"guidelines" for long-range hunting

[tasunkawitko]

as per mr. jack o'connor, here are some "rules" for long-range hunting. i believe that they can be agreed on by most of us here, even the long-range hunters!

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a long-range shot should never be taken if there is a reasonable chance of getting closer.

a long-range shot should never be taken if the rifleman feels doubtful of his ability to make a good, solid, well-placed hit.

a long-range shot should never be taken if the hunter cannot get into a solid position - prone with a sling, from a rest, etc.

a long-range shot should never be taken at any dangerous animal - a brown, grizzly or polar bear, a lion, a tiger, a leopard, a cape buffalo.

a long-range shot should never be taken at an unwounded, running animal.

a long-range shot should never be taken if the animal shot at can get out of sight so quickly that it would be difficult to ascertain the effect of the shot.

a long-range shot should not be taken if the range is so great that a hold on top of the shoulders will not drop a bullet into the chest cavity.


these rules may seem ultra conservative to many, and i must admit that there have been times when i did not follow them myself. however, the more i hunt and the more i see others shoot the more convinced i am that they are wise and sensible rules and if they were universally adopted the number of game animals that get away wounded to suffer and die would be greatly reduced.

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the question then remains, what defines a long-range shot on a game animal?

i believe that each hunter has to make an honest evaluation of his own abilities (not the rifle's) and let his moral and ethical judgement guide his choice when the game is sighted.

 

[Art Eatman]

This is one of those "By and large, I agree, but..." deals.

"a long-range shot should never be taken at an unwounded, running animal."

A lot of folks haven't ever practiced on running targets and don't know how much to lead. That leads to gutshot animals that get away to suffer and die, unfound. For instance, a 400-yard deer on a crossing path needs roughly twelve feet of lead. If you can't instantly figure out where to put the crosshairs for a bit over two deer-lengths of lead, forget it.

"a long-range shot should not be taken if the range is so great that a hold on top of the shoulders will not drop a bullet into the chest cavity."

With a .30-'06 on a whitetail, that's roughly 350 yards or a bit more. Now, few nekkid eyebones can tell the difference between 350 and 400. If you hold for a heart shot and have estimated 400, you'd be in the lower lungs at 350. The thing is, wind will mess you up worse than bullet drop.

Today's world, some folks use rangefinders. A person who figures he needs a rangefinder should know the bullet drop at "way out there", and should spend time learning about windage. An experienced shooter should have no difficulty in making a 500-yard hit with a rifle zeroed at 200 yards.

They're good guidelines, though.

"Long range" will vary with the shooter. I've seen my father make offhand shots that I might not take from a rest. Learning to shoot long range in the field is totally different from a target range.

And as always, "clean kill" rules.

Art

 

[labgrade]

"Long range" will vary with the shooter. I've seen my father make offhand shots that I might not take from a rest.

Saw my Dad poke a fox at about 300 yards once off-hand - fair "snap-shot."

Mebee luck, mebee not, but saw him tag things off-hand that I wouldn't have tried even at a tender 16 yrs old & too "lusty" to then care. Still shake my head at some memories.

& w/shotgun? forget it!

Some are better than others, but I'd agree wholeheartedly that you owe it to your quary, & better yet, your own self respect to hunt, & harvest cleanly rather than shoot.

Anybody can shoot - & likely kill.

But to harvest cleanly, w/minimal "distraction," is the mark of a hunter.