Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What Does It Take - to Hunt Medium/Large Game at 600 Yards?

First, let me say that if shooting game at LR isn’t your thing, I completely respect that. I get that different people have different priorities when hunting, and if stalking close or going home empty-handed is what cranks another man’s gears, I’m all for it. Now to illustrate my point…

“Bullet performance at - 200 yards vs. 600 yards” - this requires some thought for both 200 and 600 yards. Think of a C&C bullet launched at 3500 fps and impacting at 200 yards at just under 3000 fps. Regardless of distance, selecting a bullet that impacts within the velocity range for which it is designed is important.
“Watching an animal after it's hit - 200 yards vs. 600 yards” - consider shooting an elk at ~200 yards out of a herd that is mingling at the edge of the treeline of thick boreal forest. Now consider a lone elk on an open hillside at ~600 yards. I have personally been in each of these scenarios.
“Ability to place bullets where they should go - 200 yards vs. 600 yards” - there are many who struggle to place a bullet correctly at 200 yards, and many who are very capable of doing it successfully at 600.
“The chance of wounding a game animal -200 yards vs. 600 yards” - see above.

All of these issues can be a challenge, whether at 200 yards or 600.


I think in some cases you are right. For some, it likely is a bragging thing, and for others it’s a pragmatic thing. I’ve been in many situations where, due to time constraints, terrain, etc., my options were to either shoot at 400, 500, 600, etc., yards, or not at all. In some of those cases, the conditions were not right and I didn’t shoot. In others, they were and I did. People hunt for different reasons. I spent many years as a student trying to provide for a young, growing, and hungry family. Meat in the freezer was truly important for us every year. If I could ethically put meat in the freezer, whether the shot was 200 yards or 600, I did.

So to simplify the myriad of reasons for which a person might shoot a game animal at 600 yards by saying that it’s for the bragging rights, again, is a broad oversimplification IMO.

LOL. Very true, Scott!

Good rational post JS. These days if I don't have the time and opportunity to get a lazered range distance when the game is past 300 I don't shoot. In your estimation what is the best smart phone app for usable ballistic tables availible today...mb

Thanks, Bob. That seems like a reasonable approach, and I feel similarly. For me and the way I set up my rifles, out to ~ 250-300 meters is PBR, and beyond that I’m dialing or holding over based on a precise range reading.

I’ve used darn near every smartphone ballistic app out there, including Ballistic:FTE/AE since about its inception, and it remains my favourite. The only downside is that it’s only available for iOS. For other OS devices, AB, Shooter, and Hornady 4DOF are all pretty good.

Jordan;
Top of the morning my friend, I hope that you and your fine family are as well as can be over on your side of the big hills.

Thanks for the thoughtful response Jordan, there's a lot of meat in there and yes I do use that euphemism intentionally.

If I can expand on a couple of thoughts you put forth, regarding bringing home meat, there's a commonly put forth argument that none of us "need" to hunt anymore as there's lots of food available from agricultural sources.

Since I'm me Jordan, I've given that a whole bunch of thought and believe that for some of us, especially men who I've talked to about this but definitely not male exclusive, there is a state of inner peace/wellness which we mentally require that is sometimes in part fulfilled with a full freezer.

Speaking personally, when we had horses, until we had the hay barn full, enough firewood stacked to make the next winter and a couple of animals in the freezer I had difficulty being at peace with myself. I can't articulate it differently than that at present.

For me it was/is a real thing and when I questioned other people about it, some were exactly on track with my thoughts - spooky almost really Jordan. Some of course looked at me like I had 3 heads and no doubt it gave them even more evidence to my mental deficiency.

Before leaving this part then, I'd say that some "serious gardeners" of which I was not one back then, but appear to be becoming one, had similar feelings which are close to, if not are low level anxiety if they don't have a good crop and by extension lots of preserves.

All that to say, I do not know what a full freezer means to you or anyone else - not really and truly I don't. Not on a deep level anyways and yah, I believe some of this goes way deep into our genes.

On shooting animals further than closer, one of the things I've noticed is that usually it's easier to judge their body language and level of alarm from greater distances. While it's not an absolute statement, I do think that usually animals that are not aware of us or at least alarmed by us tend to die more quickly with the same shot placement.

To be clear, I personally don't make a practice of shooting unwounded big game much beyond 300yds, but that's not always been the case and might not be again in the future. As with most things in life, my thoughts and beliefs change as I age and have more experiences in the activity, both positive and negative. Oh, aging has absolutely played a part in that too Jordan!

Anyways, I am cognizant all that has nothing to do with the mechanics of long range shooting, but I'd argue that we won't go down the path of any activity without first having the inclination to do so. I've attempted to address the inclination part.

Sincere kudos again for your reply, it made me think and at my age that's always a good practice!

All the best to you and your family and good luck on your hunts this fall.

Dwayne

I suppose everyone has a right to their perspective.

I have shot elk past 600 yards, using a regular hunting rifle, as I have shown in this thread:

Popped some in the ear hole a few football field lengths away as well:




Snuck up on some close enough to use a handgun too:







Whether that means I "know how to hunt", I guess I won't worry too much about.

I tend to stay in practice in the off season by shooting magnum handguns on fast moving targets:




What I do know is my freezer is rarely below a hundred pounds of venison, and I quit hunting horns many years ago.







I simply hunt to put meat in the freezer these days and spend time with the family. I don't worry about living up to others criteria.

Another agree…..passing on shots under certain situations! For myself, for myself making a 600 yard shot in perfect, or near perfect conditions is doable……not desirable! A few years back, I passed on a bull in perfect shooting conditions ….yet, I still passed! I was hunting in an area with a dense grizzly concentration with the shot being near dark! Had I failed to quickly drop the animal, it may have been hours looking for a wounded elk in dense timber…..potential “quality time” I’d rather not share with a bear! 😉

Just because the shot is considered doable…..the hunter must make the decision as to the ethics and other potential issues at the time! memtb

I’d just like to know where you can find “jacks” to practice on! When I first moved here, in the mid ‘80’s, there were “jacks” everywhere! I can count on my fingers how many I’ve seen in the past 10 years! 🤬

They are great for practice……I used running “jacks” when fire-forming brass for my AI. It was a lot of fun, great practice, and got me the brass I needed! A win all the way around! memtb

I like your post bugger. All of those things should be considered for sure. Something every ethical hunter should be thinking about, but not worrying so much about that it affects the shot. You set a limit on yourself, as every ethical hunter should. Like I said earlier, know your abilities and stay within those parameters. Don't take pop shots, which I've seen idiot hunters do. Be sure of your equipment and your abilities and know how to read conditions. Don't take the shot if conditions are not right. What you fail to understand, though, is people have different skill sets. They may not match yours. To some, a 600 yard shot is a cake walk. Pretty simple really.

Well said Dwayne. I don't see many of us trying to back up when we get up on an elk at 30 yards in the timber to get a longer shot to brag about, but I am darn sure ready to take a longer shot as well. There is no shame in being a capable rifleman that can take home his freezer meat from XXX distance! I'd bet most of us have similar ethics, but some of us just feel a bit better taking longer shots. We could go down the exact same road with traditional archery, compound bows, handguns, muzzleloaders, etc..

And your adage about feeling a bunch more peaceful with a freezer of winter protein is spot on as well. Some hunters I know couldn't give a darn about the meat they harvest, and turn it into burger, sausage, etc. Others want everything they can get for edible portions to feed on. I don't "need" an elk, a couple deer, some turkeys to survive, but I darned sure feel much better eating that protein vs anything in the grocery store!

They are around.

Or they used to be..

lol

Like any sport that is done correctly, to get good at it requires practice. This is the internet. Our equipment has the potential to do the job, but i question how many shooters have practiced enough at 600 yards to consistently take animals in an ethical way. Based on what I see at rifle ranges etc I'd say if one percent of us did it that would be a lot.
I'm just getting into long range shooting, and I have top of the line equipment, but it would take a lot of practice to hit animal sized targets at 600 yards consistently. Especially when one considers shooting position, weather, wind, elevation and whether or not you have just run up a hill and are winded.
I just saw a long range hunting show on one of the outdoor channels and the guy hit his shots (6-800 Yards), but it took a committee. He had a guy with a range finder, another with the Kestrel thingy and a phone app to tell the shooter how to aim the shot. The shooting conditions were very good, no excessive wind, no snow or rain, and the shooter was able to get prone for a shot with no elevation. And the guy had obviously practiced a lot.
So yeah, less than 1% of you regularly shoot ethically at 600+ yards.

Here's a 500 yard target to give you an idea. Actually it is an F class 1,000 yard repair center, but has the same dimensions as the NRA 500 yard target. 10" 10 ring and 5" x ring:

At 500 yards, it's pretty easy to hit, even in the wind:



Even with an AR10:


Even in schidty conditions like this: Hit that ^^^^^^2" diameter steel plate at even 400 yards consistently and just about any shot becomes easy...

I could barely make out the target through the smoke.


That target is pretty fn big. The 600 yard target is even bigger.

I've always relied on the meat to cut my grocery bill. You might say I've always been a subsistence hunter. I raised my kids and fed myself primarily on game meat my whole adult life. I typically have 6-8 deer tags to fill in a season and I need to fill them in order to have enough red meat to get through to the next season. I don't have the time or inclination to pass up legal bucks waiting for a shot at a trophy. That is for rich folks who don't need the meat. Sure I have taken some nice bucks over the years but only because they happened to be the first legal bucks I came across that year. No I probably wouldn't starve if I didn't fill my freezers with game meat every year but I'd have a lot less money to spend on other things my family and I want and need.

I'd say that's about the norm BH. I don't believe I am too terribly different.

BSA1917, even if you hit your target at 5oo yards, you're gunna put holes in your pick-up.

That is definitely the "norm" where I hunt. Especially elk/bull hunting. 4% hunters success rate in the unit I hunt does not add confidence. So, if I see a spike I'll take him. Unless it's sucking off of mommas tit. That happened a couple years ago. The sob was so small I felt sorry for him and let him walk. Ended up eating tag soup that year. It's all about ethics guys. Either you have them or you don't.. But to say it's "unethical" to take a long shot, that is just total bullscheidt. Some guys can easily make long shots. One right after the other. Just how it is.

Ha ha.. Yeah, it's not a good backstop!!!