Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Long range "hunting". What say you?

HA! Well, lets just say a paper plate at 100...

Two types of "long range hunting" I have enjoyed a lot:

Spotting game from long distance - usually from a hillside or edge of ridge with the sun at my back - and quietly/carefully working much closer so that I can make a very sure shot.

Helping a relative, who had waited and waited for enough points to get an out of state bull elk tag in so/central CO, who had never been there, and did not have very much time to scout it. With home computer, pulled up many and various topo views of the unit to figure out best possibilities; when he got there talked to him via his sat phone and worked together to locate water and elk access patterns; sorted out best places to be at what time of day, and said "good luck". On early morning of day three he nailed a big bull at the place we decided was most likely. Seeking from 350 miles distant - long range.

Long range to me is 300 yds if a man can hit something past that the more power I have no quarrels

Dammit, a thread like this on a Monday, and I usually don’t have time through the week.
I ain’t got time to read 6 pages, so I’ll stick to my own experiences.
The vast majority of my shots in the last few years have been inside of 100 yards, maybe a few out to 200, but not many.
This is mainly because the territory where I hunt, once open farm land, is being swallowed up by brush.
There’s trails running through most of it, so if I’m not seeing something after a couple or three hours, I walk the trails and usually find one that way.
Back 25 years ago, I could see and shoot out to 6 or 7 hundred yards, and I’ve killed a few at 600 yards plus with my 7mm Rem Mag and an ought six.
The last time I did this was quite a while back. I shot a big doe way down in the hollow, 650 or so yards.
I went down there and gutted it out, put on the rope and started up the hill.
Till I got up there some 45 minutes later, I’m soaked in sweat and outta breath.
My brother was standing there leaning on a tree.
“You could come give a fellow a hand, you know” I said.
His reply was “Phuq you. I know better then to shoot them down there. Now you do too”!
He was right, and I’ve learned to consider the consequences of my actions before I squeeze the trigger.
When you gotta hump them out with nothing but a rope and your own muscle, you tend to start getting picky about where and when you shoot.
Once they’re on the ground they’re nothing but dead weight!
7mm

I hunted coyotes at night with one dumb fuqk who was getting all upset over the fact I was shooting them in the head at night. I told him dead is dead this is a contest hunt and I don't want to spend all night looking for dead animals besides we're in my rig how would you like to grab you're chit walk home? Last time I hunted with that jack ass.

I refuse to take any shot under 400 yards. If I accidentally stumble into an animal closer than that, I'll sneak back until I'm at least that far away.

Whenever the folks start talking "should" or "shouldn't" they eventually bring in the government and get a lot more negative than they ever expected.

Let's let the individual hunters decide their own distance based on their own practice or lack there of and keep the government type people out of our sport.

By the way, what's up with the "fair chase" foolishness. Big game doesn't have a "fair chase" chance against almost any centerfire rifle round. So, you "fair chase" guys get back to throwing a spear and leave us modern hunters alone.

I was wondering if anyone was dedicated enough to his craft to do that. A lot of times it seems like we're into the "Standing Up In A Canoe" syndrome.

It's an opinion by someone that doesn't hunt but would rather be shot in the heart by a bullet than an arrow, ya know, if I had to make the decision for some odd reason.

Quit with logic, assumptions are more exciting! Just scouted deer, and fished smallmouth on the John Day, you would have enjoyed the river!

If the folks involved practice the type of shots i have no problem.

I learned to wind after moving out here 40 or so years ago but keep my shots around 300 max.

Can shoot at longer ranges but mostly shooting at coyotes.

I don't see the fascination in either long range , hunting or shooting.
As a hunter , I was taught to " stick the barrel up its ass".
I am a sheep hunter , a westerner and prone to look at great distances to find game. Finding a ram , means also means a way to make a good play on it.
I practice shooting positions, but shooting on a steep slope, when you are winded is a special challenge.
Best to get as close as you can...I don't know how this is arguable

I think every guy on here knows his limits.
Will they follow their skill set or try to prove they can shoot long range?
Also bench shooting vs in the field are two very different things.

If some guy can shoot consistently moa to 1000 yards and the bullet still has enough velocity and energy to the job. Who am I to tell that guy how to shoot.

I have friends with 5-25 x scopes that I outshoot, and I’m sure they would take that long a*s shot because they are so far zoomed in that they think they can. False hope!

Interesting.

I checked my saved trajactory charts -

30-06, 180AB, 575 yards in 0.75 seconds.
7mmMag, 160AB, 625 yards in 0.75 seconds.

To put this in perspective.

Another angle to consider is that with equipment capable of shooting further and further out, more critters are being killed, potentially. This is aside from the ethics issue and the fact that more people are out there hunting (out west at least).

That means F&G has to reduce harvest for some critters such as mule deer in other ways. Shorter seasons, seasons outside of the rut and the biggest one…fewer and fewer tags.

The hot topic these days is that it is becoming tough to get tags (most especially for mule deer, sheep and the like), so would you all support regs limiting high tech equipment or shot distances if it meant having more tags available?

I don't know why being concerned with other's actions is anything but jealousy.

Democrat types want to force their opinions on others. Conservatives want to be left alone.

The hard and fast limits are strange. A lot of self imposed 300 yard limits.

What if it’s 303 yards, you all pass every time?

Did you post any pics in the fishing forum?

I'm still trying to find someone who knows where the smallmouth are around here.

I can't help with the logic. I have this recurring vision of a nun standing over me with a pointer ready to swing away should I forget it.

All long rangers should spend a lot of time on prairie dogs with their hunting rifles

Hell yeah!

Make them all get within 100 yards if it means I have a better chance at a tag, especially a rifle tag where I live!