Average shot distance in Alaska for bou?
Caribou
Depends on how good of a hunter you are! For me getting close is what I do but I hunt with a stick and string.
I've shot 2 Caribou in Alaska, both at 80+ yards. When you're out of cover and the Bull is no longer coming your way, I don't care how "Good" you think you are, shoot or move on. Caribou are considered soft targets, usually bed after a hit, giving you a chance for a second arrow, if needed. If you're not into eating tag soup, extend your effective shooting range, Hell you have all summer! Good Luck!!
I shoot out to 60 regularly. I wont be hunting them until 2015. Thanks.
BPM, nice to see honest answers, most people wouldn't say that for fear of being bashed. Lived here for 20 years and killed/guided lots of them, you are spot on
I was prepared to shoot out to 60, but found them pretty easy to stalk in closer to in early August than what I have read online... Shot mine from 6 yards on day 2 and was within 30 yards of 4 more shooters over the next 5 days.
Yeah, Most shots are longer...though if you pay attention, the bou will follow in the path of other bou before them and in broken country you can get very close in the right scenario with barren grounders.
Paraphrase: "Bowhunting is about how close you shoot your quarry, not how far you shoot at it"
I've killed one with a recurve at about 20 yards and two with a compound 45 yards and 26 yards. Hopefully you'll have caribou all around you and have multiple shot opportunities.
I am preparing to shoot at distances most guys wouldn't want to talk about. I am comfortable with this because I can keep 9 out of 10 arrows within a pie plate at 100 yards, and if I mess it up for some reason I'll finish it with a rifle.
I know this 1st part is not archery related and the OP can delete it if he wants but My dad cheated and used a gun the last time he was in Alaska and shot a caribou at 1000 yards. Took 4 shots from a Browning 300 magnum and the bull never moved an ounce on any of the shots. 1st shot hit 100 yards short. 2nd shot was between the legs. 3rd shot strike was not able to be seen so he figured he adjusted to high. 4th shot hit perfect and about 10 seconds later the bull fell over. Odd thing was it never once moved and did not move after it was hit. It was a confirmed kill by 3 people who saw it.
Totally unfair to the caribou IMO. Up close an personal is the way to go and much more of a challenge and a lot more fun IMO
Bow hunters have a much better challenge.
I do have a question though...Do you guys think caribou have better senses than a whitetail?
I have take 4 caribou up here in Alaska. First was 15 yards, second was 25, third was 35and fourth was 20. It is all about getting in front of them early/fast enough that you Don't have to move. There is often a short willow, a small knob or depression to get behind or into, or a small willow to lay /crouch behind....or a small rock. If there isn't, if you are far enough in front of them, you can just sit out in the open still as a rock and they often will come right up and around you.
I disagree you have to expect to shoot 50 or more yards, although I always practice out past 50.
Never hunted them, but likely more with these than many animals...I would expect where you are WRT terrain and how many animals you were seeing would make a huge difference.
You hear about being covered up in them with many shot opportunities and very defined travel routes to set up at. And then you hear about seeing only a handful a day randomly at long distances.
I'm not a rifle hunter, but there is a reason you read about so many folks go up with a bow and shoot them with a rifle. I would guess not being covered up in bou would be a big one.
The results may differ, but the reality is the same shot you execute at 2 yards is the same shot you make at 102. I suppose the answer might make you add mire pins than you might have originally planned but practice should be the same at every distance.
"Paraphrase: "Bowhunting is about how close you shoot your quarry, not how far you shoot at it""
"Bowhunting is" hunting with the purpose of killing an animal with a bow and arrow. Period. That is the definition.
I see this all the time: "It's all about getting close."
Maybe if that's what bowhunting is to you, but you can "get close" with out having a bow in your hand. Just because you were close doesn't mean you were bowhunting.
To bow hunt, you take a bow and arrow and go out with the intent to kill an animal. Some people believe that if you shoot and kill an animal from farther than 20 yards away, that that's somehow no longer bowhunting.
The fact of the matter is, if you kill an animal with a bow and arrow, you were bow hunting.
Pretty much everyone who bowhunts have some kind of arbitrary distance where they will not shoot at an animal. Some people whose distance is shorter, for some reason, try to say that their way of doing this is what defines bowhunting.
It's no different than me saying that using a guide to hunt is not hunting. It certainly IS hunting. Some people don't hunt that way because it's not their style of hunting, but it doesn't mean that it's not hunting. Because hunting is the pursuit of an animal with intent to kill and that's still the case if you have a guide, although he's helped you pursue and kill the animal.
For the record, I don't think it's a good idea to push the limits of your ability, nor do I think that really long range shots are a good idea. Although I'm a good shot at 60 yards and think I could kill an animal at that distance, I don't take shots that long. But if I did, it'd still be "bowhunting" if I shot it and killed it with a bow.
I've not hunted them in Alaska, but I have taken 4 of them in Quebec. From what I've seen on the videos, the terrain is pretty similar.
My shots were 3,10,12 and 30+ yards, all done with my longbow. I practiced out to 40.
Your results may vary.
TBB
I took my bou with a rifle, but after the hunt, my friend and I shot ptarmingon and fished. On one of our bird hunts we spotted 5 bulls several hundred yeard away. We stalked up to them, at the end crawling on our bellys through the tussets, to 18 yards. Made me really wish I had brought my bow instead of my rifle. The wind finally switched on us and one winded us. One of the bulls had laid his head down on the tundra and when he tried to get up quickly his rack got caught in the tundra. Instead of getting up he rolled over on his back and all four legs were up in the air going 90 to nothing. He finally got back on his feet but rack still in tundra. After a couple of good tugs he threw a huge piece of thudra over his back and was on his way. We could have taken him with our huinting knives!
Best part was I filmed it all.
I don't have a dog in this fight, just wanted to post and say that Idyllwild's post is one of the best posts I've ever seen on bowsite.
Bake
Some of these guys should read "Hunting With the Bow and Arrow" by Saxton Pope. He shot grizzlies at something like 80yds with a home made wood flatbow and homemade arrows with homemade broadheads. Tell him that's not bow hunting.
I too appreciate that Statement. I get tired of hearing its mostly about how close you can get. For me the overall experience hunting with a bow in hand is bowhunting.
Close does enhance the experience and once you experience the enhanced version it becomes hard to get the same high at distance. According to ickywild definition it wouldn't really matter..distance is not a factor then what would it matter how far you are from your bow. You could have multiple robot controlled bows controlled visa satallite and you could be 1000 miles away controlling them and a guide would be notified at the shot of your kill visa e-mail....that's stil bowhunting, even if you can't feel, see, or smell the animal. Close counts..try it sometimes.
For the first 6 caribou I killed on the Haul Road my total distance from me to the critter was less than 60 yards. Since then I've made longer shots including one at 30 and one at 35.
Shoot whatever distance works for you, but I will say that the very close ones are much more intense and memorable.
I agree with Bake.... Idyllwildarcher's post might be the best statement I have seen on Bowsite regarding shot distances and bowhunting. You are still bowhunting if you kill it with a bow at 8 or 80.
If shooting long isn't your thing, then try to get closer. To me, once I get a shot opportunity that I have made 100's or 1000's of times at home, and feel good about it, I'm going to shoot if conditions are good. I like close, but I also hate "what if's" on the long drive home from being unsuccessful because I passed on a shot that I can make everytime.
When I'm on a hunting trip, I want EVERYTHING that I can control maximized for success, cause there is usually a good bit of money laid out and time away........I like hiking trips, but I can hike here at home for free, if I'm hunting, I'm there to be successful
I try to spend as little time as possible where I am going to run out of cover when stalking caribou. This leads to moving on to greener pastures quite a bit, but thats pretty much always the case with them anyway, being as erratic as they are with their movements.
I have not found it overly difficult to get close to them when I had some semblance of cover to use. Something I have been trying every time I come across a caribou even if I am not hunting them is calling. I have noticed on several occasions over the years some animals will make a sound not unlike a horse as it expels air. They are usually on the move when they do this,but I have heard it from lone animals and from some in a herd.
I have called a half dozen in close by mimicking this noise, though in each case it was a single animal, never have had luck pulling one away from his mates.
Its fun to try if you run into the right circumstance !
blg.....I was hunting ptarmigan in deep snow and wearing white camo. A bou saw me from on top of a hill and ran down to me to within 15 yards. I thought that it was because I was wearing white but perhaps it was because I was breathing so heavy I sounded like a horse.
TBM, I agree with your first statement that "close does enhance the experience."
For the record, my two deer that I shot this past fall were from 8 yards out of a tree and 10 yards on the ground. That's close.
But I also said this: "To bow hunt, you take a bow and arrow and go out with the intent to kill an animal."
I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that could include remote controlled shooting.
Idyl - also think that is the best post on shot distance I've seen
Painless - I'd really love to see that video if you could post it!
TBM - too many years of taking the "think like a turkey" bit too far and clucking it up all over bowsite.
Not disagreeing with WildA...just some food for thought on guided hunts. You can ride in the back of a plane...but that dont make you a pilot. You could be in the back of Jimmy Johnson's car on Sunday...but you would not get credit for winning the race. You could make the winning free throw in a championship game.. but they will interview the guy with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assist. Not that I don't like letting someone take over and drive...or point the finger to where game might be...or share a hunt with someone... That's ok. But there is a difference between bread purchassed at the bakery and bread you make from yeast, let rise...kneading yourself and baking to perfection. There is just a payoff from doing it all by yourself that is unmatched.
Been shooting a bow for over 30 years, passionate Bowhunter for most of those years, and in all that time I can say I've seen very few Bowhunters or archers who should shoot 80 yards at a game animal. Too many issues come into play that can make that shot turn bad, buck fever, wind, animal movement, bad shot etc. IMO Those are ridiculous distances to shoot at game animals, if your need to kill an animal that bad, get a rifle or become a better Bowhunter and get closer! Flame away!
APauls, it's on my old sony 8mm. I will try to get it digitized.
The five I've taken were 9,11,15,17 and 25.
It sounds like if you can get in front of them the shot distance should be fairly decent. That is very encouraging.
To an extent, shot distance will be dependent on the terrain. Some areas are simply not very bowhunter friendly.
I bowhunted the North Slope in 2012. For eight days...I could not get within 60 yards of a caribou. Had one bull offer a shot at 65 yards, but the wind was really hauling the mail, so I passed.
The last day, I finally found a group of bou in favorable stalking terrain. Killed one at 25 yards and shot just under the second at 45 yards.
If you have a decent migration going, getting in front should work. But, in nine days on the tundra, hunting migrating animals, we never saw two groups take the same path.
I've shot bou's on the haul road with the compound, and all within 20 yards. I could have shot them at greater distance, but like to get as close as possible. The farthest anyone went was 10 yards, shot thru the chest with a zwickey delta. Shooting long distance at an animal just to get an arrow in it and finish it off later, to me is not bowhunting. I agree with Howi
In Quebec shot one at 45 yards the second one at 30.
It's like bringing a rifle on a "bow" hunt. If you have it, you will use it. If you're willing to shoot at 60, 80 or 100 yards, you'll take that shot without attempting to get closer. It is NEVER necessary to shoot very far. If your attitude is to enjoy the experience, which is why you should be hunting to begin with, you will ALWAYS enjoy the hunt, regardless of whether you kill or not.
My wife and I have been to AK 3 times for 'bou. Twice primarily for caribou with moose secondary, and once for moose with 'bou secondary. I still haven't killed an AK 'bou. But I did kill a C.Can Barren Ground on the day AFTER our hunt was supposed to end at under 20 yards. I passed on a 60 yard shot on the first day, which I am perfectly capable of making - on targets that NEVER move, or run off to bleed to death, never to be found. I was prepared, and would have been content, to have just hunted, especially since my wife killed on the last day with an 18 yard shot.
If you feel you have to kill to have a successful hunt, you need a lot more maturity. The process is way more important than the kill.
if you miss or you do not kill the animal you arrowed are you still bow hunting?
;o)
You can wound and loose an animal at 5 feet just as easy as you can at 45 yards. It takes skill and practice to shoot long distance...if you cant do it, that's fine. But don't sit here critizing the ones that can just to make yourself seem like a better hunter. Common sense says that there are times when you just cant 20 yards away, and if you don't have the skill to shoot past 20 yards, that doesn't mean youre a better hunter then the ones that can. It means you need to spend more time on the 3D course...
"If you feel you have to kill to have a successful hunt, you need a lot more maturity."
Was that directed at me?
I'd kinda agree with that statement, but would say you're missing a big part of what hunting is all about instead of needing "more maturity."
I never said anything about having to kill. I said intent to kill. That means hunting and could include passing on long shots.
And yes Hammer. If you miss or wound an animal, you're still bow hunting. If you don't even see an animal, you're still bow hunting, provided you take a bow and arrow into an animal's habitat with the intent to kill it.
Besides outlaying a definition, my only take home point was that some people feel that taking shots beyond what they would take is somehow not bow hunting, and that is just not the case. I listed 20 yards as there's people who say that "you're not close" past that range and "that's not bow hunting," and say that it somehow only counts when it's 20 yards or less.
I then stated that I wouldn't take a 60 yard shot on an animal.
So, if that was directed at me, I'm sitting here scratching my head, wondering how that turns into "If you feel you have to kill to have a successful hunt." Because that's a non sequitur.
It was not IdyllwildArcher. It was in response to the following quotes.
"Caribou are considered soft targets, usually bed after a hit, giving you a chance for a second arrow, if needed."
The ONLY reason to launch an arrow at an uninjured animal is if you are confident of killing it, WITH THAT SHOT. Not just slowing it down for some type of follow up shot.
"I am comfortable with this because I can keep 9 out of 10 arrows within a pie plate at 100 yards, and if I mess it up for some reason I'll finish it with a rifle."
I've NEVER seen a pie plate move before, during, or after an arrow was released. Can't say the same about an animal. Plus my last sentence above.
"You can wound and loose an animal at 5 feet just as easy as you can at 45 yards."
That's just NOT true. The longer the shot distance, the more that can go wrong.
If I was hunting with my recurve, then I'd definitely want the 5 ft shot, but on my compound, I'm actually more comfortable at 45 yards than 5 ft.
My rear site is intentionally small to increase longer range accuracy. It makes my sites worthless under 5ish yards.
I actually practice the 3-5 foot shot due to the possibility of that shot when elk hunting. I have to look over my site and shoot instinctively. On a good day, my 45 yard group is 2 inches. It's 3 on a bad day. At 5 feet it's more like a 5 inch group.
This is all kinda side note. I generally agree with your statement, mainly because the longer the shot, the more time for the animal to move.
Gee, I never thought this thread would turn into a shot distance debate.....hahahahaha!
I agree. At under 5 yards, any pin would work, as would shooting instinctively, as long as you use proper form and your normal anchor point. But on occasion, an accurate 5 yard shot is helpful, like when a turkey gets too close or when shooting the head off a rattlesnake. So I practice that shot. Because of parallax and my set-up geometry, I need to use my 30 yard pin at 5 yards.
It is sometimes true that GETTING a shot off at really close range can be more difficult than at longer range. But that's a different problem than getting the arrow to hit where you want, and has far less serious consequences.
In regards to this quote; "When I'm on a hunting trip, I want EVERYTHING that I can control maximized for success,..."
The ONLY things you can control is your equipment choices, preparation, and shot selection. The one thing you can't ever control when shooting at an animal, is where your arrow actually hits. The longer the shot, the less confident you can be about that. If you really believe that statement, you would not shoot much past 40 - 45 yards no matter how good you are on TARGETS. And the amount of money spent on a hunt has NOTHING to do with how long a shot you should take.
The only thing worse than guys who claim long distance shots aren't bowhunting are the guys who claim these type of shots are required because of __________. Fill in the blank with the species being hunted, the weather, the short season, the terrain being hunted, whatever the excuse may be. Neither are true. I draw my line MUCH closer than many hunters, but farther than many as well.
It just rubs me the wrong way when people talk about these extremely long distance archery shots being required. Of course you will never get closer than 80-100 yards if you stop at that distance to attempt the shot. In the end it's a personal decision on how far to shoot at a living animal... but the mere fact that one must justify the distance they choose is proof that they perhaps should be thinking twice about shooting at that distance.
BUGLMAN, When living down in the states, my wife and I would attend 3D shoots almost every weekend. We also have shot indoor and outdoor nationals, and Vegas, so we are very capable of shooting longer distance. The only difference is, the targets don't move. 95% of the animals we shoot are within 20 yards.
My average is easy to calculate sine I have only taken one shot at an animal in AK. On the second morning of my drop camp bowhunt, I shot my P&Y caribou at 63 yards.
367.2 yards, give or take 3.6".
The average? There is no real average I guess without a survey.
Each hunter should shoot what distances they are comfortable with. If you know your deadly from 10 all the way out to 50 yards and you know you suck at 60 then 10-50 is your average.
I have hunted the open tundra near Prudoe Bay.. I practiced out to 80 yards all summer. However in the open tundra with wind and game moving constantly I just didn't feel comfortable at those ranges and past many shot opportunity. I took both PY Bulls at much closer yardage. One at 30 yards and one at 18 yards. I also could have taken other bulls at 30 yards or less. Shooting paper or 3-D is very much different then shooting caribou..Shoot when your heart tells you you can make a shot you have conditioned yourself to make. If you have any doubt hold for another opportunity. Only the person driving the bow can make the final decision..
StormCloud - IMO - you just defined what bow hunting is about. I've seen posts here that are absurd. It's about the game we hunt - not the other way around. I'd share camp with you anytime.
StormCloud, have to agree with you. I used to practice those 50 / 60 yard shots all the time and was good at it. But in the field, the longest shot taken was 25 yards.
Bear and Whitetail hunting, my average distance is 12 / 15 yards.
Be back in Alaska this fall and not even dreaming of anything over 25 yards.
I run a Hunter 3D shoot just because everyone thinks they are much better than they really are especially with the pressure on.
I remember the first year I ran the shoot and I had minus fives for wounds along with the normal tens and eights. I shoot recurve so knew nothing about the effective shooting range of a compound so I set the distance at 30 to 40 yards for most shoots.
I was amazed at how low the scores were, some negative and a lot of compound shooters didn't even hand their cards in do to embarrassment.
One thing I learned from that shoot is that a lot of bow hunters think they can shoot a lot farther than they really can under hunting conditions. Some do have that skill for long shoots under hunting conditions but I believe most are just winging it, heck look at the hunting shows for proof.
Taken 9 with longbow, 2 with recurve. First 6 averaged less than 10 yards. after that I took one at 35 and 2 at 30. Of the first 6, one involved a shot from the hip where I believe the arrow hit the bou before it left the string. I have witnesses.
No cover so got down on the tundra and made like a rock. 43 yards. Great hunt.
Mine was at 57 yards, my wife's was about 20 yards. But one thing I can say is, when you get out on the tundra, a hundred yards, doesn't look very far.
not everybody gets a shot, so factor that in the equation as well!
I did a solo drop hunt in AK back in 1995. On the second morning I took my first shot at a caribou. The shot was 63 yards and he went down within 100 yards. He was a nice 327" P&Y bull. I haven't hunted caribou since. That was an awesome hunt. I know how it feels to see the super cub that dropped me off disappear in the distance. Me, my bow and God.
I shot mine last one at about 5 yards.
Have taken9 bou to date average shot disstance about 25 yards nothing over 35 yards!
We really need a Bowsite shooting tournament under simulated hunting conditions to see who gets it done and who just talks on the internet. (Not directed at you Ike)
I'm by no means an expert bowhunter but can tell you from clay target shooting that there's nothing like a scoresheet to separate the walk from the talk. ;)
" "Bowhunting is" hunting with the purpose of killing an animal with a bow and arrow. Period. That is the definition.
I see this all the time: "It's all about getting close."
Maybe if that's what bowhunting is to you, but you can "get close" with out having a bow in your hand. Just because you were close doesn't mean you were bowhunting.
To bow hunt, you take a bow and arrow and go out with the intent to kill an animal. Some people believe that if you shoot and kill an animal from farther than 20 yards away, that that's somehow no longer bowhunting.
The fact of the matter is, if you kill an animal with a bow and arrow, you were bow hunting."
In the 4.5 years I've been here, this simple post was the best, most common sense piece of writing I have ever read. Well said is saying the least. God Bless.
To be honest, I would have preferred a 20 yard'er but sometimes you take what you get. Practice long, just in case.
17,37,63,73,77 yards on the ones i have shot. None of them have made it 50 yards after the hit.
"..The fact of the matter is, if you kill an animal with a bow and arrow, you were bow hunting.""
BS!
If you step out on your deck and shoot a yard elk with a bow and arrow, it has nothing to do with bow hunting. If you drive around with a shooting platform in the back of your pick-up, and kill from it with a bow and arrow, that has nothing to do with bow hunting. I could go on, but there is a lot more to it than just killing something with a bow and arrow.
