Although I personally don't shoot big game beyond 650 yards I know folks who do shoot big game beyond 1000 yards. I don't believe there's any difference in the way the beyond 1000 yards folks do things and the way the piddling 650 yard folks do it as far as animal recovery goes.



As a general rule, the reaction and recovery of animals shot at long range is a bit different than those same events at short range:



a) The animal(s) don't generally know the hunter is near (relative term) and typically aren't alerted or spooked. They're most often going about their daily duties, sleeping, eating, looking about, grazing, etc.



b) Most animals I've hunted don't know what a sonic "crack" is and very often the actual gunshot "report" is far enough away that it draws little to no interest from them. I say them because I often (and I imagine other long range hunters) select animals from a herd.



c) The selected animal is known to the hunter and is being watched through the scope and often times by a second hunter (or dedicated spotter/observer). When the trigger is pressed the selected animal is going to be the first to know something is different.



d) The distances are often great enough for the shooter to be back on target (some folks use muzzle brakes to limit recoil for this very purpose) when the round strikes the animal.



e) The animal just hit WILL be the first to react, this is most important to observe. AGAIN, the selected animal is being watched AND the animal struck by the round WILL BE the first to react (in the vast majority of situations). If the shooter knows anything at all about long range shooting the observed animal and the animal struck by the round will be the same critter.



f) How do we know we hit the animal? Several things apply, first is that we're generally experienced and pretty good at shooting so a round sent downrange is expected to strike the critter, secondly the animal reacts in some fashion when hit. This reaction may in fact be lack of action on the animal's part but it will be the one whose reaction is different from all the rest.



g) Why does the selected animal react first?? The bullet gets to the critters before the sound of the report. If the herd shows any or mixed reaction from the report it (the herd) must wait for the sound to get there, the animal struck by the round already knows something is amiss and reacts (first). There are instances where the animal struck by the round becomes immobile, why this occurs I can only speculate. In these cases the rest of the herd reacts and the selected/struck animal stands solid as a stone statue. Many times these animals will stand for a while then backstep, wobble then fall or lay down.



(A notable exception to the first animal to react is when shooting at dawn, dusk or from shadows. If the animals are able to see the muzzle flash (or smoke from a closer range muzzle loader) the ones that see the indicator will sometimes react, a head flick or something such. This scenario also comes into play when culling animals with head shots... save the flames... we're culling. If the critter sees the muzzle flash it will many times move it's head in a split-second and there'll be a miss. There's a lesson here.)



h) Observation is key and most long range hunters are not prone to fits of buck fever and/or mad dashes to the critter.



i) What if the animal is struck and walks/runs/hobbles away??? Not a rare event but a good deal different than most often observed by typical hunters. If the animal walks off or runs it's usually only a short distance... after all, where is it going and which way would it run/walk to escape the unseen or unknown?? They often just go a little way and flop over dead or lay down and die. Most animals don't have any experience with sudden chest pain from an unknown cause...I believe it's a new experience for them and not one that presents an immediate and known danger... they don't often flee when there's no perceived danger.



j) What if it does get out of sight of the hunter, how is the location of the blood trail found?? First, many long range hunters hunt from a position with a commanding view, a view that allows a lot of country to be under observation. If the critter walks, runs or whatever it will probably be seen for a long while, many times long enough so that a second round could be placed into the animal if needed. IF the animal gets out of sight the location of the blood trail is fairly easy to find. The distance to the critter was know, the location is probably well know, the shooter's position is obviously known. There is very often a second hunter or observer. The hunter can find the site most often by him/herself... landmarks, trails, trees, whatever or there's the option to mark the shooting position and range back to the shooting position to get the distance (back calculated). Many times the observer (who remains at the shooting site) walks the hunter to the location via hand signals or radio. It's not difficult but it does require some forethought and a clear head.



I guess the short answer to "...always go to check for sign of a hit "around the edges" when a animal runs off?" is yes. The shot is expected to be made and the animal is expected to be dead so we plan on making the trip to retrieve it... Why else press the trigger?? It would be a piss poor "dedicated" long range hunter that would shoot with expectation of missing... Negative feedback is not conducive to continuation in most undertakings, hunting included.



I hope this helps a bit...and it's not too far off topic at this point I'd guess.

Guy sounds like he knows what he is doing, but that Leica 1200 would never measure 1100 yards in AZ in daylight.