Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Who Is Actually, Regularly, Shooting at Game Over 400 Yards?

Yup, the guys I know are in SE OR, lots of open country.

These days I rarely have the opportunity to shoot deer over 400 as my hunting ground and tactics have changed. I did have a string of 11 straight kills this year on varmints with 4 of those over 400 yards. That was using a Shaen built 6.5 prc and Sightron S111 3.5-10 FFP.

The first time I shot at 1000 was an eye opener.

Since 2006 I have killed deer and antelope with 19 different rifles.

I have killed 2 deer at 625 yards, a 6.5-06 I built and a 7mmRM I built.

More commonly, I limit rifles to 500 yards.


6mmBR and 250sav I limit to 400 yards.

I have to make a correction to the yardage of the shot Kingston made. It was 475 yards. 3 looks like a 4 at 8AM and having my first cup of coffee.

i prefer 300 yards and under those i know the 257 Weatherby mag i use will for sure get that animal killed quickly. now after 300 yards things can change for all of us, but when its 500 yards plus i have killed some good bucks and i always lay down , use a bi-pod ,the rifles i use all have good match good barrels on them trigger work , better brand scopes like Nightforce and few others , my handloads i did alot of shooting out to 500 yards. i did buy a Red Ruger precision 6.5 Creedmoor and that factory rifle shoots very well at 500 yards otherwise all my rifles for long range have all custom barrels on them. so yes i will shoot animals at 500 yards and i did draw an antelope tag for Wyoming on private land and i did rebarrel a Weatherby mark 5 with a Brux #4 contour ,7 1/2 twist, 28 inch barrel i plan on shooting the heavier grain 25 caliber bullets prabably 135 gr. VLD Berger bullets because antelope die easy and that bullet will shoot a long ways out with G7 .334 / G1 .65 not many other bullets have these great ballistics plus the recoil of this rifle is not bad and with is still easy to shoot and carry. i figure 700 + yards or more with this rifle and this bullet.

Most hunters who shoot over 250 yards probably shouldn't be.

I've a 1,000 yard capable rifle, but 500 is pushing my capability, so that's it for me.

I prefer leaving powder burns on their hides, so I don't take very many shots over 300 - and then only with a range-finder, a good rest, and time.

I've a 1,000 yard rifle, when I use it (it weighs 11 lbs), but my skills peter out at 500 or so. Then only if conditions are right, I have a good rest, known range (rangefinder), and time. Alpine terrain is tricky - I've been known to think the range is half what it really is....

This rest - one of the best I've ever field cobbled - (and a MOA Rem770/6x Tasco) was good for a nice caribou last fall at something over 300 yards - 360, IIRC. Generally, I prefer powder burns on the hide if I can make it happen. . I ranged the various landmarks prior to the caribou coming by, so I was able to use a SWAG. No time for the rangefinder use at that point.

Most of my 75 plus caribou have been taken at 200-300 yards. The "best shot I never took" a couple decades back was 162 ranged yards. No good rest, and the cross-hairs were all over the place. Huge, huge bull caribou, and no regret.

That's the sad part. Again, people need to be aware of their abilities and not overstep those boundaries..

Interesting thread and topic, enjoyed all the view points. I had on the last day of the season , last year, in the last hour a possible opportunity on a nice buck at 550 yds. I didn't shoot because I wasn't carrying a outfit equipped for that shot. I hunt a lot of different guns which is fun but limits you to really conservative shot taking. So short of using the same outfit with it scoped long range capable I don't shoot on game more than 350 or so. Last weekend I shot a match at 1000 yds, hit 19/40 targets , steel plates none wounded or bleeding just hit or miss. 100 degrees or high wind connecting at 1000yds with a 45-70 fills my needs to shoot long.You also eliminate worrying about losing a live animal by unwisely shooting to far...mb

Or half that amount

It takes a lot of skill to make hits at 1000yrds with a 45-70, good job. Rio7

I don’t hunt to shoot game at certain ranges. Rifles are lethal at long ranges and I worked to be able to steer bullets accurately as far as the rifle can realistically perform.

How sad would it be to own a Ferrari and only have enough skill and knowledge to be able to drive it in school zones.

Most hunters have no idea how to use their own equipment

I don’t. I have the equipment, knowledge, and experience to do it, but I don’t. I’ve killed animals out to 450 yds but that’s still rare and a very long shot on a game animal.

Regularly - no.
The places I hunt are set up for 200-400 yard shots. I have not touched one off at a live animal over 400 in 5 years. I always try to get closer, and because I hunt PRIVATE land, if I choose not to shoot, the deer/hog will be back soon.

Around here my shots are70 yards at the most.In Mi. about the same. Years ago shooting does in Mi, over farm fields with crop damage permits we shot quite a few out to 500 yards.This was at night using spot lights.It was not uncommon for the three of us to plunk 50 deer in a night,and then the work began.They all had to be hauled to a processor.At that time The Mi DNR figured 125 deer per square mile.Out West my longest was 450 on an 86" Speed Goat.Most shots were 200 and under.Range finders screwed up all those 800 yard shots I had before they were readily available.

With topography like that, I've found it quite easy to make close approaches. Takes a little time, but once game beds down for the day, one has several hours to get around to them. Mostly I let the spotting scope do the walking.


My favorite ground is the Idaho side of the Snake. Once nailed a buck there at about a dozen feet.

> i like that thought about the Ferrari mine was a fast Camaro my rifle is a custom Ruger #1 257 Weatherby mag. 10 twist Brux barrel built for speed , acurracy and longer range shooting for hunting i have used for 15 + years my only addition was picatinny custom mounts and a Nightforce scope 8 or 9 years ago. now i have new Brux barreled 257 Weatherby mag. with a 7 1/2 twist ,28 in. on a Weatherby mark 5 rifle for even longer range that i gotta get ready for Wyoming antelope.i need a new fast car too again with a grin, i keep thinking new black 400 Camaro too . " MOMMA says no Camaro "

The last 6 animals I have harvested have been at the following distances. 425,475,450,615,665 and705 yds. All the animals were either bedded or feeding, unaware of my presence and weather conditions were good to perfect. All were also shot off a bipod and rear bag rested prone ,except the 665 which was a hog shot off a picnic table. All the animals were lasered more than three times to unsure an accurate reading and all where dropped on the spot when shot. All data for ballistics was updated for weather and such, and all situations were taken when wind was a nonfactor. They were also shot with a gun regularly capable of shooting very small groups at very respectable ranges. The gun,scope and information are tested by me regularly to insure all is working as it should and no surprises await....
Like John Burns said , the yardage is just another variable, but its all just math and 2+2 is always 4 ( no matter what a Democrat tries to tell you). People question the ability to make a shot at distance ,but have no issue with hunters shooting at moving game at short range with little or no practice at it........
P.s. One day while hunting antelope and not seeing any in a specific area, I decided to check my equipment on a target that stays out on this spot. Two shots centered on a 13" plate @ 940 yds adds to ones confidence level. A friend was along for the ride that day said he never shot passed 200 Yds in his life made 2 hits out of three shots with my stuff..... Later that day I got my goat at about 125 yds..... a nice meaty doe.

Not me. I started out bow hunting and still like close shots. Most all of my shots are going to be between 20 and 125 yards.

Longest shot on a whitetail is 168 according to the rangefinder. I've shot an elk at 435 yards and a pronghorn at 295 yards, but those were on trips out west and won't likely happen again. With those shots, it was either take the shot or go home empty handed. I had shot my rifle at those ranges and was sure of the shot. On both I was pretty sure I'd be able to see the animal fall and I did.

Where I hunt at home in SE Georgia, a deer can jump once or twice and he is out of sight. It is very important to mark the spot the deer was standing when shot. I can't be sure at long range and won't take a shot I can't be sure of.

I also like to be sure my bullet stays on my property, so I like shooting down from a stand into the ground rather than level from the ground. There are a farm houses that might be within range of a stray bullet, so I like to be pretty sure of where the bullet is going to stop. The farther off the target animal is, the smaller the angle the bullet is traveling and the greater the chance of a ricochet. I'll get closer or let the animal walk, before I risk a shot I'm not sure of.