This year cariboo hunting... Rifle set for 600 metres...
- Thread starter caramel
- Start date
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
Hey guys, happened to me this weekend hunting 'yotes. About 250 yards. Already made two clean and quick kills. The third one, guess what, I flinched. Gut shot that poor thing. It was terrible to see that it was in so much distress. Took my time, careful aim this time, and finished it quickly. My mantra is to always strive for humane kills.
300 yards is well within my ability, but mistakes happen. It only compounds at the longer ranges as the margins for error decrease proportionately to the distance of the shot. For a moose or deer, I will get closer so the shot is within about 250 to 300 yards maximum. I actually hunt the animal. If I cannot get the perfect shot, then I buy my beef for the winter...no sweat. For those that have lost an animal in the bush to wounding knowing that it will perish within the day or two, is not a great feeling.
Caramel, as you later wrote, it you fell that the shot is there, only you can really decide. If you are an ethical hunter, you will also know that long shot is best left to a trained sniper or very experienced shooter. I have hunted for over 30 years now, and can count on one hand how many shots I have taken at an animal when I was much younger and stoopid. Now, I am older and wiser and I can boldly admit that I have lost about 7 or 8 wounded 'yotes to shooter error in the last 4 years. No big game lost though in the last 18 years.
300 yards is well within my ability, but mistakes happen. It only compounds at the longer ranges as the margins for error decrease proportionately to the distance of the shot. For a moose or deer, I will get closer so the shot is within about 250 to 300 yards maximum. I actually hunt the animal. If I cannot get the perfect shot, then I buy my beef for the winter...no sweat. For those that have lost an animal in the bush to wounding knowing that it will perish within the day or two, is not a great feeling.
Caramel, as you later wrote, it you fell that the shot is there, only you can really decide. If you are an ethical hunter, you will also know that long shot is best left to a trained sniper or very experienced shooter. I have hunted for over 30 years now, and can count on one hand how many shots I have taken at an animal when I was much younger and stoopid. Now, I am older and wiser and I can boldly admit that I have lost about 7 or 8 wounded 'yotes to shooter error in the last 4 years. No big game lost though in the last 18 years.
IT is a target, why do you think we practice so much on paper targets, in my book if you know your rifle perfectly at differents distances and work on your wind reading often, you will be able to succeed on long shots... JP.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Caramel, with respect, it is you who said that you wanted to make a 600 yard shot to challenge yourself. If the shot is a challenge then by definition its marginal. I would suggest that in the case of a target as large as a caribou, a broadside 600 yard shot in good light and calm winds is easy for a competent marksman who is shooting an appropriate rifle from a solid position. But caribou season seldom coincides with those sort of conditions . . . in my part of the country anyway, and the ground seldom offers much in the way of a good shooting platform. The challenge should be in the hunting, not the shooting. While I believe you can shoot, I hope you have the self discipline not to shoot when the shot is questionable.
I must say that I stand tall with the haters on this subject! At that kind of yardage, only a metal gong would be in my scope. I do shed tears when I see an animal suffering! Just yesterday, my youngest son spotted a yote in a field while he was working, it appeared to have a shot off leg, he call the C.O.'s and they came out to deal with it. Good on him for making the call, lots of folks wouldn't have bothered. I hate what the yotes do to the deer (eat them alive), but I hate to see an animal suffering even more. One shot quick clean kill is what I strive for!
These kinds of threads are endless. Sort of like: "Is a .30-06 with a 180-grain bullet really the best hunting combination?"
I personally won't tell you that you shouldn't shoot an animal at 600. I know that I wouldn't do it unless the situation was exceptional, like dropping a wounded animal that was getting away. But everyone has their own preferences.
I applaud you for taking pride in your shooting. I myself was fortunate enough to be allowed to shoot in the World Long Range Championships in Ottawa in 2007 against the world's finest competitive rifle shooters, and it was a humbling experience (and an incredible learning experience). I think every hunter should take shooting really seriously.
My only advice to you, if you really want to shoot an animal at that range, is to practice in the field. Practice at at targets under controlled conditions is only the starting point, like learning to tie your shoes.
One thing that I have found useful in teaching me real life shooting skills is going far out into the boonies with friends and shooting at rocks and other reactive targets that are embedded in a hillside ( THE KEY IS TO BE VERY FAR AWAY AND MAKE SURE THERE IS A GOOD, SAFE BACK STOP TO STOP THE RICOCHETS AND FRAGMENTS). I like to paint them with spray paint then walk back to the firing point (this way you can see the hits when the paint flakes off). For long range work, it is best to choose rocks that are the size of your animal's chest area.
I recently purchased an orange plastic swinging gong that is made of a "self-sealing" material (the company is "Do All Outoors"). The bullet just zips through it and the hole seals itself to the size of a pinhole. In order to see hits on this thing, you have to cover it with a "Shoot-and-See" type of disc. Last May, I surprised myself by making repeated hits on this thing (it's smaller than a dinner plate) at 500 metres with my .300 Winchester Magnum hunting rifle.
The key is to shoot these things at all different ranges (starting from about 400 and moving out) under HUNTING CONDITIONS. Your friend must spot your shots for you. Without spotting, this exercise is useless.
This is a real learning experience because sometimes what you think is 5 minutes wind is actually next to nothing, and vice versa. If you can't just get down and shoot a rock (or gong) at 600 in any conditions, at the drop of a hat, then you should not consider yourself ready to do it for real at an animal.
I personally won't tell you that you shouldn't shoot an animal at 600. I know that I wouldn't do it unless the situation was exceptional, like dropping a wounded animal that was getting away. But everyone has their own preferences.
I applaud you for taking pride in your shooting. I myself was fortunate enough to be allowed to shoot in the World Long Range Championships in Ottawa in 2007 against the world's finest competitive rifle shooters, and it was a humbling experience (and an incredible learning experience). I think every hunter should take shooting really seriously.
My only advice to you, if you really want to shoot an animal at that range, is to practice in the field. Practice at at targets under controlled conditions is only the starting point, like learning to tie your shoes.
One thing that I have found useful in teaching me real life shooting skills is going far out into the boonies with friends and shooting at rocks and other reactive targets that are embedded in a hillside ( THE KEY IS TO BE VERY FAR AWAY AND MAKE SURE THERE IS A GOOD, SAFE BACK STOP TO STOP THE RICOCHETS AND FRAGMENTS). I like to paint them with spray paint then walk back to the firing point (this way you can see the hits when the paint flakes off). For long range work, it is best to choose rocks that are the size of your animal's chest area.
I recently purchased an orange plastic swinging gong that is made of a "self-sealing" material (the company is "Do All Outoors"). The bullet just zips through it and the hole seals itself to the size of a pinhole. In order to see hits on this thing, you have to cover it with a "Shoot-and-See" type of disc. Last May, I surprised myself by making repeated hits on this thing (it's smaller than a dinner plate) at 500 metres with my .300 Winchester Magnum hunting rifle.
The key is to shoot these things at all different ranges (starting from about 400 and moving out) under HUNTING CONDITIONS. Your friend must spot your shots for you. Without spotting, this exercise is useless.
This is a real learning experience because sometimes what you think is 5 minutes wind is actually next to nothing, and vice versa. If you can't just get down and shoot a rock (or gong) at 600 in any conditions, at the drop of a hat, then you should not consider yourself ready to do it for real at an animal.
tylerjwitty
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Ontario
many a cariboo have suffered a worst death then that of a 600 yard shot.. keep this in mind before you call this man unethical..
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Good for you admitting that you aren't capable of taking a long range shot. Some people wouldn't admit that to themselves or the general public. But all of the criticisms of long range hunting boil down to one simple question: Because you can't, does that mean that no one else can?
Sure many caribou and other animals have suffered a worse death by starvation or predator's, but that is nature at work not stupidity!
absolutely true, but why add to the pain & suffering! I know only to well that Mother Nature is about the cruelest F'en ##### in the world! I'd love to twist her nipples purple if I could!
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Right you are, I can't do it and will not try!
Well there big guy, did you read the OP's original post clearly, I think not! Please go back and re-read it! He, himself sounds quite skepticle of himself being able to do it! Prolly a miss he states! And as another poster states, prolly a total miss is just as likely as to a wounded animal! I have a big heart for animals, humans, well not so much! I know you are a northern soul with true grit and have a tough job to do, but please have a heart for humain animal hunting, one shot, one clean quick kill! No fantacy shots allowed on animals!
Looking forward to your reply! So, when is the last time you enjoyed those Coney-chips in Sask? (Hanigans/Dog'n'Suds). I miss them so very dearly!
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Why is a 600 yard shot a personal challenge? I find 6 yard shots to be a much more difficult personal challenge. Anyone can luck out and connect at long range once in a while. Why does Caramel not think that getting close is more of a personal challenge than sitting on your a** at 600 yards from an animal that doesn't have a clue you are there, while you snipe at it a few times?
Long rang shooting is way easier than "spot and stalk" to bow hunting ranges. Give it a try; it's a real personal challenge.
Long rang shooting is way easier than "spot and stalk" to bow hunting ranges. Give it a try; it's a real personal challenge.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It's easy to be skeptical with seemingly out of the normal shooting distances because these kind of efforts should never be taken lightly.
I've done some really odd things with a good deer rifle during the South Saskatchewan WT deer season. But having all the rest of the year to shoot live varmints: coyotes, foxes, jackrabbits, snowshoehares, gophers was the background of shooting/hunting experience I personally built up. In those days I shot alot of game and would try things in the fall only because I knew my own capabilities and limitations. Would I choose to take the same shots these days as I did back then?
Not a chance, because I know I was a better game shot (with superior eyesight) on live game then, than I am presently.
An ethical hunter should be very honest with himself and his chosen tools IMO. Because we are talking about shooting under varying hunting conditions, dealing with wind and obscured/moving live game in the field, and not benchrest shooting at known distances with a 4x4 target backboard.
my two bits......
I've done some really odd things with a good deer rifle during the South Saskatchewan WT deer season. But having all the rest of the year to shoot live varmints: coyotes, foxes, jackrabbits, snowshoehares, gophers was the background of shooting/hunting experience I personally built up. In those days I shot alot of game and would try things in the fall only because I knew my own capabilities and limitations. Would I choose to take the same shots these days as I did back then?
Not a chance, because I know I was a better game shot (with superior eyesight) on live game then, than I am presently.
An ethical hunter should be very honest with himself and his chosen tools IMO. Because we are talking about shooting under varying hunting conditions, dealing with wind and obscured/moving live game in the field, and not benchrest shooting at known distances with a 4x4 target backboard.
my two bits......
tylerjwitty
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Ontario
It's halarious how blind you folks are to the facts of.life . We injure torture and kill more living creatures in one day then all hunting season.totals in the world .
then it would be nice to clean up our act all around, wouldn't ya say?
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
What has this got to do with the question of shooting game at long range? The purpose of the hunter's shot is not to inflict suffering, the purpose is to humanely kill the animal in question. Just because some people choose to promote suffering in our world does not mean it should be condoned or excused as sport by ethical hunters.
