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

[Guy Miner]

When hunting game; deer, hogs, bear, elk, etc... What's a long shot for you, for the conditions and location where you hunt?

For me, in the mixed open country where I often hunt mule deer or sometimes black bear, anything over about 300 yards, using a conventional hunting rifle, is a long shot.

Not that I mind taking a long shot if conditions are right.

And sometimes I cheat and use a rifle specifically set up for longer ranges.

In recent years I've taken mule deer from 20 yards - 400 yards, with conventional hunting rifles. Both of those were with my .25-06 come to think of it, and both in Wyoming.

Just curious. Guy

 

[Thebear_78]

Pretty much in the same boat as you guy. Anything over 300 yards is a long shot. I haven't taken too many long shots on game. Only a handful of shots past 300 yards. My longest was my caribou this year at 519 yards. Most of my long shots have been with my 300 RUM.

 

[Guy Miner]

500 yards is a long shot in my book. Absolutely!

 

[gerry]

To me it is around 300 yards as well, I do practice fairly often out to 300 and sometimes 400 if I can find the room to do it, not always an easy thing to do on the west coast. The longest shot I have connected on is 282 yards on a coyote with the 35 Whelen, it was an easy shot thanks to the Burris ballistic plex. I could shoot farther at animals but seem to always try to get closer.

 

[Thebear_78]

I practice out to 3-4 hundred regularly and stretch the legs out to 7-8 hundred several times a year

 

[FOTIS]

Anything over 500.

 

[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

 

[joelkdouglas]

In the whitetail woods I have not shot past 110 yards. My only miss in the woods at no more than about 4 yards.

Out west 350 yards is my self-imposed maximum. My longest shot out west has been 175 yards, closest is 100 yards. I don't have enough confidence in reading wind to shoot beyond 350.

 

[JD338]

I think 300 yds + is a long shot.
My long range rifles are my 338 RUM and 280 AI.

JD338

 

[tim629]

Deer Hunting long shot would be 150 I would say average is under 50 in the woods

groundhogs: when I was living in PA I would aim for anything under 200 and my buddy would take the 200-400 yard shots

hoping to build a nice tripod to shoot the 280ai off of next summer for the groundhogs up here, even then I believe most shots will be between 100 & 200 yards

 

[Guest]

I'm in line with most folks here, as 300 or beyond is a long shot on game for me. My self-imposed limit on game is 500yds, because that's as far as I can regularly practice. Any shots out beyond 400 require perfect conditions. Under 400, I'm comfortable with wind, though like Gerry I am far more likely to try to get closer if I can. I have not had issues getting down to 250 or less on my mountain lease over the past few years. Really, as much as I like the challenge of making a rifle perform, I've found I enjoy getting close as much or more.

 

[GeorgeS]

450yds. or more.

350yds. is a snap after hunting in Wyoming a few times. :lol:

George

 

[sask boy]

I am normally like that 200 yard mark , but shoot animals regularly out to 500 yards. Once I get my 280AI and practice a bit. I am going to try longer standing shots if I get the chance. With the BC on these new long range ABs & my Leica 1600B I think we are better equipped for some longer distances.
Just my 2 cents :wink:

Blessings,
Dan

 

[jmad_81]

I consider anything that I have to elevate off of hair to be a long shot. Some rifles have more reach than others. With my 270 Weatherby I can hold on hair out to 400 yards, with my 338 WM and 375R with a 200 yard zero, 300-350 is a good poke.

I am pretty sure I can count on one hand the shots that I have taken over 400 yards. A Nice 6x6 bull in Idaho @ 425, a nice 3x4 bull in Oregon @ 420, a nice little 4x4 buck in Oregon @ 400, and a really nice bear in Oregon @ 600 yards.

I like to practice out to 1,400, but I have no business shooting at game that far. With the right rifle (STW, 338R, and soon the 6.5 SAUM) I wouldn't hesitate, in perfect conditions, to take a sold shot out to 600 at this point. With a little more practice, I could stretch that to 800 but finding time to keep my skills where they should be (or hang out here with you guys) has been difficult lately.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I consider anything over 500yds long range. Generally the guns I hunt with will shoot 2 1/2" or better 3 shot groups at 500yds so a 500yd shot is pretty easy unless the wind is howling. I've shot several deer, elk, and antelope over 500yds and probably 200-300 rockchucks over 500yds.

 

[Guy Miner]

Guys - I really like what I'm reading here. Seems that everyone is pretty cautious about their "long range" shooting and tries to stay within the limits of what they've proven they can accomplish.

Our local rifle range is limited to 600 yards, and I have practiced to that distance often, particularly with my .308 Win "Green Machine" and to a lesser extent with my .300 WSM Model 70. With those rifles, in the right conditions, I'd take a long shot to 500 - 600 yards. I've shot the .308 farther than that, but not often, and frankly the .308's bullet is dropping faster than Congress' popularity out beyond 600 anyway.

If I can "hold on hair" without dialing in any elevation, I'll consider that the limit for my conventional hunting rifles like the .25-06 or .30-06 sporter weight rifles. It's pretty easy to accomplish that at 300 yards, and a little tougher to make it happen at 400 yards for some cartridges.

My heavier rifles with target turrets do real well, even out beyond 400 yds.

And yes, the wind... The wind is the real hard one to judge. Elevation is pretty simple usually. Range it. Dial it. But the wind... What's it REALLY doing out there a couple of hundred yards downrange? How much will that affect the flight of the bullet? Judging windage is tough. To me it is much more difficult. It's easy to read the numbers in the rangefinder. It's real hard to tell what that wind is doing halfway to a distant target. It's pretty amazing too, how much the wind can influence a bullet's path. I've seen a barely perceptible (at the firing line) breeze blow my 168 grain match bullets a full 18" from the aimpoint at 600 yards! That's the difference between a clean kill and a nasty gut shot, or even a miss.

Regards, Guy

 

[1Shot]

I consider anything over 400 yards a long shot. Usually sight in my 25-06 or 264 Win mag which I use when long range is involved 3" high at 100 yards and that will put me in the vitals holding in the hair out to that far easy. I bean field hunt deer a lot and some times I will shoot over that yardage but the conditions have to be right.

 

[.280 Remington]

I'm comfortable to 350, past that I won't shoot. I just hope I can find a way to get closer!

 

[FOTIS]

450yds. or more.

350yds. is a snap after hunting in Wyoming a few times. :lol:

George

True true! :lol:

 

[truck driver]

Most of the farms I hunt here 300yds would be max and then you have to be really sure whats behind the target. My 30-06 is dialed in for a PBR of 200 which I consider safe for around where I hunt.
I'm a little Leary of using the 300 Weatherby because of the extend range with which it allows me to shoot and would carry farther then my 30-06. If I go into the western counties where I would be hunting in the Mountains it would be different. A lot of places I carry my 12ga slug gun which is sighted in for a PBR of 100yds. and have killed White tails out to 150yds with it. I tend to use bullets and loads that don't over penetrate.