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 [personal code of ethics] in today’s hunter education course, because everyone seems to think ‘their’ code of ethics should be what everyone else’s is.

SC: So does that personal code of ethics, then, ever change? To me, that sounds pretty cut ’n dry. Pretty concrete. But is there ever room for flexibility?

Albers: My code is my code. It might not match with everybody else’s, and it shouldn’t. Nobody’s should. Everyone should have their own [code]. Mine do fluctuate in terms of the distance [that] 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 [distance] are you efficient at? What time did you put into knowing your equipment? If we’re talking archery elk, let’s say, there’s an unrealistic distance at which some people can kill a bull. Part of my job as a guide is to shoot with my clients and evaluate or determine what [range] they’re efficient at. I have clients who are limited to 40 yards and in. Then I have clients who are green-lighted to whack a bull at 80 yards, conditions and equipment permitting. What I’m saying is this: Not everyone’s max distance is going to align — to match up. 

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 [yards] might be the new 40.

SC: True or false — the equipment is capable, but the shooter isn’t. And can this ‘equipment capability’ lend itself to a false sense of confidence in the field? 

Albers: Exactly. I see it all the time. 

SC: What drives archers to exceed this personal limit of ‘too far’?

Albers: Greed, and lack of experience. See, we’ve gotten too wrapped up in social media, and that’s just my opinion. I post quite a bit on social media, but it’s more of a [difference in goals]. I’d like to think I’m an efficient hunter. I train. And maybe [seeing] that will motivate someone to do that much more. To prepare the same. What I’m getting at is that a lot of guys want the ‘views.’ They want the ‘likes.’ I see it on the ranch I live on with trespassers. They want those ‘views.’ That’s what pushes people past their limits, and it comes back to a lack of experience.