jryoung
Well-known member
What are the wolves going to eat if you and your crew keep dropping bulls like that? Toby is mad.
Longrange OK for some?
- Thread starter mtmuley
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What are the wolves going to eat if you and your crew keep dropping bulls like that? Toby is mad.
I usually set up my corn pile at about 1150 yards, wait for a nice buck and pull the trigger so I can brag to everyone about how tough of a "hunt" I had and how cool I am cause I shot something a half mile away.
If that's what floats your boat, have at it. In my opinion, yardage should be left out of the story because it shouldn't matter. It is ultimately up to you, the hunter, to decide what is an ethical shot. That number is different for all of us.
For me, I prefer my hunts to be a little more personal, i guess that's why I like bow hunting.
If that's what floats your boat, have at it. In my opinion, yardage should be left out of the story because it shouldn't matter. It is ultimately up to you, the hunter, to decide what is an ethical shot. That number is different for all of us.
For me, I prefer my hunts to be a little more personal, i guess that's why I like bow hunting.
RUT JUNKEY
Well-known member
I'm with Buzz on this one. Every person knows their own skill/shooting level, go by that. . .not what "Joe Smo" is doing.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Funny hunttalk quotes that ring true to the big green crocodile tears from an assuming hypocrite.
Mudranger1
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Green if I make the trip to Montana can you or Jesus take me hunting? Heck I'll even let your boy show me how to hunt.
MKotur325
New member
Read this thread and wasn't sure I wanted to get into the middle of it... But here we go.
Like others have said, an Ethical shot is different for different people. I know it was said in this thread that some people think it's ok to shoot does or cows at longer ranges than bucks. I call BS on that. It's still hunting, and the ballistics do not change just because one deer has horns. If you cannot make the shot on a buck why are you taking it on a doe or a cow? Do antlers, or lack thereof, change our responsibility to take the game cleanly and humanely?
One comment about people having their children take game at long range. Why not? In both the precision rifle courses I've taken, we shoot in pairs, Shooter and Spotter. Both are important. If you can spot for your Son or Daughter as they take a shot at 500+yds, You can help them with wind speeds, coach them and provide accurate information about each shot fired. If you and the shooter are comfortable with taking a 500, 600 or 700yd shot, the shooter's age shouldn't matter. Give them a chance to shoot longer ranges in practice and you may be surprised at how well young shooters can preform.
To me, here is one major distinction. With Hunting,I think there is a difference between being prepared to take a long shot (whatever you define as a long shot, weather that is 300yds, 1300yds or somewhere in the middle); and going into the field specifically looking to take the longest shot you can. In my mind, one of those is a good idea... It's sort of like putting a winch on your truck. Do you put a winch on the truck in case you bury the truck in a mudhole, or do you put a winch on the truck and specifically look for the nastiest mudhole to bury the truck in just so that you can winch yourself out...
Like others have said, an Ethical shot is different for different people. I know it was said in this thread that some people think it's ok to shoot does or cows at longer ranges than bucks. I call BS on that. It's still hunting, and the ballistics do not change just because one deer has horns. If you cannot make the shot on a buck why are you taking it on a doe or a cow? Do antlers, or lack thereof, change our responsibility to take the game cleanly and humanely?
One comment about people having their children take game at long range. Why not? In both the precision rifle courses I've taken, we shoot in pairs, Shooter and Spotter. Both are important. If you can spot for your Son or Daughter as they take a shot at 500+yds, You can help them with wind speeds, coach them and provide accurate information about each shot fired. If you and the shooter are comfortable with taking a 500, 600 or 700yd shot, the shooter's age shouldn't matter. Give them a chance to shoot longer ranges in practice and you may be surprised at how well young shooters can preform.
To me, here is one major distinction. With Hunting,I think there is a difference between being prepared to take a long shot (whatever you define as a long shot, weather that is 300yds, 1300yds or somewhere in the middle); and going into the field specifically looking to take the longest shot you can. In my mind, one of those is a good idea... It's sort of like putting a winch on your truck. Do you put a winch on the truck in case you bury the truck in a mudhole, or do you put a winch on the truck and specifically look for the nastiest mudhole to bury the truck in just so that you can winch yourself out...
wingman1
New member
I limit my kill range to the number 8.
80 yards archery
800 yards rifle (300 RUM 208 gr)
18 mph crosswind or less
Of Course the closer the better like the 20 yarder elk this last weekend.
80 yards archery
800 yards rifle (300 RUM 208 gr)
18 mph crosswind or less
Of Course the closer the better like the 20 yarder elk this last weekend.
HSi-ESi
Well-known member
BuzzH has it spot on as a "wrench in the hunting toolbox". I think that too much emphasis has been placed on LRH over the past 15 years - to a point where it has become a hunting "style", like "spot and stalk". People identify with styles - IE I'm a "traditional bowhunter", "Backpack hunter" or now "long range shooter". I think that new-comers to the hunting life easily identify with certain styles and gravitate to them.
That's where I have a rub. There are situations where a 'long range shot' is ethical and sometimes necessary. The blatant promotion of LRH as a hunting style is what paints hunters in a poor light.
That's where I have a rub. There are situations where a 'long range shot' is ethical and sometimes necessary. The blatant promotion of LRH as a hunting style is what paints hunters in a poor light.
ShootsManyBullets
Well-known member
I feel like guys here are as ethical as they come. We probably all have a definition of what we each consider long range based on our skill, practice, equipment in hand, etc.
I passed a nice buck the first day in MT at 450 yards, which is just beyond where I feel comfortable especially with wind and don't regret it. A few days later I passed one at 500 with the safety off and finger on the trigger as I just wasn't sure it was a shot I should take even though I had a dead solid rest. I didn't think taking a chance of wounding a deer, especially with 5 minutes of shooting light left was a something I should be doing.
I could have rolled the dice and killed a deer but I just as easily could have wounded one so I just passed and was thankful I had opportunities. I passed several small deer at close range and ate my tag. Had a great time with my friends and would do it the same way again. I sleep well at night knowing I did the right thing based on my abilities. Maybe next year I'll feel like 500 is in my effective range and I'll let it fly. This year it just didn't feel right.
Deer numbers are still way down in the area of eastern MT we were hunting so eating a couple tags probably isn't the worst decision we could make this year. Now I just gotta scout harder and find more deer next year! I think I'll spend more time chasing elk and if we see a good deer then it'll be a bonus.
I passed a nice buck the first day in MT at 450 yards, which is just beyond where I feel comfortable especially with wind and don't regret it. A few days later I passed one at 500 with the safety off and finger on the trigger as I just wasn't sure it was a shot I should take even though I had a dead solid rest. I didn't think taking a chance of wounding a deer, especially with 5 minutes of shooting light left was a something I should be doing.
I could have rolled the dice and killed a deer but I just as easily could have wounded one so I just passed and was thankful I had opportunities. I passed several small deer at close range and ate my tag. Had a great time with my friends and would do it the same way again. I sleep well at night knowing I did the right thing based on my abilities. Maybe next year I'll feel like 500 is in my effective range and I'll let it fly. This year it just didn't feel right.
Deer numbers are still way down in the area of eastern MT we were hunting so eating a couple tags probably isn't the worst decision we could make this year. Now I just gotta scout harder and find more deer next year! I think I'll spend more time chasing elk and if we see a good deer then it'll be a bonus.
This may or may not be true. If a bowhunter makes a shot and couldn't tell if it was a hit it is no problem to walk less than 100 yards to check. If someone shoots at an animal across a steep nasty snow covered canyon at 1000 - 1500 yards like I have seen some of those clowns on the long range shows and didn't have the animal drop in it's tracks I doubt they are going down one side and back up the other just to check.
belly-deep
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I think you're comparing apples to oranges.
What about the fact that rifles allow for a quick follow up shot?
This could go on for days.
psinclair
Well-known member
That other guy in the picture(Jake)ain't chopped liver either.
Outdoor Junkie
Active member
I would agree with John's assessment, but I'd emphasize one thing. The effective range changes significantly based on conditions. I shoot my rifle regularly at a range near my house out to 300 and 400 yards. At 300 yards, I can keep my bullets in a 4" circle and I feel very comfortable shooting at that distance. Last year I was hunting whitetail deer out of my climbing stand in Wisconsin. The climber has a brace around the front of the seat, which provides a great shooting rest. The problem was that I was in my stand 1 1/2 hours before opening and it was very cold that morning. At about 10:30, a very nice buck stepped out in an opening about 120 yards away. Usually this is a layup for me, but I was shiverring very bad, since it was about 15F and I had been in my stand for 5 hours at that point. I made a bad shot ( I think low) and wounded the buck. I had good blood at times, but eventually lost it after trailing it for about 3/4 of a mile. On most days, my effective range with a good rest is about 300 yards. On that morning, I probably shouldn't have been shooting more than 50 yards because I knew I was shaking and very cold. The weather, fatigue, elevation, quality of your rest, wind and a lot of other things play into what is an effective shot range. I think that its up to everyone to be honest wtih themselves and make the best possible decision they can on whether or not the shot is ethical and efffective. I know I am in the minority, but if you feel very confident that you can keep a shot within a 3-4" circle at the range you are shooting, then take the shot. I don't really care if that's 50 yards or 1,000 yards. Just my take.
WV Hunter
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The Hedgehog
Well-known member
Just hold the onions. I'd bet I hunted over 20 days with Jake in 2014. couldn't ask for a better person to hunt with.
Just saw a local post from a guy I have met. He and his son were on a late elk hunt and hiked into some very rough country. First elk hunt ever with a borrowed rifle and he shot a nice 6x bull at 630 yards. He was proud as punch and had no clue about hunting or ethics. He took the shot and got lucky and got the elk. Basically any average Joe watches TV and figures any shot is legal so why not take it. I have hiked up mountains in the strip and got on top only to have bullets whizzing past my head from a truck 600 yards down the hill on the road. I could hear the shooter yelling that he thought he got two but I knew he got none. I think ethics are not even in the vocabulary of a large percentage of people who get a tag. I have never shot an arrow or round at anything I wasn't sure I could kill clean but that is not the norm IMO.
This is exactly what I'm talking about belly. I'm sure he didn't climb up the mountain to go and see if he might have hit one. Sometimes elk show no reaction to being shot even with a rifle. So if the animal goes into thick cover or over the ridge that lazy slob isn't going after it.
