Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Rustystud]

There are many levels of shooter, equipment, and knowledge and experience.

Be ethical and do your homework. I have shot many deer at 900-1000 yards with a rifle and bullet suited for doing this.

I have shot 100s of deer at at ranges from 30-300 yards.

A great gun writer Bob Hagel once wrote, "there is no such thing as shooting to much gun, dead is dead."

I think there is an equally important statement, you can't be a too experienced shooter.

If you are going to hunt at extreme distances, practice with what you are going to shoot.

You can't rely on what someone else says.

Sit down an shoot your rifle and loads from 50 yards to your desired distance. After reaching 300 yards you need to practice at 25 yard intervals. Keep a log of your scope settings. Because your vertical changes more rapidly and your velocity drops off.

There are accurate rifles and there are flat shooting accurate rifles.

They are not always the same. Generally flat shooting rifles have more recoil and muzzle blast.

With the general shooting population there is an inverse relationship between flat shooting rifles and accurate rifle shooters. The General population can not shoot a flat shooting rifle as accurately as an accurate rifle. Example the average guy can't shoot a 7mmSTW or 300 Ultra Mag as well as he can shoot a .243 or 308 Winchester.

Shot placement and bullet performance are more important than flat trajectory.

Shot placement comes from knowing your distance and your equipment, confidence and a little luck.

Shooting a 2-3" group with .243 or 308 at 600 yards is much easier than shooting the same group with a large magnum.

Again practice practice and practice some more.

After you get your equipment issues resolved you will have to learn to read the wind. There is no better teacher than shooting F-Class or Long Range Bench Rest or Tactical rifle.

If you don't have time to shoot your rifle a couple hundred rounds every year you should not shoot game at ranges at over 300 yards.

I personally shoot tens of thousands of rounds every year. At known distance I can hold my own. At unknown distances I consider myself to a novice with 45 years shooting experience.

Get yourself a good range finder and go practice with your rifle.

Be a responsable shooter and remember you represent all of the shooting community out in the public.

Nat Lambeth
 

[Greg110]

VERY well spoken, sir!

[X3M Hunter]

Well said!

-X3M

[Crow]

Sound advice!

[squirrelduster]

Excellant advice Nat.
I would add that not only must you shoot several hundred rounds per year but the majority should be off the bipod or whatever you plan to use in the field.
I wouldn't consider shooting several hundred rounds off a concrete bench with mechanical rests a valid test of your hunting marksmanship.
Shoot the rifle in the hunting configuration you plan on using.

[Rtheurer]

 Very well said, Thank you sir.

RussT

[cliffy]

Proper deer-hunting STOPS at 350 yards!  Wild, LONG-Range shots start at 400 Yards and claimed out to 600 yards are nonsense.  Stop my pounding heart!  GET REAL!  Why do we stalk?  Why do we wish to get closer?  Why do we call ourselves practical hunters beyond positive kill hopefulness?  cliffy

[CJ6]

The PURPOSE of hunting is the stalk. The PURPOSE of shooting is the target agg. IMHO it's tough to STALK an animal from a BENCH.

[people]

All of that stuff is good information.  I also say you need to practice the way you are going to hunt. 

With that being said out here in ND there are lots of times you can not sneak close enough for some hunters.  Heck where I hunt you can see more than 10 to 15 miles in most directions.  So even with a M198 you would be able to see your impacts most of the time.  The hills are so smooth and rolling they are literally over 1,000yds from peak to peak.  There are few deer to find and very little cover for them.  The last three years I have been hunting with a friend who has been using a 243Win and for the last three years he has had to use my rifle to take the shot to get his deer.  Some places getting close is needed for some hunters but most shooters do not need to get close.

I went to NE hunting 4 years ago and had 5 tags I fired 5 shots in less than one min and had 5 deer to gut.  Not a single shot was taken over 175yds.  The five shots fired there was three head shots and only two body hits a buck and a doe that was running full speed were the only body shots.  There is no challenge to it.  It was literally easier than shooting Prairie Dogs.

[Rustystud]

Cliffy:

A few years ago I would have agreed with you.  But shooting long distance has changed for me since I began shooting 600-1000 competition. I would agree with the average rifle one should limit themself to 350-400 yards.  However with the right equipment and right bullets there is no reason an ethical shot can not be made to 1000 yrds.  Deer have become a problem here in  North Carolina. Both seasons and bag limits have become very liberal.  I shoot deer like I use to shoot ground hogs with the exception I or someone eats the deer that are shot. I hunt properties with depredation permits. This weekend I may actually shoot a dozen deer testing bullets. I build several bean field rifles every year for others who think long distance shooting is just as thrilling as stalking. I would venture to say there are fewer deer woulded and lost by experienced long distance shooters as there are by inexperienced short range shooters.

Nat Lambeth

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Well stated Nat!  Been a pleasure reading this.  Thanks, Mike

[CJ6]

I guess I'm trying to express the differences between shooting and hunting . Not the ethical aspects of a long range shot.

[Rustystud]

I cut out a deer effogie in plywood. painted the same color as a deer. Then attached some legs of conduit. I have placed this mobile deer target at unmarked distances. I have climbed into the box stand and shot off sand bags hundreds of practice shots some time using a laser range finder and some not. At 100 yards I am shooting sub .25" groups. 200 yards I am shooting sub .7" groups usually better. I am shooting sub 1.5" groups at 300 yard usually less than 1.0" I am shooting 2.0" or better at 400 yards. I am shooting 3.5" groups or better at 500 yards.
I am shooting 5." or less groups at 600 usually about 3."  As shown groups (10 shots) grow with distance. It is not uncommon to shoot 10 inch groups or better at 1000 yards. This is being done with a 21 pound rifle and a 12 X 42 scope. The loads are shooting less than 9 feet ES. They are starting a 3000 fps and at 1000 yards are still traveling over 1400 fps with a 185 grain bullet.
I have shot deer that dropped in their tracks at 900- 1000 yards. I have shot deer with a heart lung pass through and the never stop eating (as if missed) and after about 15-20 seconds just start staggering and fall over. Watching through the scope reveals blood pouring out of the animal. I have had them run all out for about 10 seconds then just crash.

I have shot deer at 10 feet with a 180 grain Nosler Partition through the heart/lungs and they run 100 yards wide open.

The ethics and sportsmanship in shooting long range comes with doing your homework and making the best shoots possible. I get no pleasure making or watching and animal die an excruiating death.

Nat Lambeth

 
 

[CJ6]

What I'm saying is a the LONG shot is not HUNTING it's SHOOTING. IMHO there is a difference . That's not to say it  isn't done cleanly/humanely I just don't call it hunting . For instance you SHOOT PDs ,You HUNT (or should)squirrels ,deer, moose, elk etc.This is just 1 mans opinion . Nat I do respect your abilities in this area so don't misunderstand my posting.

[xphunter]

So, at what distance does it become hunting and not shooting?
And with what kind of a rifle does it become hunting not shooting at this prescribed distance?
Or from what kind of position does it cease to become hunting?
For some people, 200 yards is a long shot with a rifle?