24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 4,841
R
RevMike Online Content OP
Campfire Tracker
OP Online Content
Campfire Tracker
R
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 4,841
Folks:

I recently re-read the two-volume set, "Hunting on Three Continents" by JOC. The first section of the first volume deals with sheep and goats. I've watched a number of youtube and tv sheep hunts where all of the sheep and goats are taken at ranges in the 350-450 yard range, if not more. JOC, though, talks about almost all of his sheep being taken at 200 yards or less. Obviously there weren't any laser range finders then, but most hunters were also more practiced at estimating yardage, so my question: Are sheep more wary today (which I can't imagine) or have shooting distances increased by choice? It just seems that - on video, at least - the less than 200 yard shots at sheep and goats are few and far between.

Thanks

RM


"An archer sees how far he can be from a target and still hit it, a bowhunter sees how close he can get before he shoots." It is certainly easy to use that same line of thinking with firearms. -- Unknown
BP-B2

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,317
S
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
S
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,317
I have shot 28 North American Rams in my 33 years of sheep hunting. 26 with a rifle and 2 with a bow. I can tell you with certainty that way more of them were under 200 yards than over. Like Elvin Hawkins, the great Oregon sheep guide said: "Travel light, Get close, Shoot straight." Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to sheep hunting.

Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 884
5
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
5
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 884
My experience is limited to one goat and one sheep. The goat was taken at 125 yards verified by a laser RF. The Dall ram was between 150 and 200, estimated as I left my RF on the tent floor that day. My guide in the Yukon told me up front he wants shots under 250 because a ram is too valuable to be slinging Hail Mary shots at. His experience has been that under pressure after a mountain hike most guys struggle to make a clean 200 yard shot. The year before I hunted, a guy missed a 95 yard shot, steep down hill, hit a near by rock he couldn't see through the scope.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,339
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,339
Originally Posted by sheephunter2
I have shot 28 North American Rams in my 33 years of sheep hunting. 26 with a rifle and 2 with a bow. I can tell you with certainty that way more of them were under 200 yards than over. Like Elvin Hawkins, the great Oregon sheep guide said: "Travel light, Get close, Shoot straight." Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to sheep hunting.

Too bad about those other 5 years....... Only know one other guy who had close to that many rams. Sounds like if you aren't trying to sell long range rifles that most shots are shorter. I shot my one and only with a bow at 32 yards.

Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,689
S
Campfire Tracker
Online Content
Campfire Tracker
S
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,689
I taken 4 Northern American wild sheep. Farthest was maybe 250 yds.

IC B2

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,918
B
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
B
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,918
Originally Posted by sheephunter2
I have shot 28 North American Rams in my 33 years of sheep hunting. 26 with a rifle and 2 with a bow. I can tell you with certainty that way more of them were under 200 yards than over. Like Elvin Hawkins, the great Oregon sheep guide said: "Travel light, Get close, Shoot straight." Truer words have never been spoken when it comes to sheep hunting.

wow that's awesome.28 rams ! Most were obviously dalls, you should write a book!

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,317
S
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
S
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,317
10 Dalls, 7 Deserts, 6 Rockies, 5 Stones. Maybe someday we'll see. Still after it at this point.

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,791
Campfire Regular
Online Content
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,791
I've taken 3 Rocky Mountain Bighorn rams, 1 Dall ram, and 1 Mountain goat. The longest shot was the Dall at 206 lasered yards.


SAVE 200 ELK, KILL A WOLF

NRA Endowment Life Member

Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,570
Y
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Y
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,570
I guided sheep hunters for 5 years and still guide for goat. The vast majority of all the sheep I've guided for, or taken myself were killed at 200-yards or under. I've often wondered if the long range shooting trend thats so popular right now is just a marketing ploy to sell new rifles and all the gear that goes with it, or if those guys just never learned to hunt. I do know that in 30-plus years of guiding I've never had a hunter have to take those long shots, and I've seen very few that were capable of it anyway.

I've always found it interesting that so many of the long range rifles built today are marketed to the sheep hunting crowd, and the fact is that most guys are going to need a guide to hunt these species, and very few guides are going to let you shoot at extreme ranges anyway.

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,068
Campfire Kahuna
Offline
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,068
Laser rangefinders have greatly increased the accurate ranges of hunters. Way out there where bullets are dropping 6" or a foot for every 100 yds, nobody can accurately guess the range across a valley even though the gun is capable of putting it right on target. The problem is that many hunters aren't as capable as their guns, laser aided or not. We never read about the wounded animals that are never found.


“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.
IC B3

Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,067
Campfire Savant
Offline
Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 150,067
It’s like when wifey goes to Vegas, I only hear about what she wins, never what she lost. I bet there a lot of wounded animals we never hear about. I can’t recall even one.

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 808
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 808
Impressive folks on this thread. Lots of experience. My lone ram, an fine Rocky Mountain Bighorn (Montana) was 200 horizontal yards, but at a very extreme angle, so almost 400 yards through the air (down). I was much closer to many, many rams during my hunts through the season. I would say 300 yards would be a great maximum range for most hunters to effective at, with further shots requiring more skills and time behind the trigger than many possess.

One important factor that is not discussed a lot - I had to battle a severe case of the shakes (BIG time RAM FEVER) once I knew this ram was "the one". That was a first for me, and I can still feel my pulse quicken when i look at my ram mounted on its pedestal.


“I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.” John Steinbeck
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,021
B
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
B
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,021


2 dalls...1 desert...1 goat......2-250 ......bob

Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
Campfire Outfitter
Online Content
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,435
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.

Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,791
Campfire Regular
Online Content
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,791
Originally Posted by yukon254
I guided sheep hunters for 5 years and still guide for goat. The vast majority of all the sheep I've guided for, or taken myself were killed at 200-yards or under. I've often wondered if the long range shooting trend thats so popular right now is just a marketing ploy to sell new rifles and all the gear that goes with it, or if those guys just never learned to hunt. I do know that in 30-plus years of guiding I've never had a hunter have to take those long shots, and I've seen very few that were capable of it anyway.

I've always found it interesting that so many of the long range rifles built today are marketed to the sheep hunting crowd, and the fact is that most guys are going to need a guide to hunt these species, and very few guides are going to let you shoot at extreme ranges anyway.

I also think that most of the long range shooting on TV is just a marketing ploy for the sponsors products. Almost every time I see one of those "across canyon" shots, I think to myself that I could easily sneak to half or less distance to the animal.

I am also proud that all 3 of my Montana Bighorn rams and my Montana goat were taken on DIY solo hunts.


SAVE 200 ELK, KILL A WOLF

NRA Endowment Life Member

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,994
B
Campfire Tracker
Online Content
Campfire Tracker
B
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,994
Of my 4 North American wild sheep three of them were taken at ranges between 100 and 150 yards. The Dall was taken at a range of around 200.


I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,961
M
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
M
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,961
Lots of good honest hunters giving great honest advice and commentary.....

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,638
G
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
G
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,638
Originally Posted by hanco
It’s like when wifey goes to Vegas, I only hear about what she wins, never what she lost. I bet there a lot of wounded animals we never hear about. I can’t recall even one.


Thanks for adding to the thread, like usual....


- Greg

Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,638
G
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
G
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15,638
Originally Posted by mmgravy
Lots of good honest hunters giving great honest advice and commentary.....


I agree, love sheep threads...


- Greg

Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,048
A
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
A
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,048
1 dall at 367 and 1 goat at 360 with a rifle redneck made me, his guns shoot lights out!
Ho ho ho

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
706 members (160user, 12344mag, 21, 12308300, 22250rem, 17CalFan, 68 invisible), 2,722 guests, and 1,279 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,621
Posts18,398,580
Members73,817
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.160s Queries: 15 (0.006s) Memory: 0.8976 MB (Peak: 1.0512 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 15:03:59 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS