I have would like to know what the longest shots some of you have made at game animals (no people shots this is not about sniping). The longest confirmed kill shot that I have on record was 672 yards bull elk shot with a 338 Lapua prone position with bipod and bag. It was a clean one shot kill.

Now for the stalkers out there I would like to know what some of your closest shots have been. I think that the range to my closed shot was aroung 6 feet (sorry I did not use a range finder just sort of stepped it off).

Todd E

Longest: crow 7mmRM 360yds

Closest:whitetail 12ga 6-8ft.

Non game: mouse stuck nose in barrel of 22WMR

Best long shooting I ever did was at Camp Perry, Ohio. 600 yard line, Marine Corps Armory Match M1 Garand but in 7.62 NATO (.308). 20 shot slow fire, scored 200-18x, though it was with assisted wind doping from a coach so I can't take all the credit.

Longest kill: 488 yards, head shot, not 4-legged game though...also with a .308.

redleg

I assume you mean while hunting game:

Longest - 353paces (about 330 yards) across a flat hay field on a coyote with my .375 H&H.

Closest - 7 paces (spot and stalk) on a wild pig with my bow.

Hi
A lot of shooting at empty 18 liter petrolium barrels(junky yard metalic sihluet) at 500 meters and even longer ranges with mauser 8x57 and millitary 198 grain fmjbt and a lot of fun when I was a kid
Danny

Wow, after I started thinking about it, both my longest and shortest shots were this year.

Longest = about 175 yards from the standing position. The buck was looking straight at me.

Shortest = 20 yards. The deer ran out from some brush right in front of us. My brother shot one while running, then the next one stopped for about 1/2 second and looked straight at me. Sort of funny how both shots this year were at the same position.

All other big game shots have been around 100 plus or minus.

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Monyhunter

Not that this is �hunting�, but I shot a prairie rat at 741 yards (laser range confirmed and witnessed by three shooters) with a .338 Lapua varmint gun. No, I don�t normally shoot rats with a .338 Lapua, however, I was attempting a 1,000 yard confirmed shot. Never got it....

My two longest hunting shots were a one shot kill on a bushbuck at approximately 325 yards. My most impressive shot was on a Vaalribbok (Grey Rhebok) at 350 + yards and again at 375 + yards. If you have ever hunted Grey Rhebok before, you know what a difficult animal it is to stalk. I have never faced a more challenging hunt - mountain goats are a distant second.

My most impossible shot was a head shot on a running Ostrich at 65 yards. If anyone has ever hunted around ostrich, then you understand why you would want to shoot one. If anyone has ever seen an ostrich run, then you know why it is an impossible shot. And no, I could never do it again in a thousand shots. It cost me $550 dollars and 3 hours of valuable hunting time - and I assure you, it was worth every penny.

And then there was that bushbaby over my hut at 3:00 in the morning with a .44Mag....

Longest: 600 yard elk.

2nd: 475 yard doe deer.

3rd: 465 yard deer.

Longest prarie dog: only about 400 yards.

My longest? Sorry, it just won't excite anyone.

247 yards on a rangefinder in a cut cornfield. Hornady Interlock, nice buck went maybe 20 yards. My buddy found the bullet as I field dressed. I was laying prone, still felt good to me.

I have longer shots on chucks, but never really recorded the distances with a range finder. But even there, I don't think I'm much past 330-350.

Witnessed California Coyote at 652 yrds ( laser Rangefinder) with a custom .50BMG Heavy Bench Gun using NXS optics off the hood of the Jeep. Very dead coyote! Numerous ground squirrels with the same gun from 300 to 475 yrds. Hard to tell if direct hits or collateral damage.

Rob - You can skip bullets a long way when shooting on the prairie. I have seen several instances where bullets hit well in front of a rat and still have enough energy to skip into the target. It took me over 30 rounds to finally hit a rat at these distances. I bounced a few over the top on more than one occasion. At these ranges, it has more to do with luck than good marksmanship.

Somewhere between 475 and 500 yards in eastern Montana on an antelope...shooting a .25/06AI in a custom Ruger #1....breeze was stiff enough that I had to hold about 3' into the wind. Position was half-assed prone leaning up over a bit of brush.

Closest shot was a bit less than 20 yards into the chest of a leopard....without a doubt my "best" shot and probably my quickest.

I made a number of very long shots when I was young and stupid, now I'm old and stupid and don't do that anymore, it can backfire and you gotta live with it, I don't like that.....

I have one kill on film wherein I shot a Black Wildebeest with Philip Price, PH, in 1995 at 800 plus yards and he was on the move...I hit him 3 out of 4 shots, foot, gut and shoulder with 210 Noslers out of a 338 Win. ...Several on this board have seen that tape....We had a great tracker and Phillip was sure he wouldn't get away and he didn't....On that same hunt, again on film, I shot a Springbok in the heart at 300 yards off hand, resting on Phillips shoulder...A Kudu at 375 yards off hand (yep, on film)...

Today I try to discipline myself to 300 yards max...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

My farthest shot was 330 yards with a 45-70 on a whitetail buck, using a fence post to rest on. I thought my wife had wounded the buck, but as it turned out she was using the wrong amunition and had missed. I did not like taking the shot but felt I had to. It was an instant kill.
My closest is about 5 feet on a small buck the next closest was 12 feet on a huge whitetail with a muzzleloader. That gets the blood pumping.

Hi Guys

You could probably tell me what my longest shot was!! I was using a BSA 30.06 26" barrel, 150g Norma Ammo. The rifle was sighted in 1" high at 200 yards. I aimed head and neck above the deer and hit it cleanly through the shoulder. I have no idea as to distance. I was shooting downhill at a deer feeding in a small clearing.

Steve H

350 yards on a caribou, with a 340 Weatherby, semi-prone, peeking over a creek bank. He went down with the hit through the lungs, but got back up. As he regained his feet I shot him again and he went down for good. This was on my solo caribou hunt, and two other caribou had fallen at closer ranges before that last one, all within a matter of 20 to 30 seconds. Packing about 100 pounds of his boned out meat on a pack frame caused me to break through the ice of that same creek on my way back to camp. I learned. The temperature was hitting 0 degrees F on that November 1, 1986. It was good for some memories.

342 yards on a fallow deer with a 416 Rigby, Ruger No. 1, standing braced against a tree limb, a "supported offhand." The shot disemboweled the critter.

945 yards on paper with a 510 JAB (510/460 Weatherby Long) Ruger No. 1, sitting with bipod out in the cow pasture.

Closest shot was taken on a Russian wild boar in Tennessee. He charged right onto the spear I was holding.

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RAB

Longest was 487 paces, shooting from prone at a mule deer ( my preferred position in western sagebrush country ), with 7mm magnum and handloads.

Shortest was an elk at about 50 yards, same gun.

The longer I hunt, the shorter the shots get.

Tom

430 laser measured yards on a bull elk using a Ruger #1 in 375 H&H resting against a tree - a one shot kill as he dropped on the spot.

Shortest was my first buck at about 5 yds. using a '91 Argentine Mauser.

About 400 yards on a doe in Georgia. I was using a 700 VSSF .308 with 165 Lite Magnums. In one shoulder and out the other - she fell within 10 yards.

450m, Herring gull, 22LR, standing free. I was younger, poorer and very lucky back then... AKI

Snowshoe rabbit at 1,466 yards in a snowstorm at midnight, while riding by on my Kawasaki street bike at 160 mph. My scabbard rifle is .505 Gibbs. I missed him clean but I know just where to hold for next time.

Seriously, I made a one shot kill on a mountain muley buck at a good bit over 500 yards. Conditions were perfect and I had an excellent, well supported shooting position.
SAKO in .270 Winchester using 130 Sierras at 3,300 fps.

Way out there! longest first shot hit was 1280yds. it was a coyote, shot her with a friends McMilian 50, chambered to 50BMG improved. it's got Nightforce scope and weighs 35lb. he's made shots at over 1500yds with it.
longest ground hog was 950yds with my 6mmx284.
for a deer it's 175yds but i've only hunted deer one year, this will be my 2nd season.

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born on a mountain, raised in a cave, hunting and fishing is all i crave!

Nickudu,

I have made several long shots on whitetail, antelope, caribou, and one on a moose that were over 400yards. Some were lasered, some were not. Calibers used:25-06,7mmRM,7STW.
In most cases conditions were perfect and in open prarie or tundra where there was very little chance of loosing a cripple. All except the moose, which I had hit twice and dropped. I should not have taken that shot, but I did and I was lucky. The conditions were not great.
Many times I have had a good rest and had crosshairs on game that were not all that far and decided to get alot closer. I have hunted and killed alot of game at close range but I still don't turn down a long shot if the conditions are right. I enjoy a long shot as much as a close one.

Daryl

My longest shot on deer was 457 laser measured yards with my .30-06 and 150 grain NBTs on a muley in western Nebraska. One shot right through both shoulders.

My partner was stunned. He kept yelling, "You got him! You got him!"

My closest shot was about an inch off the muzzle. Damn deer almost ran over me. Called him in with a grunt tube.

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To be old and wise.....first you have to be young and stupid!

Nobody is mentioning the sights that were used! My longest shot & witnessed confirmed kill was on one of those wild & wooly 2 liter soda bottles spray painted orange at 600 (measured) yards with my trusty ole M1A. It did take 4 shots to do it but i was using pep sights.

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Nick,

What do you mean seriously. I make those kind of shots all the time. I mean, my preferred way of hunting is off of the expressway at 150 or so riding on my crotch rocket shooting a big bore. Never miss those 800+ meter critters while doing so either.

Bear claw,

You bring up a very good poitn everyone should be telling us what they are using for sights (answers some scope questions also).

Now to all those supporters of PETA, why did you ever take such long, risky, and completely sadistic shots (this statement is exlcusive of Ray who already said he was young and stupid).

I did it just because I could!

Todd E

[This message has been edited by Todd E (edited 11-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Todd E (edited 11-04-2001).]

My longest at a muley was not what I would consider long but it was definatly one of the most enjoyable shots Ive had. The reason is that I was hunting with a friend and his family, we saw a buck across a canyon and there were three truckloads of guys who all piled out and opened fire. I stood and watched as "every one of them emptied their guns completly missing the deer". I then assumed a prone position with my weatherby 7mm rem mag and droped it with one shot. They all looked briefly and no one said a word! It was all I could do to keep a straight face . I would guess it was close to 300 yds. What a bunch of bumbs..

If I were presented with a longer shot at big game I may or may not take it, it would depend on the circumstances and my confidence in my particular gun.

The longest shots Ive taken have been at mountian hare but I was the bumb then. 400-500 yds with a 22 lr. It was a guessing game but real challenging.

500 grains,

If youd like we can take a trip to where they are one day. They spook soon and run fast. Its tough but fun.

I normally would not respond to this thread, but after yesterdays fiasco it put everything in perspective for me.

410 meters horizontal and 64 meters vertical, figure the hypoteneuse would total a 440 meter shot. Animal was a goat.

After years of making similar shots and having things go your way here's what happens. I was mulie hunting yesterday and spotted a bunch of ravens and eagles circling around a knoll. Sneaked up to have a look at what had died and there's a coyote feeding of a deer kill. I layed down on the ridge above him and guessed the distnce and drop to be 150meters horizontal and 30 meters vertical. Took a solid rest put the cross hairs on the bottom of his chest and touched the trigger, scared the sh!t out of the coyote and killed the deer carcase he was standing on. Shot underneath him. Later measured everything of with GPS, 42meters horizontal and 8 meters vertical??? I'm glad I was hunting alone.

....Peter

Longest 1-shot kill on a non-wounded animal: 379 yards on a kudu. (7mm RM, 175 gr. partition)

Longest shot at a wounded animal: 485 yards at wounded gemsbok.

Closest shot: Blacktail buck, 11 yards.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com

Longest 400yds Mulie doe Rem788 308 win 4x Redfeild heavy duplex. It was my first big game kill.
Closest 15yds Mulie doe 41 mag
Funniest 10-15yds Gopher (ground Squirl) 45-70 350gr JHP
Just a side note I no longer take shots over 300yds unless its a desperation shot ie wounded animals. Just getting older now and can't hold as steady as I once could.
X-Ring

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Freedom wasn't free. Today they want our guns. What will they want tommorow?

Closest shot first. This was my first year deer hunting by the way & I was with what I now call "big bunny hunters" as they walk cover similar to rabbit hunting. Anyway, Rem 742, 30-06, factory ammo of some sort, Redfield 3-9x scope. A couple of deer came busting out of some cover and one ran right up the hill at me. I just swung and shot similar to a shotgun hunt for upland birds and the bullet went right through the spine and killed it instantly. A couple of inches higher and it would have been a clean miss. Experiences with this rifle led me to my current deer rifle.

Longer shots all with current deer rifle. 1917 Enfield action, Hart barrel chambered to 308 Norma, Fajen AAA fancy walnut thumbhole stock, Leupold 3.5-10x40 Vari-x III, hand loads using WW fire-formed cases, Sierra 165gr. HPBT GK's, Fed 215 primers, 74gr H4831SC.

450 yards (total luck): running KS doe, shot through throat, died instantly. I wouldn't normally attempt this sort of shot but our land owner HATES the deer and "encourages" us to fill every tag. We aim to keep him happy to allow us to return in upcoming years.

440 yards: North Dakota buck, standing still in middle of corn field, rifle resting on round bale, pulled shot about six inches right of aim (deer facing left) putting the bullet impact just to the right of lungs (yes, I'm right handed). It ran about 200 yards before we finished it off.

All other shots much closer.

Reed

Dropped a moose at 350 yds witha 7MM RM, 1st shot killed him, third shot dropped him. Snap shot a whitetail buck at 300 yds with same 7MM, thought I had missed, but found him right where I shot with his spine gone 6 inches back from shoulder. I wouldn't take a shot at more than 200 yds today, I can still shoot, just learning my limits I guess. Watched my Dad take a whitetail at over 700 yds, offhand. I had passed on it, he shot and trailed it for 9 hrs, but got it. One of the few that he didn't drop in one shot. His hunting background was from need, mine was from luxury, maybe that was the difference.

I once shot a Wildebeast off a pair of stick's from about 270 yrds. However I stepped it off useing a step method I once saw James Brown use on the show "Soul Train".

It came out to 2,000 paces, with a lot of screaming, so I tell people it was about a 1,200 yrd shot. I taught the method to my tracker's, it really came naturally to them.

I use this method consistantly now. Sure it slow's the hunt down some but it does give it some "snap"! With the video I can digitally make the animal seem much farther, useing my workstation, and I can "blue-screen in" a flat-footed white boy with a rifle doing the "Wildebeast shuffle".

Its very impressive, believe me, I can make anyone look like a Long Shooter.

You just have to scream "Raaaaaaaaaaell" and "Scraaaaaaaaaell" a lot, while practicing barefoot on hot sand........10

longest shot, 1100yds, buffalo silouhette(sp) w/ 30'06 and 180gr Remington Bronze points, and also .300Win Mag w/ PMC 150 psp's. Longest shot on game; a little over 300yds, Mule Deer, and closest game shot; 25yds Mule deer. Closest/funniest shot; gopher at 10 ft. with a .444 and 240gr soft points HA!!! Funny green and red film covering the flora around the general vicinity where he stood in about a 5ft radius.

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God Bless and Shoot Straight

Longest-633 head shot muley doe (called head shot and lasered, without a laser it's all guessing) M70 6/06 with a 6-20 Leupold. And Premier dots. 95 Noz Bt

Closest- Mr Black Bear @ 9' set to have me for lunch! Clients M700 25/06

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Longest shots

Mule Deer- 412 yards with a laser.

Blacktail Deer- 512 with a laser.

wild hog- 305yds

coyote at night- 579 paces. ( Using a M40A1 with a symrad night sight, 1/2 moon out.)

Coyote in the day- 405 yards in a stif wind. I had to use 5.5 MOA with a 7stw. First round hit.

Quail- 840 yards ( he was on the Burm behind the 800 yard line. I used a M40A1 with Lake City special ball.)

Rock chuck- Estimated 839 yards (laser only reached to the front of the rocks at 821, but the first round hit him)I took one somewhere around 975 to 1000 with a 3rd round hit.

Closest
Wild hog- 11 paces with a bow

Rattle snake-0 yards (used a Danner boot and a Benchmade knife; much better eating then a MRE)

Blacktail deer- 13 yards with a bow.

1 Deer 350YDS Head Shot Rifle 308 Win
2 Deer 295yds Heart Shot offhand pistol 358 JDJ
3 Deer 251yds shoulder Shot offhand pistol 358 JDJ

Red Fox sitting looking at me.

While looking at him through a nine power scope I thought the white on his belly was the white patch on a deer's throat. He stood and turned broadside and I realized what he was. I held what I believe to be about 2 ft into the wind and 3 ft high with my 7 x 57 and the bullet took him through both front legs just below the elbow. This was before the days of range finders so I don't have a clue how far he was.

I don't consider this to be a particularly great shot -- just a damned unluckly fox!

450 yards,(+ or -) a duck, a 300 Weatherby on a pre-64 M70, not sure on ammo ( The PH had some left by other hunters and said " let's go shoot it up"). There was considerable cross wind gusts.

When we got to where we were going to do some long range shooting, the PH spotted a duck off in the distance near a pond. With an intentionally exaggerated english accent " be a good sport now...shoot yonder duck" I looked in the direction he was indicating and said "what duck?" Eventually I spotted the duck and asked "surrrreeee...what will we do with it when I hit it?" Again with that hoity English accent he said " we'll feed it to mum's eagle" (his mother indeed has a pet eagle).

With a couple feet allowed for drop, about two feet of allowance for the wind, I gave it my best shot (literally) off the hood of the huntmobile. The duck toppled dramatically over. Actually hit it in the back of the head and neatly split the skull in half.

Unfortunately, I had not the presence of mind to act cool and say something like..."see any more out there, perhaps a little farther?"

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"shoot 'em if you got 'em!"