How far would you shoot?

[Daryl (deceased)]

I put 500 yards. IF the elk didn't know I was there and IF the pristine conditnions were absolutely pristine. Like the bull I took last year at 464 yds w/the 300RUM. No wind, sun at my back, level shotelk had been just standing there for 5-10 minutes and showed no indication of moving.
 
Now let's open another can of worms. What do you think of "hunters" who get all geared up and shoot deer/whatever at 1k plus? Like others have stated here, there's to much that can happen in 1/2 a second. Plus I tend to call foul because then it becomes deer/whatever "shooting" and not hunting.
 
 
RJ

One of my pet peeves.
 
I have no problem with folks killing game as far as they can RELIABLY hit them. That said, a lot can happen at that range.
 
What bothers me is when folks go buy a "magnum", and think that because the gun shoot that far, they can kill game that far. I've seen, at least a couple of times, when folks started shooting at a group of elk, repeatedly, at extreme range (like 1000+ yards).
 
They empty their rifles, reload, and empty their rifles again; all in hopes that one will go down. On one occasion that comes to mind, the shooters left without any of them recovering an animal. Meanwhile, I was observing the results.
 
They'd actually hit at least a couple of animals, and hit them hard enough to cause them a lingering, agonizing death. That particular trip I was just along for the ride; my dad and a few others had tags. It was an antlerless hunt, and my dad shot a cow elk before realizing how many those idiots had hit. His buddy walked down the hill and finished a smallish cow that was gut shot, but had made it into the trees. No one was around to claim it, so he tagged it.
 
The craziest thing about it is that the elk were coming TOWARDS the shooters when they started shooting, and kept coming even after being shot at.  After the elk entered the treeline, the hunters left without following up on their shots.  We were just a bit farther back in the trees, but could see the meadow, and everyone there that had a tag got an elk.  None of them had to shoot more than a couple hundred yards.
 
The only reason I can think of for them to shoot was because they were afraid someone else would shoot first.  I know "hunters" like that, and it's pretty pathetic.
 
I suppose the idiot shooters went on to find more elk to shoot at; I can only hope they didn't find any, but in the area where they were I'm sure they did.
 
Daryl

[greywolf]

As Everyone knows , i bougth a nightforce scope, this scope is capable of giving me 1000+ yard shots , BUT! that said *I* have what i call my comfort zone,, this zone is where i feel i can be efficient and can reliably hit every time in the kill zone , others feel more comfortable under or over my limit , and that's good , so long as you don't exceed your own limitations , i shot in the military , long distance , real long distance , at targets not animals , i am comfortable with 1500 yards at a target , i am comfortable out to 600 yards at an animal. Then only if conditions are right and getting closer is too difficult in the required amount of time before i could lose that animal. I put my new shiny scope on all my rifles, so now i can enjoy it on all of them (rails and zero'd each time on each gun and the stats recorded for each gun , gives me back my zero everytime i change the gun , zero back in about 1 minute :) that said some of my guns no i'd only go 100-200 yards on , others , farther , ,honestly at this point the only gun i'd use to 600 yards would be my savage 7mm Wm with my wonderful berger bullets, after seeing them on best of the west I tried them, and they are sooooo nice, expensive , but nice. I know my gun, and my scope ,my own abilities, so i say my comfort zone is 600yards tops i distrust anything farther , because wind can change etc.... too long time to hit animal at longer distance :) ok y'all can breath now , my rant is done

[recoil junky]

"There are a few guys who can hit that plate at 1000 yards" (quoted from subsonic)

Agreed, but the plate ain't movin'.  

And as for those fellers that just shoot into a herd willynilly hoping to knock something down, they'd better hope the game warden isn't around next time they do it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is  this: I'll go as far as 500 yards, you can shoot at whatever range you are comfortable with, but make goshbillyjoejackbobdarn sure you are going to make a clean kill. That bull I took at 464 yards, I hit 3 times, all killing shots and you could cover all 3 shots with your hand, he just didn't want to die where he was hit. He wanted me to work my butt off for his meat.

RJ

[LuAV8R]

Furthest shot I've made was right at about 300 yards - Shot a coyote with a Rugger 22-250 while feeding cattle at home in Texas.  But that's when I was shooting very regularly.
 
For me to try a 300 yard shot today - I'd have to be awfully sure of the shot, and the conditions would have to be near perfect - I know my rifle and scope could handle up to 400-500yards - It's me that I'm worried about!

[Paul Hoskins]

For me to try a 300 yard shot today - I'd have to be awfully sure of the shot, and the conditions would have to be near perfect - I know my rifle and scope could handle up to 400-500yards - It's me that I'm worried about![/quote
 
LuAV8R, that's good common sense. Good to have you back. ..........Paul H

[LuAV8R]

LuAV8R, that's good common sense. Good to have you back. ..........Paul H

Thanks.  It's good to be back.

[22hornet]

I would have to choose 200 yards (metres) for two reasons.
 
The first is that my largest rifle is a .308 and I would be concerned about the remaining energy beyond that range.
 
The second is, for me the stalk is a big part of the hunt. I can shoot much further, accurately beyond 200 yards, but to me that is shooting, not hunting.
 
But then again most of the areas I hunt in allow me to stalk in fairly close. If the ranges were longer I would change my gear and style in order to adapt to the terrain.

[davidlt89]

The first is that my largest rifle is a .308 and I would be concerned about the remaining energy beyond that range.

No need to worry about that!! God Bless.

[LvrLover]

I'd take a 308 for anything on this continent, but for the big bears.

[Steve D]

I'm fairly new to hunting with a centerfire rifle.  Illinois and Iowa are shotgun states so haven't much experience with long shots, so I limited myself to 200 yds.  I still think hitting a paper plate (9") consistently at 100 yards is not bad.  I actually have a pistol that shoots as far as I'm comfortable with a rifle.  Have to spend a lot more time at the range, eh?

[bigsbetter]

deleted because of my ignorance

[Huntbear]

I shoot a .338 WM with 210 gr. partitions going out the tube at 3000 ft. per second.  I have shot elk over 400 yrds and they never took another step.  So up to 500 yds, with a perfect rest on a broadside animal is not a bad shot in my opinion.

[ForneyRider]

I'd shoot as far as I was confident in quick kill, knowing I can recover the animal and comfortable where the bullet is going beyond the kill. Right now that is about 350 yards, so I went with 400.
 
If we had a local range here that 500-1000 yards practice were possible, I might step it up.
 
Our deer lease in East Texas for deer, hog, and coyote has spots that are over 600 yards, but all the animals have been recovered at under 300 yards. Most are 75-150 yards.

[whacker1]

I put 600.  Longest shot I have completed successfully is 440 on a Mule Deer.  I have been spending a lot more time focussing on the gun, load, and time on the range and feel comfortable out to 600 on a calm day with a decent rest.  Nothing to shoot at so far this year, but I have a few more days left.

[Steveb]

Normally i get as close as possible and then try another 10 yards closer. Its all about the hunt not shooting. If the animal gets away, then well done to it as it was on better form than me. If ya wanna prove ur shootin skills go to the range. By the way when you guys speak of 'big game' in the States what all does that entail?