- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
That all comes back to ability which is different from person #1 to person #2 to person #3.
Does anyone hunt deer under 600 yards anymore?
- Thread starter Kudu
- Start date
That all comes back to ability which is different from person #1 to person #2 to person #3.
I would MUCH rather see a guy who has bought a “thousand yard right out of the box system” run a box of shells through it the week before the season at 800 yards then take a shot at a deer at a lazered 350 yards, than the guy who was at the range the week before running a box of shells through Ol Betsy at a hundred yard pie plate take the same 350 yard shot, after he guessed at holding “ohhh about that much over him”.
A buddy of mine (who isn’t a long range shooter, he falls into the “half box the night before a 20 day horse packing trip
to check zero and still have enough shells for the season”) and I took his boy out this last August the week before they headed into the mountains. His kid had a couple boxes of shells for his 270, and his folks wanted him to have a feel
for what 300 yards might look like. We hung a 10” plate at 400 and change and I took a couple pokes at a rock to see where impact was and after some convoluted descriptions on where he should hold over the plate he then went 8
for 10. His dad snuggled in and went 0 for 5.
We walked down to have a look, and found his scattered around the plate, and across the plate. Most of the shots would have likely resulted in a dead caribou or ram, but probably would have been one of those “he must’ve moved when I shot” hits.
Then for giggles, I yarded out the 223AI/Montana/75Amax/turrets and the 243AI/FauxTi/105Amax/turrets and explained the dope sheet, handed the kid the rf, and let him range the plate and dial in. He got pretty bored hitting the plate because it was “too easy” after maybe 10 rounds and then switched to rocks at variable distances.
Put his dad behind the 243AI. Same exact thing, with the exception of having a magpie land at about 475, that went to the big gutpile in the sky with one round.
Putting quality gear in peoples hands won’t turn them in slobs, and having limiting gear won’t turn slobs into conscientious sportsmen. People are going to be who they are. But putting stuff into peoples hands that makes success easier will absolutely encourage practice. And spent primers will definitely improve marksmanship and that will make the shots that people were going to take anyway much more likely to be successful.
Win win in my eyes.
A buddy of mine (who isn’t a long range shooter, he falls into the “half box the night before a 20 day horse packing trip
to check zero and still have enough shells for the season”) and I took his boy out this last August the week before they headed into the mountains. His kid had a couple boxes of shells for his 270, and his folks wanted him to have a feel
for what 300 yards might look like. We hung a 10” plate at 400 and change and I took a couple pokes at a rock to see where impact was and after some convoluted descriptions on where he should hold over the plate he then went 8
for 10. His dad snuggled in and went 0 for 5.
We walked down to have a look, and found his scattered around the plate, and across the plate. Most of the shots would have likely resulted in a dead caribou or ram, but probably would have been one of those “he must’ve moved when I shot” hits.
Then for giggles, I yarded out the 223AI/Montana/75Amax/turrets and the 243AI/FauxTi/105Amax/turrets and explained the dope sheet, handed the kid the rf, and let him range the plate and dial in. He got pretty bored hitting the plate because it was “too easy” after maybe 10 rounds and then switched to rocks at variable distances.
Put his dad behind the 243AI. Same exact thing, with the exception of having a magpie land at about 475, that went to the big gutpile in the sky with one round.
Putting quality gear in peoples hands won’t turn them in slobs, and having limiting gear won’t turn slobs into conscientious sportsmen. People are going to be who they are. But putting stuff into peoples hands that makes success easier will absolutely encourage practice. And spent primers will definitely improve marksmanship and that will make the shots that people were going to take anyway much more likely to be successful.
Win win in my eyes.
I don’t typically attempt a shot out past 300...not that I can’t make the shot as I consider myself self a pretty good shot at distance but more for the reasons that “anything “ can happen as we ALL miss from time to time. That being said, unless your on the plains of Sask... a bad shot placement and now you have a wounded animal running off into the bush and running the risk that it could disappear before you get to where it was....300yrds away. But, then again I can see where a longer shot could be safely taken, but I’m always in the woods so my distances are limited anyway.
rifleman762
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Why does everyone assume hunting means deer?I hunt a lot and haven’t pursued or shot a deer in a decade. In the mountains here, we’re primarily concerned with mountain goat, you bet 600 happens.
Very true. The closest I've heard of a goat being shot was 300 yards. And the hunter (my uncle) had just a few seconds to make the shot because it was already leaving view.
I hunt both Rocky Mountains (elk, sheep, bears) and southern AB prairie (deer and eventually antelope and elk if I can draw a tag). Both often deal you a 500 to 600 yard shooting distance, unlike the boreal forest in northern AB and the small lakes and swamps of northern BC that I used to hunt. I didn't even own a rangefinder until I moved down here.
With deer or antelope on the bald prairie and 3" tall grass...there really is a limit to how close you can get. Sometimes there's nothing but open country for 500 yards between you and the deer. That might be after belly crawling through a couple foot deep depression for a few hundred yards. And there's no motor vehicle access anywhere I hunt. I think it's pretty fair chase to walk over 10km per day and shoot an animal many km from the nearest road access.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Ability to some degree is a developed skill, my buddy that spends less time at the range isn’t a bad shot overall. He just doesn’t spend enough time shooting groups and honing his skills, he’s busy with a one year old and a full time job so I get it. The guys that spend time shooting throughout the year shoot better when the pressure is on in the hunting season, at least that’s my observation.
I shoot my hunting rifle a fair bit, I also enjoy target shooting. When it comes time to shoot at an animal I’m more than comfortable with my gear, it leaves me to concentrate on hitting my mark.
I entirely agree. If you have the skills, and believe that the shot is ethical, go ahead. However, some yahoos who have never shot at those distances, and have no clue about ballistics, will take a shot at a live animal at 500 yards, just because they own a super duper ultra magnum, and have seen a guy on tv take a shot from that distance.
How do you know this?
I have seen it being discussed on Facebook groups all too often.
