I have shot deer at 420. Most of the time I try to set up inside 100.I have been hunting for 45 years. I've hunted the West, Midwest and West TX. I've taken White Tail, Mule and Coues deer. Rocky Mtn Elk, Black Bear, Mt. Lion. All types of furbearer critters and varmints.
When I get with a group of hunters and even buddies of mine. Out come the stories of " I shoot my animal at 550-800 yards on average. And on and on they go how they are true snipers of the hunting world. I am sure every now and then a few do attempt to take an unethical shot that far.
Theses super hunters are shooting 243, 7mm-08, 270, 30- 06, 300 Savage, 25-06 and 7mag.
I do my small game / varmint hunting with my 243 and my big game with my 30-06. The longest shots I've ever taken were at varmint (whistle pig, badger, crow and coyote) all at about 420 yards.
I'd say 95% of all my kills have been 250 yards or less.
Took my 1st bull elk in 93 outside Flagstaff at 95 yards. A really nice 6x6 Do hunters now a days really shoot that far the majority of the time? I find it very hard to believe these fine people are being truthful on most of their hunting stories.
I disagree. A 100 yard Pdog hunt can be a fascinating game of sneak and peek on brushy ground with a small bore, light rifle. I do it as often as I can with my K Hornet.
A friend of mine took me to a lease in Jackson County. I sat in a field so long, it had three shooting houses in it. I shot a deer at 225 steps, so that is a nominal distance. That was my longest so far.
Said friend is an accomplished hunter, and has more big bucks mounted than I will ever see. One that scored 160, and so many 140 class, that I lost count. He hunts with a plain Jane old Ruger paddle stock 7mm rem mag, and has a dope chart taped to the stock. He told me he has no qualms at shooting out to 400 yards and has done it numerous times. I tend to believe him with all of the trophies he’s amassed.
Two observations. First and foremost is that most people can't estimate range.
I have hunted deer for 30+ years now. I have never shot a deer over about 100 yards. Most of them under 50 yards. My first deer was shot at about 20 yards with a 12 gauge slug gun. By biggest buck shot at 9 paces with a 410 slug-gun. Having moved out of a slug only state recently I still have yet to dial my scope off their lowest power to make a shot on a deer.
My wife and I sight our rifles in to hit dead on at 250 yards. However, as I stated in another post just the other day, the longest shot I ever took on a mule deer was an honest (paced off afterwards) 460 yards. But that was with a solid rest - I was seated, and I had a tree limb to rest my rifle on.Not going to happen here in the West, still I try to limit my shots to 200 yards.
I have been hunting for 45 years. I've hunted the West, Midwest and West TX. I've taken White Tail, Mule and Coues deer. Rocky Mtn Elk, Black Bear, Mt. Lion. All types of furbearer critters and varmints.
When I get with a group of hunters and even buddies of mine. Out come the stories of " I shoot my animal at 550-800 yards on average. And on and on they go how they are true snipers of the hunting world. I am sure every now and then a few do attempt to take an unethical shot that far.
Theses super hunters are shooting 243, 7mm-08, 270, 30- 06, 300 Savage, 25-06 and 7mag.
I do my small game / varmint hunting with my 243 and my big game with my 30-06. The longest shots I've ever taken were at varmint (whistle pig, badger, crow and coyote) all at about 420 yards.
I'd say 95% of all my kills have been 250 yards or less.
Took my 1st bull elk in 93 outside Flagstaff at 95 yards. A really nice 6x6 Do hunters now a days really shoot that far the majority of the time? I find it very hard to believe these fine people are being truthful on most of their hunting stories.
Me too. Years of hunting rabbits, I got pretty good at dealing with .22LR drop out to 150yds. Which is all but irrelevant with centerfires. Beyond that, might as well be a mile.I knew I was bad at estimating range, I didn't know HOW bad until I got a rangefinder. Wholy worth the price of admission.
Wyoming Pronghorns!!??
Smiles,