Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Just because you can. .

Just got back from a Wyoming deer hunt. Had a chance to observe some Californicators in action. The first day they showed up they killed a small buck we had passed on at 470 yds. In a 20+mph wind. I asked what they were shooting - one said 338 Lapua (magnum) I asked if it was a Gunwerks, and they said no, but they had a gunwerks turret.

Next day they went out and shot another buck, the smaller of two that were there. There were 6 shots within 5 minutes, and then 3 more over the next hour and a half. Over the radio, they told their buddies that the shot was 760 yards. The wind was even more than the day before. > 25mph in the open. I even peed 12+ ft - the full length of the truck bed and 4 ft further! Not sure what the wind was where they were. Have to give them the benefit of doubt - 6 one shot kills; no wait, there were only two of them.

The day after that, we killed a deer in the same drainage. They and us were the only hunters in that drainage. While walking out to get pack frames, I encountered a dead deer in the same area where the deer were when they shot. The deer had been buried, and the head was still covered in dirt. There was about a 30ft diameter circle of bare ground where soil had been moved to cover the deer. I could see a 3" dia bloody spot on the left front shoulder, which I am guessing was a bullet exit wound. The head of the deer was still covered. I didn't smell a rotten deer, but didn't stick around long for further examination. Brother Griz was around somewhere near, and I thought it best to get out before it decided I was a threat.

I don't KNOW that these fellows shot the deer; I don't know if they had a pass-thru; i dont know if they followed up on the wrong deer; I don't know if they shot it and left it. But it is very likely that they were associated with this deer's demise. All of those things are possibilities at close range, and may be even more likely at long range. Something to think about before you pull the trigger.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. .

Welcome to the wonderful reality of long range hunting.

Turn their asses in.

No, welcome to the world of retards. The above is what you get when you combine people who don't know what they are doing, being supported and backed up by people who don't know what they are doing, proving that they don't know what they are doing.


How many times on this forum and even in this section has some dude who has no clue come in and asked- "what ______ do I need for LR deer/elk/hunting", and all you see is a bunch of clueless boobs suggesting this or that cartridge or piece of equipment. Never asking experience level of the poster, never guiding them into a course or class that will teach them, never giving any thought to learning what they are trying to do. Most of the time it's because those making suggestions have zero clue what they're doing themselves.


Wanna bet how many dudes didn't speak up about any of the above when the guys in the OP's story were all gearing up for "LR hunting"...?

Johnny, mom lied to you. Not everyone's opinion is worth something.

Exactly. What you speak of is the reality of long range hunting.

For every guy who gets the training and puts in the time, there's two boobs with credit cards who try and buy skill, in a game with little room for error.

Also, for every LR success story I hear about, see in person, or read on the net, I hear about at least an equal or larger number of long range failures. Usually they aren't published on the net, except by other parties.

Actually it's the reality of hunting, regardless of range. Except there's many more short range boobs per capita than long range boobs.

A rather realistic approach!

Shod

Low percentage shots are low percentage shots, and high percentage shots are high percentage shots. Distance does make things trickier.

If you're doing much missing, it's probably time to re-examine things.

I was at the "range" last week...... and I wouldn't trust 8 outta 10 of those "hunters" to hit a paper plate at anything over 100 yards. This isn't about Long Range hunting..... it's about people taking shots they shouldn't..... then not doing the right thing.

LR hunters get a bad rap...... yet there are slob hunters across the board . I guarantee there are far more deer shot and lost/left inside 200 yards than outside 500 yards every year.

You can't fix stupid..... though I'd often like the chance to beat it out of somebody.

Bow hunters today do the same thing. Lobbing arrows at a 100-yards ( I know some can, but the majority can't) so it is not the long-range is bad, it is few have the repeatable ability under field situations to make those kind of shots. I shoot a lot and there is a world of difference at the range versus in the field.....

That just about sums it up.

Tanner

Washington has a 3pt. min. rule for deer. Don't know how many big 2pt. mulies I have found that some yohead has shot cross canyon because they did not identify if it had a third point. I like to shoot long range, but unfortunately so can all the other idiots out there. No license needed to pull the trigger at 800 yards. Besides those guys like to brag at the LGS guncounter how their XXX caliber brought down a deer so far away they had to camp overnight to get there.

I concur 110% BluMtn and your area seems to be about the worst in the state. We have hunted your area for 25 years and the 2 point poaching is insane lately.

We watched 3 guys fling probably 35 rds from the fenceline of the road at a little 3x2 at 618 yds (lasered) hitting him once in the left front quarter and once in the ass.

When the shooting stopped they couldn't believe they had missed all those rounds. I asked them if they needed help to which they agreed. My buddy calmly got out, took a range and wind reading, spun his turrets and shot the deer behind the shoulder.

My buddy asked the shooters how far they thought the deer was, how they were zeroed and how they held. Both agreed it was at least 1k yds. One remarked that it should have been easy as he was dead on at 50 yds at the range so he held the bottom mildot of his 6-24 Tasco on top of the deers back.

He refused to believe that my buddy input 18" of elevation and 4.25" left for wind on the turrets from his 250 yds zero and held dead on to make the kill. They figured his bullet would hit the dirt well short and well left.

Farking idiots!!!!

Agree. In my neck of the woods, I've seen way too many "hunters" going up in cartridge horsepower in an attempt to make up for poor shooting skills.

What you guys are saying makes sense. Slobs will be slobs. Some of these guys would make bad shots regardless, but others are perfectly capable at shorter range.

The technology and mindset without the additional training needed makes for poor results at long range. The fact of the matter is, as range increases, the chance for error increases. That goes for everybody, skilled or otherwise.

Yes slobs are slobs, I shot an elk this weekend at a moderate range of 530 yards. I was shooting a 280AI. My shot poked a hole through the left shoulder and exited out the neck on the opposite side as the elk was quartering away at the shot. The elk started to side hill and and expired about 50 yards from where he stood at the shot. I talked to some other hunters later in the day who didn't see the elk until I shot, one proceeded to tell me he was at 600 yards away and had the elk in his scope as it was side hilling free hand, said he had a good shot and was about to drop it just before it went down...

The next day out of that same bunch of morons a guy, who is apparently the leader of the bunch said he missed an elk the night before at 730 yards. He said he shot over its back, and had held just a little too high. Then he told us he took the shot because he knew his bullet would go that far...

So yes slobs will be slobs, long range, short range, or just life in general, cased closed. So I'm not sure why people feel the need to attack people who have taken game at long range when it isn't about long range, it is about being a slob.

Yep

The long range shots that are taken and should not be taken are being taken by short range shooters.

I therefore perceive the problem to be a short range shooters problem!

Shod

My self imposed maximum yardage for an attempt at any shot varies from hour to hour ,moment to moment..... conditions, concentration and fatigue all play a part in any shot..... this year my practice level is way down and I shot an antelope at 200 yds. and was not too proud of the placement.
As far as others just flinging bullets anywhere....range does not matter, there are some that should not be allowed to hold an empty gun unsupervised , others where 1,000 yds. is a chip shot. Range is not the problem , peoples lack of knowledge and practice IS the problem.....

I agree with almost all of that but I would like to meet and shoot with the guy for whom the 1000 yard shot is a gimme.

Love it when some of the long rangers use the word "chip shot" and 1000 yards in the same sentence. Clearly clueless.