Ethical or not!

[barry]

I watched a hunting show the other nite featuring a man I consider one of the better ambassadors of our sport. He was mule deer hunting with a bow and took a 100 yard shot resulting in a clean kill.
I was able to contact him thru facebook and I asked if he considered that shot at least a little risky. He replied with a definitive NO since he practiced that shot on a regular basis.
I'm not doubting that many bowhunters can hit a target at that distance with practice but a live animal adds more variables to the situation. It takes an arrow about 3 seconds to travel 100 yards, more that enuff time for that animal to take a step or turn a different angle that could result in a wounded and lost animal.
What's your opinion?

[savduck]

I dont bow hunt anymore, but I did at a time when it wasnt all that popular. Bowhunters were in the minority. The whole purpose of bow hunting was to get animals close.

With todays modern equipment it is physically possible to make those shots, but I agree Barry. I think taking those kinds of shot is not in the best interest of the animal. To me that shot is all about making a TV show and not about having the respect of the animal at heart and getting it in close.

I see to many bad shots and bad choices on TV shows these days. Shots taken just to get footage for TV. This is the kinda of crap that makes the rest of us look bad as hunters.

[guesswho]

I personally see two problems with that.  

1. Taking the shot.

2. Showing it on television.  

[Hognutz]

" A man's got to know his limitations."
If you can do it on a consistant basis, it is ethical.
I don't condon it, but the guy obviously knows what he can and cannot do.
So, he either got lucky, or knew what he was doing.
On T.V., and especially on your own show, they're not going to show the misses at that yardage.
There are more than a few bowhunters that have hit and lost a deer at way closer ranges. That's where Dirty Harry had it right..JMHO and YMMV...Mike

P.S. I am not a bow hunter, because I know my limitations.  

[Deputy 14]

I can't say that this is unethical. I limit myself to 40 yd bow shots because that is as far as I  can shoot consistently without worries. Some guys I shoot with practice a 80 to 100 yards and they shoot as well at those distances as I do at 40. As for taking a shot at an animal at those distances i feel it should be on a situational basis only. Shooting at a bedded animal or one that is standing and feeding is much different than shooting at an animal that is alert or aware of your presence. However, to each his own.

[Neill_Prater]

Good thing you didn't say he was shooting at a turkey, because the mods would remove the thread. 

[vaturkey]

Good thing you didn't say he was shooting at a turkey, because the mods would remove the thread. 

   

[TrackeySauresRex]

I consider myself a slightly above average archer (very humble). I practice long range shooting all the time (50+ yards) and by mid season I'm consistant. The farthest I've ever shot a deer in 20 plus years of bow hunting was, 27 yards. Personally 50 yards at a deer is way too far! JMO. Am I capeable of taking a shot at a deer at 50? The answer is Yes. Will I take that shot? absolutely NOT! These animals are constantly moving and changing angles. I've missed close shots! I've lost deer that I'm still not happy about. How many times have we said, we should have waited for him take one more step. Or just let him walk. What I'm saying is, Stuff happens! We been doing it for a long time,and it'll probably happen again.
  We all owe it to ourselves and the game we pursue. We must practice,learn our equipment to become proficient archers. Lets not forget our limitations and commonsense part. A 100 yard shot in archery Is a great shot, IN ARCHERY GOLF!
JMO

[Woodsman4God]

" A man's got to know his limitations."
If you can do it on a consistant basis, it is ethical.
I don't condon it, but the guy obviously knows what he can and cannot do.
So, he either got lucky, or knew what he was doing.
On T.V., and especially on your own show, they're not going to show the misses at that yardage.
There are more than a few bowhunters that have hit and lost a deer at way closer ranges. That's where Dirty Harry had it right..JMHO and YMMV...Mike

P.S. I am not a bow hunter, because I know my limitations.  

We had this discussion about a 98 yard crossbow shot too or +50 yard turkey shots, just because you can doesnt mean you should especially on a TV show that will get some fool thinking he can do it too...

[redleg06]

I'm not a great shot with a bow so for ME, taking a 40 yard shot would border on unethical because I'm not good enough consistently to pull it off under real world circumstances with live animals.

Anyone that's ever had a deer duck under their arrow at 25 yards can relate to this....bows (no matter what FPS they shoot) are not guns- meaning the flight time on an arrow traveling 100yds would give a deer plenty of time to move slightly enough to change the point of impact, even if the archer was on target 100% of the time at the range.  Also, i've shot on enough windy days to know that it doesnt take much of an unexpected breeze (which, being from the Western U.S myself, I would speculate is fairly common in Mule Deer Country) to change where the arrow is going to hit.  The vital area you can hit and CLEANLY kill an animal the size of a mule deer is relatively small when you're using archery equipment.

Regardless of all else, if you are representing the rest of us hunters by putting yourself out there on t.v for the general public to see, use a little more caution before taking and showing that shot. It sends the wrong message IMO because you never know who is watching and may see that and go try it themselves without enough practice etc...

[Old Gobbler]

This pretty much sums up some responsibility issues we have been dealing with for some time now

Now someone wisely pointed out very shortly and bluntly two issues doing the deed , and doing it in a public manner

Ask your selves some personal questions ........

How many times do you think that some of the people that watched the money making show will try and repeat the same stunt out in the woods on a live animal?

How many gut shots aka cripples will that produce?

[Hognutz]

Threads like this one are arbitrary from the git-go. There is no proper answer to how far a given person can or cannot shoot, responsibly, in any venue.
People target shoot rifles at 1000 yards, everyday, and are deadly accurate. Does this mean that they cannot kill a buck at 500 yards? I can't really say.
Same goes for bowhunting. At what range is the shot deemed "unethical." Is that your decision, or the guy that's doing the shooting?
I agree, wholeheartedly, that a 100 yard bow shot is not the norm. I also agree that it should not be shown on T.V.

What I don't agree to, is to have somebody else, not capable of the shot, tell the guy that is capable, that the shot he took was unethical, regardless of the distance.

[captin_hook]

This pretty much sums up some responsibility issues we have been dealing with for some time now

Now someone wisely pointed out very shortly and bluntly two issues doing the deed , and doing it in a public manner

Ask your selves some personal questions ........

How many times do you think that some of the people that watched the money making show will try and repeat the same stunt out in the woods on a live animal?

How many gut shots aka cripples will that produce?

Well stated. I don't have a problem if the guy practices and knows he can make a shot. The problem I have with it is putting it on tv where thousands of people see it and say " wow, I'm going to try that." This forum has great people and hunters. We are about 1% of the hunting world in this country. We here know that if we can't shoot at a certain distance not to attempt it. Now I live in PA with one of the largest hunting populations in the country and I have ran into countless of rude , clueless , 3 day a year hunters . I just pray they don't try what they see on tv.

[barry]

Threads like this one are arbitrary from the git-go. There is no proper answer to how far a given person can or cannot shoot, responsibly, in any venue.
People target shoot rifles at 1000 yards, everyday, and are deadly accurate. Does this mean that they cannot kill a buck at 500 yards? I can't really say.
Same goes for bowhunting. At what range is the shot deemed "unethical." Is that your decision, or the guy that's doing the shooting?
I agree, wholeheartedly, that a 100 yard bow shot is not the norm. I also agree that it should not be shown on T.V.

What I don't agree to, is to have somebody else, not capable of the shot, tell the guy that is capable, that the shot he took was unethical, regardless of the distance.

Yes he had practiced at that range and was comfortable taking the shot BUT making that shot consistantly on the practice range is one thing. What I'm saying is that too many variables are in involved to make that shot consistantly in a hunting situation.
I forgot to add that he held his bow at full draw for over 2 minutes before the shot and the deer was quartering away at a sharp angle.

[Hognutz]

All I'm saying, Barry, is that he made the shot. Full draw for two minutes, quartering away, 100 yards. He did something right. One person in a hundred or one in a thousand, he made the shot. Maybe, just maybe, the guy can shoot a bow, and hit what he is shooting at, at 100 yards.
I bet the deer thought that the shot was unethical!!