How do you feel about archery hunters taking shots at animals beyond 30 yards?
Scared of long range shots... Am I hunting wrong lol :(
- Thread starter Megaclocker
- Start date
How do you feel about archery hunters taking shots at animals beyond 30 yards?
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Bottom line is if you are scared to take a long shot , through bush at long range or even a close shot that does not present a good sight picture....... DON’T take it!
no harm no foul and it does not make you any less of anything .
hunting is not a contest or a measure of how big a man one is - or it shouldn’t Be
Cat
no harm no foul and it does not make you any less of anything .
hunting is not a contest or a measure of how big a man one is - or it shouldn’t Be
Cat
Last edited:
powdermaker
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saskatchewan
The exact same.
Darn, I was hoping you’d fall into that trap.
To answer your question, I only take the shot if conditions are near perfect and the animal is relaxed. In the few seconds it takes to dial in my scope the animal likely hasn’t moved at all, or if it has its only taken a couple of steps, in which case no more adjustments would be needed anyways.
Anything over 300 yds
All interesting posts. Human nature is at play with the thoughts of 'if I don't/can't do' it then it is unethical has been played out endlessly here and on other forums when the subject comes up.
So it goes like this, decades ago the rifle was sighted in for 3" high at 100 yards, a long shot in the field was 300 hundred yards, but the majority of shots/kills came at 150 yards average. Didn't have to pass on too many animals because of long / unknown ranges. Practice was the sight in , annually, then offhand shooting at rocks and things at varying distances but usually not more than 200 hundred yards.
This worked great, my rifle would put 3 shots into 1.5" at 100 yards, bagged a lot of animals. This seemed the standard and probably still so.
With the availability of 1000 and 1500 yard ranges in my area, an opportunity became realized, not stuck to 200 or 300 yards anymore.
Quickly found out with the 1970's tools I was using did not make the grade, Rem 700 BDL, 6x Leupold scope, handloads that went bang! The standard of the day for any savvy hunter....and a 7mag to boot, cutting edge in all respects.
Practicing at long range at first was very frustrating as hits were not coming like on TV.
Undeterred, things began to change. First 1000 yard competition taught me my handloads sucked, no small effort in expense and education fixed that.
Next was the scopes I was using did not dial correctly so you were always working with a fudge factor and even then they were not always linear in adjustment, some expensive scopes would not hold zero enough for small groups at distance,
next thing is the patterns of the 5 and 10 shot groups, tracked that down to bedding the barreled action in the stock.
Still in progress here, the things I am working on now is environmental factors, wind is big, as is mirage and available lighting.
At the range there is an IPSC target (steel T-shirt) set up at 1160 yards, the idea here is a first round of the day hit on that target. It has only happened once, second round hits are more reliable, but not good enough. Once your 'on the wind' then this target can be connected 9/10 times (in relatively quick succession) being my best ,as wind twitches around....mountainous terrain.
My primary hunting tool is a Sako 30-06, using 200gn NAB's at 2690 ft/s, zeroed at 219 yards. Scope is a SWFA 6x Moa /Quad.
This set up is reliable to at least 540 yards in the field.
Conditions would have to be perfect to go beyond that with any rifle, considering my personal skill level as of today.
Shooting at 1000+ yards brings a lot of humility with it.
So it goes like this, decades ago the rifle was sighted in for 3" high at 100 yards, a long shot in the field was 300 hundred yards, but the majority of shots/kills came at 150 yards average. Didn't have to pass on too many animals because of long / unknown ranges. Practice was the sight in , annually, then offhand shooting at rocks and things at varying distances but usually not more than 200 hundred yards.
This worked great, my rifle would put 3 shots into 1.5" at 100 yards, bagged a lot of animals. This seemed the standard and probably still so.
With the availability of 1000 and 1500 yard ranges in my area, an opportunity became realized, not stuck to 200 or 300 yards anymore.
Quickly found out with the 1970's tools I was using did not make the grade, Rem 700 BDL, 6x Leupold scope, handloads that went bang! The standard of the day for any savvy hunter....and a 7mag to boot, cutting edge in all respects.
Practicing at long range at first was very frustrating as hits were not coming like on TV.
Undeterred, things began to change. First 1000 yard competition taught me my handloads sucked, no small effort in expense and education fixed that.
Next was the scopes I was using did not dial correctly so you were always working with a fudge factor and even then they were not always linear in adjustment, some expensive scopes would not hold zero enough for small groups at distance,
next thing is the patterns of the 5 and 10 shot groups, tracked that down to bedding the barreled action in the stock.
Still in progress here, the things I am working on now is environmental factors, wind is big, as is mirage and available lighting.
At the range there is an IPSC target (steel T-shirt) set up at 1160 yards, the idea here is a first round of the day hit on that target. It has only happened once, second round hits are more reliable, but not good enough. Once your 'on the wind' then this target can be connected 9/10 times (in relatively quick succession) being my best ,as wind twitches around....mountainous terrain.
My primary hunting tool is a Sako 30-06, using 200gn NAB's at 2690 ft/s, zeroed at 219 yards. Scope is a SWFA 6x Moa /Quad.
This set up is reliable to at least 540 yards in the field.
Conditions would have to be perfect to go beyond that with any rifle, considering my personal skill level as of today.
Shooting at 1000+ yards brings a lot of humility with it.
Still alive
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rainy mosquito infested part of BC
OP, you pose an excellent and ethical question. As just about everyone has said, being confident at LR involves substantial proper practice, knowing your ammo and controlling your nerves. To get confident requires multiple good hits on live game at that range. Shooting paper well with a bipod at a range can only take you so far. But it becomes a Catch 22 situation. How do you get confident if you don’t do it, and if you don’t make consistent good hits, how can you get confident?
If you’re a subsistence hunter and need to take game out at LR, then you’ll have to put in the effort and maybe upgrade your scope. The X-Bolt is a good enough rifle. If you’re hunting just to top up your freezer, then stick to your comfortable distances. Less stress for you and better for the animal.
If you’re a subsistence hunter and need to take game out at LR, then you’ll have to put in the effort and maybe upgrade your scope. The X-Bolt is a good enough rifle. If you’re hunting just to top up your freezer, then stick to your comfortable distances. Less stress for you and better for the animal.
Cameron SS
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ground Zero
Personally I would never take a shot in the field that I hadn't practiced many times on the range.
When doing the mental math to calculate a hold, and then squeeze the trigger, doubt in the mind is as deadly as cancer. Confidence comes from practice and achieving the necessary degree of performance on demand.
In theory, you should be able to take your gun out of the box, range a random distance, do the math, fire a cold bore shot and hit the target. When you know you can do that 10/10, you should be more than confident to take a comparable shot in the field.
Many hunters only shoot from the bench at the range, with a robust rest, and then in the field shoot off hand or off improvised supports.
Hunting is just a one way firefight. Train the way you fight. IF you shoot off your bag on a hunt, shoot of your bag at the range, etc etc.
I don't have nearly as much experience hunting as I do shooting, and personally I commend you for not taking a shot that you didn't think you could make. It may seem obvious, but I hear way too many stories from presumably experienced hunters that go the other way.
3MOA @ 300 is pretty rough. I'd expect any decent hunting rifle to hold at least less than 2 MOA. Something isn't right there. Mass produced factory ammo is intended for the general audience of hunters who are satisfied with minute of paper at 100 yards. If you are going to want to reach out on the ammo, reach deeper into your pocket and get better ammo.
Lastly, money spend on more scope is money well spent.
When doing the mental math to calculate a hold, and then squeeze the trigger, doubt in the mind is as deadly as cancer. Confidence comes from practice and achieving the necessary degree of performance on demand.
In theory, you should be able to take your gun out of the box, range a random distance, do the math, fire a cold bore shot and hit the target. When you know you can do that 10/10, you should be more than confident to take a comparable shot in the field.
Many hunters only shoot from the bench at the range, with a robust rest, and then in the field shoot off hand or off improvised supports.
Hunting is just a one way firefight. Train the way you fight. IF you shoot off your bag on a hunt, shoot of your bag at the range, etc etc.
I don't have nearly as much experience hunting as I do shooting, and personally I commend you for not taking a shot that you didn't think you could make. It may seem obvious, but I hear way too many stories from presumably experienced hunters that go the other way.
3MOA @ 300 is pretty rough. I'd expect any decent hunting rifle to hold at least less than 2 MOA. Something isn't right there. Mass produced factory ammo is intended for the general audience of hunters who are satisfied with minute of paper at 100 yards. If you are going to want to reach out on the ammo, reach deeper into your pocket and get better ammo.
Lastly, money spend on more scope is money well spent.
Speaking for myself: 300 is the farthest I can reliably judge distance by eye, not rangefinder. It's also the farthest I can normally shoot and still aim at hair, not air. Once you exceed 300 yards accurately judging distance becomes much more difficult, while at the same time accurate estimation is more critical because the bullet drop becomes more extreme. Rangefinders solve most of those issues, I just don't happen to carry one.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
I regularly shoot out to 1K although I no longer compete, and I shoot match rifles at distances from 600 to 1,000.
My hunting rifle however is zeroed at 200 and is 10.9" low at 300, and train regularly from 300 inside from the positions I would use when hunting.
Anything inside 300 is dead and i make a point of making sure I do not try and shoot past 300 with my hunting rifle.
Cat
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
You can't guarantee that the animal is not going to move a few inches or a foot or more- it's why I quit long range deer hunting 10 years ago or more.
Cat
powdermaker
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Perhaps off topic but I'm going to reply anyway.......I don't hunt much with archery equipment but the same ethics apply. I have good friend who was on the Canadian archery team. His normal distance to practice is 80 meters. However, none of the over 30 deer, he has arrowed have been more than 20 meters. Perhaps I have made my point, perhaps not? Some people enjoy hunting , others enjoy shooting. While they are not mutually exclusive, they are quite a bit different in the skill sets involved. I know there are guys out there who have paid their dues and practiced until they are competent at long distance. However, there are many who want to emulate those that can....hence the 6.5 mm bullet in the butt of the cow elk I was skinning on Monday.
Thanks for your thoughtful, measured response. I definitely see your points as to what works for you.
Well said, Brad. Great post. Closely mirrors my experience over the last several years and my thoughts on the subject as well. (Except for that MOA garbage.
) Well put Sir.
Cameron SS
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ground Zero
You don't MAKE them hold still. They either do, or they don't. Animals that hold still long enough to get shot dont get to have off spring.
Animals that are skiddish enough to sense danger and move along before I get my shot get live and breed another day.
Its only a sport if there's a chance you could lose.
Riddle me this batman. If you are at 300, how do YOU make the animal hold still while you pick up and walk it in to the 100m berm for a nice close up shot? Or do you make him walk over closer to you?
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
for a bullet with a 140 grain 6.5 bullet or a 225 grain 338 bullet both leaving the muzzle at right around 3,000 FPS time of flight to 1,000 yards is somewhere very close to 1.5 seconds and an animal can make a very large distance by moving one or two steps in that time turning a kill shot into a miss or worse- just saying
BTW TOF for a 300 yard shot is about .33 of a second
Cat
BTW TOF for a 300 yard shot is about .33 of a second
Cat
NorthernCX
CGN Regular
- Location
- In My House
Practice, test, and practice! Buy a box of every different ammo you can get your hands on, at bullet weights at or near what is appropriate for what you're hunting, and practice. It is an almost certainty that the ammo your using might be good enough for those close range shots, but I would nearly guarantee that as range increases, your rifle will show a marked preference for a particular brand and bullet weight. Find what it likes most, and spend time at the range at as long a distance as you can- shoot at 400 to get confident at 300. If you can find or set up someplace to shoot longer, do that to increase the range you ARE comfortable with.
A miss at 600 yards on a range is not a big deal- but hopefully you learn something from it and make improvements, and if you are hitting a pie plate at 600 be confident at a 400 yard shot. Know your gun, your ammo and yourself
Practice!
A miss at 600 yards on a range is not a big deal- but hopefully you learn something from it and make improvements, and if you are hitting a pie plate at 600 be confident at a 400 yard shot. Know your gun, your ammo and yourself
Practice!
