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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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What is this?! I agree with you, smokepole. Yes, you'll have that occasionally. 300 yards is a very good limit. Sight your rifle in at 200 yards and you are in good shape to 300 with a standard scope. Not necessarily. I just ran the numbers for a 168 grain TSX out of a .308. With a 200-yard zero it's 9 inches low at 300. Not what I would call in good shape at 300. With those ballistics, if you cannot hit an elk at 300 yards, then you have not practiced at all. Elk have a large kill zone and that distance is not a tough shot, even with the .308. With those ballistics I can hit targets much smaller than an elk, at ranges beyond 300 yards. It's not my shooting skills that are the subject here though. It's your unqualified statement "Sight your rifle in at 200 yards and you are in good shape to 300 with a standard scope," that's the topic, and like I pointed out above, it ain't necessarily so.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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I don't hunt nearly as much as many on this forum, but I've shot a couple of Colorado bulls using the 168 TSX BT in a .308. Worked very well with a 200 yard zero at ranges of 266 and 319 yards, even if muzzle velocity was only about 2,700 fps.
Using a Bog-Pod and holding a little below the backbone in the 300 yard realm is not a particularly difficult job.
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
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Using a Bog-Pod and holding a little below the backbone in the 300 yard realm is not a particularly difficult job. I wouldn't argue that point. As long as you know the range, the drop, and where you need to hold. IMO, that's different than "zero at 200 and you're good to 300."
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I know it would greatly depend on terrain but do you think a 300 yard personal limit is too restrictive for general Elk hunting?
I may get a chance to go to Colorado soon. The place I'm going,I've been told that out of over 20 a friend of mine can remember, the longest shot was just over 200 yards.
It may even be a silly question but I'm trying to set up my rifle and scope combo.I'm wondering if you guys would feel OK if you set yourself a 300 to possibly 350 or so personal limit with your equipment. The majority of elk I've taken and seen taken were under 300 yards. That said, I've taken elk at 350, 400, 411 and 487 yards and passed on many other opportunities that were over 300 yards. Most of the elk, if not all, could have been taken cleanly with a .308. Take a rifle that you shoot accurately. If you are going to set a limit at whatever range, practice out to that range at least and then some if possible. (I've found practicing at longer ranges build confidence and ability at shorter ranges.) I highly recommend a laser range-finder as judging distances in the mountains can be tricky. Good luck to you!
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Definitely a good range finder... Many flatlanders, like myself, often don't come close to accurately estimating range by eyeballing in mountainous terrain.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
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Most Western hunters don't "eyeball" range very well either, no matter what the terrain.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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Eyeballing across a draw is tricky and most hunters are way off. My laser is always WAY off.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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My self-imposed limit for a shot is 300 yards...but last year I took a shot a bit longer than that. I would not have taken the shot had I not had a competent buddy with me who walked me through it. I practice at ranges longer than 300, conditions were near perfect for the shot, I was prone, and he was there as a spotter and kept updating the range for me.
Perfect answer? No. I will add I would rather take a 350 yard prone shot with no wind over a 125 yard offhand shot any time.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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There is a ton of good info, advice and related experience in this thread. Very good work IMHO.
As noted, there is no single right answer to the OP. Most hunters seem to want the closest shot reasonable. That includes me - believing those reports on average elk kill range. I will go LR only if the circumstances are favorable and compelling.
In preparing for such, know your rifle completely as well as your own certain capabilities. Take shots at ranges where you have tested yourself/rifle/load with good results. Learn to accurately estimate distances with your eyeballs - game-sized targets at set distances have helped me with this.
NRA Member - Life, Benefactor, Patron
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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300 is only limiting if you can shoot well further.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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~300 is fine from a solid rest, chances are that you will be inside that. The vitals on an elk are the size of a garbage can lid so there is some room for error.
A true sportsman counts his achievements in proportion to the effort involved and fairness of the sport. - S. Pope
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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~300 is fine from a solid rest, chances are that you will be inside that. The vitals on an elk are the size of a garbage can lid so there is some room for error. My first elk kill was with a guaranteed 2 MOA rifle. At 400 yards I knew the bullet would hit within 4" of my aiming point from the berm rest I had. I dialed the yardage and took out the arteries at the top of the heart.
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation." Everyday Hunter
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Arteries? I usually go right for the aorta if I'm inside 1,000 and there's no wind.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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I have always set up so that I have a 300 yard circle ranged in advance and had my rifle sighted in so that everything in that zone was point and shoot without having to think. Not thinking just shooting works better and faster for me. Most any solid field rest will allow me to be accurate at 300 yards with no additional preparation required - no need for pack, sticks, bipod or laying on my belly to put 3 into a pie plate sometimes they stay inside a cigarette pack.
Many hundreds or thousands of practice rounds is about right for 300 yard accuracy in high adrenaline hunting situations. If you practice at longer ranges and know your equipment shots at 500 yards on calm or at most breezy days are pretty routine but are never Point and shoot without thinking. We practice out to 800 yards every year and at that distance a pie plate is in trouble but not a guaranteed hit by any means.
As a less experienced elk hunter with less practice and not as capable rangefinder and scope I passed on a few bulls and that drove me to get better tools and practice with them. My limits today are almost double what I felt good with 20 years ago. But my goals haven't changed - I still want to get within 300 yards and not have to think just shoot.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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In my opinion an 8" target with 100% hits should tell you your personal limit.
In other words, the range you can hit an 8" paper plate five shots out of five will be your limit. So obviously this will vary from different positions and different conditions. If that's 100 yards from off hand then you should not fire at an elk over 100 yards offhand. If you can place all 5 rounds into the plate at 500 yards from prone, your limit from prone should be 500 yards. And so on and so on. Only practice will improve your marksmanship and will also show you your personal limits. Be 100% honest with yourself and it will save you a LOT of grief in the field.
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Campfire Outfitter
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"Shoot low sheriff, I think he's riding a shetland!" B. Wills
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Campfire Tracker
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I believe his post says 'hundreds OR thousands'......
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Arteries? I usually go right for the aorta if I'm inside 1,000 and there's no wind. Everyone knows you are way better than me at everything.
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation." Everyday Hunter
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Yep. Including hyperbole.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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Sight in for 200 and see how far you drop at 400. Being from the SE myself, it is always surprising how quickly 300 yards comes up. The key is a great rest.
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