemplating how fast that bolt would be moving out of one of those 500fps Crossbows. But what is really the "ethical" range. Maybe one of you numbers guys can calculate the time for a bolt to go 75yrds. How fast is it really moving at that distance. If it's still trucking is the reaction time low enough? So just starting to think that even with a 500fps crossbow, your range is still rather limited.
My thoughts are just crossbow vs verticle. Is it really an advantage distance wise even with 500fps. There is still a lot of reaction time for an animal. There a long way for a deer to see that arrow flying at them.
 
Yeah, the reaction time of a deer is insanely fast. Plus how many times have you pulled the trigger just as they lifted their head or took a step. Now that is happening that much farther away. If you are moving at 500+ fps the arrow still has to fly that far and you aren't breaking the speed of sound. When rifle hunting the bullet gets to the animal before the sound does. The sound of the crossbow shot will get to the animal well before the arrow does. I am just not sure how far that is at 500 fps. I do know it is less than 40 yards at 340fps.
 
When I was thinking about this, I thought of him.
I was contemplating how fast that bolt would be moving out of one of those 500fps Crossbows. But what is really the "ethical" range. Maybe one of you numbers guys can calculate the time for a bolt to go 75yrds. How fast is it really moving at that distance. If it's still trucking is the reaction time low enough? So just starting to think that even with a 500fps crossbow, your range is still rather limited.
My thoughts are just crossbow vs verticle. Is it really an advantage distance wise even with 500fps. There is still a lot of reaction time for an animal. There a long way for a deer to see that arrow flying at them.
The way I see it is a 500 fps crossbow is shooting more than twice as fast as a lot of guys are shooting with their heavy arrows out of their compounds. So your bolt would be getting to the target in about half the time. Meaning it would take your bolt about the same amount of time to go 50 yards as it would your heavy arrow to go 25. Now is a deer more likely to react to the loud sound of a crossbow going off vs a much quieter compound shooting a heavy arrow? I'd say probably so. But the fact is, the deer being shot at by the crossbow has about half the time to react from the sound of the shot to impact as the deer being shot at by a compound with a heavy arrow from the same distance.
 
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The way I see it is a 500 fps crossbow is shooting more than twice as fast as a lot of guys are shooting with their heavy arrows out of their compounds. So your bolt would be getting to the target in about half the time. Meaning it would take your bolt about the same amount of time to go 50 yards as it would your heavy arrow to go 25. Now is a deer more likely to react to the loud sound of a crossbow going off vs a much quieter compound shooting a heavy arrow? I'd say probably so. But the fact is, the deer has about half the time to react from the sound of the shot to impact.

I think the sound is way more of a factor than it’s made out to be. Sound is fast.
 
The chart below assumes an arrow speed of 500ft/sec, speed of sound approx. 1300 ft/sec and a normal target pace of 4.5 ft/sec. I used my normal walking pace as a reference since I don't really know how to quantify a deer's pace but I can measure my own. However, I think it's safe to say a deer walking at a normal pace would out distance me.

Regardless, the movement number gives some perceptible reference to the time. When printed on a chart, a reaction time of 0.11 seconds sounds like a really short interval. In reality there's a lot of motion that can take place in that time frame.

1611317928027.png

Edit: This also doesn't take into account the "whistling" of the arrow as it flies. Once the target hears the sound of the bow release it will continue to hear the arrow whistling toward it until impact. The longer that whistle exists the more apt a deer might be to react to it. For example, a clank or thud might get its initial attention but the sound of a steadily approaching arrow might be the driving factor in its decision to move. The longer that whistle duration is the more incentive there is to move.
 
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The chart below assumes an arrow speed of 500ft/sec, speed of sound approx. 1300 ft/sec and a normal target pace of 4.5 ft/sec. I used my normal walking pace as a reference since I don't really know how to quantify a deer's pace but I can measure my own. However, I think it's safe to say a deer walking at a normal pace would out distance me.

Regardless, the movement number gives some perceptible reference to the time. When printed on a chart, a reaction time of 0.11 seconds sounds like a really short interval. In reality there's a lot of motion that can take place in that time frame.

View attachment 43309

Edit: This also doesn't take into account the "whistling" of the arrow as it flies. Once the target hears the sound of the bow release it will continue to hear the arrow whistling toward it until impact. The longer that whistle exists the more apt a deer might be to react to it. For example, a clank or thud might get its initial attention but the sound of a steadily approaching arrow might be the driving factor in its decision to move. The longer that whistle duration is the more incentive there is to move.
That's what I was looking for. Thanks Boyne!
 
30 yards would be it. I hunt thick stuff so actually 30 would be max if I had a clear shot.
 
You guys must have nice clean lanes to shoot that far. Down here in South Texas brush hunting, 40 yards, your dealing with foilage for days. That being said, what does it matter. You take the shot when you have the shot to take. That animal may not get close enough to do a 25 yard shot. That deer can move just as easily at 15 yards as it will at 75. Just shoot. Don't get paralysis by analysis.
 
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