Average Shot Distance For Elk
Elk
Known shot distance of elk killed added together divided by number of elk = AVERAGE SHOT DISTANCE
Please post your average shot distance you have had for the elk you have killed with a bow.
I see lots of new elk hunters asking about max shot distance etc. I have a feeling we will see the average elk is shot somewhere fairly close to 30 yards with a bow.
There is a very large group of successful bow hunters on this site, and it would be interesting to see the “Bowsite” average for the elk hunters on here!
My average shot distance on elk has been 31 yards.
Between 25-35. A lot were closer.
28 elk. I’d say average shot distance would fall in the 23-25yd range.
Of my partner and I, probably under 20 yards average, because quite a few were single digit. Furthest was 38 with a longbow. Closest was 3 yards.
I averaged mine at 54 yards. That has been mostly open country elk. I have killed two bulls under 15 yards when hunting the timber, though.
Of the 13 elk killed with a compound bow, the farthest shot was 31 yards, the closest was 15 yards. Last season I killed a bull at 21 yards over a wallow, the year before the shot was 18 yards from a low tree stand. I like to hunt thicker timber and not adjacent to open meadows where a longer shot might be a temptation. Average shot? 20 yards.
Thanks for posting guys!
Let’s try to just post your AVERAGE shot distance on elk you have killed
Add up distance of shot, and divide by number of elk.
Post that number
Thanks again!
I've only taken 3, average is 13 yards.
55 elk average distance 28.3 yards
Shortest shot 3 yards. Longest 67 on a bull sound asleep in his bed
I don’t know specific ranges. Generally I just put the top pin on them.
42, although my sample size is One!
All of my elk hunting is in the open low desert terrain.
4 bulls killed in the 6 years of archery hunting.
Averaged out at 68.5 yds
3 of 4 bulls taken made Pope and Young, 1 private land the rest were public land ????
17.6 yards Chuck Adams states in the latest Bugle Magazine "According to official Pope and Young Club statistics, over 50% of record book elk are shot at less than 30 yards, and over 80% are shot at less than 40 yards."
11 elk average 26.5 yards one at 3 yd's and one at 50 yd's
Sorry I can't provide an exact average, because out of 68 elk my partner and I have killed, we don't keep records of exact distance of each. Hell, I have racks of bulls in the rafters that I don't remember when or where they were killed. So "under 20 yards" is the best I can do. :-)
So put me down for 18.8 yards.
No worries, I wasn’t trying to be a smart ass. Just didn’t want to get a bunch of 20-30 yards or 30-40 yards for responses.
Seems like most are either really close to 30 for an average or close to 20.
Based on the Bowsite data:
Never carry a rangefinder to be able to get a true range. Have not kept count on elk but gotta be about 20 with longbows and recurves. Average distance about 20 yards.
I have only shot 2 elk with my recurve but both were close! First one was about 19 steps and the other was at 21 steps! Pass throughs on both! Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!
Five bulls...in order: 17 (solo using cow call), 22 (solo stalk of bedded bull), 27 (calling for a friend, bull circled in from behind me), 22 (solo using bugle and cow call), 40 (solo ambush of a vocal herd bull)...for an average of 25.6 yards.
Updated information for you Lou!
7 bulls my son, daughter and I have killed ranged from 8 yards to 36.
I’ve shot a few and would have guessed 35, but bowsite says it’s 30.
23-25 yards between my Son & I with compounds, recurves & longbows, 64 between us in 30 years but we practice out to 70! You never know! You gotta be prepared as well for that 2nd shot if needed! On a side note; between us only 2 bulls have be ranged. Sure we've ranged the area at times prior to a bulls approach but they don't always come through where we hoped they would! (grin) -- Whatever you do; do your best to be very accurate in guesstimating from 0 to 40 yards, after all as you can see from above posts that that's the money zone!
ElkNut
3 bulls with an average at 47 yards
I have personally shot or guided approximately 50 archery elk kills. The closest was 6 yards and the longest about 50. The vast majority have been pretty close. I really can't remember exact yardage on a lot of them, but my attempt to use the prescribed formula produces an average of 22.8. It's probably fairly accurate.
I've lost count of how many elk (bulls & cows) over the years.
Back in the day with my wheels bow, mostly 30--40 yards, now the last few years with my recurve, more in the 20--25 yards.
Not tree stand or ground blind yardage, spot-n-stalk type yardage shots.
Good luck, Robb
16 elk, I'm guessing the average is somewhere between 25 and 30 yards. I shoot instinctive, so I don't use a rangefinder.
I believe I've only shot 3 elk over 40 yards (once again, I'm "guessing" yardages).
My closest elk kill was 8 yards.
I'll try my best to come up with an average. It is a pretty complex formula. 50/1=50. :)
32 people posted an average shot distance so far for a total of 891 yards
Current Bowsite average is
27.8 yard shot for elk
941 total yards 33 people with Bowfreak
Bowsite average so far for elk shot = 28.5 yards
And remember these are kill shots, not misses and wounds.
So what was your average shot distance on elk killed?
MB, the first words of this thread are “Known shot distance of elk killed...” Can’t make it much more clear than that.
Zero. On hunters I have accompanied or shot ranges for, probably 10 bull elk killed. All with compounds, do not know average kill shot but most were 35-60 yards. Unknown exact average, but about 45 yards as a guess.
So I can see Missouribreaks skewed view of everyone long bombing on their western big game hunts. His group of hunters he accompanied shot elk 60 percent farther on average than the bowsite average on this thread so far.
As others have stated, open country elk hunting is a slightly different game. And again, I am not stating a measured average, just an educated guess from observation. I do not have measured averages, which is why I did not make a comment on my experiences, until you asked.
And, I am not an outfitter so do not determine the hunter's decisions.
I hunt mostly open and still have 14 archery elk and an average of 18.6 yards... Close as 2 and as far as 58...
And yes, many hunters kill elk with modern compounds at 50 yards, and beyond. I am not saying most, or that is the average, rather that many take 50 yard plus shots at game and can make them. One can read that right here on this forum. I am not one of those hunters, my selfbow and my shooting abilities limit me to much, much closer shot selections.
My 7 kill average = 24.4 yards.
Closest 3, farthest 40.
“my selfbow and my shooting abilities limit me to much, much closer shot selections.”
Yet still you play the game.
25-30 yds average on 6 bulls.
I'd be curious on shot distance when guided or team-calling vs. hunting solo.
From my experience guided offers closer shots than solo. I always hunt solo and I guide archery. My solo hunting is on public and my guiding is on private, so that likely is a factor too.
I only need about 54 more elk seasons to work out perfectly for me to catch up to willieboat's current elk kill count. :)
Way ahead of you, Mark. I've only got 53 more. :-)
TOTAL 1034 YARDS AVERAGE SHOT DISTANCE COMBINED FROM 38 HUNTERS
27.21 YARDS IS THE CURRENT BOWSITE AVERAGE ON THIS THREAD.
I know there is a lot more elk hunters on here, so hopefull more can post their average shot distance.
Thanks to everyone that posted so far.
31 average. Really small sample of only 4 bulls
26.5 - 4 bulls all called in solo. Closest was my first at 19 yards. Furthest was 42.
Guestimating on 1 recurve & 3 Compound right at 35 yds.. I have "missed" closer..
JUST ADDED UP EVERYONE'S AVERAGE SUBMITTED 44 PEOPLE SUBMITTED A TOTAL AVERAGE OF 1208 YARDS
THE NEW BOWSITE AVERAGE IS 27.46 YARDS
That is probably a solid average- just under 30. Good information!
2 with a compound, 40 and 20 yds. 5 with a recurve 12 and under.
I’ll put elknailer at 17 yard average
1 @20yards 1@40yarda 5@12 yards
48.2 for me and I feel funny posting with all the close kills on here. Good point about hunting solo or guided. I mostly hunt solo and when I guide the kills are definitely closer. Fred
Royboy, agree. Hunting solo and creating the shot is a totally different skill set than being guided or team calling to a shooter.
I've killed 3. 30 yds, 22 & 20. Average = 24 yards.
I see I have quite a high average for here. For supplement, my average is on about a dozen elk while solo hunting spot and stalk mainly in open country.
Tactics matter!
I’ve always hunted solo and don’t have a great deal of confidence in my calling, so mostly, I just ease through promising areas and keep my eyes and ears tuned up to Max.
Then if I see or hear something, I’ll work the wind & the thermals to sneak in from there. Makes for some blown opportunities, but I’ve always felt that I’ve learned a lot more from the failures than the successes.
And sometimes I just get lucky and cross paths with a herd that’s on the move. The day that I was tailing a little herd and had a jacked-up satellite sneak in on my back door was the day I decided I probably oughtta figure out that whole cow-calling thing, because he was standing RIGHT THERE about 50-60 yards out trash-talking the herd bull, and I was kinda screwed...
I’ve only shot 1 bull with a bow, he was at 53 yards
7 elk, 27.5 average
All my elk were on a particular waterhole so it just depended upon what part of the waterhole they appeared.
So far 50 guys posted an average shot distance
1415 total yards divided by 50 people=
BOWSITE AVERAGE ELK SHOT DISTANCE IS CURRENTLY 28.3 YARDS
6 elk, average 29.83 yds. Longest 63yds. Closest 11yds.
14 bulls ranging from 20 to 50 (only one) yards. Average probably 27 yards.
You know there is a tool on here that already does that? All the trophy photos have the distance entered so you can see the average for all the elk entered on bowsite. (spoiler alert: 30 yards is the Bowsite average)
Click on my name, and one of the elk I shot and you will see the Bowsite average shot distance.
Always solo 32yd avg for 5 elk. I'm capable at very long distance but not comfortable. I got into bow hunting because I like to get close to game. There are other tools for reaching out there but they don't provide the rush I'm looking for.
2 elk. 14 and 16 yards. 15 yard average.
