How far is "too far"?

[Coyote Hunter]

What are our thoughts on the maximum range at which big game should be shot?


Edited to add this:   Keep the discussion polite.  Personal attacks, name calling and other failures to be civil will result in posts being modified or deleted.

[Sourdough]

That varies per shooter.  Some folks are not capable of shooting anything beyond 100 yards.  Others can responsiabilly and comfortably shoot far beyond that.  Some folks can shoot out to 1000 yards.  I have been working at long ranges for the last couple of years.  At first I was using a 30-06.  I had good results out to 600 yards, beyond that the 30-06 did not have the velocity to open the bullet and make human kills.  I am now using a 338/378 Weatherby.  I did shoot a Moose this last winter with it out at 800 yards.  The Moose took three steps and fell, kicked a couple of times then expired.  I shoot daily, and go to the range three to four times a week. 

[Slamfire]

Beyond 300 yards the wind becomes a major factor. If you can dope it, you can shoot out beyond that, if not it's best you don't try. 

[Beers]

Sourdough, you should watch it w/ those human kills. Liable to get in trouble 

Typo's aside, he hit the nail on the head. The only possible answer to that question is "It depends....."

[Cement Man]

I agree with what Sourdough said.

"Too far" is a range beyond where the projectile will perform adequately for its intended purpose, or beyond the practiced and proven ability of the shooter and his rifle to shoot that projectile safely and reliably into the vitals of the animal under the field conditions (wind, rest, incline, visibility, etc.) in which he is shooting.  "Maximum" is an inch less.

Relative answer to a relative question.  EMWV   (Everyone's mileage will vary)

 

[Redhawk1]

The individuals skills will dictate that. There is no magic number, but others will try to impose there limitation on others. As long as the shooter and equipment are up to it.

[GrassLakeRon]

Anytime you miss your target.....

[Redhawk1]

Anytime you miss your target.....

I have seen seasoned hunter miss at 50 yards, I have also seen that same hunter connect at 300 yards, so that is not a good indicator.

[jro45]

I feel that I'm good to 600 yds with a steady rest. I shoot at a 200yd range and also a 600yd range. Just resently I put 2 rounds in the bulls eye at 600 yds with my 270 shooting 130 gr bullets off a steady bench.

I also use a B plex scope.

[Drilling Man]

Just resently I put 2 rounds in the bulls eye at 600 yds with my 270 shooting 130 gr bullets off a steady bench.

  Now, if you can just get someone to run what ever your hunting by you at the range, your all set!

At first I was using a 30-06.  I had good results out to 600 yards, beyond that the 30-06 did not have the velocity to open the bullet and make human kills.  I am now using a 338/378 Weatherby.  I did shoot a Moose this last winter with it out at 800 yards.

  Personally, i like to actually "hunt" the animial by stalking closer, instead of shooting into the next county and then go see if i hit it..

  You guys ever practiseing stalking animials to see just how close you can get like in this pict. i took?



  Although it does take some skill, ya never know you might actually enjoy it....

  DM

[Redhawk1]

Here we go again, I have been bow hunting for 30 years now, I know how to get close to animals. I have taken deer at 5 yards. Just because someone chooses to take a long shot, does not mean his or her hunt is any less of a hunt than one that is up close. 

95% of my hunting I have been well under 100 yards shots, but I on occasion have taken 300 plus yard shot's and made kills.  Not every situation can someone stalk close to make a kill.

[Don Fischer]

Good post Drilling Man. Your gonna get creamed!

[Don Fischer]

This one was about 35yds +/-



Another inside 35 yds



closer to 20 yds on this one

[Redhawk1]

Good post Drilling Man. Your gonna get creamed!

It is not a matter of a good post or getting creamed by others here. It is personal choice we as hunter have to make ourselves.  It is a never ending and ridicules discussion when other impose there beliefs or way to hunt on others. HUNTING IS HUNTING.  I have a lot of photos also of game, I have been up close to and I enjoy them as much as the one's I shot with a gun, bow or handgun. 
Don Fischer, those are some nice photos you got there. 

Coyote Hunter, this post was doomed for the beginning. Hunters are our own worst enemies.

[coyotejoe]

I'd say it is too far anytime you don't know how far it is.  A good friend who is an excellent shot and takes all pains with his rifles to work up the most accurate load took a shot at a deer with his muzzleloader at what he believed to be "about 100 yards". The ball smashed a rock between the deer's feet. He paced it off at well over 200 yards. He is a hunting guide as well as an avid hunter himself and has seen lots of deer at various distances yet he misjudged the range by 50%. Now with a 30/06 it would not have mattered but with a muzzleloader he would never have attempted that shot if he had known how far it was. I've heard bow hunters say that there is no challenge to rifle hunting because anyone can shoot a deer at 500 yards with a modern rifle. When I hear that I know I'm hearing someone who has never even looked through a scope at a 500 yard deer, they'd sure never make that statement if they'd ever tried it. Personally, I might take a shot at 300 yards under ideal conditions, the first condition being that I have some way to KNOW it is 300 and not 350 or 400.

[Redhawk1]

coyotejoe, good point. Any time I take a long shot I know the distance. I carry my Leupold RX-IV with me all the time. I also have a Bushnell Yardage Pro-1000.

If I am hunting from a tree stand or on the ground and I am just sitting still, I range all my shooting zones prior to any game showing up. If I am stalking, I use my range finder to find the distance. I am very good at judging the yardage when in the field without a range finder, but I always check to make sure. If I know 100% what the yardage is, I know what my particular gun will do.

[Graybeard]

I HATE threads like this. They ALWAYS end up in a pissing contest and as often as not between me and 2-3 of my moderators.  Then before they are over someone ALWAYS ends up starting a personal attack and name calling contest and then I have to end the thread just as I no doubt will this one sooner or later. It nevr seems to fail to follow that path but this time I'm gonna leave my opinion out as the folks I'd be arguing with already KNOW my opinion on it. 

[dw06]

I HATE threads like this.

Me too,thats why I just read em and stay out of it. I know what I can and can't do,and as long as I'm honest with myshelf don't care what anyone says.And I'm not telling any of you of my skills,or lack of 

[Coyote Hunter]

I HATE threads like this. They ALWAYS end up in a pissing contest and as often as not between me and 2-3 of my moderators.  Then before they are over someone ALWAYS ends up starting a personal attack and name calling contest and then I have to end the thread just as I no doubt will this one sooner or later. It nevr seems to fail to follow that path but this time I'm gonna leave my opinion out as the folks I'd be arguing with already KNOW my opinion on it. 

Not to worry - if personal attacks or name calling starts, the offending posters will be dealt with.  I feel this subject is important enough to merit discussion.  Hopefully some shooters will learn from it - whether they decide to shoot at shorter ranges or perhaps prepare for longer ranges.  

[NONYA]

If you would even consider a long shot(300+ yards) in the field,do your homework and practice,practice,practice, then its not a potshot and you will have the confidence you need to make them,a rangefider is the most useful tool ever invented for these kind of shots,they make all the difference in the world when you know ur rifles trajectory.

[cherokee75]

I feel if you have the skill and have the proper background and target recognition, then I don't see any problem.  It is all relative to skill level and at what point is too far?  Some people do enjoy getting up close and personal if and when possible. Everyone enjoys hunting in their own way (hopefullly all legal) so go for it if you have the skill level. I probably would if I had the skill level and hunted out West but as it is, I will stick to my IL cornfields and tree stands and clsoe range shooting!

[Cheesehead]

Some of the posters have already summed it up. This post should be titled "How far is to far for ME".

Cheese

[Drilling Man]

  Hey Redwawk,

  Did you get any bullets "cast" yet???  You could be makeing your first "million" by now....  Millionth BULLIT that is...  hee  he  hee  OR, you could get a second job, so you could afford a M-29...   

  BTW, here's another caribou i "practised" on, and let go...

 

  DM

[tanoose]

Coyote Hunter , i can say for myself that all my big game has been taken to 100 yards max with most at 30-50 but for ME i can say 300 yard would be my max as i have a range on my property that goes to 250 which i have shot alot so i beleive i would make 300 MY max.

[jro45]

Most of the animals that I have killed were under 100yds but I practace at 600 yds so I would say 600yds is my limit.

[Coyote Hunter]

My longest shot has been 350 yards, taken from a sitting position out in the middle of open sage no more than knee high.  Closed the last 100 yards on my back, pushing myself headfirst through the sage, cactus and a couple inches of snow with my feet. We had been watching a herd of elk from a range of ~600 yards with no way to get closer until the elk started moving off their knoll at sundown.  (Had I been prepared for a 600-yard shot, I would have had hours of low-wind conditions in which to make it.)  The herd had started to move further away when I took the shot just a few minutes before the end of legal shooting hours - it was shoot or wait for another day.  Didn’t have a laser rangefinder back then so a GPS with mapping software was used to calculate the distances after the fact. 

Back then I rarely practiced at 300 yards and 400 was even more rare.  Must have been enough, though, because the bullet impacted where desired.  These days I spend more time at 300 and 400 and plan to spend more time at the 500- and 600-yard lines, places that have seen my shadow only a couple times.  Given a good field rest and low wind I feel comfortable at 400.  Part of my problem, and one of my limiting factors, is my rangefinder only goes to 400.  It will do 500 on a really good target, like a house, but not in the field.  As things stand, 400 is my limit. 

A new rangefinder and more practice at 500 and 600 will change that.  Last night I loaded up some .308 Win and .30-06, both with 168g A-MAX, especially for the 500-meter rams at Whittington Center, about 3-1/2 hours south of here.  Need to load some 120’s for the .257 Roberts, too.  (No centerfire .22’s of magnums allowed on the silhouette range.)   I figure about 400-500 rounds total will be enough for my buddy and me, won’t be very many silhouettes left standing at any range, and we’ll have plenty for the paper target ranges, too.  Need to get some more brass for the .30’s, and some more BL(C)-2...

[Slamfire]

A duplex reticule and a variable scope has a kind of a rangefinder built right in. It won't tell you 426 yards, but it is quick, and keeps you from makin' 200 yard shots with a 100 yard aim point. The worst critter for misjudgin' I've ever seen is black bears. Some times you swear you have an adult at 600 yards when its a cub at 200. 

[Coyote Hunter]

A duplex reticule and a variable scope has a kind of a rangefinder built right in. It won't tell you 426 yards, but it is quick, and keeps you from makin' 200 yard shots with a 100 yard aim point. The worst critter for misjudgin' I've ever seen is black bears. Some times you swear you have an adult at 600 yards when its a cub at 200. 

Good point.  I set my scopes up every year so I can use them as a rangefinder.  On most of the variables a setting of around 4.5x seems to put it so the thin portion of the Duplex Reticle subtends 12" at 100 yards.  (I can't remember if its the whole thin section or just from the thick part to the crosshair, which is why I check them every year.)  Works great, though.

[Rev Buck]

Speaking only for myself, for ME it is a question of two things: accuracy and retained energy at long range.  I am confident with both my .270 and my .30-06 out to 300 yds: I practice often and woulld take that shot but would prefer to stalk in closer if possible.  As for retained energy, I want to stay within the range that my bullet will still have at least 1000 ft lbs of energy or more.  These are my self-imposed limitations based on my experience and skill level.  Rev

[S.S.]

I am kind of in agreement with Drilling Man here. I too Like to get Close.
I think this has probably been stated here before but I do see a point where there is a difference between a good Shot and a Good Hunter. Do not misunderstand though, If it is late enough in the season and some Tags are unfilled, My range will definately increase as to what kind of a shot I will take. I myself then will rely on my shooting skills rather than my hunting skills. But in all fairness,
If someone shoots and drops a big game animal at a range that I would think is completely
rediculous, I surely am not going to pi$$ that person off by saying they are not a good hunter
I normally hunt just about any big game animal I go after with either a .30-30  or .35 Levergun or one of Various Muzzle-Loaders so This too is another reason I try to get Close. With those weapons, with me behind them, about 200 yards is a self imposed limit for me. Late Season, the .270 WSM comes out just in case
a longer shot does present itself.