Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Personal limit on game

Most of my short-range shots...... still end up in long-range packouts.

So true - my biggest buck yet was shot at under 100 yards...4 miles in, 1200 feet below the trailhead...Killed around noon, back to the UTV at 2:30 am in the morning... Was a long damn night.




The smaller "Mid Range Shot" deer seem to require some pack work as well




The flat desert can surely help in this problem....

Antelope is the farthest game animal I have shot - took 15 minutes to get to the side by side.



Neither of these bulls were big enough to cash in my tag that day - but were 200 yards from my side by side.

Ha!

My Wyoming deer this last year was similarly miserable....maybe an 80 yard shot though only a mile or so from a road. Problem was, it was a rocky, steep miserable mile and I had to cross a knee deep creek. Shot at last light, quartered up and in my pack in about an hour and I got back to the pickup around 2 in the morning...



Good times.

Pair of 90 yard shots...... about 3 miles and 2000 vertical feet from the truck...

I have killed 2 animals at over 600 yards in past years. Now I only practice at 200 and 400 yards before hunting. In 2018 I shot (2) antelope at 200 yards, (1) antelope at 50 yards, and (2) mule deer at 100 yards.

In 2018 my 280 pound hunting partner had a heart attack and I had to hunt alone. With me weighing 155 pounds, me dragging a mule deer is like building the pyramids. In 2018 I was forced to use a deer cart. Where have those been all my life?

Since we're talking about pack-outs, here's my personal best. The shot was only 280 yards but we were somewhere around 15 miles from the take-out point:



First part of the trip out was a 3,000 foot climb, this pic was from near the top of the route (not the arête in the center):





We finished up the first night at about 2 AM, took us the next 3 days to pack out. Total of around 5K ascent and 8 K descent along the way and it rained the entire time. Or so it seemed that way.


Anyone know how to make the photos full-size?

Use the same image address as you did:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/medium/90503.jpg

however replace the word "medium" with "full". When bracketed with [img] and [/img], you'll see:



Nice ram BTW!

Thanks, and thanks.

Yeah, shooting an animal and letting the unskinned carcass lie out stewing in its own heat because you're a day away across the canyon is way better than getting close, taking the shot, and immediately getting the carcass cooled down. Plus the whole putting the carcass at the mercy of predators thing is a great way to save a cape and meat. /s

Predators can get to hanging quarters while packing out the first load regardless of how far the shot was or how long it took you to get to the critter after the shot. So can the heat. BTDT, on both accounts despite my best efforts to keep it cool and hung high enough to avoid bears. The heat is one of many reasons why I quit early season bowhunting. Not making a cross canyon shot if you're nervous about the heat is a smart move, but if it is cool out your point is moot.

This elk was killed well within more accepted ranges. I'll let you decide whether a predator got to it or not before we got it completely deboned.



Where does one draw the line? Only when you're close to the vehicle so your pack trips are short? Only when it is cold and snowy out and bears are sleeping? Is hanging meat in camp as lame of you claim long range shots are? I can think of 3 separate times I have had bears steal meat that was hanging in camp while I was gone.

Pluses and minuses, as well as risks to all these options.

Ted, this deserves its own thread, with pics.....

Well, I've posted those elk pictures enough already on this board....if I am not careful folks will think that's the only trip I have ever been on...

That bear encounter was just one facet of many during that 10 day adventure....

It deserves its own thread..... HINT

As I have got older I take short and long shots on the same side of the mountain, unless you have a guide that will go fetch it for you.

^^^GREAT picture^^^

The risk in waiting is simply the risk in not filling a tag. The risks in taking the shot (in the scenario presented - a day to get to the animal) are much more plentiful. Like you mentioned, there are pluses and minuses to all those decisions, and it's really a matter of how worried a person is about hanging a set of antler, horns, or hide on the wall and posting pictures of dead animals on the internet.

Probably ....I'll get something written up and posted...

Good it's worthy....

Personally, I like to see pictures of dead animals on the internet, especially good ones like the ones that roundoak and tinman just posted.

Interesting coincidence, my thoughts were same about tinman's posts and your beautiful ram.