Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Survey, I have killed most of my deer/elk UNDER xxx yards .......

Under 200. Longest was 360, none of the rest have been over 210.

One at 250, the rest under 100.

BMT

Hmmm?

Looks like the .30-30 is what most of us need to carry.
OK, maybe .35 Rem.

Oh, under 50yds.

Under 100. For those deer killed while hunting maybe 3-4 of those were over 150. For the last 10 years I don't think I've killed a deer further than 30 yards - of course I quit shooting them with anything but a bow.

Deer under 200

Elk under 60

Kent

100% of elk at under 50 yards though the first one took a second shot at 75 yards it wasn't needed, only one deer over 50 yards - that one was 565 yards, and big enough to have been worth the effort of learning to shoot long distances and packing a 300 Wby on all those other days.

30 yards on my only Mountain Lion. Less than 50 for bear too.

I have seen some huge Mule deer over the years and they were all well inside of 100 yards.

WOW, I was expecting to see more posts of further ranges, but not surprised how many hunters who posted are averaging shorter ranges more often than LONG Range kills.

Which does beg the question - just how much cartridge and scope does one truly 'NEED' for a majority of situations. Alas, when does need have to do w/anything! Lol.

It confirms that a man w/an accurate modest powered rifle, and scope, using good bullets and shooting technique, threading said bullets thru vitals will be successful more often than not.

No doubt success is where 'preparedness meets opportunity' so when the occasion arises, a rifle w/reach and perhaps turrets like CDS or a ranging reticle will come in play.

To the poster above who asked why he uses a 7 mag, I answered that myself when my first deer kill 25 yrs ago, was at 30 yds, and I DESTROYED the shoulders w/a 145 BTSP atop Rocket Fuel

Sold it, went 243, and since many others all in the name of 'research' - Lol. They all worked when I did my part, no matter rifle or scope, I was successful, a few times when not, my gear was not the culprit.

Suffice to say, most folks here invest in range time which pays dividends in the field.

Wishing all a safe n successful hunting season!

200Yrds..

Hogs too

Snake

Hogs are entirely different story. I've shot hogs at 400+ yards, herd shots as well. If they get wounded and crawl off and die 2 days later so be it. Would never attempt that with a game animal but hogs aren't a game animal.

In fact I built a .300 win mag just to see how many pigs at 300+ yards you could shoot thru with 1 shot.

My longest shot on a deer was in Alabama 100yds. All my other deer have been killed in North west Florida between 15-40 yds.

358win

Most of the deer I have killed were shot at well under 100 yards......on average probably under 25 yards. That's mainly because of the hunting methods I prefer, not because I couldn't shoot at longer ranges if I wished.

I like to enter the thickest, nastiest tangles I can find and "ambush" them where they feel comfortable. Because of this I have killed many at "how-do-you-do" ranges that can be measured in feet rather than yards.

One of my favorite guns is a Ruger 44 Carbine that is perfect for such quick, close range shooting. However, there is always the chance that a really good deer will be seen at longer range while going to or from my chosen hunting spot....and this has happened more than once. For this reason I most often carry a rifle with a bit more range than the .44 Magnum.....just in case.

Most of my longer range (200 yards+) shots have occured just like this.....not planned but just what was presented. My longest shot was just short of 500 yards. That's why I most often choose a rifle that has the ability to reach out a bit.....not because I feel the "need" for a long range shot, but "just in case". That's also why I most often choose a larger bore rifle than some do.....not because I don't think a .243-.257 caliber rifle won't do the job 95% of the time, but because of that 5% where something bigger is really needed.

My longest "planned" shot was at 355 yards on a buck that I'd hunted for 4 years. I had this buck totally figured out and "knew" where he would pass each morning just at daylight along a creek bottom. The problem was that he used 3 different trails....with no logical pattern as to which exact trail he would use on a particular morning.

I spent so many mornings watching the "wrong" trail that I finally gave in and changed tactics. There was ONE spot on a high-line right-of-way that I could see all three trails...but the problem was that the exact spot I could see all the trails at once was such that I would have to take shots of 225, 285 or 355 yards.....and wouldn't you know the longest shot was the one I got that morning.

Because I "knew" this might happen, I had the right rifle for the job (and had previously measured the distance) and made the shot. By preference I would have been set up 25 yards from that crossing, but sometimes you don't get what you prefer. Most of my longer shots were not so "planned" but were unexpected.

That's why I almost always carry a rifle capable of a 300 yard+ shot. Much as love my close range "thumpers", they just aren't the right gun for "general" hunting.....too limited in range. If every shot were "planned" I could probably use a spear....but that doesn't always happen in the "real" world.

Out of 30 + deer, All except one under 90 yards, the other one was at 110. All except 2 under 60 yards, and one at one yard.

Did you get splash back from the 1 yard deer?

Serious question, that is really close!

BMT

most killed between 75 and 150 yds. last two have been 40 and 80 yd shots

Most under 200 for me. My 3 best were under 150 though.

Weird story on the one yard deer. I was in a very thick cedar swamp just south of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, watching a intersection of two runways. A long shot here would have been 8-10 yards, due to visibility. I was tucked into a cedar and carrying my 12 ga. 870. I had a doe tag, but didn't want to use it just then, but a doe came limping up the runway, with her front leg dangling from her knee. I decided to finish her, so I shot a load of 3" 00 buck through her ribs and watched the hole get formed. There was some minor splashback. She hit the tree on the other side of the runway on her way down, so I put the shotgun down. Then she tried to get back up, so I shot her through the neck with a .357. She tried to get up and fell finally. I learned a couple things that day. 1) An adrenaline charged deer is remarkably tenacious of life. 2) a .357 HP may not expand at all. 3) If you dont hit the spine, a neck shot may not be decisive. and 4) 00 Buck is messy. The drag out sucked, too.

I can ony think of a couple deer that I have killed at ranges past 75 yards.
Most of my hunting is done in swamps, or along the creeks that feed or drain them. Where I hunt in Florida and Georgia, it is heavy cover, and short ranges.

Under 300 yards, and some at 3 yards.

Gunner

Yep!

Elk, under 100yds.
Deer, under 150yds.