Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What percentage of your shots on game are over 150 yds?

Great thread...

works for me!

Nailed this one on the fly coming over the hog panel. I was sitting on my four-wheeler and caught him at a disance of 7' or so. 12 ga., OO Buck.

ya!


GWB

10/4.

I will admit I have been surprised at one particular aspect of the preponderance of the responses. That being the range that most folks take game.

ya!

GWB

I’ve killed around 80 deer and hogs. To the best of my recollection, 5 have been taken at further than 150 yards. The furthest was 250. I don’t think I would attempt a shot much further than that. To do so, I’d have to have a very good rest and not be rushed.

Probably only about 5% or maybe less,lots of thick brush around here. Even on mountain goats I can only recall one that I took at 250 the rest were under 100 yards.

The percentage of game animals I've taken over 150 yards would be very low. I got one whitetail at 165, an elk at about 400, a caribou at about 350 and a pronghorn at 295. The rest of the game I've shot over the last 50 years has been well under 150 and most of that under 100.

The area I hunt is too populated for me to go bouncing a bullet across a big field. I like getting close and shooting at an angle that will keep my bullets on my own property. You never know who or what is on the other side of that wood line or fence row, so short shots are pretty much the rule where I hunt.

First deer was at 150, all the others but one were at a hundred or under. The one was at 400 across a bean field. The vast majority have been under fifty, many at 20 or less. I am a meat hunter. The thrill of killing an animal in its bed at close range far exceeds any fun to be had launching a bullet at it across a field or canyon, at least for me. Grew up hunting squirrels and rabbits with a .22 pistol. Ruined me, I guess.

I'm right about 50%. The majority of mine (mule deer and elk) are either right around 100-125, or 400+. Seems like they are either right in front of you in the quakies/pines, or on the other side of the canyon, requiring a long shot.

0%
Have hunted timber all my life.
Grew up in Maine
Reside in Tn
Hunt rolling ridge terrian mature oak forrest and heavy timber river bottoms here in Tn.

Shot a 4x4 mulie in pikes peak national forrest in 1985 when I was stationed at Ft Carson.
Bout 125 yards, longest shot on a animal for me.
Win 100 .308 w/ William's peep sight .

Western wa is kinda whatcha make it, you can hunt reprod, 20-100 yards, or setup on a big canyon that's been logged, 200-1500 yards depending.... I hunt a hodgepodge mixture based on what I'm feelin\scouted.... Tues it kinda depends on a guys style... I do know, 0-400 hold on hair is $$$$ for what I do.....

The primary reason we zero @ 300 yards! It sure makes things quick and easy to 400! memtb

4.5%

Only 1 game animal shot over 150 yards and that was a whitetail at about 220 yards last fall. Hunted timber all my life and that was the first time hunting a bean field where I could see deer that far. Most shots are 50-100 yards with a few around 20 yards. As for varmints, grew up shooting woodchucks on a friends farm. We'd set up and glass a couple fields, really taught me to estimate distance and shooting a 222 how to judge the conditions. As others have said, knowing your equipment and capabilities along with what your personal ethics are makes all the difference.

Prior to moving to Wyoming, almost all of my shots were under 150......FEET! memtb

And that is why we practice at different yardages and positions. Some of these guys getting bent out of shape over why someone else takes long shots, needs to step back and try to put themselves in someone elses shoes for a bit. It's like, if we were to bad mouthing the guys hunting over bait or sitting in stands all day long. That's not our style of hunting, as we are out there busting brush and working for our food, but I don't care if guys hunt over bait or sit in a stand. Like you, I take my shots, as they are presented to me. Whether that is near or far, I don't really give a damn, as long as I know I can make that one shot kill. I will pull the trigger when I know I can make the shot. Growing up in Nevada, taught me a lot about making some long shots and most times shooting in the offhand position, because you couldn't throw your pack down and take a shot because the sage is always too tall for that chit... Guys need to accept the fact that we as hunters are presented with different shot opportunities. It is up to us to decide whether we are capable enough to take the shot when the time comes... I just happen to like being well prepared, no matter what comes along..... [bleep], I was practicing today and though I was going to have to make a 5 foot shot on a horrible looking animal:

Fan my brow ! Shut your mouth ! Slap your Grandma !

I was just about convinced that was a thing of the past.
Once upon a time it was used or talked about by many.

Today, there are few who do it OR talk about it.

The ‘irony’ of it is I learned it from Gun Writers or Hunting Writers.

From the consensus of this thread ‘it seems’ many hunters today don’t hunt open territory
where it’s an advantage.

Don’t get me wrong... I hunt woods and open pasture land. I’ve killed WT from 12’ (ft)
with a 7 Mag and plenty from 40 - 150 yds. BUT I never know when an opportunity will
come between 200 - 400 yds. I’m not willing to simply shrug off longer shots.

Jerry

Out of 7 elk and one deer. 6 were under 100 yards, and the other 2 were past 300 yards
So I guess only 25% are longer shots

So then then question is:

Why bother setting up a hunting rifle for 500+ yard shots, turrets, high BC bullets, and worrying about things that won’t make a difference anyway?

Under 200 yards is a cheap and easy place to be...and apparently where the majority get it’s done.

bsa Looks like you are hunting up in that Biggs unit for deer.. many many many yrs ago well 1985 we went deer hunting in between shaniko and antelope. There was a big swath of blm land out there, we sit on one side of the canyon and watch the deer leaving the private ground. This was before the big winter kill of 86 if I remember right. But that was some big wide open country. My dad used ol savage 99 pre-mill in a 243 using 80 or 85 gr cor-lokts.

I grew up sing MPBR, but that was when I wasn't twisting turrets. In todays modern age, where scopes are better, you have turrets and also ballistic type reticles, so there's no need to zero at 350 yards......... I truly "zero" for 100 and dial or just use my reticle. Simple enough.... I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your way, just as long as you don't say there's anything wrong with my way.... One thing I will say is I can take my rifle and dial to what ever range I want and know I'm going to hit what I'm aiming at. I've shot with too many oldtimers that thought their MPBR setting would do the same, but unfortunately they miss more than they hit, at longer range. I've even seen that where I shoot steel. Guys take for fu cking ever to get their rifle dialed in to hit a plate at 450 yards. Some of these guys are supposed to be "seasoned" hunters and good shots too, but nonetheless don't hit what they are aiming at..... That just goes back to know your ability, and don't take risky shots....

Oh, by the way, this is zero to me:


Knowing I would most likely be shooting at elk less than 100 yards away, anyway, it worked real well for my timber rifle:


Shot her at 90 yards, trotting broadside single file with her friends....