Jim Burnworth's long distance ram.

[zachbow]

So there is a thread on Bowsite and a lot of talk on Facebook about Jim Burnworth of the show western extreme shooting a desert ram at 73 yards with a 93 yard follow up shot. A lot of folks are pretty upset that we are questioning these shots. What do you Real western hunters think. I think his long shots and high fenced hunts make for a bad show? I value the Eastmans readers opinions, so what do you think of taking these type of shots and the canned hunts that he shows on his show as well?

[Ryan]

Zachbow,
Without getting into the specifics of any one particular hunter, TV show, or event, I'll address my own personal thoughts on long-distance shots. When you get over "reasonable distances" - say 60 yards with a bow or 400 yards with a rifle (with variances in those numbers depending on situation), I feel that there are simply too many variables that come into play that cannot be controlled as they can be at the range. What's the wind doing halfway between here and there? What's the animal going to do in that extra 1/2 second of projectile travel time? What's that .00001 degree of angle error going to do at that distance when combined with those other factors? How tired are you from hiking? How jittery are you from the heat of the moment? I think some of this starts boiling down to ego and overconfidence rather than respecting the animal enough to get closer and make sure of a better shot. Just because I can hit a target at extreme distances doesn't mean I have any business taking those same shots at live animals. Leave long-distance shooting at the range.

[miller1]

I dont think a 73 yard shot is somthing to be stoned for, it is a poke for alot of people but a well practiced shooter under the right situation is ok by me, i can hit the kill everytime at 73 yards in my backyard (which is alot different than hunting) so im sure the guys that hunt out west and practice for this type of shot all the time shouldnt have a problem, the individual has to know his limits. as for the 93 yard shot, if the animal is already hit you have to go to the limit to harvest that animal. look at some of Fred Bears shots.

[300WBYMAG]

It amazes me some of the comments that those guys put and to know that they are actually "buying in" to his whole deal is just sickening. You hit the nail on the head zachbow, canned hunts, high fences, you name it...Burnworth will do it. The worst part is, is that guys give him recognition for it.

On the flip side, the best part is how he validates everything with the number of animal's he has taken(usually in that year)...like when he said in his FB rebuttal, "I took 61 big game animals with only my bow this last year..." At what point does the guy reading that not wake up and smell the coffee? Also, if the shot was a "73 yard X" (which we all know is crap), why was there a need for the follow up shot at 93 yards, which was another "perfect" arrow when he was "Hard Quartering" away.

The guy is a pure joke, an insult to be known as the "western hunter. Makes us guys who actually work for it, year in and year out and come home empty handed most of the time, just sick. At least it does for me...

[Doe Nob]

I think its up to each archer to decide what they can reasonably hit. Some of the new fast compound bows can shoot easily and accurately out to loooong distances that should not have been considered 10 years ago.
If it was a robot drawing one of the state of the art bows, you ought to just be able to move the pins up and shoot consistently out to 100 yards. To the extent that the archer practices enough with the right form, they can be consistent at long ranges - 70 even 80 yards. This is not the weekend shooter though, this is the die hard guy that practices daily and knows every piece of equipment that comes into contact with his bow.

Its similar to the long range rifle debate. Anyone who's not an expert shouldn't be shooting at that kind of range.

[Adam]

I guess I can see both sides of the argument, but at the end of the day, to each his own. However, I can say that for me, personally, you wouldn't catch me ever taking a shot that far on an animal with my bow. I'd venture to say that I's seriously hesitate on a 60 yard shot, unless I knew everything was just right and was 100% confident before I released.

Sure I have the pins and setup to do it, and I can consistently hit my Block at those "long" ranges, but putting a live and very unpredictable animal out there and taking a shot, that's just not my cup of tea.

[dito]

I never really cared for his show. But I quit watching it after he shot a mule deer with a 50 BMG. WHY?????

[elktracker]

I agree with Ryan, leave long distance shooting at the range. Like most of you have said, I can hit the target all day at 70 yards, but an animal is not a target. I've heard stories of deer and elk jumping the string at 30 yards, so no matter how fast your bow is an arrow just takes too long to get to 70+ yards. Ethical hunters should have enough respect for the animal not to take these marginal shots. Better to come home without releasing an arrow than to not recover a wounded an animal because you took a long shot.

[Jerry]

For me Ryan said it all! Taking shots at extreme distances is out of the question!!! I'm quite sure that there are people out there that can consistently shoot these distances but it encourages others that lack the skill of a military sniper to take shots that they shouldn't.

[ceby7]

To call himself a hunter is an injustice to everyone. He's no more of a hunter than a poacher is. He's never killed a "wild" animal in his life and the term "fair chase" is nonexistant in his language. 300WBYMAG hit it on the head when when he said the worst part is that he gets recognition for it. What kind of a hunter actually watches that s#*t! I was raised to respect the animals I hunt and have the opportunity to harvest. Along with that comes a sense of pride when you finally lay hands on a buck or bull that you've worked your butt off for, regardless of how big it is. Burnworth doesn't have an ounce of respect for a single animal he's ever or will ever kill. Pride? Grocery shopping doesn't exude pride. Like the time he was trying to kill a mule deer with a .50 cal, but only if it was at least a 1000 yard shot. What the hell does that prove?