30 feet to 450 yards.
I’m betting the hunter from 300 years ago would say that we ‘never learned how to hunt’ because we are willing to take shots beyond 50 yards. In range of the shooter/rifle system, is in range – a variable distance depending on situational conditions. Once the animal is in range, there is no point to sneaking within 50 feet to prove that ‘you learned how to hunt’, unless you just want to for kicks and giggles.
I have seen more animals wounded (some recovered, some not) at under 200 yards, then over. But you don’t hear about those because they don’t make a good story. Just like you don’t tell the stories from your glory days about the football games that you almost won. IME, typically when guys miss the mark beyond 300 yards due to inability or a lack of preparation, they miss the animal entirely.
