Are you a Long-Range (shooter) or Closer Range?

[Dougfirtree]

All situational, but I've got no business shooting past 400, I'm confident in that. My longest shot was a pronghorn at just over 300, which feels ok to me when I'm prone, shooting off a bipod, etc. Offhand, I can't imagine shooting past 100 yards and this year, I missed a deer at about 75 yards with my muzzleloader (still sore about that).

 

[Corn king 60]

Grew up shooting deer 50yds out of a stand in MN woods, ground squirrels with 22lr at 100yds and coyotes with old Marlin lever action 30-30 at 175yds in western ND. Just started western big game 3-4 years ago and after a summer of intentional practice initially set 300yd as our max. We have since practiced enough and built comfort out to 425yd (my son took a pronghorn at about 415 last year). We shoot paper out to 1000yd so evelvation is a no brainer. With range finders, dial turrets, BCD reticles, high BC bullets, chronos to confirm velocity, proper bullet construction, etc. 100yds isn't much different than 500yds except for two things - and they are BIG things.

First and foremost is wind. I don't trust the wind and I don't trust my reading of the wind in a wild setting enough to consider more than about 400yds at an animal. And as the wind goes up or becomes more variable, I shorten my max range. There have been days in WY, that unless I was directly downwind I wouldn't have trusted a 200yd shot.

The second is shooting position. We practice our max 1-2 MOA range prone with bipod, kneeling with sticks, kneeling off hand, standing with stick and standing off hand. My accuracy standing offhand is much less than prone, so we set our max range in the field according to how we are going to set up the shot.

Finally, I view the ethics of the shot as a question of humane killing and not so much any sense of "tradition" or "shooting vs hunting". There is no doubt there are guys that can kill an animal at 600yds just as reliably as I can at 400yds. I have no problem that their max is 50% more than mine. But what I HATE are guys that don't do the work practicing in various conditions and don't account for extra room for error in field settings who still insist on taking long pot shots. I know guys that don't shoot all year, and will go out right before the season confirm zero, take a few extra shots at 200yds, are loosely on target in the 2 MOA area and declare themselve ready to take animals at 500yds because they now have a turret that will dial the distance and the box ammo has a BC and velocity printed on it they can plug into an iPhone app for drop. This is unethical in my eyes - these folks are just asking to wound and lose an animal. It can happen to any of us, but these folks are working to make it fairly likely.

Yeah I got caught up in the op mainly because of ethics.not saying a lot of people aren’t capable.just saying dropping a projectile in from some of the ranges I see and read about is not my type of hunting

 

[grizzly63]

Do the long range shooters always go check for sign in a suspected myth shot? Hard to even find the right spot where the critter was standing at some of those distances. It is the ethical thing to do after any miss, regardless of the range.

 

[Brian in Montana]

In my opinion, the whole long range hunting trend has not been a good thing over all. There are guys that invest the time, effort, $, and put in an enormous amount of practice to be know exactly what their equipment will do at 7 or 800 yards, but unfortunately not most. I came up in the hunting world when the prevailing philosophy was - if you're not sure you can make a clean kill, respect the animal and pass or try to close the distance. It's my observation that along with the long-range hunting trend, there has been a shift in thinking where respect for the game animal is largely removed from the equation. I've heard guys say of long, iffy shots - how do you know you you'll miss unless you take the shot. It irks me, but I try not to be too judgemental.

Anyway, I try to keep my shots under 350yds. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get close more than being a wannabe sniper. In fact, I think that requires more skill.

 

[Buffs35]

I echo the folks that think the closer you get, the more exciting the hunt.

 

[Doublecluck]

Do the long range shooters always go check for sign in a suspected myth shot? Hard to even find the right spot where the critter was standing at some of those distances. It is the ethical thing to do after any miss, regardless of the range.

Not at all, run a phone scope on a spotter and record the shot on video. You can follow the vapor trail to tell if you hit, watch for the splash if you miss, and replay it as many times as you like to be sure. Rocks and bushes in the video will lead you right to the spot.

 

[mtmuley]

Not at all, run a phone scope on a spotter and record the shot on video. You can follow the vapor trail to tell if you hit, watch for the splash if you miss, and replay it as many times as you like to be sure. Rocks and bushes in the video will lead you right to the spot.

Vapor trail? Man, I'm behind the curve. Video? Come on. I hunt alone. No spotter, no video no bullshit. Years ago (1999) I figured I needed to up my range. I have the proper rifle and cartridge I've used for over 20 years. I don't need video to find a kill. mtmuley

 

[Corn king 60]

Vapor trail? Man, I'm behind the curve. Video? Come on. I hunt alone. No spotter, no video no bullshit. Years ago (1999) I figured I needed to up my range. I have the proper rifle and cartridge I've used for over 20 years. I don't need video to find a kill. mtmuley

We would get along.

 

[mtmuley]

We would get along.

Until I tell you how far away I've killed stuff. mtmuley

 

[grizzly63]

I've shot some deer around 450 but I had a dedicated practiced rifle scope combo that made it fairly easy if the wind wasn't a factor. I've always like the first twenty minutes of the season. Wind hasn't picked up yet and the critters are a little less weary. I try to keep things under 4 and 3 is much better. I think we all need to practice the more difficult shooting positions. I would like to practice offhand enough to become proficient out to two hundred but that will take some doing. Just going to need some more ammo. I don't run any video either. I think i would be classified as a short to medium range guy I guess. I do not have access to a longer range or I would probably play on paper or steel for fun.

 

[Pmacc60]

I have killed game from 15 yards to 500. I killed a buck at 500 and it was a easy shot because I had shot that field for groundhogs and knew the range exactly , no wind and knew my rifle . One shot drt but most of my shots happen within a hundred yards.
Having been a hunter for 46 years I realize there is no one ethical way of hunting.Close or far doesn’t matter if you are not proficient with you choice of weapons . You can be a get close guy with a bow or crossbow and wound a lot of game to see it run off and suffer.Same with rifles and shotguns, every year I watched guys in Delaware , Maryland and Pa not have the skill to shoot what they carry into the field. Year after year finding I recovered deer or seeing wounded deer because many hunters don’t take the time to get proficient..
Long range hunters regardless of what we think are first hunters and they are shooters! They have the equipment and the practice invested to make in incredible shots. Is it right to say they are not ethical when they have more time and effort in their skill than 100 other guys who hunt , their practice time to the other 100 combined. How we choose to hunt is our own business as long as we are dispatching the animal quickly and humanly.
There is a site Long Range hunter and these guys are some of the nicest knowledgeable guys you will ever encounter. The problem with hunting long range is few do it with the skill and equipment it requires , more often than not there is a lot of guys who just talk . Short or far if you are proficient and legal it’s your time to do it the way you want.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I hunt to get close. A stealthy approach can be challenging, fun, and stressful (in a good way). My kill shots last year were 100, 200, 40, 25, 25, 30, and 45 yards.

I know others who get enjoyment out of shooting long range by investing in the equipment to be able to do so, gaining the necessary ballistics knowledge, practicing to proficiency, and then exercising sufficient restraint to pass on marginal shots. I think that approach is great, and I’m happy to have them among our numbers as hunters.

People that take shots at long distances at animals that are below their skill level - seems disrespectful to the game and can give all hunters a bad reputation.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Not at all, run a phone scope on a spotter and record the shot on video. You can follow the vapor trail to tell if you hit, watch for the splash if you miss, and replay it as many times as you like to be sure. Rocks and bushes in the video will lead you right to the spot.

A vapor trail is what a jet leaves behind. This sort of thing is decidedly not my my kind of hunting (I tend to use the old-fashioned way: go down and look) but I am curious as to what you mean by "follow the vapor trail". I actually thought you were making a joke, at first.

 

[hank4elk]

Closest deer was 5 yards,30-30. Most of my deer have been within 100 yards.
Closest elk was 15 yards with mz dialed to 200.
So far....

 

[mtmuley]

A vapor trail is what a jet leaves behind. This sort of thing is decidedly not my my kind of hunting (I tend to use the old-fashioned way: go down and look) but I am curious as to what you mean by "follow the vapor trail". I actually thought you were making a joke, at first.

I've seen what DC is talking about. It doesn't happen all the time, just under certain conditions. Not a great way to follow impact that I saw. mtmuley

 

[Doublecluck]

A vapor trail is what a jet leaves behind. This sort of thing is decidedly not my my kind of hunting (I tend to use the old-fashioned way: go down and look) but I am curious as to what you mean by "follow the vapor trail". I actually thought you were making a joke, at first.

Bullet distorts the air as it travels, similar to a jet, although it doesn’t leave a actual trail so to speak, the trace or trail (different things) can be followed from shooter to target pretty easily with good optics.If there was a easy way to post videos on this site I would as I have tons of them on my phone.

 

[forkhunter]

Unlike most hunters, I could care less about shooting. Guns and shooting don't much interest me. Never really have. Very simply a tool to finish the real interesting thing, the hunt. I have never shot more than a box of shells in a year, including hunting and sighting in, unless I have a new gun to get dialed in, which isn't often. I have used 3 rifles in over 30 years of hunting. Most years, less than 10 shots. This year was 9... Just enough to feel confident I have the gun on and can confidently shoot out to 300 or so. Seems like 200-250 is where I often end up getting my animals. 225 this year. Some longer, some shorter. I don't wound animals and haven't missed one for years. Admittedly, I am conservative about shot choice and conditions.

I completely appreciate those of you who love to shoot. If I loved to shoot, I might feel better about extending my range, but it just isn't for me.

We all have things that interest us. I don't quite get the long range hunting thing, but I could guess if you loved shooting, it would probably be a lot more interesting.

 

[brockel]

I've seen what DC is talking about. It doesn't happen all the time, just under certain conditions. Not a great way to follow impact that I saw. mtmuley

Hammers really show it. I guess it’s from cutting oil still being in the tip

 

[brockel]

I practice regularly out to 800 yards. Makes the close shots easier. Only shot a handful of big game over 450 yards. I’d actually rather have a 250 yard shot than anything under 100 yards.

 

[Buffs35]

You can't get likes on YouTube without the old vapor trail.