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365 yards on a deer

415 yards on a piglet a little bigger than a football. I was pretty proud of that one

Well stated. Most hunters couldn't regularly hit a flock of UPS trucks at that range if in the field and not in houses with rifle rests.

My longest deer shot was probably a little over 300 yards. We have nothing but mule deer here. I shot an antelope at 350ish with a rifle that was appropriate and a rock solid rock as a rest, and an elk at 360ish with another good rock-rest with my FN/Sako 375 Wby.

Same here

Add my name to that list.

I limit my shooting of big game to 300 yds or less. But one time had my then new 6.5x06 out and spotted a deer. ranged it at 330 yds so took the shot, one shot one dead. Sorriest excuse for shooting it ever. Just to say I did. Should have got closer and left myself wondering. After that longest shot maybe 250yds. Don't even remember what rifle I was using, but, probably my 308 or 25-06, I used the 308 a lot!

263 yards according to my Leica RF. Started in 1958. Somewhere close on 150 total. Average range more likely around 125-150 I suppose because I study most them long enough that I don't shoot them. I have set up a couple rifles to shoot much further, and gone out with the intent to shoot one far away. half the time I decide to pass and the other half if seems like one has a death wish and walks right to me.

That is your list.

way back in the day when you have your eyes tell you how far it is, instead of a laser rangefinder, i'd say it is about 365 +/- yards. it was 350 yards to the locust fence pole and 15 or so yards behind it. i shot the doe and she looked around, took about 4 or 5 steps, looked around again and fell over. i hit her right behind shoulder (my dad's (RIP) friend was with me) and was told to aim at her nose. i was 16yo or so, so i aimed at her nose. i was using a Remington m721 in 270 Win with 130gr Remington SP factory ammo. it was my dad's friend's rifle. i'm glad that i shot doe, but i remember it felt icky, like i needed a shower.

i can count on one hand, i killed deer at over 200 yards. most of my deer are around 30 to 40 yards.

some of them are closer, like 12 feet.
[img]https://imgur.com/FP1RbOG[/img]

When I was into the long range hunting thing, I had several kills past 1,000, with some very interesting conclusions.
First was that my hunting buddy and I had to really look for a long shot past 300 yards!
The second was the time of flight that even a big magnum has to get " out there", and after the decision to shoot is made, and the trigger is tripped , the hunter owns the shot AND the results good or bad.

After killing a deer at 1,113 with one shot, I almost lost the the next one at 710 because the animal decided to move, not far, but enough to turn a kill into a gut shot!!
Luckily he headed straight up the slope and I was able to break his back with the next one. If I missed we would never have recovered him.
Thst was in 2004 IIRC.
Since then I have strictly passed on deer that are at the 400 yard mark, and I have only killed one that was 372 since then.
The vast majority of my Ani.als have been under 150 yards I fact with just a few past 200.
I know lots of guys who kill big animals at long distances, but that is their choice .
Cat

Great post!

Nobody goes 1,000 yards to where the deer was standing if they think they missed. Many times the animal was hit somewhere and ran off to die eventually, sometimes in terrible agony. It's incumbent on the long-shooters to go to the spot and check for blood and fur, but it doesn't happen.

325 yards verified w rangefinder as deer was walking broadside across a combined cornfield.
Shot was made from an elevated box stand with front end of rifle rested on a window opening
Right elbow rested on window opening to my right.
264 Win Mag shooting 130 Accubonds at 3300 FPS
Dead right there.

My longest shot on deer was 453, one the Mule Deer in the middle. Typical shots I take on deer are around 200 yards. Bow Hunting typical shot is under 30 yards, with my longest bow kill on deer @ 96 yards.

Great post!

Nobody goes 1,000 yards to where the deer was standing if they think they missed. Many times the animal was hit somewhere and ran off to die eventually, sometimes in terrible agony. It's incumbent on the long-shooters to go to the spot and check for blood and fur, but it doesn't happen.[/quote]
The thing is with that initial gut shot , he was heading up a slope that was not accessible for use if he went over the top - danged near straight up and down!
I have killed a lot of deer on those breaks before and since, the last one being a mule deer buck at 11 yard on opening day last year.
You are right about people not looking after if they THINK they missed!
I shot one a few years back on a power line at just over 360 yards across a mall valley from a good solid rest, and at the shot the three that were with him took off towards me, but my deer moved off into the bush with NO indication of being hit.
I know my shot was good even though I didn't hear the impact, and suspected he was hit by the way he didn't take off with the rest.
When I finally got up to where I figured he was standing, I found a few drops of blood , and a good trail about ten feet from there in the 2 feet of snow.
My deer was about 30 feet down a slope in the bush, shot in the heart with the 150 TSX passing through.
If a less experienced hunter had witnessed this, they most likely would have not even made the trip down and up across to check
He was up near the top of the far face in this pic
Cat

at 1000 yards you know if you hit them, beyond 600 yards they do not associate the shot that far away with being wounded, they walk or bound a few yards and lay down. the only ones that run are those that are lung shot, they smell or taste blood and get spooked, they don't go far. this is my experience from shooting them at long range since 2006.

There was absolutley NO indication that the deer I shot across the valley on the powerline was hit. He didn't duck, lurch, jump, nothing, he jut walked off the line while the other ran toward me.
Cat

I can't agree. I've shot tubs full of deer in 64 years hunting them, and a lot of them just walked off into thick brush with no outward indication they were hit...no sound, no flinch. Going to where they were standing, I found out some were hit and recovered them, some close and others 400-500 feet down steep canyons and mountainsides. The biggest neglect to check is by those who shoot long shots across canyons. It might take hours to get to the spot in rough mountains, many at 8,000 to 10,000 feet.

Where did you read that nonsense?

🤣🤣

335 yards was my longest deer shot and kill. I haven't shot one past 50 yards in the last dozen or so years.

Wait...what?