Shot distances in the last 5 seasons

Average Shot distances to harvest a big game animal in the last 5 years

  • 0 - 100 yards

    Votes: 81 50.9%

  • 100 - 200 yards

    Votes: 58 36.5%

  • 200 - 300 yards

    Votes: 23 14.5%

  • 400 - 500 yards

    Votes: 6 3.8%

  • 500+ yards

    Votes: 3 1.9%
  • Total voters
    159
Pointdexter

Pointdexter

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
18   0   0
Location
Lower Mainland
In the last 5 seasons of harvesting a big game animal, what were the average distances you shot them? I only ask because does a super expensive rifle that shoots 1/4" group at 100 yards kill an animal any better then one that costs $300 and has a 2" group at 100 yards?
 
Last edited:
These days I really don't associate sub 1" accuracy with expensive :) People chasing 1/4" probably have a good reason to be.

Wouldn't ever consider it a bad thing either. "Dang it my rifles too accurate" lol. The extra money spent on better than "good enough, it'll do" likely goes into other factors than just accuracy too.

Even if 2" at 100 yards will do the job just fine, I'd have to ask why its only doing that.
 
Let's see: Bull Elk at 425Y, Moose at 125, Buck Whitetail deer at 220, doe whitetail deer at 280, cow elk at 385,
Bull elk at 308, Moose at 255, Mule Buck at 210. Whitetail Buck at 75. AVG = 253 yards
May be it is just the terrain I hunt lately, but I'm quite sure my lifetime average would be close to 120 yards. EE.
 
I would say I haven't shot anything over 175 yards in 6-7 years. That's not counting coyotes though. Got one last weekend at 560 yards. I'm all ready for some long shots on antelope or mule deer but haven't been able to draw a tag and the last time I did I used a muzzleloader for both.
 
Between 30y-140y’s, majority have been 70-75y for some reason. It doesn’t matter how expensive or cheap your rifle is if you shoot it accurately. If you can put rounds inside a fist size out to whatever range you consider your max distance your good to go.

I prefer my rifles to shoot tight groups but I shoot my hunting rifles all year and not just sighting in and hunting, I expect more out of them. Doesn’t mean that a 4”-6” group at 200-300y won’t put meat in the freezer, depends on what you expect it to do and what your happy with.
 
I average about 20 Sika deer a year, depending on the weather in a season the average distance can vary between say 150m and 250m. High winds and very wet years the distance is down and we shoot different places. I do chase the 1/4" accuracy and even happier if better as our deer are small, the grass high and often one only can see a part of the head. Accuracy also helps with the longer shot's across a valley. Quite a lot of very close shots as well. I hunt just about every Sunday from Sept till end Feb.
edi
 
There are some very Interesting articles around shot dispersion, precision, accuracy, and kill ratios.

Generally speaking though, even if a rifle has an extreme spread of X, the majority of rounds will still impact closer to the point of aim.

Most of my deer have been shot with a crossbow, but my rifle deer have both been inside 40 yards. Just nature of my hunting area.

And yeah... my hunting rifles are 1 moa or better. But certainly don't need to be...
 
So much depends upon terrain, my closest shot was 8 yards on a whitetail buck still hunting along the edge of poplars and spruce, heard him long before I saw him, hunting in crop land where a single tree may not occur in several square miles getting closer than 200 yards is a rare event. The terrain governs the need.
 
Pointdexter said:
In the last 5 seasons of harvesting a big game animal, what were the average distances you shot them? I only ask because does a super expensive rifle that shoots 1/4" group at 100 yards kill an animal any better then one that costs $300 and has a 2" group at 100 yards?
Click to expand...

You missed 300-400 which was both of mine from last year. before that I had a dry spell out here and only had one at something under 50 yards.
 
Price point really has nothing to do with accuracy inexpensive rifles are accurate I just prefer to hunt with a kimber classic select and not a mossberg 4x4
 
struff55 said:
Price point really has nothing to do with accuracy inexpensive rifles are accurate I just prefer to hunt with a kimber classic select and not a mossberg 4x4
Click to expand...

Dude trolls hard and today must be "try to make dudes with expensive rifles look bad" day.

My Stevens 200 30-06 shot stupid small groups, cost about $300, and I killed stuff with it. My Ruger RSM shoots perfectly acceptable groups for a safari rifle, cost over $2K, and I killed stuff with it. I've got a custom 7 Weatherby that shoots quite well and would cost the equivalent of almost $4K today ($400 doesn't go as far today as it did in 1961, that's for damn sure!), and this will shock you...I killed stuff with it too!

But as of today I only own two of the three rifles mentioned above.
 
I needed the 0-12 yd option...lol...6 of 8 since I took up deer hunting in 2019 have been under 17 yds with the closest being under 6 yds. Each time I have thought well I sure don't need my 270 for this, I should be bringing my Great Grandfathers Model 64 30WCF
 
Most of my kills were inside 110m, one was 180ish, all moose, with rifles that are from $750 Husqvarna 9.3x62 to $2k Ruger no1 30-06 or 9.3x62 …. All of them can shoot better than I can, but I can do better than moa sometimes!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom