MSP Ret,
I didn't say that I have taken 200 yards shots. However on my property it is pretty much all mature soft maple, hard maple, red oak and black cherry trees. The trees are large and the well spaced. The terrain is all hill so you when you are up in a tree stand at the top of the hill or just part way up you can see well over 200 yards down hill many spots. Since the trees are mature there really isn't a whole lot of underbrush to see through once the leaves are off. I have got a logging road that pretty much splits my back side of property line in half, and about 100 yards above that I have built a small ground blind that sits on the ridge of first plateau down from the top of the hill. From the top of the hill when your in a tree stand during the fall you can see that blind. The property line goes maybe 100 feet over the top ridge and the total boundry length is about 2000 feet. So that divided in half would be 1000 feet. Now minus the 300 feet from the logging road to the ground blind puts you at 700 feet. and the subtracting the 100 feet over the top ridge puts you at 600 feet or 200 yds. I know the distance from my survey of the property since it includes the logging road on it. Also this last fall when sitting in that ground blind I watched 4 doe walk over the top ridge and the walk down the hill 20 yards toward me. They stopped and fed on the acorns for at least 20 minutes. I was watching them through my binoculars. Unfortunately I only had my 12 gauge shot gun with me because they remained out of range until they disappeared going across they hill. I am always looking for hunting partners since most of my friends don't hunt. So if your in the area I'd be more than will to take show you. I have 35 acres that directly borders ~2400 acres of the Bucktooth State Forest Land. Its in upstate NY about 7 miles north of the Alleghany state park. It is a pretty hill region.
Just for everyones information I choose a Bushnell Banner Dusk to Dawn 3x9x40 Scope.