What's your LONGEST connecting shot on a deer

1981 on a Moose in the B.C. central interior, I also held a Mulie Doe draw. Glassing the edge of a slash, my partner spotted a Doe and from previously 'walking' the area and being a pretty good judge of distance, estimated the range to be 450yds.
I had no intention of shooting as it was and still is too far for me. He reminded me about my claims of how well the gun shot and kept egging me on until I agreed to take one shot. I was sighted in for zero @ 100yds and had made note of ranges & elevation from the Sierra manual but had never physically shot at that distance.
She was a little up hill and almost broadside, although slightly quartering away and looking in our direction. Putting my jacket on an upturned root, resting the gun on that and sitting on a log behind it, even with the scope on 9 X, it still looked a long ways away. I put the X-hairs between the tips of her ears, which I estimated to be about 3' high, swung to over her shoulder and squeezed the shot off. She went up & over backwards and never moved a step. The shot hit just barely behind her shoulder.
The rifle was a fancy or custom grade 300wm Winchester model 70 with a Leupold 3 x 9. The ammo, handloads;
- 180gr Sierra SBT
- 72grs of IMR 4350
- CCI 250 primer
- WW brass
The decission to take the shot, and the results, more a matter of s**thouse luck than good judgement.
 
Longest shot big game hunting was 460 yards on a whitetail in S.W. Sask.
I was sporting a Parker Hale Safari in 7mm Mag. It was topped with a Burris with the ballistic plex recticle. Dropped with one shot but I had plenty of time to set up and get my sh*#t together before having to squeeze the trigger.
 
I think the furthest was this blacktail I got recently.

383 yards, 300WSM, 180gr TSX, when the bullet hit him he dropped and never moved. He was quartering towards me, and it went inside the shoulder, traveled the length of the deer, and exited out the off side hip.

Leopardhide020.jpg
 
Gatehouse that is Blacktail of a lifetime! Looks like you did'nt shoot him out of a potatoe field either.

my longest was 375 with 6.5x55-160 grain RN. Closest was a few yards average probabley 100.
 
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Not my longest, but my longest CONFIRMED (by GPS) distance was last night actually at 283m. It was a nice sized doe BTW. One shot and she dropped.
 
Geographic eh!!!! balderdash I say :p

Furthest deer I ever shot was probably in the neighbourhood of 150yds :cool:
....Yes that's correct I hunt SE Ont bush country :D

Furthest moose was a calf at probably 300yds with a 7x57 in N Ont clear cuts!
 
Gatehouse said:
I think the furthest was this blacktail I got recently.

383 yards, 300WSM, 180gr TSX, when the bullet hit him he dropped and never moved. He was quartering towards me, and it went inside the shoulder, traveled the length of the deer, and exited out the off side hip.

Leopardhide020.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice Blacktail gate. A real beauty & good shooting.:) Oh, also like your 'West Coast Cashmere'.:p I still have a couple of sets from my logging days at Gold River and I think its still some of the best cold weather hunting apparel going.
 
My longest was also my first shot on a moose, 175 yards, straight through the heart with a 250 gameking from my .338 win mag. I've practiced out to 500 yards, by never had to shoot farther than 175, and I've shot most of them right around 100 yards, with a couple around 50.

And DAMN that's a nice deer Gatehouse!
 
Bang-Flop doe, in drizzling rain mixed with a little sleet, 288 yds, as measured with my Bushnell Yardage Pro, using Federal 180 gr Classic cartridge in a .30-06 Tikka M695 with a Bausch & Lomb 2400 1 1/2 X 6 scope.
Got to love stainless and synthetic stocks.
 
I certainly appreciate the comments made about "average" distances that many have taken deer at. I have been hunting deer since age 13, and am now close to 50 years past that age. Much of my life I have lived in areas that had generous bag limits. I know that the number of deer I have shot is well into three digits. I never sat down to calculate the average distance for the deer I have shot, but despite a few very long shots, (one of this year's muleys was shot at very long range) I would be willing to bet that it is right around 100 yards. For example, I shot a second Muley and a Whitetail this fall. The Whitetail was about 40 yards, the muley at 80. That already reduces the average this year to 240 yards. Last year the longest shot on the three deer taken was 125 yards. Average about 70. One thing is certain, if you are going to shoot out past 300 yards, you had better know exactly where your rifle is shooting, and NOT from charts.....from actual shooting. (I recommend lots of practice right out to the maximum range you would ever contemplate taking a deer, moose, etc) Another factor to always keep in mind is wind. Long shots have inherent risks, why add to this by taking shots at extended range when the wind is blowing? Either get closer (if possible) or pass on the shot. Other questions to ask youself before you launch that bullet way out there: If this animal is hit and moves off after the shot, will I be able to track it? (snow is ideal) Is there any daylight left for me to do so? Is the animal well away from heavy bush or a bushy ravine, where locating it may present problems? Do I have any doubts about MY ability to place this bullet in the vital area of this animal? If you cannot honestly give the correct answer to all of these, then hold your fire! JMHO, Eagleye.
 
Ever since I started hunting SE Alberta my shots have been getting longer and longer, all three deer this year beat my best by at least 30% (I was shooting from the same place just they were further down the hill). No laser or a straight path to get to them, so a rough estimate 250ish I can tell you they looked small at 12x. 2 bang flops and one anchored but required a finisher(did not account properly for the down angle). Stevens 200 270 130 Seirra's

Weather you use it or not in that part of the world you need to have 300 yards available to you. Gophers the world greatest field practice.
 
What you've said Eagleye with your comment on shots over 300yds, no arguement from me. I also agree with your statement concerning actual range experience vs going by tables. At ranges up to 325, I had found my trajectory results matched the lists in the Sierra tables very closely. This, plus the persistence of my friend is the only reason I finally agreed to take the shot. Also, the rest afforded wasn't 'quite' benchrest quality but it was pretty good, and no evidence of even a slight breeze. Under similar circumstances would I ever take the shot again? Definately not. However, with a different rifle, at 'yotes' or varmints and good rest facilities, probably.

I started Deer hunting about the same age as you, 13, and today I just received my first CPP cheque today, at age 60, 61 in January. Just an estimate at average ranges I've shot Deer over the years, might be 100yds. Moose, 150.
 
260 yards on a 220 lb nice Alberta whitetail, with my father's carefully kept, 30-30 Winchester M94 Carbine. Using Williams FP rear peep, and a Firesite red bead in front....150 grain Silvertip factory ammo and plenty of prior range time.
Deer (my biggest buck) was struck in middle of chest and DRT, an offhand, single shot. In the Cold Lake oilfields area, in a grassy field, near the Suncorps Road, 0915 am, 22nd Nov'05.
(PS: No wind)

I paced off the shot, from my point of firing.
 
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My longest shot was taken this fall when I shot a doe across a plowed beanfield at 381 yards using my Ruger #1B .270 Winchester with a handloaded 140 grain Nosler Partition.
 
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the longest shot made on a deer was 600 yards. 500 on a moose. Both with very good rests. It is reaching to kill a moose at 500 yards with a 300 win mag. But considering it has the same killing power at 500 as a 30 30 does at 100 it will make it happen if well placed. PS whats with all these small bullet weights. I shoot 180 grain unless into bears or Elk closer than 100 feet. The last Bull elk was shot at 50 feet so a 220 grain bullet works best.
 
I dont really try for long shots on deer, there have been just too many the last few years so I've been waiting for eash shots. Last fall was different, deer were all spooked. Ended up not filling all my tags and one was shot at about 250m with my 25-06, thats about the farthest I have ever shot deer.

Moose well thats different, longest was just over 400m about 6 years ago, and last fall the one I shot was about 300m, and a hell of a time getting it out of that swamp, in the dark
 
A doe on a cold day my buddy was getting a flat tire so he left me to hunt while he searched out a garage about 30 kms away. He was gone 2 minutes a doe walked out about 250-265 yrds. I lined up shot missed I seen the snow turn up just under her . She walked another step I lined up at her shoulder fired My .308 ParkerHale and she jumped straight up ran across the trail. I walked down and there she lay dead 30 yards away right through the heart. Trail of blood was like the lines on a hwy.
 
467 yds on a standing buck. All I saw was his head and neck and decided for a hail mary. I hit him right at the base of the head and he hit the ground without even a wiggle. Shooting .308 with bushnell bdc scope(which works extremely well btw) using 165 gr sierra gamekings. I had a solid prone rest and was using a harris bipod.
432 yds on antelope doe. That was just luck as it was my first game animal. I was 12.
385 yds on antelope buck no wind. Rocksolid rest on the edge of a ditch hit double lung bullet actually went right through which surprised me.
Most of my other deer have been shot at or around 200 yds. I used to shoot my 308 all the time when I had a 500 yd range in my backyard but we recently sold the farm so most of my practicing is at 100 and 200 yds.:(
 
Whitetail @ 418 of my paces (whatever that worked out to yard-wise). I would by lying if I said "I mean't to do that". - w/.270 Win and handloads.

However, the shot I am most proud of AND praticed for all summer was a 55 yard whitetail bow kill.

Hakx
 
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