National averages show that the whitetail deer is shot with archery gear at 20 yards. That's good! Almost all proficient archers can hit a deer squarely in the vitals at that yardage because they practice at that distance most of the time. The reason for the short-yardage shots is that most whitetail hunters use tree stands, foliage is too thick to shoot beyond 30 yards, and they have found they can play the waiting game for their deer to move into short yardage situation.

And so, almost all whitetail hunters would have a coronary at the idea of a 35 to 40 yard shot. And if you take a whitetail beyond 40 yards...well, you might be considered an unethical hunter for that's an impossible shot.

For that reason, most whitetail hunters are not prepared for the longer shots they will encounter hunting mulies and sometimes elk out West. Because out here many of your shots at mulies will be in the 40, 50 and even 60 yard range.

Alright, before you crank up your e-mail and send me a nasty letter about how I am promoting unethical long-range shooting, consider this:

While I said the national average for bagging an archery whitetail was 20 yards, the national average for bagging an archery mulie is 40 yards. So today I want to talk to you about preparing yourself for the longer shots you will be facing out West. First, we have to ask ourselves two questions:

1. Is it ethical for a bowhunter to take a 40, 50, or even 60 yard shot?
2. Is it feasible to hit something at that range?

But if you have well matched equipment, have it tuned to perfection, learn to shoot at longer distances, practice them all the time, and know how to judge distances or use a range finder, it's pretty easy to hit a deer in the eight-inch vitals everytime at 40, 50 and even 60 yards. I listen to guys on the "Live chat" who say you should never take a shot over 30 yards; how deer will jump a bow string past that distance; how no one can estimate distances correctly past 30 yards. All of these statements are spoken like a true dense-cover whitetail hunter. These people have never seen a mulie take a hit at 40 yards and never twitch a muscle.

My last big mulie was taken at 37 yards and I've taken several in the 40 to 50 yard range. On the other hand I've shot them as close as seven yards. But out West the longer shots are the norm and so before you come you better be prepared for them.

Any Western bowhunter will tell you the same thing: The biggest problem facing Eastern hunters who come out West is that they are not prepared to take shots over 30 yards and therefore most go home empty-handed. I've had hunters come out West with two sight pins. One was set for 20 yards, the other for 30. They were doomed to failure before they left home unless they were plumb lucky. Most Western hunters will have pins set for 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards. And if all those pins would confuse you, some hunters will use the "Sightmaster" sight that has just one pin but you can set it for varying distances by squeezing a "trigger" that moves the sight pin up and down.

In my opinion, there is no justified reason to come hunting mulies without two basic things:

1. a good rangefinder, and
2. spending the summer practicing at longer ranges.

Of course let me add that you should never shoot beyond your own personal capabilities, but if you practice at longer ranges, your equipment is well tuned and matched, and you know the distance, there's no reason you can't hit a deer in the vitals every time at 40, 50, and even 60 yards.

Hunters who practice at longer ranges before coming out West, and have a rangefinder as part of their personal equipment will find themselves bringing home some game while the others will have an empty freezer.

Good hunting and God bless,
John

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