Hunting. What's a "long" shot to you?

[Vince]

I think we are all in agreement that field conditions, and one's ability, is the determining factor on what is close and what is far.

I would hate to see the government impose it's version of close versus far on this issue but I do think we may have to start doing a better job of policing ourselves. Lots of folks shoot what I call, "Hail Mary's" when they have no business shooting at all. Those are the folks we need to get after. Do it by public opinion. There's a big difference between one person shooting one round at 700+ Yards and another letting loose with a box of ammo at that distance.

 

[efw]

It depends totally on conditions. Anything over 350yds I consider long and want good conditions for. I prefer to get inside 300yds whenever possible, but where I hunt that isn't always practical so I prepare for longer shots also.

+1

That 'bout says it all for me.

 

[nosler06]

Great points, unfortunately you can't legislate stupid out of existence. I once passed up a moose at around 300 yards where I would have had to shoot offhand, unbeknownst to me there were some guys much further back from me that ended up taking 17 shots at it and then never went down to check out if they had hit it. Guys like that should never be allowed to own a gun much less shoot it.

I totally agree with you on that. I had a similar incident over the East Kootenay area when I was deciding on a shot at a bull elk at 300 to 350yds. The regs had changed to 6pt or better. As I watched that animal until I was able to confirm he was only a 5x5 I heard some 8-10 distance shots way farther than me. I tried to get a pinpoint on a location after I watched that bull go down. Never did they come to check that animal as I waited after calling the Conservation Officer to arrive. That kind of stuff is what I hope never to witness again. Still makes me sick after 25 yrs. One thing for sure is you really can not fix stupid.

 

[Anonymous]

My longest is around 350yds and that's about my practical limit. I've hit steel out past 500 but I'm hesitant to shoot a critter that far- just too many things that can go south. A lot of those things have little to do with the shooter.

I have a dim view of the super long range hunting/shooting practice and I've seen a couple of real horror shows as a results. It can be done by some, but not nearly as many who try it. I helped retrieve a moose this year that was fired on at well over 700yds….don't know how many shots it took (a lot by looking at the pile of cases) but he hit 3. Bullet performance was dismal at that impact velocity and placement was equally bad.

With different equipment- I'd be tempted to stretch out a bit- perhaps 400 or 450 under calm conditions- but once I pass "point blank range" I start to lose enthusiasm pretty quickly. Even in the fairly open country I hunt I typically shoot 100-300yds with most occurring between 200-300.

 

[super-7]

I'm not going to give a rant or a speech or impose my views just for the sake of hearing myself talk. But... We as hunters have enough to deal with without splitting our own ranks. Remember divide and conquer ... Game gets wounded no matter the discipline and as respectful ethical sportsmen we owe it to the game to Try and make clean quick kills. Sometimes field conditions and situations prevent this from happening. Just remember that more wild life is injured and left to die from motor vehicle collision then hunters ever do , we are a small percentage in mortality in most regions. Wolves and bears and coyotes do not have to worry about clean kills, Mother Nature is cruel and many times an animal is eaten alive or has a slow painful fate. It's us as humans that project the clean humane kill onto the animal, ( which I feel is a good thing) but it sometimes leaves a grey area of ethics. Is bow hunting cruel? Traditional or compound? Wounded game with poor placement.... How about front stuffers? Not enough energy or muzzle velocity for quick clean kills ? How about light for caliber bullets? .... Do you see where I am going with this, it is not so much the displine one chooses but the effort and ability of the one practicing it. Now is everyone capable of " the best of the west" shots ? Absolutely not but with the right equipment and practice more sportsmen are becoming able too. This can be said for any of the disiplines. Now people taking pot shots from long range ( IMHO) are not sportsmen there idiots, these same idoits could be bow hunting or muzzle loader hunting. So instead of creating a division thru are already relatively small ranks do what you can to instill ethics and conscience in those following in your foot steps. Weed out and single out bad apples if given a chance, but lets not pit one disipline against the other.
I will continue to support my local fish and game as such support mine my kids and others right to hunt, thus I will not judge others doing the same in a different way.

 

[GeorgeS]

I'm not going to give a rant or a speech or impose my views just for the sake of hearing myself talk. But... We as hunters have enough to deal with without splitting our own ranks. Remember divide and conquer ... Game gets wounded no matter the discipline and as respectful ethical sportsmen we owe it to the game to Try and make clean quick kills. Sometimes field conditions and situations prevent this from happening. Just remember that more wild life is injured and left to die from motor vehicle collision then hunters ever do , we are a small percentage in mortality in most regions. Wolves and bears and coyotes do not have to worry about clean kills, Mother Nature is cruel and many times an animal is eaten alive or has a slow painful fate. It's us as humans that project the clean humane kill onto the animal, ( which I feel is a good thing) but it sometimes leaves a grey area of ethics. Is bow hunting cruel? Traditional or compound? Wounded game with poor placement.... How about front stuffers? Not enough energy or muzzle velocity for quick clean kills ? How about light for caliber bullets? .... Do you see where I am going with this, it is not so much the displine one chooses but the effort and ability of the one practicing it. Now is everyone capable of " the best of the west" shots ? Absolutely not but with the right equipment and practice more sportsmen are becoming able too. This can be said for any of the disiplines. Now people taking pot shots from long range ( IMHO) are not sportsmen there idiots, these same idoits could be bow hunting or muzzle loader hunting. So instead of creating a division thru are already relatively small ranks do what you can to instill ethics and conscience in those following in your foot steps. Weed out and single out bad apples if given a chance, but lets not pit one disipline against the other.
I will continue to support my local fish and game as such support mine my kids and others right to hunt, thus I will not judge others doing the same in a different way.

That read like a rant or speech to me.

George

 

[super-7]

I'm not going to give a rant or a speech or impose my views just for the sake of hearing myself talk. But... We as hunters have enough to deal with without splitting our own ranks. Remember divide and conquer ... Game gets wounded no matter the discipline and as respectful ethical sportsmen we owe it to the game to Try and make clean quick kills. Sometimes field conditions and situations prevent this from happening. Just remember that more wild life is injured and left to die from motor vehicle collision then hunters ever do , we are a small percentage in mortality in most regions. Wolves and bears and coyotes do not have to worry about clean kills, Mother Nature is cruel and many times an animal is eaten alive or has a slow painful fate. It's us as humans that project the clean humane kill onto the animal, ( which I feel is a good thing) but it sometimes leaves a grey area of ethics. Is bow hunting cruel? Traditional or compound? Wounded game with poor placement.... How about front stuffers? Not enough energy or muzzle velocity for quick clean kills ? How about light for caliber bullets? .... Do you see where I am going with this, it is not so much the displine one chooses but the effort and ability of the one practicing it. Now is everyone capable of " the best of the west" shots ? Absolutely not but with the right equipment and practice more sportsmen are becoming able too. This can be said for any of the disiplines. Now people taking pot shots from long range ( IMHO) are not sportsmen there idiots, these same idoits could be bow hunting or muzzle loader hunting. So instead of creating a division thru are already relatively small ranks do what you can to instill ethics and conscience in those following in your foot steps. Weed out and single out bad apples if given a chance, but lets not pit one disipline against the other.
I will continue to support my local fish and game as such support mine my kids and others right to hunt, thus I will not judge others doing the same in a different way.

That read like a rant or speech to me.

George

Bah humbug.

 

[ajvigs]

Its a funny thing. Like Dr. Mike, I didnt want to wade into this. Being in the Corps, I have developed the ability to hit a target out to 500 from the various field positions, and that would be my limit. On the contrary though, I feel that getting 300 yards or closer is more practical to me. I like the idea of fair chase, and when you start pushing the distance many variables come into play, and the last thing I want to do is potentially fatally wound an animal to make it crawl off and suffer, then never be able to recover it.

 

[cloverleaf]

Off Hand? No rest- standing, or in my case sitting w/o a rest- 200 yds is my limit and Id rather have it inside that by a ways. If I have a good rest and time (when does that happen...?) 300 if I have enough gun. Those are pretty outside limits. CL

You know what, having read the most recent posts to this thread I will revise my estimates. My longest shot on game was 264 yards with time and a rest. Now understand, I am usually lucky, some one tries to put me on a good, close shot. That bullet went right where I was pointing it except for 3+ inches of wind drift. We often dont shoot as well as we think, or even are capable of when game is afoot. That said, there is an old axiom that says, "if you can put 10 shots in a 10 inch circle in a minute, you should try out for the olympic shooting team". I cant do that and most folks I see at the range for public "sight in" are happy with a 4 inch group at 100yds off the bench.... :roll: yup 200 yards is a long shot for me and a snap shot at 50 is a challenge....thats just me. "a mans got to know his limitations". CL

 

[ScreaminEagle]

In the PA woods, shooting at a whitetail, 200yds is a long shot!
In the hayfields, shooting at a fat chuck, I consider anything over 600yds long.

 

[35 Whelen]

I have noticed that around the campfire, [especially after a little firewater] that shots in the 350 to 400 yd category are fairly common. And the knowledge of ballistics is just a basic instint to most hunters. Target shooting the term "one ragged hole" is used loosely by many and almost as far as the naked eye could see one , has been used more than once.
However in the real world of hunting were there is no ransom rest to hold the gun or spotters to call the wind, I have noticed an amazing amount of misses at 200 yds and under in my now fourty years of guiding hunters. And if I was to repeat the amount of times I have seen grown men with full beards miss a 1000 lb brown bear from 75 yds with a scoped rifle or the many times I have seen a guy fall all to pieces when a big Whitetail buck jumps up 20 yds in front of us and their first shot is off by around 45 degrees it would sound anything like the story back at the campfire........
I have seen it all from blowing the rear struts off the Super Cub on aerial wolf hunts to blowing the back windows out of pickup trucks , not to mention the windshields on two different deals , to bedrails blow off , falling outta tree stands and discharging rifles. To hunters shooting the wrong animal after being told numerous times its the one on the right and they shoot the one on the left.
To a recent hunter I had here last winter that has soposedly shot numerous coyotes out west with many of his kills around 400 yds and even more, miss 5 in a row here in Maine all under 200 yds........................... yes the range and the campfire are very different than the field .
My humble assessment of all this is about 150 yds on deer sized animals offhand, will be about the limit when you are standing on uneven ground and excited, and about 250 yds leaning against a darn good rest, and about 300 yds with a rock solid rest, seams to cache up with about 95% of us.
For the 5% that are able to consistently get into the 3-500 yd range offhand and 600-1000 with a rest. I take my hat off to you and your rifle ............ I just have not had the opertunity to meet you yet! :shock:

 

[ScreaminEagle]

I have noticed that around the campfire, [especially after a little firewater] that shots in the 350 to 400 yd category are fairly common. And the knowledge of ballistics is just a basic instint to most hunters. Target shooting the term "one ragged hole" is used loosely by many and almost as far as the naked eye could see one , has been used more than once.
However in the real world of hunting were there is no ransom rest to hold the gun or spotters to call the wind, I have noticed an amazing amount of misses at 200 yds and under in my now fourty years of guiding hunters. And if I was to repeat the amount of times I have seen grown men with full beards miss a 1000 lb brown bear from 75 yds with a scoped rifle or the many times I have seen a guy fall all to pieces when a big Whitetail buck jumps up 20 yds in front of us and their first shot is off by around 45 degrees it would sound anything like the story back at the campfire........
I have seen it all from blowing the rear struts off the Super Cub on aerial wolf hunts to blowing the back windows out of pickup trucks , not to mention the windshields on two different deals , to bedrails blow off , falling outta tree stands and discharging rifles. To hunters shooting the wrong animal after being told numerous times its the one on the right and they shoot the one on the left.
To a recent hunter I had here last winter that has soposedly shot numerous coyotes out west with many of his kills around 400 yds and even more, miss 5 in a row here in Maine all under 200 yds........................... yes the range and the campfire are very different than the field .
My humble assessment of all this is about 150 yds on deer sized animals will be about the limit when you are standing on uneven ground and excited and about 250 yds leaning against a darn good rest and about 300 yds with a rock solid rest seams to cache up about 95% of us.
For the 5% that are able to consistently get into the 3-500 yd range offhand and 600-1000 with a rest. I take my hat off to you and your rifle ............ I just have not had the opertunity to meet you yet! :shock:

Very well said sir! I had posted, on another forum about how I had shot a chuck at 634yds. I was prone, using a bipod with my 22-250. It took me three shots, but I was pretty darn excited. You wouldn't believe the number of guys that posted saying how 1000yds was a chip shot with a 22-250 and I had a lot to learn!

 

[ElmerThud]

Here in the UK, 300yds on a red deer is 'long' and rarely taken. 200-250 is more common on the open hill, with anything from 50 to 150yd being the norm near tree line.
Yup, I have taken the rare 300 yd deer but more usually will be shooting deer at between 100 & 200yds.
My kills have all been clean over the last fifteen years, but I made my share of mistakes while I was learning and had to trail & clean up properly when the shot went wrong.
ATB ET