Another Long Range TV Show Misses Coues Deer By 3 Feet!!!

[ddowning]

Always love the argument that "more animals are wounded at close range than long range......." If you're not more accurate at 150 yds than you are at 800 you need to take up fishing.

The argument (I agree to an extent, but it is exaggerated) is that at long range the animal is calm and you have time to build a perfect position and analyze the situation. At close range, the animal is easier to spook, likely knows you are there, etc causing you to have a less than ideal shooting scenario.

I will say, the two shooting scenarios are very different. I grew up shooting rabbits behind beagles and throwing clay pigeons in the back pasture at least every weekend. We hunted deer with deer drives and the thought of needing a rest to shoot was the same attitude as calling gloves bitch mittens. I learned to shoot long range in adulthood.

My kids grew up shooting Border Wars. Literally in diapers at the start and competing themselves at the end of it. They have not yet expressed an interest in learning to shoot clays or shoot offhand. A lot of the hunting shots we take are close, but the set-up is the same as a long range shot. They have no business trying to shoot offhand at anything, or at anything moving. The youngest at 8 years old had the most hits at a mile for several hours during a benefit side stage prior to a prs match.

In my opinion, to be a well rounded shooter, you need to be able to do both. You need to know your limitations. It takes a massive amount of shooting to know your limitations. The reality is, if it doesn't seem like a slam dunk before you take the shot, you probably shouldn't take it. Most people in general have a higher opinion of their shooting abilities than is realistic.

Guys that can go win a national level match can set up and take a long range shot very quickly and make the shot with no problems. Guys that finish in the middle of the pack need more time. Guys that just buy the stuff have no business shooting long.

People suck at shooting in general. You have to practice a lot of different things to be a good, well rounded shooter that can take snap shots up close and long shots in tough conditions and very confidently make all of them. Very few people put in that kind of work year after year. I definitely don't. I just adjust the shots I'm willing to take or pass based on the work I have put in at the time.

The argument of close vs long is asinine. They are two different shooting skills. Yes, if you are going to take the time to set up prone to shoot a 100 yard shot then that will have much higher odds of success than the same shooting set up at 1000 yards. You will also have a lot more opportunities get away from you than the guy that is competent to throw up his rifle and shoot off hand at 200 yards. Very few people can do that, but a lot will try.

 

[hibernation]

The argument (I agree to an extent, but it is exaggerated) is that at long range the animal is calm and you have time to build a perfect position and analyze the situation. At close range, the animal is easier to spook, likely knows you are there, etc causing you to have a less than ideal shooting scenario.

This is exactly why I'm trying to extend my range. I've had a bunch of encounters where terrain really dictates what shots you get. I passed on a 400 yard shot last season where I had a good view, a good shooting position, good broadside angle, but my consistency at that distance isn't where I want it yet. I stalked closer but with the lay of the land, you couldn't really see it again until almost right on top of it. I did end up getting it but it was a fast shot through a narrow window.

People suck at shooting in general.

Yep. I thought more shooting would make me better, turns out it just gives me data on exactly how much I suck.

 

[ddowning]

This is exactly why I'm trying to extend my range. I've had a bunch of encounters where terrain really dictates what shots you get. I passed on a 400 yard shot last season where I had a good view, a good shooting position, good broadside angle, but my consistency at that distance isn't where I want it yet. I stalked closer but with the lay of the land, you couldn't really see it again until almost right on top of it. I did end up getting it but it was a fast shot through a narrow window.

Yep. I thought more shooting would make me better, turns out it just gives me data on exactly how much I suck.

There are other ways to get better, but my experience lead me to match shooting. PRS style shooting will get you part way there with a ton of reps. NRL hunter will vet out the rest in hunting scenarios. A 223 trainer, a 22LR trainer, and a pallet of ammo will help. You can't practice a little bit once a week and get there. It takes crazy round counts to make it automatic. The other thing that match shooting does is take you to many different locations to shoot on someone else's (match director's) terms. You don't get to learn the local range and feel like a bad ass. You have to actually learn how to read terrain and wind in a new location and make shots.

If you don’t have a pretty robust match shooting community, I would take a class to start. If you do, I would probably still take a class, but you could learn just by watching and asking questions at matches over a season or two.

Just to prepare you for the commitment, I was pretty decent (could top 15 a national level 2 day PRS or better in NRL Hunter, but not good enough to win) when I was dryfiring 5-7 days/week, shooting a brick of rimfire and about 300 rounds of centerfire per week minimum. In most situations, I was confident to 800 yards and in a lot of conditions further. In all but a hurricane I was pretty certain to 600. That was two years ago. My life was consumed by shooting and a lot of other areas suffered.

Now I shoot about 2000 rounds or less of rimfire and under 1000 rounds of centerfire per year. If I shoot the occasional match, I finish closer to mid pack than the top unless I am having a good day. Then, still not as good as a bad day in previous years. The range I am absolutely confident at is now about 400 with 600 being in good conditions. Under very few to zero conditions would I feel comfortable at 800.

There are a lot of people that lob lead, but don't truly have the ability to make the shots at the ranges they are shooting. There are some guys with a ton of natural ability that can do it with less practice than me. Also, once you get to a certain level, it seems like you can get back there, or close, in a condensed time-frame with a lot of shooting volume. The guys at the top of the long range competitive circle and the guys that take long range hunting very seriously shoot as a lifestyle. It requires a massive time and financial commitment for the average person. The idea of going to the local range and shooting 100 rounds/month to reach 1000 yard hunting competency is not realistic.

 

[DangerRanger]

Happens literally all the time