Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Average Range Of Shots On Deer

I have a very limited space in which I can take deer, so my last 3 or 4 have been under 50yds, and all with muzzleloader. I think my last turkey was taken at a greater distance than my last deer.

Been huntin whitetail for close to 40yrs in NorthCentral PA and say that the average has been 80yds. I've killed em as close as 5' and as far as 680yds. The most fun has been shootin em out of the outhouse.

As a young teen I always ended up walking back to camp about 2hrs into the day when the coffee and breakfast had a chance to work through my gut. As I sat there on the throne doing my business a nice 10pt ran by the open door not 25yds away. Made hast trying to get my pants up and grab my rifle. By the time I got out the door the buck had cleared about 250 yds. crossed a road and headed down a steep creek bed into some thick sage. Needless to say I never got a shot off, but from that point forward I sat on the throne, door open, and my loaded 760 across my lap.

The following year several does made their way down the slope past my field of vision. I suddenly forgot about the urge to relieve myself, quickly was off the seat and through the door. Steadied my crosshair on the lead doe and started blasting. Dropped two of them before realizing that wasn't the only thing that was dropped. My pants still around my ankles standing in a foot of snow with roaring laughter coming from my pop and younger brother.

I asked em what was so damm funny as I just filled my tags but they continued to mock me with their laughter. Since that episode, everyone that used that outhouse was armed while doing their business. It has proved to be one of the finer hunting spots in all of Potter County.

SD

Great story

Don't keep records... but I have read years ago, that 90% of most game is taken at under 100 yds and 99% is taken under 200 yds...

just for me personally, that seems to be spot on.. yeah I've taken deer at 300 yds or so, but only when an opportunity presented itself and I was confident in the shot... and I have definitely missed more of those shots ( even if barely) than those that connected...

out west here tho, shooting varmints in the spring and summer has upped my marksmanship significantly.. 5,000 plus rounds on small moving targets, sure tunes up your shooting coordination..

Before most of the best areas got sold off for Yankees and Floridiots to build summer homes on, groundhog hunting was a primary training ground for riflemen.

I have never seen anything that comes close to honing your skill with a rifle to a fine edge than chasing pasture poodles all summer.

If your "average" shot at a deer is 300 yards you (a) have not hunted much , or (b)could not sneak up on a glass of water.

Based on what I saw on one of the LR hunting programs on tv over the weekend, you are spot on.

Not only could they not shoot worth a damn (gut shot an elk pretty as you please at 800 + yards) they didn't seem to have the first clue about how to hunt anything.

hillbilly I am amused when someone takes a 1200 yard shot and says they could not get closer than 6/10 ths of a mile.

Tough one to swallow.

Me too.

On the show I saw it would have been really simple to ease down to a little bench of land that was about 400-500 yards below where their truck was parked and have a much better 300-400 yard shot on the elk.

Closest was 20 yards, farthest was 185 yards, Hunt in the Northern area of Michigan's lower Pennisular. Most typical shots are around 85 to 100 yards.

Whitetails in Texas 10 feet-185 yards, average maybe 50 yards.

Pronghorns in Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming 150 yards-280 yards average 200 yards.

I included the pronghorn numbers as some one mentioned open country hunting.

It doesn't get anymore open country than the pronghorn hunting in NM and WY.

The 200 yard average conforms, at least to my mind, that most of the LR hunting stuff is either purposely done or as Bob suggested done by people who can't sneak up on a glass of water.

I agree most is, in fact I have a hunting buddy that won't shoot at goats under 500 yards. I don't care for hunting like that as I like to stalk closer so we usually split up while antelope hunting.

To each their own, but its funny we never have to search for my goats.

I don't understand the 500 yard minimum either. I like to get as close as possible before taking the shot.


What kind of rifles/calibers does your buddy use?

I would say my average is about 10 yards. My longest was 35 yards but most are under 18 yards. Too much can go wrong (like jumping the string) as distance increases.