Has long range hunting gone too far?
- Thread starter elkaholic06
- Start date
airlocksniffer
Member
Heyo!!
mtmander
Active member
I believe a lot of long range shooting (and how big a animal you get ) goes into the 'bragging' category. Hunting is special to me and I hunt because of the enjoyment and challenge, getting close is one of my biggest accomplishments in harvesting a animal but I guess saying I took a 50 yard shot is not a glamorous as taking a 1000 yard shot.
devon deer
Well-known member
What constitutes a 'long shot'?
Cheers
Richard
Cheers
Richard
el unit
Well-known member
Getting within 50 yards of an elk is more of a challenge than getting within 1000 yards. Your 50 yard shot is more glamorous than someone else's 1000 yard shot. IMO
sbhooper
Well-known member
This is a question that really has no answer. I, personally, think that it has gone too far and is-like some say-nothing but a bragging issue. The problem is, that it is not a legal issue, but instead an issue about ethics and respect for the sport and the animal. This long-range craze was brought on by TV shows and the proliferation of high-quality bullets, rifles and optics that have made it possible.
There is no standard for what is long range. For some, it is 200 yards and for some it is 1200 yards.
If enough people take it to the extreme and get really good at it, it could effect permit numbers at some point I would think.
There is no standard for what is long range. For some, it is 200 yards and for some it is 1200 yards.
If enough people take it to the extreme and get really good at it, it could effect permit numbers at some point I would think.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
The 1200 yard shots of today will be the 3,000 yard shots of tomorrow. How this will end is anyone's guess, but I don't think the ramifications will be favorable to hunters.
JEL
Well-known member
A couple of friends of mine got into a heated FB exchange over this topic a few months back. One friends position in the discussion was not whether a person could make the shot, obviously with today's equipment and practice those shots are possible. He wasn't arguing that. His position was that it is just unfair to the critter. Long range shots basically take the animal and its defenses completely out of the game. Sure there is skill in the shot but not in having hunted.
It's interesting that LR shooters get so much heat. Head to your local range on a sight-in day. Lots of guys with the cheapest ammo on the shelf and ZERO shooting skills. I'm betting a ton of critters are wounded at what most consider "ethical" ranges. mtmuley
Schaaf
Well-known member
heated FB exchange? Huh, I always thought they were well reasoned lines of discussion on facebook.
TimeOnTarget
Well-known member
I'd be willing to bet you're correct. I've noticed that I seldom hear 1 rifle shot anymore, they are usually at least 2 or 3 and sometimes a lot more.
I spend a good deal of time on the range. I can get to 1/2 mile on my property and can stretch it to a mile if I talk to my neighbor an shoot across his pasture. That said my longest kill was a whitetail at 583yds.
I've got no issue with long range hunting, If a person AND their equipment is truly capable. Most mass production rifles with factory ammo are not capable of this no matter what the shooters skill level is. A mile shot may be very doable one day, and then weather conditions change for the next week and that shot should no longer be on the table. More people need be honest with themselves about when you can actually make those long shots.
MThuntr
Well-known member
I regularly watch the youtube channel Long Range Shooters of Utah. These guys are shooting 1000, 1200, 1500, and a mile in what is called "the milkjug challenge" (10 shots to hit the jug). These guys are using heavily modified rifles in relatively controlled conditions and rarely do they hit the milkjug on the first shot and often they are off the target by feet. Makes me worried of what people are doing out there during hunting season.
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M
MN Public Hunter
Guest
Not to mention those heavily modified guns weigh 15+ pounds usually....who in their right mind wants to lug a 10-15 pound gun around hunting...
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Hard for me to grasp the mindset of a program that deems it cool to add yardage to a shot for no other reason than notoriety....aside from ratings and product hawking, that it.
^^^This^^^
That is the problem I have with those idiotic long range "hunting" tv shows.
It all depends on what you consider hunting to be. "Spot and Stalk" or " Spot and Shoot" not much "stalking" is taking place in these long range shooting shows. Both require a different set of skills, but in my opinion the longer the shot the more you are depending on technology and your equipment for your success.
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bobbydean
Well-known member
My shots have mostly been within a 100 yards. I did make a shot on a running deer at 300 yards. My brother, the true hunter, said that was a nice shot. I appreciated the comment. I was using a Redfield 3 X 9 at 6 power with a Ruger .243 No. 7. It was wonderful. The rifle was stolen that winter and I was devastated!
300 yards would be my limit unless I shot a ton at the range>
300 yards would be my limit unless I shot a ton at the range>
Big Sky Dreamin
Member
I was in the artillery, I've seen deer killed at 8 plus miles. Is that hunting?
Being able to repeatedly and succefully take an animal at 600 yards is great. If you can successful make that shot every time in perfect conditions fine, take it. Backing up to increase your personal best that is asinine and selfish. But, I'd bet you that when the long range guy has a poor hit and loses a wounded animal that tag is not punched and he is looking for his next 750 yard shot.
Every hunter out there represents all of us. If we want to continue to hunt the public trust we need to make sure we police ourselves.
Being able to repeatedly and succefully take an animal at 600 yards is great. If you can successful make that shot every time in perfect conditions fine, take it. Backing up to increase your personal best that is asinine and selfish. But, I'd bet you that when the long range guy has a poor hit and loses a wounded animal that tag is not punched and he is looking for his next 750 yard shot.
Every hunter out there represents all of us. If we want to continue to hunt the public trust we need to make sure we police ourselves.
