I just happened on to this post and was shocked. I cannot believe that a 1000 yard shot on a deer or elk would even be considered.
Well, this IS a long range hunting board I suppose, and I've been staying off of it, or even looking at it much on account of I fall into the camp of those who find the term "long range hunting" to be an oxymoron.
What moved me to post here was Mart's quote. Like Mart I was blown away about six months back when I stumbled on this whole concept, and my reaction was exactly the same of Mart's. I got into a long and ill-considered thread about it on the old Shooterstalk. I just couldn't believe that guys would sit up on a hillside with high powered gear and shoot at deer over in the next county and take themselves seriously.
I'm as impressed and fascinated as the next guy with the fine art of ballistics and long-range precision shooting, I just dunno that such applied against live targets qualifies as "hunting".
Likewise I gotta say I find photos of folks with portable benchrests and the like shooting at way distant game to be tragicomic. Surely if I was an anti-hunter I could get serious mileage out of showing such pics to the previously neutral public.
Case in point, Dan Lilja's website on this topic and his 1100 yard benchrested antelope story (and yes I know Mr Lilja produces excellent products and is very serious about his art)
http://www.riflebarrels.com/articles/longrange_shooting/shooting_hunting.htmI reckon this is one of them issues where ya either got a problem with it or ya ain't, sorta like Gay marriage or something. Me, I dunno that a situation where the SHOT becomes the challenge is a good idea (as opposed to the oft-quoted bowhunting example where getting in position for the shot is the challenge).
And yeah, I know that there are a million shades of gray and "what-ifs" (like just how long is "long"? and different skill levels yada yada yada) but like most folks and with many moral issues, my opinion on this is visceral and not likely to be swayed by arguments.
On the other hand, this IS a "long-range hunting" board, those long-range guys ain't actually breaking any laws, nor are they getting on the various and sundry "short-to-regular-range" boards and pontificating.
Birdwatcher
