What range do you hunt to?

How far do you usually shoot when hunting?

  • 50yds-100yds

    Votes: 60 27.4%

  • 100yds to 150yds

    Votes: 33 15.1%

  • 150yds to 200yds

    Votes: 31 14.2%

  • 200yds to 250yds

    Votes: 9 4.1%

  • 250yds to 300yds

    Votes: 29 13.2%

  • 300yds plus

    Votes: 57 26.0%
  • Total voters
    219
kombi1976

kombi1976

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There is plenty of comment about shooting to 300yds and the like but I'm wondering how many people actually do shoot that far.
I'm not saying people don't but it would be interesting to see how far most people shoot on most hunts.
Basically, what is the furthest you shoot on regular occasions?
Let's see what the poll brings up, eh?
 
I only ever shot at ANY animal beyond 150 yards once, and that was a 600 yard shot with a .243 at a caribou. (I used a solid rest, laser rangefinder, and had plenty of practice with my drop compensating reticle) and it still took me 4 shots to hit the animal. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.....it was stupid, stupid, stupid. The animal dropped like a sack of hammers because I hit it in the neck and broke its spine, but that was pure luck if you ask me, no matter what technology I had on hand. I will never listen to my hunting buddies again. Its back to 100-200 yard shots max for me for life. I had a lapse in judgement, and truly believe that stalking skills are as important or more important in hunting than any long range skills you may aquire. I will leave the long range stuff to paper, and silouettes/gongs.
 
I shoot out to 1,000 regularly, but most of my hunting is done with irons so the range I set is 200 max - any farther than that and I cover too much of a deer with the front sight.

75% of my deer in over 40 years have been shot inside 100 yards as well.....
Cat
 
"75% of my deer in over 40 years have been shot inside 100 yards as well..... Cat"

+1, over the years most of the game I've knocked over has been at less than 100 yards.

Not to say I have not taken game at longer ranges, I just seem to either happen on them closer or I call them in.
 
kombi1976 said:
It would be good to hear from some of the 300+ boys to find out exactly where and what you need to shoot that far?
Click to expand...

From my own personal experience, hunting pronghorns on the prairies often requires 300+ yard shots. There is usually little or no cover, and those Speed Goats have excellent vision.
 
I have taken game (several) out to 400yrds.

I'll leave out the details so we can get a good "bash" going here......
 
300 + yds

I will take a shot that is 300 + yds if there is no choice. The furthest I have shot was 752 m. Now before you start throwing rocks... I laser every animal over 200 m. I shoot from a bi-pod whether prone or sitting. I won't take the shot unless I am sure of the set up and confident that I can. I carry my "up's" on a laminated card, and adjust my scope to the target distance. I fire custom rifles that I handload with the same dedication and precision as my competition guns. I shoot these rifles frequently at extended distances. I compete in F class matches, on a busy year I will fire 2000+ rounds (all in rifle). Wind reading is the other big thing when playing at the extended ranges, and the only way to get good at this is to put a lot of lead down range. I use a 338 Lapua and a 300 WSM for my long range hunting. I don"t go looking for the shot but in some places that I hunt in there is no cover and no chance of getting closer to the animal. In the 23 years since I started hunting the vast majority of the animals taken have been under 150 m, but I feel confident in my skills as a shooter that if presented with the "long" shot I have the ability to make it. Now I don't suggest that the average hunter who makes a box of shells last 3 years set out to do this but if you practise and use the right tools the ability to make the shot is there.

This is my opinin only. Don.
 
donp said:
I will take a shot that is 300 + yds if there is no choice. The furthest I have shot was 752 m. Now before you start throwing rocks... I laser every animal over 200 m. I shoot from a bi-pod whether prone or sitting. I won't take the shot unless I am sure of the set up and confident that I can. I carry my "up's" on a laminated card, and adjust my scope to the target distance. I fire custom rifles that I handload with the same dedication and precision as my competition guns. I shoot these rifles frequently at extended distances. I compete in F class matches, on a busy year I will fire 2000+ rounds (all in rifle). Wind reading is the other big thing when playing at the extended ranges, and the only way to get good at this is to put a lot of lead down range. I use a 338 Lapua and a 300 WSM for my long range hunting. I don"t go looking for the shot but in some places that I hunt in there is no cover and no chance of getting closer to the animal. In the 23 years since I started hunting the vast majority of the animals taken have been under 150 m, but I feel confident in my skills as a shooter that if presented with the "long" shot I have the ability to make it. Now I don't suggest that the average hunter who makes a box of shells last 3 years set out to do this but if you practise and use the right tools the ability to make the shot is there.

This is my opinin only. Don.
Click to expand...

For a guy like you, no rocks need to be thrown, now for someone like me.....
like I said, I learned my lesson. I do practice ALOT at 300 yards (max range at our shooting club) but hearing a gong at that distance doesn't tell me if it hit the pie plate area I was shooting at or the outer perimeter of the gong. So I am leaving the long distance stuff for fun shooting. I am well aware of my limitations, and plan on staying within them from now on.
 
A good percentage of our shots out here on the flat prairies start out at 300 or more. You can watch your dog run away for miles. Not uncommon to shoot 500 plus most times when you are after the big one.
Last year I was hunting with one of my hunting buddies and we had time to range a mulie doe@ 514 and it was a very nice one shot dead where she stood shot.I shot a deer @ 642 with my 257 weatherby mag a few years ago. That being said, I just dropped a nice doe yesterday @ about 30 yards, smacked her in the head through a hedge of trees. ;)
 
If you can get closer, get closer, if you can get lower, get lower. 300 yards is often touted as longest range at which the "average" hunter has a reasonable expectation of success. I'm not so sure, in fact I might question 200 yards. A good marksman knows his limitations if the range is unknown, the wind is blowing, and the target is moving. The "average" hunter may not be much of a marksman. The image in a 10X scope may tempt the inexperienced to take a shot that has little chance of success. While clearly not everyone should be painted with the same brush, I just wish more "average" hunters would get a bit more trigger time. Thus, they would be a step above average.
 
I am comfortable at the higher ranges but again this year I set an all time record. In the last six seasons my longest shot with my .308 has been about 60 - 70 yards. This year I shot my buck at an amazing 20 feet, it stood there looking at me for three minutes while I tried to get my scope to focus, in the end the Darwin principle took effect and I terminated the less smart buck as he was too ignorant to leave. He did not have a huge rack but he could no longer survive.
 
I've shot deer at 15 yards, and moose at 475+....if you have enough practice, enough experience, and enough skill.....and if you shoot enough gun (300 ultra is my choice), there's no reason not to...it all comes down to ability. Over the years I've hunted with guys that couldn't hit a pie plate at 75 yards, and I've hunted with guys that could hit a gallon jug of water at 500 off-hand.....I'd much rather have the latter than the former :)
 
average for big game is probably 75, farthest was around 175. 2 deer this year, at approx 50 and 75 yards.

i practice a lot of offhand shooting at 100 and with a field type rest at 200-250. i've never had much problem with deer (or elk for that matter), but i have missed a lot of coyotes at all ranges from 20 to 400 yards.
 
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