Fish, What seafire said!!! And also, the laser will be a great addition to your equipment!!! Kansas ain't Georgia!!! Judging distance will be an obstacle! Just wait and see!!! GHD

Terrain and being open or not should not factor into the equation any where near the FACT of HOW far can you reasonably shoot?

If you can't hit something at 300 yds in GA, then being in a flat open state like Kansas will not increase your shooting ability without practice. Too many guys from Eastern states come out WEST and think that everyone here hits game at 400 yds, and being out west if they are a good shot at 100 yds at home then they will be a good shot at 400 yds out west.

Practice and you will find that your question is only a question you can personally answer, none of us on forum.

Give you another hint too, people out west get a lot closer to game most of the time also. More deer are taken at 100 yds here, than are ever taken over 200 to 300 yds. I'd even go to say as I bet the number of deer taken at over 400 yds in the history of hunting added together would never equal the number of deer taken at 100 yds in a season nationally.

Good luck on your hunt, and we all hope it turns out well regardless of the distance.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

Hey fish,
Whatever distance that you can hit a paper plate at. If you have access to a long distance range put some 2' x 3' cardboard backer out there in fifty yard increments from 200 to 400 yards. Get some shoot-n-see targets that are about 2 MOA for each distance (6" target at 300 yards, 8" at 400 yards). Practice shooting at those ranges. Once you figure out the hold offs at each range, you will surprise yourself at how you can drop those shots in there.

Whatever range at which you can still hold 2 MOA, not to exceed 8" is your max range. Tape a card to your stock that shows your hold overs at each range. Draw little pictures. You can probably get out to 300 yards without much trouble. Your cross hairs will still be on hair, not air at 300 yards. That will get you in range in Kansas. Nice deer there. Big bodied. Tasty too. Have fun.

JCN

I guess the simplest answer would be...

At what distance can you be assured that your shooting ability is capable of a one-shot kill, each and every time you fire your rife?

The limiting factor is not the range, not the conditions, not the distance and not the firearm. The limiting factor is you.

Headed to Kansas in end of Nov. first week of Dec. and am taking two rifles. One is a SAKO 75 in 300WSM [150 gr.Barnes XXX] and the other my old trusty A-bolt in 270 Winchester [130 gr. XXX or 130 NBT/CT] I am looking for some feedback on this... With both of these rifles I have experience (both field and range) in the 200 yard range. I have shot one whitetail at about 285-300 yards some years ago with the 270 Win., but my partner who has hunted the land we have leased says to bring our lasers as we could easily have a 400 yard shot, so I'm trying to determine what a reasonable max. distance shot should be. I am an above average field judge of deer here in Georgia at the ranges we typically see deer when hunting (sub 300 yards) and usually a lot less-- so I also wonder if I will be able to make an accurate field assesment of a big Kansas buck at the 300-400 yard range. I typically shoot at a 200 yard maximum at our range and shoot 2-3" groups or better always. Usually a good deal better, but if making the harshest judgement(worst groups on a given weeken) it is probably a 2" average with either of these two rifles. Am interested as to what ya'll would think is a reasonable max. distance to squeeze one off? ---posted this on Big Game forum also

Yeah GD: but when he gets home, he can get out of the car and Say " We aren't in Kansas anymore!"

Cheers
seafire

Fish, what part of kansas are you going to be hunting, I have hunted the eastern part of the state and have taken one shot at 350 yards (still kick myself for taking that long of a shot), luckly, it was a quick kill. Most shoots will be 200 yards or under with many will be 100 or less. My brother-in-law hunts down around El Dorado- Winfield area its about the same story.
The people we pheasant hunt on live in the south-west part of the state. We had the pleasure of showing two of the grandsons how to field dress a fine buck last year that was taken at 300 yards.

I think the problem here is Fish has no access to ranges beyond 200 yards...makes it tough.

On the other hand, the only deer I shot in Kansas was 80 yards, and no one in our group shot over 200 yards.

The ability to shoot at long range is over rated. I love shooting at long range (today I shot out to 850 yards), but I have only shot one animal beyond 400 yards. Practice field positions and learn to dope the wind. Easier said than done when you can only shoot to 200 yards...

The paper plate suggestion is good; my standard is a 10 inch square 90% of the time, but even I break that rule whenever I shoot at running game.

You know, Africa has a good rule: draw blood and you pay for it. Cures a lot of sloppy shooting.

Thanks guys. I am definitely trying to make sure I have set a reasonable limit for a shot I would be willing to take. I have hunted a good bit in Colorado and Arizona, but really didn't encounter many long range shots, a few but not many. It just isn't practical to shoot at 300 yards or 400 yards at our range and thus my question. I am not sure if a reasonable grouping at 200 yards which I shoot fairly regualarly would mean a decent shot quality at 400 or even 300 yards... I feel confident in the gear I have and have ordered a Leica laser, which is a model I have borrowed from a friend and am comfortable with, but I am not experienced with what my bullet drop would be and am thinking of setting a personal max at a lasered distance of 250 or 300 yards. I NEVER take a shot if I feel it is marginal, so here I am... Thanks again for the feedback, I hope to get inside of a 100 yards, I'm a fair shot, but a pretty good hunter.....

Steve, Well said!! GHD

AZWriter kind of hit on it, the wind. Kansas deer season weather can be anywhere from the 20's up through 70's, with wind beening the only sure thing. 300-400 yard shots and gusty prairie wind are not a good mix. That being said, you are probably not going to need to make a shot like that.

Hey guys, I appreciate the feedback. I got permission today to use our big bore range at less than the 600 yards it is set up for (they don't let us shoot at distances less than the benches and butts are set up at) where 200 is our typical max. Or you have to go all the way to 600(only open once or so a month). I have shot the groups mentioned earlier under 'field type conditions' ie off of my day pack or bipods. I really like the plate suggestion JCN and I'll put that in play next thursday. I also got a great suggestion on the Big Game Forum of using the optics I'm gonna take to practice judging. We are heading to the south central part of Kansas. One of the four of us hunted there last year and made the suggestion of possible long shot. I hope to get closer than 100, I'm an OK shot, but a pretty good hunter....

For being flat, Kansas has a lot of terrain to slither around in.
I tried terrain masking while flying an F-4 Phantom on a low level flight one gorgeous fall day in 1982. Good think Toto was on a leash that day or I'd have sucked her in the intakes....
JCN