Range to shoot a deer

What is YOUR maximum comfortable distance to (standing, unsupported) shoot a deer?

  • 75 yards

    Votes: 19 7.4%

  • 100 yards

    Votes: 59 22.9%

  • 125 yards

    Votes: 19 7.4%

  • 150 yards

    Votes: 47 18.2%

  • 175 yards

    Votes: 10 3.9%

  • 200 yards

    Votes: 53 20.5%

  • 225 yards

    Votes: 7 2.7%

  • 250 yards

    Votes: 10 3.9%

  • 300 yards

    Votes: 21 8.1%

  • 350 yards or greater

    Votes: 13 5.0%
  • Total voters
    258
Well, as predominately a non-scope hunter, I said 150 yards. That's a long shot off hand. I wonder how many who answered longer ranges, really actually practice offhand at those distances.
Down at the range, I see a lot of folks shooting from the bench, or maybe shooting 100 yards offhand.
Not saying it can't be done, but, it should be practiced.
PFGA is constructing a nice 300 yard range right now. Should be fun.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Well, as predominately a non-scope hunter, I said 150 yards. That's a long shot off hand. I wonder how many who answered longer ranges, really actually practice offhand at those distances.
Down at the range, I see a lot of folks shooting from the bench, or maybe shooting 100 yards offhand.
Not saying it can't be done, but, it should be practiced.
PFGA is constructing a nice 300 yard range right now. Should be fun.
Click to expand...

I shoot at out 300m steel critters offhand regularly. Now, I don't always hit them, but I can consistantly hit our 200m steel hence why I am confident out to about 250m. But I too use a rest where possible.
 
Boy, there are some good off hand shooters here. Personally, 100 yds is about my max. distance. I hunt the bush most of the time and most of the time there is no time and one makes to much movement to try find a rest. The vast majority of my off hand shots have been 50 yds or less. I have made a shot or two further out but I don't think I have shot but one animal over 200 yds.
 
I'm famous amongst my friends for missing a whitetail 3x running starting at around 40 yards.
Then the deer had the nerve to stop about 250 yards out.
Missed that too but killed a nice poplar!:D

I picked up a Walther 22 this winter to practise offhand. Surprisingly I'm getting a little better.:eek:

Pickles
 
It all depends on how much you shoot and I shoot a lot but not near what I used to shoot though...

Many of the folks that I hear tell of the amazing shots they took/take hardly ever pick up let alone shoot a rifle.

Myself I am getting older and do not shoot as much as I used too plus my vision is starting to deteriate... Which is a major pain in the *ss...

With that said I don't have a problem shooting off hand @ 200 yards. I just shot a wolf thru the heart @ 220 yards with my 22-250 with 60gr Sierra Varminter HP's ok I was sitting on my *ss in 3' of snow my butt was soaked and my back was sticking to the snow.

I was leaning my elbows on my knees and when the wolf that was walking very fast over uneven ground was perfectly broad side to me I shot it...

No big deal if I couldn't have gotten a rest I would have shot it free hand I mean guys it was only 220 yards away...

The answer to those that are judging the abilities of others that can shoot a lot better than them should get off their *ss's and get out and shoot so that taking an of hand shot at a deer @ 200 yards or more isn't a big deal...

I will take a rest everytime if it is available but in many cases like one time when Dave204 and I where going after a running coyote at 300 yards

All we had time to do was figure out it's zigging and zagging plus the lead distance so the coyote would run into the shot and your standing in the middle of range land.

I won't tell you which one of us got the first shot off... :)

Some people like myself can be outshot from a rest constantly by others but then again I learnt how to shoot at running gophers and coyotes.

Dave204 for instance can out shoot me every time from a bench but I can out shot him when it comes to shooting free hand...

With all that said I'll finish with some Web shooters actually can do what they say and they are actually being conservative in admitting they capabilities...
 
Camp Cook said:
With all that said I'll finish with some Web shooters actually can do what they say and they are actually being conservative in admitting they capabilities...
Click to expand...

There may be a few...a very few that can pull off the long shots freehand but at last count 68 people said they were confident of hitting a deer @ 200 yards or more shooting freehand..key word...hitting a deer..not the vitals but hitting a deer.

How many of these deer were wounded and lost?

Come on now be honest..think about it..

I still think a lot of you guys are bull####ing or are slob hunters..

Yes 30 years ago I thought I was king#### and I gut shot a trophy mulie buck @ a long range...short story,I tracked it till the tracks ran out on a shale slide.I wanted to puke..That day I swore that I would never pull the trigger unless I was sure of a kill.

Some years I had unused tags but that's ok.with me..
 
win70 said:
There may be a few...a very few that can pull off the long shots freehand but at last count 68 people said they were confident of hitting a deer @ 200 yards or more shooting freehand..key word...hitting a deer..not the vitals but hitting a deer.


How many of these deer were wounded and lost?

Come on now be honest..think about it..

I still think a lot of you guys are bulls**ting or are slob hunters..

Yes 30 years ago I thought I was kings**t and I gut shot a trophy mulie buck @ a long range...short story,I tracked it till the tracks ran out on a shale slide.I wanted to puke..That day I swore that I would never pull the trigger unless I was sure of a kill.
Click to expand...

See, the difference between you thinking your king####, and others claim to be capable of shooting beyone 200 yards is trigger time...
You assume its all BS, But like camp cook said, there are some that are being very conservative...
Because your incapable of hitting a pocket of air at 200 yards offhand doesnt mean others arent...
And had you had better tracking skills to boot, you likely wouldnt have lost that big mulie...
I see two issues with your justification... you couldnt track an animal when you were king####, and you couldnt shoot either... SO I understand why you wouldnt shoot farther...
Because you cant, doesnt mean others are in the same boat.
 
Although I have not had the chance for long distance shots with a rifle. I have consistantly brought down deer with the 12ga around 100 yards. Considering my bench shooting, I am confident that I could bag a deer at 150 with a rifle. My confidence would errode with the increase of distance between me and my target. Again, depending what caliber I was shooting, I would probably limit myself at 200-250 yards free hand.

If I had a 30-06, that distance would increase to about 800 yards!:rockOn:


:popCorn:
 
win70 how much do you shoot?

I personally started shooting when I was a very young kid and firearms and shooting them has become probably the most important time consuming aspect of my life...

I shoot at least 3000 to 4000 rifle rounds not including 22lr and now my 17HMR per year or the 5000 to 10,000 handgun rounds I shoot each year. When I was younger I shot more than double that which is why in my earlier statement I stated that I don't shoot as good as I used too.

My next comment is if there are board members here that are not members of a gun club get out and join one and if you are don't just go out there a week or 2 before hunting season. Get out there and become familiar with your firearm. Take up reloading so you can afford to shoot far more for the same amount of money.

I see to many people come out to the club shoot several rounds or the big spenders shoot up a whole box of 20... then state "thats good enough" and their shoots are scattered all over the target @ only 100 yards and they were shooting from the bench.

They then head off into the hills and wound animals...

win70 I am glad to hear that you learnt from that poorly placed shot you made and that you now limit yourself to your self imposed distance. If more people would at least learn what distance they can't/shouldn't shoot beyond would make all of us here happier...

Due to the amount of shooting I do my self imposed distance in good conditions is much further than your's, in poor conditions it may be the same as your's though every situation is different and you personally have to know if you can make the shot or not...

and if you can't make the shot put the well being of the animal ahead of your own personal agenda and don't take it...
 
Just my personal choice
ML-80to 100yds MAX
Bow/X-bow-30yds Max
Rifle-80-100Max

all free hand I'm assuming, and if I have to pass up deer which I have in the passed do to my limited shooting skills then so be it.
 
I am confident to 200 yards or maybe a tad longer off hand shooting at a standing animal in an open area. Assuming conditions are good.. ie wind light conditions etc. I have made direct kills on animals at this distance that being said I have also made what I consider to be poor kills and shots from this distance and so I try to avoid that situation.... and look for a good rest when available. Something like..... well the truck window I guess. :D

Scott :canadaFlag:
 
I'm with horshur on this one. 75 yards is close to my offhand limit.

I have practiced shooting offhand at 50 yards and after examining the abysmal groups I shot, I wouldn't dream of shooting offhand at 200 yards or try to bull#### anybody that I could.

I've shot moose offhand at 80 and 100 yards, but past 80 yards for deer I always seek a rest, even if it means just sitting down, kneeling or leaning against a tree.
 
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DarrylDB said:
See, the difference between you thinking your kings**t, and others claim to be capable of shooting beyone 200 yards is trigger time...

Please point out where I said I was kings**t

You assume its all BS, But like camp cook said, there are some that are being very conservative...

You really need to do something about your reading comprehension..I said a LOT not all..

Because your incapable of hitting a pocket of air at 200 yards offhand doesnt mean others arent...

I never said that is was impossible


And had you had better tracking skills to boot, you likely wouldnt have lost that big mulie...

You never hunted in the mountains have you? Do you even know what a shale slide is?


I see two issues with your justification... you couldnt track an animal when you were kings**t, and you couldnt shoot either... SO I understand why you wouldnt shoot farther...
Because you cant, doesnt mean others are in the same boat.

You seem to think you know a lot about me but you don't know squat.
Click to expand...

...btw I've been hunting for years with 44 head of big game under my belt so STFU ..
 
my limit is 150 or so offhand...
I have a private range on my farm, with 4" and 6" steel gongs at 80 & 100, and a 14" at 250 yds. I can consistently hit the small gongs offhand at those ranges ( over 90% with all my rifles) but the 250 yd gong is much harder for me. I shoot a lot. Do any of the long range crowd on this post even consider things like wind, I wonder? There is almost always time to take a rest, if you can't get closer. Or don't shoot! I have killed deer at over 350 yds offhand, but I'm kinda ashamed of that now. Just means I was too greedy instead of hunting and stalking better. I think anyone should shoot as far away as they are skilled enough to ensure a 90% ratio of hits in the vitals. Please consider - on many guided hunts, you pay the full fee and punch your tag when you draw blood. Outfitters know they must conserve their game. The reality is that few wounded animals live long or fully recover, certainly not many make it through the next winter. A wounded animal should be considered lost and wasted for all practical purposes. ( I know there are exceptions, but the odds are..)
I punch my tag when I draw blood, whether the game is recovered or not. If every hunter held themselves to that standard, there would be a lot fewer "hope" shots and generally more humane game harvesting.
 
Great post Longwalker but...

I think anyone should shoot as far away as they are skilled enough to ensure a 90% ratio of hits in the vitals.
Click to expand...

I learned from my mistake and now it's 100% or I save my ammo...

There is almost always time to take a rest, if you can't get closer.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more about getting closer or finding a rest.
 
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