Long Range Hunting

[dannyb278]

I came across a YouTube video in which a 12 year old boy shoots a bull elk at 537 yards. They call it long range hunting. I think it's good for a father to take his sons hunting, but I don't think it's good to teach kids that 500+ yard shots are ethical. Or, that getting within 500 yards of an animal constitutes/defines a hunt. For me, hunting is about close encounters

Something tells me that shot would not have been featured on Fresh Tracks

 

[MTGomer]

The question is would you give up your technology for that? All those 7-08s, and 6.5 MBs and night scopes and all that crap?

I would in a heart beat.

I agree with this. To accept an increasingly modern amount of technology in hunting, is to raise the success rate, which lowers opportunity. If opportunity is not cut to compensate for it, then the quality of experience is lowered by less animals or a lower age class.

As someone that (perhaps hypocritically) has some trail cameras out and who has a turret scope, I would give up cameras, give up cameras on water, give them up after a certain date, etc, and give up scopes over a certain magnification, scopes with turrets, or even scopes altogether, etc, etc, to preserve the experience and opportunity.
I’d rather hunt more often with straight 4x than less often with a 4-14 CDS.

And I really like the idea of hunting animals that 5 outfitters don’t have named because the only water in the area is covered in cameras.

 

[VikingsGuy]

The question is would you give up your technology for that? All those 7-08s, and 6.5 MBs and night scopes and all that crap?

I would in a heart beat.

Not sure mixing 7mm08 and night scopes together as cutting edge tech makes a lot of sense. The 7mm08 is essentially the same as the 7x57 that has been killing animals since 1900. Even the 6.5manbun isn't practically different than the 6.5x55 swede which has been taking animals for just as long. Unless you are saying that we should go back to black powder, I don't know how these rounds are part of an emerging problem of overly tech enabled hunting.

 

[rjthehunter]

This thread in a gif

 

[shb]

On the subject of "Capable vs. Ethical", self-restraint, etc.- I ran across a video today. Young adult bowhunter has "been watching this deer for 3 years", and decides to shoot him at 72 yards with his slider pin. The end result is in the video linked below, starts with the first shot. Comments are disabled, and I'm not sure I want to give him the views, but here it is anyways.

THIS is why self-restraint is so important- I don't care how good you are on foam, because foam doesn't move. When you are hunting animals that react to their environment, you have to factor their ability to move into your maximum range you're willing to shoot. This deer was in the second-most perfect situation to shoot (bedded is probably better), but it still had time to hear the shot, and wheel enough to take the first arrow just in front of the hindquarter, right in the guts. It just takes too long for arrows to get to the target at those ranges to be ethical.

Overall, this deer took 3 arrows to die, none of which penetrated much at all. Disrespectful, to say the least, stupidly arrogant if I'm speaking freely. It could have just as easily been coyote bait as a trophy on his wall. If you wanna stroke your ego, stick to poking foam. If you want to wanna hunt, then learn to hunt, and be mature enough to know your limitations (or in this case, the limitations of your methods, and the difference between the two).

"Dead from the first arrow", he says. I say, "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining".

Makes you sick to your stomach.

 

[Fire_9]

On the subject of "Capable vs. Ethical", self-restraint, etc.- I ran across a video today. Young adult bowhunter has "been watching this deer for 3 years", and decides to shoot him at 72 yards with his slider pin. The end result is in the video linked below, starts with the first shot. Comments are disabled, and I'm not sure I want to give him the views, but here it is anyways.

THIS is why self-restraint is so important- I don't care how good you are on foam, because foam doesn't move. When you are hunting animals that react to their environment, you have to factor their ability to move into your maximum range you're willing to shoot. This deer was in the second-most perfect situation to shoot (bedded is probably better), but it still had time to hear the shot, and wheel enough to take the first arrow just in front of the hindquarter, right in the guts. It just takes too long for arrows to get to the target at those ranges to be ethical.

Overall, this deer took 3 arrows to die, none of which penetrated much at all. Disrespectful, to say the least, stupidly arrogant if I'm speaking freely. It could have just as easily been coyote bait as a trophy on his wall. If you wanna stroke your ego, stick to poking foam. If you want to wanna hunt, then learn to hunt, and be mature enough to know your limitations (or in this case, the limitations of your methods, and the difference between the two).

"Dead from the first arrow", he says. I say, "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining".

That’s not the only video of him making a poor shot either. That guy is an absolute tool and yet, he has a huge following. Blows my mind that Scheels was selling his apparel....

 

[bigsky2]

Another one that will make the long range hunters proud. Seems like some of the ugliest instances of long range hunting are with coues deer hunters. A lot of times the deer will hardly run because it has no idea what's going on. Miss by 5 feet, re-dial the scope while the deer stands there, then hit it on the next shot. Sadly it seems like that is almost the norm down there. It was really eye opening when I told people in Arizona that I shot my coues deer at 270 yards, and they acted like I had snuck within 20 yards of it.

 

[MeetEtr]

I have taken big game at 10 yards and I’ve taken them at several hundred yards. My friend Charles shoots elk over 1000 yards all the time. I don’t consider the distance all that important. Charles shoots across canyons where others would try to stalk and in these areas they’d spook them. He is deadly accurate at that distance. He does it to be successful, not for bragging rights and he is very successful. I have seen hunters actually back up and shoot from further away just so they could brag about the distance. If they farm the shot they look like fools i juring or just plain missing. I say just hunt, and the distance should be whatever is comfortable for your skill level in the given terrain and the given circumstance. You should be confident when you pull the trigger though. Once in Africa I shot through a small hole in the brush at the ass end of a waterbuk. Sounds bad but I KNEW I had him. Turns out I dropped him instantly dead with that ass shot. It was only 260 yds. Hit him right in the spine w a berger bullet. I knew where I would hit him and I knew what that Berger VLD bullet would do to him. It completely liquified about a foot of his spine. So to me it all depends on the situation. Be ethical but don’t tie it specifically to distance.

 

[Buffs35]

I wish i could kiss Charles. Sounds like a keeper.

 

[AggieHunter]

I hope to get a nicer and larger caliber one day so that I could take shots at a distance like 500, but only once I was really confident. I love stalking in close but have just had instances where I was only offered a shot at that range, but chose not to shoot.

 

[MeetEtr]

I wish i could kiss Charles. Sounds like a keeper.

Yea, he’s hard to keep up with. I had a Nosler 30 built for me. I picked it up a couple months ago and I’m mounting a good Swarovski scope on it right now. Going to get a G4 and have a custom turret made for my scope to try to keep up with him. I know I still won’t be able to hang with him. I’ll be the limiting factor but this rifle should help some, anyway.