How far would you shoot?

[gitano]

By the way when you guys speak of 'big game' in the States what all does that entail?

It's actually a legal term in the States (and Germany too). Animals we are allowed to hunt are generally legally classified into "big game", "small game", and "unclassified".
 
"Big game" includes all of the ungulates (hooved) regardless of thier size. That's all deer (cervids), sheep, (ovids), 'cattle' (bovids), "goats" (caprids), mountain goats (Oreamnos americana, which are more antelope than goat), and pronghorns (antelocapridae - kind of an antelope-goat). Members of carnivora (flesh eaters) include big game (mountain lions, bears, wolves, and wolverines (in states that allow taking them), small game (coyotes, foxes, otters, and other weasles like badgers, martins, fishers, minks, weasles (stoats in Europe), and skunks). I believe there are states that classify wild turkeys as big game, but I'm not certain of that. Otherwise, no birds are considered "big game". Birds are legally classified into "waterfowl" and "upland". Waterfowl are the ducks, geese, rails, coots, snipe, cranes and swans. "Upland" birds are everything else - all the galliformes (chicken-like birds like pheasants, grouse, and turkeys), columbiformes (doves and pigeons), and in some states grus (cranes) are not considered waterfowl. There are also the "exotics", but all of those to my knowledge are ungulates and "big game".
 
I've surely missed some esoterica, but that's the lion's share of "big" and "small" game in the US.
 
Paul

[recoil junky]

gitano forgot the saber toothed prarie dog (thoothus holus diggus gigantus) These are considered big game here in NW CO as they have sometimes been known to attack large preditors and vehicles. Hence the phrase "LOOK OUT HE"S COMIN' RIGHT FOR US". Large caliber and or hi powered magnum rifles (45-70's, 300RUM's, 338 Lapua's etc) are required for this animal, but if you are an adrenelalin junky then a .22lr is considered "more than enough gun".
 

 
Sorry Paul, I cound't hep' my self
 
RJ

[gitano]

That's OK RJ, I figgured I miss somethin'... :)
 
Paul

[Paul Hoskins]

Maine has now listed the lowly coon as big game. How ridiclous. In several states, any animal or bird requiring a state permit is "big game."   ........Paul H

[bigsbetter]

And someone has forgot to mention the Jakalope!! It's my favorite trophy on the wall!

[Steve D]

I just had a request to run guide services for jakalope, but I'm trying to tone down my guide services.

[Alboy]

I hear you and those Jackalopes are not only hard to spot but can be vicious little devils if they sneak up on ya.

[whacker1]

"Big Game" Also includes - Elk, Moose, Caribou (Canada & Alaska - Can't hunt the few in the lower 48 states), Muskox (Canada & Alaska).  I am sure that we are still missing one or two.  I would like to be able to check the wall at home, but nothing there that hasn't already been mentioned.

[radiorabbi]

with everything in our control range is  pretty much unlimited

however the fact is  many things pertaining to  shooting game are well beyond our control

wind is often unpredictable  beyond our shooting position

the further the range  the greater the possibility of our game doing something to turn a kill shot into a miss or worse yet a crippling shot

it takes about 1/10 second  for an animal to go from dead still to moving

and 3/10 second or more for your bullet to travel 300 yards

most of the time we can get closer  and we owe it to the game to make the effort to ensure a clean quick kill

while long range shots are possible  we are not Military snipers
our objective is not to take out the enemy by wounding or killing

in a 10 MPH crosswind bullet drift can be 6 to 10 inches at 300 yards  which of course will translate to a hit outside the vital area if we do not hold exactly right to correct for it

in the 13 big game kills i made  only 2 shots were beyond 250 yards

fortunately every head of Big Game i shot at was  a kill
i am most proud of the fact i never had a wounded head of game escape to suffer

we should all be so lucky

Mike

[farmboy]

The flat parairie ground around me you shoot long distance or you don't shoot. No problem with five hundred yard shot at big game I would be uncomfortable with more than that, in the mountains and hills three hundred would seem like enough. Varmint shooting as far as you can see them. I have shot many coyotes at really long distance they are predators that eat the small ruminants on the farm. One summer I shot seventy five coyotes within a half a mile of a local hutteritte colony's sheep flock I eliminated there predator loss problem in less than a  month.