How about the rest of you... what�s your average shot and your longest?

My average shot distance is probaly between 70-yards. On pig shooting trips many shots are 10 or 15 yards.

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Doug Humbarger
NRA Life member

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Frank

I read some where,I do not remember where, but it said that 90% of all game shot by hunters are shot at 150 yards or less.If that is the case I guess that I don't need a rifle that shoots out to 400 yards,just a thought, my lever-action should work 90% of the time, Thanks,Kev

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Walk softly and carry a big bore!

[This message has been edited by Pathfinder (edited 05-17-2002).]

Around here and in the Southern part of Idaho you may have to shoot at 100 yds (thats a close shot) and many at 200 to 300 yds. I have shot more than a few at 400 and beyond., Same in RSA.

some of the longest shots I have made have been from a stand in South Texas down a Sendero and those shots are under near bench rest conditions and ranges extreme...

But I don't do that these days, I have reverted to my youth and I hunt mule deer with my Mod. 94's in 25-35 and poke around the hills south of my house until I get one.
I have missed taking some long shots at some awesome bucks because of being undergunned, but I don't care as I have shot my share of big bucks. I would rather some other hunter that has not been as fortunate as I get those big boys, or some kid who will appreciate it more than I...A spike will do for me.

I hunt for the sake of hunting and I love every minute of it. I always expect to be successful and don't like not getting my game...I have to admit I get very disgusted if I don't shoot something, sorry but that's the way it is..

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

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A well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft/lbs of energy.

I certainly don't feel bad. On the contrary, I feel quite lucky that I'm able to get that close to the animals I hunt. Gives me a great sense of satisfaction to sneak to within a few yards of a big 'ol buck and nail him, sometimes in his bed... Just seems that there's a lot of talk of long range and such, and I was wondering how far most people were actually shooting at game.

Anyway, you're right about the forums. The favorite topics are always how to get MORE velocity, MORE ft/lbs of energy, FLATTER trajectories, BIGGER bullets...yadda, yadda.
(Yawn)

When is someone going to ever stand up and say, "Enough is enough?" I can name 100 cartridges fast enough, flat enough, powerful enough to kill anything walking on the earth already. Are we in some sort of "arms race" that I don't know about?

And more importantly, what on earth difference does it make if my bullet beats your bullet to the target .00021 of a second? Duh?

I guess I'm just getting old guys. I know we gotta have our toys. Yes, I've got mine as well and sometimes I admit I dream about more. And yes my heart used to flutter when a new cartridge was introduced. No, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. But DT has a point....that sometimes we MISS the whole meaning of hunting. Hunting is or SHOULD BE a contest of skills. Of which, shooting is perhaps one of the lesser important.

OK, everyone flame away.

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A well placed bullet is worth 1,000 ft/lbs of energy.

[This message has been edited by Pecos45 (edited 05-19-2002).]

In Scandinavia I guess that average distance at moose is less than 100 yds. Reindeer a litle bit longer. I have taken reindeer at about 270 yds, due to a a mistake; I failed in calculating the distance to the animal. Luckily the trajectory of the bullet made a deadly shot out of it.

I REALY AGREE WITH BEAR CLAW AND A FEW OTHER HUNTERS WHO HAVE RESPONDED ON THIS TOPIC!: Who on earth can make a 100% guarantied clean kill at 450 yds in the field? I think there are some factors that are quite difficult to calculate before letting that bullet go. - f.ex. distance....!
Angle of the animal to the bullets trajectory, movement of the animal, brances, wind, temperatures influence on the trajectory-varies a great deal some places in the automn, shooting skills, are some other to think about.

Martin

I don't think that those distances are all that unusual here in Maine. The woods here are (mostly) so thick you would be hard pressed to find a place to get shots consistently over 100 yards. If you are hunting deer in Maine (or anything else) you HAVE to get close.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pecos45: I guess I'm just getting old guys. I know we gotta have our toys. Yes, I've got mine as well and sometimes I admit I dream about more. And yes my heart used to flutter when a new cartridge was introduced. No, I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. But DT has a point....that sometimes we MISS the whole meaning of hunting. Hunting is or SHOULD BE a contest of skills. Of which, shooting is perhaps one of the lesser important.

I certainly didn't intend to make a comment against long range shooting. Some areas, and certain game require long shots. I respect someone who can make a clean kill at long range. I've done very little long range practicing, just enough to know that I could make a 200 yard shot (with a good rest), but at 300 yards I would be less confident...

Good hunting

In the rim rock country of Texas, the Sendero country of Texas, the cross canyon shooting in many parts of Idaho and the Pacific N.W. it is not unusual to have long range opertunities at 300 yds. and over...

Maybe some are not confident to take these shots and if so I sure respect that, or maybe their lifestyle is such that their eyesight prevents these shots, but I know the opertunities are there almost on a daily basis, unless one hunts only the black holes.

I have shot more deer and plainsgame at over 200 yds. as I have at 50yds. when I am hunting with a proper long range, scope sighted rifle...Even with my 25-35 I have shot a number of deer at 100 to 200 yds. with iron sights which is about the limit of my guns capabilities and mine.

I am just amazed at the lack of longer range shots. I have read in a lot of gun magazines that most deer are killed at under 100 yds. and assumed then and do now that it is a product of poor marksmanship that causes that...

A 270/30-06 etc. for instance shoots 3" high at 100 yds will shoot 4" high at 200 yds, on the money at 275 yds and a couple of inches low at 300 yds...that means that a center chest hold will kill a deer to 350 perhaps 400 yds...Am I missing something here.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

quote:

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Originally posted by Atkinson:
Am I missing something here.

[/B]

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I personally watched this happen, to another "hunter". 50 yd shot, standing deer, bolt gun in 30-06. He brought the gun up and YELLED bang, racked the bolt, repeated, till empty. Refused to believe till he examined the unfired carts on the ground. Said the rifle was FUBARed after that. I myself was laughing to hard to get a round off. BTW, his rifle was fine. Another BTW, ammo was fine too, but just to aid perspective, they were from a box of ammo almost as old as I was at the time, and were rounds 4-7 from the box.

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Good Shooting!

[This message has been edited by 8MM OR MORE (edited 05-20-2002).]

I am just amazed at the lack of longer range shots. I have read in a lot of gun magazines that most deer are killed at under 100 yds. and assumed then and do now that it is a product of poor marksmanship that causes that...

I respect your opinion regarding the long range shooting, Atkinson. Thats because I am quite sure you have got more experience in placing bullets in game at any distance (maybe not at the short ranges..? than most of us writing in this forum. But there is not very many people that need to shoot at ranges past 300 yds, even if there are places where the field conditions make it possible, and perhapes sometimes necessary to shoot game at distances longer than 300 yds. In most situations i guess it is not even possible to shoot the animal at distances at 200 yds, due to vegetaition - have to admit that I have not been hunting other places than in Scandinavia!.

Most of us do not need the meat to survive, and hunting is no ware. Still many of us don`t have to go home without getting game, even if we are taking it at shorter distances. Personally I think its is great better markmanship to shoot an animal at 100 yds than at 450.

Got a lot more to say, but it takes time when writing in american...

Johan

Ray,

I think many of us here that hunt in areas where longer shots are common are a little "gun-shy" of posting in threads like this.

We're here, but after being called "unethical" enough times by some that hunt where the farthest shots possible are 150 yds we tend to hold our toungues because we don't feel like getting into a huge debate. Just check out the Match King thread....

There are some here that have never fired a rifle at anything over 150 yds so to them a 300 yd shot just must be unethical--because it sounds so impossible to them because they've never done it.

I would much rather shoot a standing deer at 400 yds with a good rest than try to hit a running deer at 100 offhand. But some of the more closed-minded people that regularly do the latter will call the former "unethical" because they have no idea that somebody that practices at those distances will actually be much more accurate doing the former than the latter...because they've never tried.

Ola,

To give you an idea what some of these areas look like, here's a shot of my stomping ground:

http://my.montana.net/draa/tnwalk/arena.jpg

To give you a bit of depth, those mountains are about 10 miles away. Lots of open space....

Hunting along the river bottom in thick brush, you can get close shots very easily. I've had shot opportunities closer than 10 yds.

Walk 2 minutes east or west and you're in the wide open spaces where you will be able to see deer well over a mile away. If you hunt terrain like this and limit your shots to 200 yds, yes, you'll eventually get a deer. But you'll have to pass on many opportunities. It is usually possible to stalk within 250 or so, but not always.

For example just last year my little brother had such a chance. We spotted the deer from about 1/2 mile away. We closed the distance to a little over 400 yds but could get no closer. There was nothing but wide-open space between us and he was watching us. One step closer and he would go over the top of the hill and onto the neighbor's land.

Unfortunately he was carrying his 35 Whelen and had no idea how far the bullet would drop at that range. So, we gave up and watched him saunter over the hill and onto the neighbor's land....

He got one only 1/2 hour later down by the river at about 30 yds...unfortunately this was a 2-point. The one that walked away was a BIG 4-point.

Anyway, that's the way it is here whether people like it or not.

[This message has been edited by Jon A (edited 05-20-2002).]

I know a lot of boys around Idaho that shoot rock chucks day in and day out in the springtime and at ranges up to 600 yds. or more with a very high consistency of hits and the misses are all real close.

I agree with what you say, and each of us should know our limitations, thats the key to this post IMO....

I was a little surprised at the lack of long range shooters in the crowd and perhaps Jon hit it on the nose but I don't consider myself unethical and I have only wounded and lost two animals out of the many I have shot, in my life, and that was a couple of flukes and plain stupidity on my part.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Generaly if I see a Roe or a muntjac at 100yds I'll walk closer if I can.