Long range hunting is a financial commitment as well as a personal commitment. Joe average hunter as stated above with commitment only to shoot at 275 yards or so, but fears the 450 yard shot did not commit to equipment or training to make that shot.
As to stalking closer, Many have had less than an hour of legal light looking out with spotters and highX binocs whereby finding game at 700 yards and only being able to get within 400-500 yards from peak to peak. For the hunter equipped and trained (practiced) and committed to longer ranges, it’s really a piece of cake at 500 yards. No judgements should be passed for either the most confident or least confident, it’s all about personal limitations.
Excellent post. I have a story to tell on a hunter I met at the range a couple weeks ago. He has a tag that he needs to fill, and he said his shots may be 400 yards, but he said he's never shot at 400 yards before. We start talking and I ask how the rifle shoots, how it's zeroed, and if he hit the target he set at 300 yards. I had my target stapled to a box on the ground at 300 yards because I did not want him to confuse my target with his, plus I was getting my hold over for a shoot I had this last saturday. He said he didn't think he hit the target at all at 300 yards. He said his rifle was dialed in for zero at 200 yards though, but there was not a single bullet hole in the 300 yard target. He said he thinks the "wind pushed the bullet off the paper". I said, I just shot the target stapled to the box that is sitting on the ground. The wind had pushed the group over a couple inches, but it was still a 1" group. He said, hmmm you hit near the orange dot. I told him I was holding off just a little bit to account for the wind. He asked if I'd help him shoot the steel yote at 400 yards, and I said sure.
He said he did not know how to use his scope, but that it was a good one, he paid "a lot of money for it". A Vortex Razor LHT, that he said he paid over $1,200.00 for. I told him I'd just use the reticle for holdovers. They were labeled in MOA's. I said if you are zeroed at 200 yards, you'll have to use the hash marks in your reticle to hit the yote. He asked, "how do you do that", so I explained to him. At first he thought you held on the hash marks above the horizontal crosshair, and I told him, you need to use the hash marks below the horizontal crosshair. I spotted for him, and he tried different holds until he made a hit on the yote. He was excited, and I told him to remember the hold on the reticle if he gets an elk in the crosshairs at 400 yards. I told him to try to hit it again, using the same hold, and he hit it again.
Moral of the story: I can't believe how many guys I run into at the range that have absolutely no experience with their equipment. It's a lot of those guys that badmouth longrange shooters/hunters.
