Q&A with Robert Albers: Ethical archery and how far is too far?
“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching, even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” – Aldo Leopold, American conservationist and author of A Sand County Almanac Ninety percent of the time, there’s no one watching us when we hunt. Or if there is, he or she is often of the same ethical or behavioral mindset — right or wrong — as we are. That’s the way it is.
So we have no judge. No jury, other than our own conscience. Do we take a 75-yard shot at a drake mallard? A 900-yard shot at a whitetail buck? A 125-yard shot at that archery bull of a lifetime? Maybe. None are illegal; however most, if not all, would agree that none are ethical. Responsible. The acts of a wise and conscientious outdoorsman or woman.
But how do we hunters — here, we archers — know what’s ethical and what’s not? Everyone’s skill levels are different. My 25 yards is another man’s 50. Or 75. This week, Slayer Calls had the chance to sit with Montanan Robert Albers, Slayer Pro-Staffer and full-time guide for Bull Basin Outfitters, and discuss that very question: How far is too far?
Slayer Calls (SC): Isn’t the ‘essence’ of archery, traditional or modern, about getting up close and personal with your quarry?
Robert Albers: That’s all part of the game, right? Getting them close. We want to get intimate with those animals.
SC: How do you, as an archer, determine how far is ‘too far’ in terms of shooting distance?
Albers: I make that call personally, based on my 20 years of experience; but that might not be the right way to put that. I make that call based on my personal code of ethics. And I don’t know if they teach that . Mine do fluctuate in terms of the distance I’ll shoot at a bull.
SC: Okay then, Robert Albers. With what you’ve said, is my ‘too far’ your ‘too far?’ Should it be?
Albers: Absolutely not. It comes down to the question, What 
SC: Has 21st century archery technology changed the definition of the phrase ‘too far’? Is … and I hate to ask it this way, but … is 60 yards the new 25?
Albers: Yes. Absolutely. Is 60 the new 20? No. No. Fifty 
