I just finished reading Teddy Roosevelts book: "African Game Trails". Year long trip all over the place in 1909. He and son Kermit killed 512 animals during the year. They traveled on the boat over with Selous himself and met up with him a few other times too.

They shot iron sights and missed many many shots. Friend Tysue says he thinks TR's eyesight wasn't very good, TR was 51 that yr, Kermit turned 20 on the trip. But, neither of us can understand why they couldn't get closer than 200-300 or more yards on the biggest part of their game.

What's the results of YOUR shots on most PG? Have any of you needed two or three magazines full to kill one animal? (10-20 rounds)

That's the disappointing part of reading this book for me. They couldn't get within reasonable range and couldn't hit for shit the way it sounds.

Thanks much,
George

In my limited experience, getting inside of 200-300 yards of the game you want to shoot can be a daunting task, depending on the terrain and the game. In my experience, a .416 works at least to 300 yards, and I would think that would do in most instances.

I would say that 90% of my shots were at 100 yards or less. As far as missing goes, well it happens to all of us at times. My worst misses were on my first trip to Africa where I seemed to have an impala jinx and I could not hit one to save my life, even missed one at 30 yards. But once I finally connected the jinx was over.

David,
Your experience with Impala reminded me of my own "hoodoo" as Bob Swift called it. I made several great shots on other animals, but had a lot of trouble connecting on impala right off the bat.
Got over it, and had no such issues on anything else.
To answer the question, my longest shot in Africa was 235 yds on a Warthog. Shortest on Plains Game was about 30yds on a Very nice Bushbuck in some thick stuff, right at dusk.
DG shots (Buff and Elephant) all 20-30. No cats.

I took a bushbuck out at 230 yards on one of my hunts in Chewore South, but that is the only shot I have taken in 5 safaris that was greater than 100 yards. A scoped .375 H&H will handle shots out that far with no problem. In general, most of the shots I have taken have been well inside 100 yards.

Just like in the US, everything is dependent on the area/terrain you're hunting in. In the wide open Savannah areas you can shoot as far as you want...and your PH lets you and as deep as your pockets are for any missed/wounded game you shoot at.

Same for the highlands/mountain areas. They usually have enough cover (brush/rocks) and you can get well within 100yds or you can shoot across valleys.

Where we go in NW Namibian mountains the longest shot taken has been 180yds or so at a cull Gemsbok. Shortest has been inside 30yds at a cull Gemsbok.

The area you choose and the habitat your game lives in, just like the US, will determine the ranges.

I happen to keep up with this sort of data.... and about a year ago or so I added things up and all my non dangerous game ranged from as little as 10 yards to a maximum of 305 yards..... Average for 163 non dangerous game was 85 yards.........

Michael

It really depends where you are hunting. I hunted mountain reedbuck in SA and wished I had a 257 Weatherby. It was like hunting on the moon and the distances and wind were very challenging. Namibia can require some long range shooting. Zimbabwe is more a case of 125 yards or less. It is much like hunting in the US. A hunter from the western states will have a totally different answer to the question than a Pennsylvania woods hunter. I found my 300 Win served me pretty well in lots of different places in Africa.

While not a accurate as 458...I looked thru my notes and most of my game was shot at 120 yards adv. close was a duiker at 18 yards..long was a Red heartebeest at a smidgen over 250...

Ed

Longest shots were just under 450 on a waterbuck standing ontop a mtn and a red hartebeest on the grassy plains. Closest was about 7 yds from a grey duiker that I swear wanted to attack me.

My only experiences are for plains game on the Eastern Cape of SA. On my second trip, we ranged every animal before the shot, or we ranged where the animal was standing after the shot. Of the 18 animals taken, the longest was 365 yards while the shortest was 83 yards. The average shot calculated was 207 yards.

My average (rifle) shot would be around 100 yards. Longest were a red hartebeest at 249 and a kudu at about 180. Closest was an impala at 30. Lots of shots with a bow, all inside 25 yards.

Furthest PG shot was close to 300yds. Closest was 15yds. On average I think most were within 120yds.
Missed one of the easiest shots I ever had on a bushbuck at 50yds. The next day I killed a much better one at 150yds.

As I recall, my first Gemsbok was just about 220. That is the farthest shot I have taken. Everything else has been 125 and closer.

Zebra 302 yards - standing still
Gemsbok - 150 yards - walking, 200 yards running and 250 yards running
Kudu - 80 yards - running
Springbock - 260 yards - standing
Steenbok - 100 yards - laying down
Warthog - 150 yards - trot
Buffalo - 70 yards - standing still, 125 yards running, 30 yards standing still
Blesbok - 120 yards - walking
Wildebeest - 140 yards - standing still
Bushbuck - 40 yards -standing still
Impala - 200 yards - standing

My average shooting distance game is 146.5 yards. In three trips to Africa I've shot 11 animals using 19 shots. I had 3 shots in the Gemsbok (all hits), 3 in the Buffalo (all hits), 3 in the Impala (all hits), 2 at the steenbok, (one miss) plus a clean miss on a baboon.

The warthog and the springbok were taken with a scoped 300 WSM and the rest taken with my scoped 375 H&H.

Of the 11 PG animals I've taken on two trips, the closest was a warthog at about 15 yards and the longest being a black wildebeest at 271 yards. Only two of those 11 required a second finishing shot.

I've missed two animals also, a mountain reedbuck at roughly 250 yards and a caracal at who knows what distance (probably 150 yards) because I was so damn nervous I'm not sure my bullet even hit South African soil!!!

I made 8 safari's to Zimbabwe and shot most game thru Elephant and can actually remember 3 shots that were in the 300yd range and all were kills. Most shots ,both Dangerous and plains game, was at under 50 yards. I did not find it particularly difficult to get within 50 yards for any game. I had an exceptionally good PH who was extremely skilled in this aspect.

In checking my journals from my 2013 and 2012 Namibia hunts with Sebra Hunting Safaris, I come up with the following yardages, most of them confirmed by laser range finder:

2013:

1) Jackal- 150 yds
2) Black Wildebeest- 160 yds
3) Springbok- 120 yds
4) Steenbok- 60 yds
5) Red Hartebeest- 80 yds
6) Baboon- 60 yards
7-9) 3 ration gemsbok- 100 to 120 yds
10) Baboon- 278 yds
11) Jackal- 90 yds

As a side note, my PH Jan du Plessis made a 6 yard shot at a spotted hyena that was about to attack him in the dark!!

2012

1) 40" gemsbok bull- 220 yds
2) Baboon- 150 yards
3) Warthog- 60 yds
4) 41" gemsbok cow- 80 yds
5) Baboon- 150 yds
6) 55" Kudu- 80 yds
7) Zebra- 125 yds
8) Ration gemsbok- 210 yds

The Rossevelt safari was conducted in East Africa where alot of the hunting can be conducted in farly open terrain and relatively flat terrain. I also think that in those days hunters were less sensitive about wounding etc so they might be more likely to take a chancy shot.

Persoanlly the longest shot I've made in Africa was 265 yards on a black lechwe on the Bangweulu flood plain. Otherwise I'd guess 90% of my shots have been 100 yards or less.

Mark

I think the terrain plays a big part. In the bush veld areas close close shots can be common.
In more open terrain, it can be longer.
We are very open, with hills and ravines, also spotted open plains.
I would say our average shots would be 150 stretching out yo 250 and nothing over 300.

Made a couple in the 200-230 range when needed but most were less than 100 yards. This was the longest shot on any of our trips to Africa and it wasn't by me.

Reedbuck

In a nut shell, my longest shot was 250 yds heart shot with a scoped 375H&H FN Mauser on a Cookson's wildebeest, and the shortest was 15 foot brain shot with a 500/465 double on a cape Buffalo!

In my experience I would say the average shots in most areas for plains game would be less than 200 yds. In much of RSA's ranch hunts the shots tend to be longer because the animals tend to be more skittish!

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On my 1st African hunt, in Namibia, I used my guide's guns, a .30/06 & .375H&H, and took some pretty long shots, well over 200 yards, at his urging. I wounded a hartebeest & my wife wounded an oryx, both of which were followed up on & killed. I vowed then to do 2 things: Bring my own rifles & ammo, and, stalk to less than 200 yards. If I cannot get closer I don't take the shot. At home I limit my crossbow shots on whitetails to 20 yards. These my personal ethical comfort zones, and they add greatly to my enjoyment of the hunt.

Most 100 yards or less. Longest, a niassa wildebeest in the Selous in an area that looked like a golf course. We were unable to approach closer than about 350 yards. Scoped 375H&H held the horizontal crosswire on his backline.
Like TR, my eyes aren't that good anymore. If I were restricted to iron sights my hunting days would be numbered.

Longest shots for me in Africa over the last 11 Safaris have been the following: For plains game, Blue Wildebeest-417 yards (300 WSM), Vaal Rhebok-430 yards (325 WSM), Black Springbok-330 yards (300 WSM); for dangerous game, two Cape Buffalo-110 yards and 120 yards with the Searcy 450-400. Most shots have been in the 50-250 yard range on most everything else, plains game and dangerous game.

My closest have been 7yds for elephants and my furthest 275yds at a zebra standing on the bush airstrip in Chewore. I had a couple of shots on bushbuck and hyena over 100yds but most shots have been closer to 50yds.

JPK

Longest was a shot at a Red Lechewe that my PH claimed was 300 yds. I would bet it was closer. The vast majority of my shots in Botswana, Zim and the US have been inside 100 yds.

7 feet Bongo. 296 yards Patterson's Eland. Both with 416 Rigby.

Closest is a Buffalo at 18 inches. Furthest is an Impala at a tad over 300. Average shot probably around 75 yards.

Lets see, 9yds plus 35yds = 44yds. 44 yards divided by 2 is an average of 22 yards. So my personal average shot distance on african game is 22yds. Hope that is helpful

32 plains game animals, average range 165 yards. Closest was about 40 yards, longest about 350.

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE TERRAIN. MY LONGEST WAS MY GEMSBOK AT 408 YARDS ANY MY SHORTEST WAS ELEPHANT AT LESS THAN 20 YARDS.

1-2 inches leopard and probably 300 yards kudu...The cat needed two shots and the kudu one

Hunted Namibia in May 2013.
Closest was a Hartebeest at about 75 yds. and the furthest was a Impala at 230 yds.
Did a stalk on a Blesbuck and got to within 50 yds. for an up hill shot and missed. It does happen.

MauserK98

lets see ..longest was 40 on a blesbok and closet was on a bushbuck at 6yds with my bow.

Only shot with a rifle was about 330yds on a gemsbok.

Used a 375 H&H with a 2.5-8x zeiss in Namibia in 2007

Baboon at 75 yards
Zebra at 150
Kudu at 250
Gemsbok 2 shots first at 375 and second at 425

We took 8 plains game animals on our trip. The longest shot during the trip was my wife's Springbok. Measured in at just over 200 yrds. She also took a Blesbok at 150 yrds. My longest was a Waterbuck at 110 yrds. The remaining animals averaged around 60 yrds. minus the Warthog. The Warthog was taken at a whopping 12 feet.

Closest was a zebra at 10 feet. Longest was a kudu at 300 yards. Most were between 50 and 150 yards or so. It has been rare for me to shoot anything at over 200 yards.

Bongo at 3 feet
Kudu at 250 yards.
Lots in between. Average about 120 yards.

Three safaris, 21 animals. Longest shot: bushbuck at 320 yards with 30.06, closest was Cape buffalo at 30 yards. Lost one wounded animal on the first safari, a blue wildebeest.