Shooting distances depends on your capabilities and geography

As for quiver what type of bow are you using 1 piece or 3 ?

Does your bow have standard amo sight holes to mount a quiver ?

If not there are many ways to mount quivers

 

The best way to find your effective hunting range is stump shooting, or shooting at 3-D targets, under the same conditions you'll be hunting in. So... if you'll be hunting from a tree stand, then it's shots from a tree stand that count. If you'll be spotting and stalking, then it's shots IN THE SAME KIND OF COUNTRY YOU'LL BE HUNTING, with the same range estimation techniques you'll be using, that count. I emphasized the same kind of country, because estimating range on flat ground, and shooting on flat ground, is a whole lot easier than doing either one in steep canyon country, for example. Furthermore, shooting on a flat range is a lot different than shooting from a cramped tree stand - and even more different than shooting on a steep hillside when you're exhausted from climbing around steep mountains or canyons all day. Also, it's only the first shot you take at a given target that tells you whether that target was in range.

Lots of good removable bow quivers - Great Northern, Selway, Thunderhorn, Kwikee, etc. 3 Rivers Archery has a good selection. Personally, I prefer a side quiver or a hip quiver for the kind of deer and elk hunting that I do. I use the Powderhorn Edition made by Art Vincent (Cedar Ridge Leatherworks), but wear it as a hip quiver rather than a side quiver. Art has a good website online.

 

With your tackle and draw length I would not worry about distance. If the shot position looks good, pick a spot and make a strong shot. If doubt creeps in about the distance, pick a spot a bit higher and be sure to make a strong shot.

If you do not already have a bow quiver, maybe you do not need one. But you have time to get used to one. - lbg

 

I am shooting a Samick Sage. I hunt from tree stands and have before they started making them. I always used removable quivers with my compounds and removed them when in stand. This summer I will be practicing from stands shooting foam deer.

 

You're on the road to success at finding your effective range.

Bowmania is right - your bow will shoot differently with and without a quiver, so it's important to practice the same way you'll shoot when you're hunting.

 

Don't afraid to lay the bow on its side when shooting at a steep down grade.

 

I thought about a hip quiver but worry about it getting in the way, I carry my stand in and out every hunt.

 

Shot distance is dependent on what the animal is doing. I've had alert animals duck my arrow at 13 yards and 30. I think your best shot is a walking shot at what ever distance your capable of hitting. An alert animal is one thing, if I have to shoot at an a standing/feeding animal, I prefer one that took the time to scratch behind its ear.

When it comes to quivers, what did you practice with. If you practiced with your quiver on leave it on. You're bow won't shoot the same with and without. I've killed two book whitetails with a second arrow. I don't use a quiver on the bow, but I do have an arrow holder for one extra broadhead on the bow.

I used to think a bow didn't shoot any different. Now I can notice the difference in impact and tune. Pretty important.

Bowmania

 

How far of shots are you taking at deer?
I will probably be deer hunting with traditional gear this year (45lbs 29"draw, 150grn Magnus Stinger two blade, 600 full length) and right now I'm good to 20 yards.
I'm also trying to figure out what to do about a hunting quiver. Do the have removable bow quivers for recurves?

I see you have a Sage. cheapest option is to go with an ATA mounted style quiver for carry purposes and then remove and hang it in a tree stand. Most of these quivers are made for compounds and the fletching clearance is not generous but since you typically shoot without it mounted on the bow the fletching rubbing noise may not be an issue.

Safari tuff side quiver is by far and away my favorite. Personally, hanging one behind you in a stand makes access quite easy if you put a little thought into where to hang it and how high you do, so as the arrows are easily accessed from the bottom.

Personally, I would avoid strap on quivers until you get deeper into this. I tried some of the top brands and found some fault with pretty much all of them. I will admit that I am picky. They can be pricey too.

You mentioned you will be practicing from your stand. I told myself the same thing before my first season but I never made enough time to put it simple. It was my single biggest regret upon entering the woods my first year. Not so much shooting downward as I practiced that plenty. It was tree stand position and how to cope with the longer bow up in each tree where I had a stand. I had several stands and just about all of them left me with very limited shot windows. A lot of them could have been easily remedied if I took the time. Single biggest regret … So as hard as it can be to find the time, take the time in the off season

 

I practice to 30, but want actual shot at less than 20.
My only shot in five years was this past season at 18 yards.

 

If I've been practicing and shooting well, and the range estimation and stump shooting practice I do while hunting are going well, I will take shots out to 20 yards under most conditions, and shots out to 30 yards under ideal conditions. Haven't taken a shot beyond 25 yards in many years.

 

If you take close shots at Texas white tail the deer will swap ends before the arrow gets there. 18 to 20 with the deers head behind a tree._

 

I am a ground only hunter, my serous practice is further out than most and the deer that I shoot are further out than most. However, if the situation allows it, I am more than happy to shoot a deer at 10 feet.

 

As close as I can get 'em. But limit is 20yds. Just too much can happen from the time you drop the string to its arrival at designated target, as I sadly learned a few years ago.

 

For me and most hunters is distance is determined by "do I feel confident I can make the shot?"
But there are some hunters who become extremely excited and feel they can make any shot under the adrenaline - if youve hunted for years you know if this applies to you.

The same thing happens with gun hunters. Theres a subset that in the moment will always decide there is effective range is 50-100% further than they can reliably shoot. If they can reliable shoot 50 yards off hand - they end up trying an 80 yard shot. If they can reliable shoot 80 yards off hand they end up trying 150 yards.

Know yourself.

 

My longest archery hunting shot was my first whitetail taken with an arrow . Approximately 48 yards with an 80# compound bow and 2216 arrows equipped with a 190grain cut on contact broadhead .
I shot a lot of field archery back then as well as 3D tournaments . Very confident in my shooting .
I was in an area where I would have normally hunt with firearms .
As I continued bowhunting , giving up firearm hunting , my habitat for setting up my stand changed to where 30 yards would be a long shot .
The came my switch back to the recurve and instinctive shooting and my area setup continued to shrink to where my available shots would be less than 20 yards .
This is also the time my success rate increased as well as my enjoyment.
Getting close to the animal and being able to get drawn on it became my goal .
My treestand was placed 12 feet off the ground and sometimes less depending on thickness of the area I was in .
Most of the time , a higher stand would decrease the area I could watch .
I’ve only ground hunted a couple times , but plan on giving it a try this fall hunting out of a blind .

 

I hunt from tree stand mostly and try to set up for under 20 yards (last season was only a 7 yard shot) but feel ok out 30 yards. I use a hip quiver on its own belt and then when in the tree I hang it up.

 

With my compounds and sights I can hit out to 60yds but limited shots on deer to 30yds.
With my recurve I’m confident to 20yds but just not use to the lower energy and no sights. Years ago when I hunted with recurves they were 50-55lbs and that was before compounds became popular.
I think I might really like hunting instinctively with a recurve. Sometimes sitting in a tree I would look at my high tech compound and think of a simpler time with my recurve and kind of missed that. I think I have a capable set up and I probably haven’t shot a deer over 25 yards in many years with my compound but I wish I was pulling a little heavier weight but now 45lbs is it.

 

Here in Texas bow hunting mostly from blinds/stands I let the deer get to 15-20 yards. Rusty is correct, you want them head down and at least 15 yards away. When I was in Washington State hunting in mountains in the open sage 40-45 yards was normal.

 

Being a ground hunter and still hunter in rather open country, my shots tend to be longer than most tree stand hunters. Knowing this I work very hard at longer shot. I do not work from close in out when trying to extend my range. I work from point on in. That close in stuff is important for confidence and form work, but knowing your point on range and then working in from that is faster. It takes me many more practice shots at longer ranges than close in ranges. Things like a soft release or a short draw really show up at near point distances, mine runs between 52 to 58 or 60 yards, depending on the bow and the arrow. That does not mean that i will shoot at a deer at that distance, I will often take longer shots than that at pheasants and rabbits.

 

I have two things to consider, one is accurate hits but I am more concerned about arrow energy of my 40 and 45lb draw weight. Years ago I shot 50-55lbs when I was younger from recurves so I wasn’t worried. After that shooting high energy compounds energy wasn’t a concern either. But now hunting with a 45lb recurve 20yrds on deer is about it for me.
In Ohio where I hunt getting deer at 20yds or less isn’t a problem.
One other thing is now we have much better broadheads and arrows than when I started out with recurves many years ago.

 

i can tell you that a 37 @26plus Hill longbow will put a Dremel sharpened 140 Hill head mounted on a 5/16" Acme cedar arrow completely through a 160 pound Iowa whitetail at 18 yards shooting uphill, it even had some rib contact. I did it once when I tore a muscle weight lifting. A faster recurve with a longer draw and a 400 or more grained arrow will do the same out to 30 yards. I would recommend a sleek broad head in any case. A good old Eskimo would probably be good as well. The important part is getting your arrows to be flying nice and straight behind the broad head. An arrow off center in flight will lose quite a bit of its momentum at contact. I would not go crazy heavy either with arrow weight either. My favorite head is the 160 Hill single bevel, that I grind to a single bevel from an un sharpened Hill blank. I think a Grizzly or Hunter's Head would be just as good, I have shot a bunch of deer with both. I have hauled a good number of deer out that my wife killed with 38@26 bows, shooting 430 grain cedar arrows pushing Eskimo heads. You would be surprised how efficient a lighter weight bow can be, then just let the arrow do its job. Never use a mechanical head, two blade cut on contact heads only. We do not have better heads now than back in time or shafts for that matter. Zwicky Escimos are still deadly and tapered wood shafts from either Surewood firs or Wapiti cedars fly as good as anything and they don't need to be full length to fly perfect. As a matter of fact there is no need to have extra spine and length at all and no need to do a lot of tuning to get to them to fly perfect, just tell them your actual draw length bow poundage and type of bow with the point weight that you plan on using. Wood arrows are easy to make, there are plenty of free directions on line.

 

Ive got a long draw, came from compounds with all the bells and whistles.
Spent many hours tuning my set ups and got to where I felt comfy shooting my kitted out arrows with lighted nock and broadhead at 100 yards into my 18-1 target.
About 6 years back, I got permission on a little farm with a half fell over barn that I used as a blind. Last day I could hunt and I had a fork horn hung up at 42 yards.
I drew and settled my pin, let down, and again. Finally convinced myself that it was a good shot. I executed my shot, felt great. That dang deer while seeming to me not on edge loaded up to bolt. My arrow entered in front of the rear ham and exited the other side through the ham.
Got an artery and the deer only went 70 to 100 yards and piled up dead. Blew my mind how far that deer moved during arrow flight. My arrow drug crap through the far ham and the entry had seepage that I had to cut out. Lost a good bit of useable meat and had the most disgusting field dress of my hunting career.
I personally will not shoot at a deer with any archery tackle outside of 25 yards. That experience layed that in stone in my mind. I absolutely hate the idea of releasing an arrow that would lead to the suffering of any creature I hunt. Obviously why we practice so much, I imagine that is a shared feeling.
With all that said. I watch mule deer and elk, they both do not seem to load up as fast as a whitetail. I think depending on situation my boundaries may change with them.

 

I just got a selway slide on. Real bear to get on but I doubt itll budge. Seems like they make a strap on style too. I have no experience with any others and only that of puting mine on and throwing some arrows in it.
From what I read. We want to get our quivers on and loaded as they would be in the field as they will effect the tuning of tour bow. Thats just regurgitated info as I am green as hell to all this gear

 

Matt - deer can jump the string at 15 or 20 yards, too. During my early compound days I had one jump the string at 20 yards - and the arrow missed completely, even though the shot felt perfect. My mistake was that the deer was looking in my direction when I released the string. In my experience an animal will rarely jump the string if it's calm, and I can't see its eye when I draw and release. Prey animals have much wider peripheral vision than we do, and their vision system is optimized for picking up movement, so they will jump the string if you can see their eye, even if they aren't looking right at you.

Nevertheless, 25 yards is a good max range, with any equipment. There are just too many things that can go wrong at longer ranges.

Selway slide on quivers work really well - I used on on a one-piece Nirk Huntsman bow for many years. No complaints, ever. You're absolutely right - your bow will feel and shoot very differently without a quiver, or even with a quiver that has no arrows in it. Practice the way you'll hunt, in everything, is the way to go.

 

0 to 25 yards