When to Shoot????

[Fishspanker]

Hey guys, I am very new to archery.....This past weekend, I was up at Lake Sonoma and I saw three pigs. I got to two of them within 50 yards(they were both broadside). I am comfortable at 50 yards but I decided not to take it. I tried to get in closer and at about 40 yards, they got a wiff of me and got out of there in a hurry. Would 50 yards or even 40 be too far or a pig's hide? Should I have taken the shot????? I need to learn from you veterans of this art..... Any info would be appreciated.....

 

[bigtusker]

50 yards for one guy is an everyday thing but for other people it is a really bad shot. You need to practice and get comfortable with whatever you are shooting. Depending on your setup, 50 should be a makeable shot and should penetrate just fine.

 

[rwlittle]

I agree with Chopper.

 

[Lurediver]

What's Arrowslinger's motto? "You're not going to kill'em unless you shoot at them"

 

[oneshothunter]

chopper is a good guy to listen to I have made shots over 50 and been just fine going it .. but a fling over 200 arrows aweek out to 60 yrds .. a week Iwould say just practice and dont think can I make the shoot if you think about dont do it .. never 2nd guess your shot .. again practice is what it is and if you do that a lot when it comes time you will not even think can i do it lol just my 2 pennys

 

[BDB]

If you can make the shot at 50 the arrow will do it's job. The pig could easily move out of the way or make it a bad shot just with normal feeding at that range though. At least pigs are much easier to sneak into range of than deer. You would be suprised how close you can get with a good wind, using a little cover and moving when they are not looking. Congrats on seeing the hogs, it is a fun place to hunt. Another thing to think about, that place is HILLY, the pig will most likely run downhill after being hit. He will also most likely run for private land, they know where it is!!!! A bad hit is a tough one to recover, especially WAY downhill (unless you have a boat at the bottom

 

[CAjackrabbitWCP]

As far as set-up goes. Any modern day archery equipment will kill up to 50 yards if you hit them in the right place. Which would be the "soft" areas of the pig. But like states in the posts above, it's all about how comfortable and confident you are at hitting where you are aiming at 50.

 

[Fishspanker]

Thanks guys, I will surely take the opportunity next year if it presents itself again. I should start believing in myself instead of doubting the shot. I will not make that mistake again..... Thanks for the help. I have a new found respect for archers after this first bowhunt. Lots of misunderstanding for me but over time and help, I think I will be fine. Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[Franklin3]

I agree with some of this BUTT!
If you read their posts you'll find that most success comes when you shoot the hog in the ASS!
I can't vouch for this personally cuz I'm still working on my archery pig.
Butt it sure seems theres a lot of dead, ass arrowed hogs around here.
Wewll ok I say this with tongue in cheek BUTT ask Lurediver he knows and That other guy asshooter( spelling ? how many S's in Assshooter)
then theres another guy I think hew's now buttshooter, I know theres at least one more and theres a dead hog for everyone of them. So I have determined that the next hog I sling an atrrow at! I'm aiming for his head and hoping I get him in the ass that way he'll be dead.


What's Arrowslingers motto? You cant kill em unless you shoot em,..................in the butt?

Another case in point. RWLittle I'm sorry to hear about your Poison oak and your lost hog. Butt! Did you say you got a shot in your left Butt cheeck and now your eye is swollen shut? I'm sorry this isn't right I got cabin fever so bad I'm poking fun at innocent bystanders,, Butt this rain has got to stop, is it april 6th yet?

 

[BDB]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fishspanker @ Mar 20 2006, 05:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I should start believing in myself instead of doubting the shot. I will not make that mistake again..... Thanks for the help.[/b]

Just remember, making a bad shot is not a fun mistake either!

Franklin, you may be on to something there

 

[Arrowslinger]

I'm a firm believer in taking the first makeable & 'ethical' shot that is presented to you...if you can shoot comfortable at 50, let it fly! Sometimes you only get a small window of opportunity on a animal, best to capatilize on it.

 

[Franklin3]

Onto something?
or just on something!

I can't afford to lose my mind ! or I'm to broke to pay attention.
I'm a tee pee, I'm a wigwam
Im two tense!

 

[BDB]

I'd guess "On something" based on the post

 

[bigtusker]

If you are having doubts or second guessing your shot, DONT SHOOT.

I had a client 3 weeks ago that had a picture perfect shot. Big boar feeding broadside at 30 yards, wind blowing softly in the shooters face, all 8 hogs oblivious to the shooter. There was a small rise just in front of the hog that blocked the shooters view of the lower 4 or 5 inches of the hog. He is a good shooter and would make this shot 24 out of 25 times, but because of the small rise right in front of the hog, he second guessed himself, thought he would hit the dirt if he aimed for the sweet spot, and proceeded to fly his arrow right over the hogs back!

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

hey fishspanker

,
evrybody here gave you great advice!
bottom line; you can shoot 20 yrds. no problem because you practiced right? so why not 30, 40, 50+ yrds! just practice, once you start nailing them at 40 & 50 yards solid, shooting at 20 becomes boaring when its target practice, you dont want to limit yourself its always good to have options! so you dont have to pass up those opportunitys like you just had. i know you can do it because most of us archers were the same way once too...its called progression! good luck i know your having fun!............tra

 

[Fishspanker]

Hey guys, over the last three and a half months, I've been practicing like crazy. I've got my bow sighted in pretty good within 4 inches from 20 yards, all the way up to 50 yards. Right before I left for Sonoma, I went over to a local shop and spoke with the owner and he had mentioned that I should get in close(like 30 yards because the hide of the pig is pretty thick). I think that's what got me and why I didn't take the shot. Because of my inexperience with bowhunting situations and knowledge of arrow penetration. I've learned from everyone's replies and I appreciate the help. Thanks.....
CWH

 

[Speckmisser]

I'm not gonna try to overrule any of the experienced archers on this board, and because I only shoot trad, I don't offer any firsthand experience with a compound... but 50 yards is a damned long shot with any bow, and while it can be a killing shot you ought to give it a lot of consideration before you go for it.

Pigs are almost NEVER standing still. Even feeding, they are shuffling ahead, right, and left. An arrow in flight, even leaving the bow at close to 300fps has lost a LOT of speed over the course of 50 yards.

Between those two factors right there, your odds of a clean kill at 50 yards or more are already decreased significantly. Pigs don't just stand there like a block target that you can drill all day at 60 yards.

With my recurve, I have had a pig feed out of the path of my arrow at 30 yards. He didn't jump the string or run... he simply turned right to root up some morsel, leaving only air where his shoulder used to be, all in the time it took for the arrow to leave the string and reach him.

The hog I just lost at Chopper's was at about 18 yards. That should be a chip shot, even with the recurve. It took one step as I was shooting, and I pulled a little to the left... and instead of lungs I got guts. After a quarter mile or so of tiny blood dots, the trail was lost and that pig died in the bush somewhere.

Point is, a lot can happen between the release and the impact...and the further you stretch the shot, the more likely it is that something will happen.

Ethics, in most cases, are a purely personal concept. When the time comes to decide, you are on your own to determine whether it's "right" or "wrong". I'm not saying you should never take a 50 yard shot. I am saying you ought to give it a whole lot of thought first, and then most of the time you should probably pass.

Just my two-cents. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[easymoney]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Pigs are almost NEVER standing still. Even feeding, they are shuffling ahead, right, and left.[/b]

So true, so true...
Great posts all.

 

[PIGIG]

Fishspanker was that you in the blue GMC??

 

[Kentuck]

From my limited experience and having taken one hog with my bow, at 20 yards, I would not shoot a hog at over 30 yards. They're tough critters and it's not worth loosing the animal.