Bow Selection

LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015

Bowhunters pursuing whitetails face different challenges than those who hunt open country game out west and in parts of Canada. Ideally, the bow you select should take these challenges into account. First you have to understand the hunting conditions. To understand the true nature of shots at whitetails, I recently conducted a survey of a dozen serious deer hunters. The goal was to learn the distances at which they are actually killing their bucks. After tallying up more than 100 bucks and looking at the statistics, I found out what I had already guessed: the average shot was right around 20 yards – 19.5 yards to be exact. The total spread of successful shots ran from 2 yards out to 52 yards, with the bulk being close to the middle.

When hunting in open settings, it is common to face long shots. The bow you carry will help you to make the most of this situation.

Shots over 25 yards and under 15 yards made up roughly 40% of the total. The other 60% of the shots ranged between 15 and 25 yards.

The perfect whitetail bow doesn’t have to be a long-range bomber.