Ok, I’ll play. This year I shot a mule deer at 529 yards.
I had been hunting 5 days and finally picked this guy up in the snow at 620 yards, and watched him make his way towards me for about 1.5 hours, finally jumping the private fence and moving towards a couple of doe’s that were at maybe 300yds.
Context: I shoot NRL 3-5x a year. I am currently still shooting a custom 6.5PRC even though I just built a 7PRC… but I just like the 6.5PRC better. I also shoot my matches with the same rifle.
Anyway, 500 yards is a long shot. I was watching wind the entire time… just trying to get an idea of what the bullet would do but hoping that the mule deer was going to come closer. And he did. Until he didn’t. He got up to about 450yds, and the got fed up with the doe’s closer to me for whatever reason and started making his way back to where he came from.
Mind you, this was the 5th day. And up to this point, despite all my efforts, I had only seen two doe and a coyote (and yes I shot the coyote). He was good sized and I was on my last day of the hunt. I’m sitting here watching him make his way back toward private thinking I’m screwed and the hunt is over, and then he stops. I checked range, checked it again, and checked again. I then texted my buddy who’s an EXPERT when it comes to long range shooting and hash it out with him while I’m sitting here watching this buck. He said send it.
Now, I will be honest that last year I took a poke at a white tail doe at like 780yds, so I’m not exactly a newbie at the long distance game. She dropped in her tracks. I am confident, but things happen.
I dialed to 2.3 mils, check wind again and set up. I’ve got the front of the rifle rested, and I’m supporting rear with a tripod. I am stable. I’m a brick wall. I glanced up to check the bubble level and once again verify that I dialed correctly and squeezed off the first round. What happened next was an absolute rodeo, folks.
Again.. I’m not stupid. I practice this all the time. I’m at 530 yards and regularly shoot way out to 1200+. I had the crosshairs on his shoulder, and about 3” forward to adjust for wind call. I shoot suppressed. The first shot goes off and I see him flinch, see impact, and then hear impact. It was about 1’ back off his shoulder toward his mid-section. Confused, I racked another round and got back in the scope. He had moved about 10’ forward and was starting to turn these crazy circles.. fast ones. I am accustomed to them dropping in their tracks, so I panicked a bit. While he is spinning around clockwise, I send another round. Impact. I heard it, but wasn’t sure where I hit him because he’s moving too fast. Reload. He drops at the second round, and then gets back up and army crawls towards a cedar bush maybe 20’ off the private fence.
I am about to lose this deer to private and have sent 2 rounds, and I’m in full on panic mode at this point. I’m watching him through the scope and see him crawling behind this cedar tree and I’m just praying he gives me another shot. And he does. He pokes his front half out past the tree and I could tell he’s hurting, but he isn’t down. I sent two more rounds, both impacted. He laid his head down and died.
So. All of this to say - yes, 500 yards is far. And conditions are wild. And life happens. And sometimes things just don’t want to die. If you’re good to take a poke at distance, please be practiced and even then, be prepared for it not to go your way. It didn’t go my way. And I bet there are plenty of folks here who will tell you the same thing. Practice a bunch. Stay in the scope. Don’t stop shooting until it’s down. And when you walk up to your deer and see that you shot it mid-body, back leg, ass, and front shoulder - don’t be surprised. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone.
