Deer Hunting With A Crossbow - How Far Do You Shoot? 

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You're right brother. "Just because you can do something. doesn't mean you should do it."

I had a little year in a half buck pop out and hour in a half ago at 70 yards moved in around 50 55 yards and decided not to take the shot Out of respect to the buck id rather have the accurate shot clean kill and a buck that's a little older with more then just 2 points for my fist buck if the season. But you know what I walked out them woods with a big smile on my face. Glad I found this video. Thanks and God bless

Great info Dave, hopefully most will listen. Thanks for posting Sir. 👍👍

Excellent advise,thx.Ill keep that in mind as I'm completely new to this.

as someone who is interested and asking lots of questions (me) this video was immensely useful and helpful! please keep up the great work and God bless!

Great information. Just getting back into bow hunting with vertical and crossbow in Wisconsin. The disposition of the deer really hits home. Been hunting for many years and even with gun this can hold true. No hunter wants to miss or wound a deer. God Bless!

You sir. Are absolutely spot on with your information..

Will be doing my FIRST bow hunt this year. Looking to purchase a crossbow as well for this archery hunt. This helps A LOT. Thanks.

Thanks for the information, going bow hunting this weekend in Northern Missouri.

Great video Brother. The most important point you made is about the disposition of the animal. I have learned to only shoot arrows (I still shoot with a "vertical" bow) at a deer that is relaxed. If a deer senses no danger and is grazing and concentrating on what it's doing and not what might be about to harm it, the reaction time is dramatically slower and it is far less likely to jump the string (you might say they are caught off guard). If the ears and/or tail go up, I won't shoot because I know they will react as soon as they hear the string. If I haven't drawn my bow yet, I will try to be super still and see if the animal decides whatever it saw or heard is not a threat. If they catch movement as I draw my bow, there is not much I can do but educate that particular deer because unfortunately, with a "vertical" bow, once you draw you can only freeze for a limited time. I only have a 15, 25 and 35 yard pin on my sight (it came with 5 pins but I removed 2 of them). Beyond 35 yards in real world hunting scenarios, I believe there are too many variables that can affect my ability to insure a clean lethal hit. Misjudge distance, wind, lower velocity, and as you said, more time for the deer to react to the sound. But that is just my personal decision. Each hunter must determine what he or she is comfortable with by shooting under hunting conditions.

Excellent advice. The other thing to think about is the potential for unseen twigs between you and the deer that can deflect the arrow. The further the distance, the more likely they’re there.

Good video Dave

You hit this sppot on! Good job!

Excellent video, thanks !

Never even thought about that type of stuff. Thank you.

Good pointers. Thank you for the video.

Great information. New deer hunter. This was all very useful. I do concern myself with humane harvest

You know sir you make a really good point and I agree with you 100% I have got a raven crossbow and I have been crossbow hunting now for the last 5 years or more and the thing is the faster your bow shoots the quicker your arrow gets there to get the job done but in most of the situations that I have been in 50 yards in closer is better because like the twang of the crossbow out to 50 yards most of the time the deer will hear that but it's not close enough to really be a threat so they don't panic they might think a tree limb is broke if it's not close enough to them it does not bother them but now the closer shots it seems to bother them more but the arrow gets their way too quick and there's nothing they can really do stop for me even though the selling point on the Ravin crossbow is it you can shoot out to a hundred yards and maybe I can but I keep all my shots within 50 and closer and the closer the better I got it to nice bucks this year at about 30 yards out from me and all they did was when the crossbow went off they looked behind them because they heard the arrow hitting the ground after it already went through them and they never moved a muscle and they didn't go very far in my AR-10 Ravin crossbows q400 9 ft to second

Cool video and channel...clicked all the buttons! Watching more of your stuff now. Have a great day!

I have been hunting with a compound bow for 25 years. I will not shoot any further than 30 yards. (That's my comfort zone). I try to stay at 20 yards or less. Never used a crossbow.

Great video.

This is good basic information for anyone just starting to use any type of bow. Unfortunately manufacturers only give first-time bow buyers or shooters fps statistics which is a great starting point but it's just that a starting point. I started out using a standard Indian style bow from Sears when I was 7. Being from Virginia's Eastern Shore I was blessed. Hunting trapping and fishing all year long. Coon hunting was and still is my favorite hunt although I love hunting trapping and fishing anything. Anyway after years of advancing from straight bows to recurves to compounds to compound crossbows which I use today I like many others shoot at a distance comfortable for me. Most compound crossbows rated at 300 fps or more are capable of hitting a stationary target at distances over 70 yards. I have friends that actually target practice at these distances with crossbows rated at 380 fps. Again whatever your comfortable with and confident with. I like the 40 yard rule with my Barnett compound crossbow. Rated at nearly 400 fps just means that it's faster than 2 or 3 hundred fps crossbows. I can hit a stationary target at 85 yards with my crossbow after years of shooting but I would never attempt to kill a deer or bear at distances over 40 yards again that's my rule and my personal preference. Hitting a stationary target isn't the same as shooting at a live animal. After decades of helping friends track deer through the woods for miles sometimes only to find the animal suffering. I always take my pistol to end the animals suffering. I've suggested to friends many times to think about my 40 yard rule while using arrows. I'm not an award winning crossbow shooter nor do I compete but after decades of using multiple types of bows including Ms.Kitty my newest crossbow I can't remember losing my animal or needing to track it hundreds of yards only to find it suffering. To each his own but I encourage anyone considering hunting with any type of bow to target practice often and don't think about hunting anything until your confident with the distance you choose to be your max and never go beyond your max regardless. Choose a maximum distance as a unbreakable rule. It works and you'll be happy in the long run. Food for thought; watch lots of bow shooting videos. You'll pickup pointers and safety advice. And use your own judgment while watching and reading remember everything you read and watch won't be 100% accurate but it's a good starting point. And anytime something seems debatable or incorrect or just plain unsafe. Ask others that have lots of bow hunting experience. Just Google your questions and listen to others. You can dismiss any information you decide isn't right or is not for you. Happy hunting everyone be safe and always always be absolutely sure about what your shooting. And always be aware of your surroundings. Some bows especially crossbows can travel distances further than what you can imagine. Now go practice hitting your mark at your distance but like this video shows and explains just because your bow is rated at 300 fps or whatever is only the speed it's leaving the bow at. It's not a bullet and starts losing power immediately.

Love the videos soon as I seen the crawlers sighn I was like I seen his videos before and remembered that I loved his videoz

Great info 👍

As I said at your other video job well done great info . I'm shooting a crossbow that is shooting 450 fps and I won't shoot outside of 45 yards and I'm grouping 4"groups at 100 yards . But it's not the woods.good job on video

Great video and topic! My older Horton Realtree crossbow is a 315 or 330fps and Ive only shot 2 deer with it but all at 30 yards or so but my new Ten Point Turbo S1 is right around 400fps but is a lot more accurate and I might try a 50 yard shot with it. Where I hunt is wooded and you might get 30-40 yards before things start getting in the way anyways.

Great video and some valuable tips! I'm limiting my shots to 30 yards.

Great Video, Dave! I have a hardware question for you, what is the shooting rest you are using when shooting the crossbow? It looks like a real nice rest....

I personally use a scorpyd aculeus (the 460fps model) and it is worth every penny and more. I've never missed an animal with it, 'nor have I had a penetration issues. I've landed shots on deer walking away from me at a 20 degree angle in a split second only for me to get a clean passthrough that hit the liver, both lungs, and the heart. And I've done the same with Turkey at 65 yards.

I love your videos and thank you for your info about crossbow. Would you agree to shot a small broadheads from 20 yards and longer. Thanks agian and God Bless you as well

Thanks, nice 👍.

I have a new 2020 crossbow killer instinct boss 405. I upgraded my scope to killer instinct Lumix IRE. I also put the DSC Crank cocker on it .it cranks silent. My bolts are custom victory bolts 325 at 100 grain head total 425. They are carbon fiber. My broadheads are Rage Xtreme. I shoot 70 to 80 yards and 100. Practicing but hunting 50 yards 60 yards tops.

Awsome vid

I completely agree. This is a great video that a lot of people need to see. I see these commercials where they are shooting 100 yards with them. The thing that bugs me is it gives people the false perception they can kill deer that far. Sure you can get lucky and kill one that far I’m sure. At the same time so much can go wrong and a animal can move a lot before the arrow gets there.

When looking at deer reaction times, you have to account for speed of sound. ReactionTime=(distance/boltSpeed)-(distance/speedOfSound)

The speed of sound is faster than any crossbow can shoot!!

My blade pro 175 lb draw carbon express crossbow i can shoot acutely out to 100 yards consistently but longest ive taken a deer was around 80 well 83.4 to be exact. Had a complete pass through with using carbon Express bolts from walmart 350 grains with a 100 grain green swacker. I dont use the scope that came with the crossbow i use a center point mill dot scope illuminate reticle and honestly I found once I get out past 30 as long as I hold around 3 to 4 inches low i tend to get right where i need to be acounting for ducking the string

Not sure if this is dirty pool or not,but would it help to broadcast the twang of the bow over loudspeakers during hunting season,to acclimatize the deer to the sound?

Good video, like seeing your messages on the outdoors. I also would like to add impact load, is your bolt or arrow hitting with enough punch at 70/80 yard's. Thanks again.

I like 30 yards. I have a 405 killer instinct and at 30 yards there is less than a half second until impact. I'm a better shot at that range. Bows of any style requires a different approach to hunting. Cost,Planing, preparation, to placement of arrow. Some do it for sport, some to fill a freezer. My favorites? Deer and squirrel.

Very good points! Thank You! My Darton Serpent gets a 6 inch group at 100 yards, with no wind....but when you mention jumping the string, I'll bet in order to get an ethical shot, it will bring you back to about 50 yards max.....maybe 60 or 70, in a pinch. Most good bow hunters wont take a shot past 40 yards. Christ Bless!

God bless you too! I have a Bear X 380 Trek and am waiting for a crank to come in before I can use it. I'm not too short, they made the crossbow too long! 😅😅😅 I am strong enough to cock it manually with the rope but by the last 4 inches before it will lock into place, my arms are up and as far stretched out as possible. I'd need to stand on a milk crate to do it. 😅 So that's why I have a brand new crossbow that I can't even sight in yet. 🤦‍♀️

One other thing to consider before you pull the trigger is to note if the deer's head is up or down. When the deer gets his legs underneath him and crouches down, preparing to spring, the only thing controlling his speed is gravity. Now, a falling body will accelerate, due to gravity, the further it falls. That's why you break an ankle jumping off of a 20 foot roof and not on a 4 foot drop, but that's irrelevant here. If the deer's head is down when he starts his crouch, he will quickly raise his head at the same time that he is getting his legs under him. The mass of his head moving up will act upon his body moving down, causing it to accelerate more than just the 33 feet per second squared, caused by gravity alone. You may think this is insignificant. Two seasons ago I started using a scope that records video. I've got video of a buck, at 31 yards, dropping just below my bolt (295 fps). There was hair on the broadhead, but no flesh or blood. The fletchings were clean.

East coast - 30 yards is really the max in 99% of hunting situations. Dense woods. Highly pressured deer jumping at the sound of a squirrel fart

The sound travels at 1088 feet per second. The deer can drop 1 full body height (approximately 18 inches) in 3 tenths of a second. Take all this into consideration. Another factor is the reaction zone. This is where deer totally freak out. It's about 18-27 yards. With a quiet bow I have killed deer at 40 yards. They look up and my arrow is zipping through them. I've also missed numerous bucks at 25 yards.

If you are so sure, in that deer will crouch or move down, then aim at that spot and anticipate that movement and aim at its brisket. Got the heart that way or lungs.

Thumb rule - xbow with 300 fps = 45 yard elk , 60 yard white tail. Xbow with 400fps = 60 yard elk , 80 yard whitetail . My Crossbow 435 fps and its 70 yard elk or moose and 100 yard whitetail.

you can also think about the sound has to travel also yes its a little over 1000ft ps but that dose give the bolt a little head start and another plus the farther away the less scary that sound is so it realy comes down to your on ability.

I will agree on what you said about distance shot ! Me ? 50 to 60 yards at the most I want will do !! My crossbow will shoot 420 fps !! Centerpoint crossbow !!!

What shooting stand do you use in this vid? (Orange one)

Accuracy is important but the arrow must still penetrate and humanely kill at the chosen distance. The shorter arrows of crossbows lose energy quickly as they go downrange. I won't shoot over 40 yards.

There are several issues with your measurements. I've disproven the "Jump the string" *myth* both in theory AND in practice... 1. Almost all crossbows are dead silent and don't even catch a deer's attention past 50 yards. I once shot a doe 40 yards behind me and there were 4 other does 70 yards infront of me that haven't as much as looked my way. 2. The deer not only needs time to hear it, it needs time to *determine* whether it's a danger or not. By then the bolt is already in the ground. When you shout at a deer to stop it does it immediately run away or look to study the direction the sound came from? 3. My crossbow shoots 460fps, I've taken many deer including two mature bucks past 60 yards. Every time the bolt lands exactly where I aimed (even on alert deer) and retains it's energy well after it's passed through. I once shot a 2.5 year old buck at 70 yards, it went through the shoulder and did a complete quartering passthrough. I get 2" groups at 115 yards and EVEN THEN it has more penetration than a 50# recurve at 15 yards.

Good information but you're leaving out the fact that it takes time for the sound to reach the animal too. If the speed of sound is 1125 fps and your crossbow gives velocity of 300-400 fps, then you need to reduce the reaction time by 1/3. If a crossbow shoots at approximately twice the speed of a compound, then it stands to reason that you should be safe shooting twice as far. I personally think that 70 yards is a stretch but 50-60 should be reasonable range.

Must think about the kinetic energy at the long distance shot. Most hunters are using 100 or 125 grain Broadhead, which don’t have the energy to get a pass through shot which is more ethical shot.

Deer reactions are different depending on proximity. Deer do not always drop to jump on every sudden noise. Yet those noised that are loud or that are close to them will easily cause some reaction. Deer will flinch at a whisper of noise at close range but may only turn an ear at thirty yards. If the deer have had a recent experience they may respond more dramatically. Deer simply respond differently to proximity and experience. I used to hold a good 5 inch group with a compound but never shot at a deer at that range. The farthest i ever killed a deer with a bow was 35-40 yards and it watched me draw and shoot at it. Proficiency with your weapon is crucial. I had a deer completely duck a string at 20 yards with a loud recurve bow. That bow was so loud even horses watching me practice would jump at every shot but friends shooting quieter bows hardly elicited a response. The archery industry spends oodles of money to keep their equipment as quiet as possible based on deer responses to sound and proximity. Up close shots need fast quiet bows to beat the "string" noise response but even then a deer's response can alter where an arrow impacts. A low noise crossbow fired at 50 yards may cause an unalarmed deer to turn its head quickly but hardly move otherwise. In an alarmed deer the same noise might cause the deer to bolt which requires the deer to bunch it's muscles causing it to duck to jump so it can run. A gun shot that misses or strikes a tree or the ground beyond the distance of the deer might confuse the deer and none of them really run. Even older deer. The sound of the bullet impacting one of the deer may cause all of the deer to bolt because of proximity. Later in the season deer may bolt from a near by gun being discharged several hundred yards away just because of experience and relative proximity. I have experienced all these scenarios. Sitting Bull was reported to pull a 100 pound bow and Indians relied on tracking and their ethics was based on whether or not they could hit an animal to track or let their family go hungry yet even-so they would always take pride on how close they could get based on their experience and efficiency versus prowess. There was not pride in an empty stomach.

Rough formula for shot distance calculating. Fps divided by 10 equals yardage to hit deer before it can significantly move/drop at the shot. Recurve 150 fps divided by 10 equals 15 yards. Light compound shooting 200 fps divided by 10 equals 20 yards. Medium weight compound or older crossbow shooting 250 fps divide by 10 equals 25 yards and so on. Aiming lower 1/3 of the kill zone can extend your range beyond these distances and take more deer home.

The most important part of hunting is to make an ethical clean kill. Do not push beyond your limits, practice, practice, practice.

His assessment that shooting a 300fps bow at 50 yards gives the deer half a second to respond isn't quite right, but is fundamentally sound. The speed of sound, while considerable, is not instantaneous. It will take the sound a little over a tenth of a second to travel that 50 yards. That's not a lot, but it's still part of the equation. The rate at which a deer can drop is actually somewhat predictable since gravity is their primary tool for "jumping". In the remaining 4/10 of a second, the deer has to hear the sound, process it, and drop. Assuming the reaction time is 0:00, which we know is not the case, that leaves the deer with 4/10 of a second to fall out of the way of the incoming arrow. At the acceleration due to gravity, that would translate into about 30 inches of drop. (D=ViT+1/2AT^2) So, if the deer is aware, and reacts quickly, a complete miss is certainly a possibility. If it took the deer 1/10 of a second to react, the amount of distance the deer can drop is nearly cut in half -- about 17". The difference in the distance a deer can drop between a 300fps and 400fps bow is only about 2.5" at 50 yards, so bow speed really isn't the most important factor in the scenario. The awareness of the deer and the distance are the driving factors more than the FPS of the bow.

Very good information. The speed of sound must be taken in to consideration also. I limit my shots to 50 yards and I will only take a shot that long when the deer has it's head down.

Usually when deer jumps string, bow not tuned up perfect, if makes string noise arrow not heavy enough! Should only hear Mechanical click of trigger release,and wack on arrow hitting deer! Woosh of string is what scares them,sounds like snake ready to strike ! Only had two deer jump string,once fletching loose on arrow,once bad cables on bow 👍

I have never hunted with a crossbow, but I just assumed a prime shot would be somewhere between 30-40 yards. I've only used rifles. The only thing I wonder, is watching when deciding to take a shot, I would expect you can see some of the disposition. Some deer are just twitchy, some are more relaxed. I wonder if aiming a little lower, knowing the deer is going to drop at the sound of the snap, wouldn't ensure a good shot--with a twitchy deer.

Are you going to address the fact that sound travels only 750 ft/sec. So by the time the deer hears the twang, the bolt is halfway there.

After 50 years of archery, my recurve 20yds. My compound 30yds. My crossbow 40yds. Ethicle

For bows they tide stuf on the string pon pons make the string quieter

So you´ll need a crossbow wich shoots 343 m/s for a 70 yard shot. So the sound and the bolt arrives in the same time.

archery is not just a test of skill but its a test of how far your ego will go to be a true archer you have to learn to let go of your ego so you don't give an animal an injury you're taking a life we owe it to our prey that they die quickly and as painlessly as possible

Real talk.

Deer flinch I've seen it at 40 yards shots. So I aim a little lower.

Yeah, I've shot skippers at 50yards ! Why, practice, practice, practice... duplicate the shot - practice same situation u hunt in! Learn what bow can do- personality ! In open field,cross my knee,put elbow on it- makes good rest, squeeze trigger when very confident,why practice, practice, practice! Does your bow hit different place at tree stand heigh 15-30 ft. U better find out ? Duplicate the shot; confidence 👍 Does a sniper,wing it 🤔🤪

Mine shoots two arrows.so after I shoot the first shot.I could send off another one aiming lower.

At 68 degrees f, in dry air, sound travels at 343 meters a second. That puts the fastest crossbow to shame. And the more moisture in the air, the faster it travels.

Remember to consider wind as well.

At 300 feet per second speed of sound at approx 830 leaves 530 feet per second faster than the arrow .... at 75 feet is when the reaction time first becomes possible.... anything under 75 feet is well inside the ability to process ... personally twang is not an issue ever even at long range.... the deer can't start to have a nerve impulse until the sound arrives .... I'm not even going to get into the math it's just a non issue more often than not it's an excuse .... and watching hunt videos confirms that

I shoot 395 fps with a 538gr bolt. I will shoot out to 100 yards max. The distance I get the most string "jumping" is from 40 to 60 yards. Out past that distance they dont move and more of just look towards the faint sound. I shot one at 97 yards this past season. I had my father do a loud grunt call as I pulled the trigger to make sure the deer didnt move or jump.

Reminds me of my physics final exam 30 odd years ago. If a 400 grain arrow leaves a bow accelerating at 320 fps.......

70 yards down the shooting range or across a food plot is a whole lot different than 70 yards down through the woods !

I've stood by the target behind a barricade from 70 yd you can hear the arrow coming

If I'm hunting a deer and this deer is about 100 yards away, can I shoot a deer at 100 yards away?

I shot a deer at 40 yards hit him a little forward of the shoulder and he ran off and barely bled I was shoot about 330 FPS so I’ll not shoot further than 35 anymore it wasn’t a good shot anyways but it just didn’t have enough energy too

Don't forget about the next unspoken enemy....WIND I don't care who you are or what fps your crossbow shoots; anything over 40 yards and even a 2 mph wind guest can reach havoc on reaching a target accurately...you know...on top of everything else you just mentioned 😂🖒

It depends on how big the scope is.

I limit mine at 65 yards shot 1 at 50 and another at 60 before

The sound travel time needs fractured in

You not giving 1/2 a second for the deer to flinch. You have to take the speed of sound and minus the speed of the arrow....then you have the correct time...then minus the deers time to react from that. That would be the true timing

Yo what the fuck is up with killing that spike?

Chootem they won't complain about the noise

If u think the deer is going to croch only thing u have to do is aim at the bottom of the kill spot

One day there will be a crossbow that will shoot 12000 fps.... an they will never hear a thing.

415 fps at 50y won't even flinch 😉

30 yards

Until the crossbow shoots above the speed of sound 50 yards in is the only ethical range.

my ravin 500 knocks them down at 100 easy, all day long.....anything lesser than 80 is no fun or challengiing

God bless ? I'm really sure what that means .

Not to be a jerk but if you are using a crossbow and you have practiced with it you should know your limits. If you don't know you shouldn't be hunting

False. Not half a second. It takes time for sound to travel.

So what you're say is don't use archery equipment to hunt with... because they will jump every string. Smdh

Ok

Very fast and twice as quiet!

"How far should I shoot x animal with a bow or crossbow?" Let me put an end to this nonsense. It depends on the arrow or bolt. The shooter. The bow. The game. The conditions of the shot including cover, wind, terrain. There is no hard line. There is no distance you can put on someone else. There are people and situations where a 100 yard shot is ok. Even if it makes you get all triggered that is the truth. There are people who are way better than you and understand the situation from a standpoint of years of experience that you do not have. Me personally I will take a broadside shot on deer from any distance I can repeatably hit a three inch circle. I will take the frontal shot at any distance I can hit a target the size of a half dollar repeatedly. But that certainly isn't a limit I would put on someone else.