Well, I should know better than to step into this pit, but when has that ever stopped me before?
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<br>First, let me say that I rarely if ever shoot at a deer over 200 yards, this, in spite of the fact that I often hunt with a .308 which is quite capable of placing the shot and killing one at 500m, since I regularly shoot steel rams at that distance with it offhand, and with a rest it will easily hold under a MOA at 500m. And, I often have a laser range finder with me in the stand. Why do I restrict my shot's range, because personally, I prefer to KNOW, beyond a reasonably doubt, that when I pull the trigger that animal is dead, and pretty much near the space he was occupying. Have I missed my aiming point, yes, the animal moved as the shot broke, etc, but, luckily, I have not lost one yet. But it could happen, for sure.
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<br>All that said, if someone has the equipment and knowledge to shoot animals at extreme ranges, I feel almost certain that their recovery rate is at least as high as the average hunters, and probably a good bit higher. If they approach it carefully and with the correct equipment and practice, I say, more power to them. Shooting across canyons, with the attendant poor chance of recovery would not be ethical IMO. But, shooting at a running deer in the brush at 50 yards isn't either, to me, and it is done every day during the season by many who would condemn the long range shooter. Boggy had it right, as usual, we might not do it, but condemning someone else's choices, solely on the basis of distance, is not with good cause IMO.
