Long range hunting... the perspective nobody talks about

[208blake]

Don’t worrry about others and do you

 

[mwebs]

I am getting claustrophobic reading this thread! This is obviously unrealistic at this time but think about your favorite unit in ID or CO, say 500 rifle tags, 70% public land, only 40% holds the elk, all the hunters are shooting out to 1000 yards. Sounds like a massacre, we will turn elk hunting into good ole Midwest deer drive hunting before you know it! I get shooting long distances is fun, and I like shooting my rifle, but at a certain point I ask myself when is the hunting/ fair chase aspect lost, when do advances in gear go to far? I have too much respect for the animal and the hunt to be taking rifle pokes at it from 1000 yards and it honestly does not remotely peak my interest.

Also a lot of the guys getting into this game are not great ambassadors for the sport it seems. Game Warden in the unit I hunted last year had a horror story of guys from Oregon trying to shoot elk at "extremely long range" and wounding a number of critters. Said he had video from other hunters and was trying to prosecute. Basically said one group of guys, trying to shoot way to far, ruined the season for a lot of other hunters..

Anyway, yea everybody can do what they want and we do need more unity in the hunting community. But I guarantee every single one of you would be pissed off if you had your bull in your sights at 300 yards and some guy 800 yards out shot him in the ham before you could pull the trigger. Leave the long range to competitions and the range, keep hunting, hunting.

 

[208blake]

I am getting claustrophobic reading this thread! This is obviously unrealistic at this time but think about your favorite unit in ID or CO, say 500 rifle tags, 70% public land, only 40% holds the elk, all the hunters are shooting out to 1000 yards. Sounds like a massacre, we will turn elk hunting into good ole Midwest deer drive hunting before you know it! I get shooting long distances is fun, and I like shooting my rifle, but at a certain point I ask myself when is the hunting/ fair chase aspect lost, when do advances in gear go to far? I have too much respect for the animal and the hunt to be taking rifle pokes at it from 1000 yards and it honestly does not remotely peak my interest.

Also a lot of the guys getting into this game are not great ambassadors for the sport it seems. Game Warden in the unit I hunted last year had a horror story of guys from Oregon trying to shoot elk at "extremely long range" and wounding a number of critters. Said he had video from other hunters and was trying to prosecute. Basically said one group of guys, trying to shoot way to far, ruined the season for a lot of other hunters..

Anyway, yea everybody can do what they want and we do need more unity in the hunting community. But I guarantee every single one of you would be pissed off if you had your bull in your sights at 300 yards and some guy 800 yards out shot him in the ham before you could pull the trigger. Leave the long range to competitions and the range, keep hunting, hunting.

You make some excellent points and I agree with everything you are saying. The grey area is what is “long” range nowadays? I personally shot a elk at 350 6.5 PRC and he was DOA and watched my hunting partner smoke a elk 600 yards out 300 WIN. Both one shot (not trying to impress) He is F&G and shoots regularly for qualification and general practice. I would not have felt confident and probably blow the stalk. I wouldn’t consider 300yards for deer or elk FAR with the right equipment and skill set. Marines before 08 were shooting targets at 500 yards open sights. I would think most would agree that 500 yards is too far for the weekend warrior with granddads 270 and Nikon buck master 3-9.

 

[WCB]

As long as you are willing to walk as far as you can shoot to check for blood...not my place to say. Not that I can't disagree with gear jockeys with no skill throwing bombs at 1000yds.

I am also in agreement that most guys think it is way more simple than it really is. They thing high dollar gun, high dollar optic, high BC bullet, and a magical custom turret is all they need.

I shoot 1,000s of rounds a year and a lot at 900-1000 or even 400-500 with my 223 or .17 hornet and have to just shake my head at guys that plan to by X brand gun, Y brand scope, and shoot Z brand bullet and say "I just want to be able to dial the yardage and shoot" hahaha right

 

[roosiebull]

There are shades of grey and I can’t say I am a big fan of taking long shots just for the sake of taking long shots. However, I don’t want to condemn someone who is taking a longer shot as a matter of principle. I think a lot depends on the shooter and their personal level of capability.

good post.

if a person kills an elk every with whatever weapon they use, does it matter if it was shot at 4yds or 904yds? if they are qualified to make both shots, why do the longer shots bother people?

for the greater good of hunting, it just doesn't matter, not even a tiny bit.

it seems like people twist it around like guys shooting stuff at long range do so because they are incapable at shooting them closer, but that's not what I have seen among the people I know.

the guys I know who like it do it because it's a new twist on hunting that makes it fun again for them.... the woods get more crowded every archery season, which takes the fun out of it for some of the guys who have been at it a long time, the ones who bow hunted before it was cool.

I have not been at it as long as many, this will be my 21st archery season, but in that short time, the landscape has changed a lot, and around here, 15yrs ago I didn't know many other archery hunters, and it was rare to see other people or even hunter's vehicles.

i still love archery hunting, and don't see ever killing an elk with a rifle (i'm sure there will be a time it makes sense in my future) i did get a little bored with the same stuff every year, and shot a recurve last year, and will this year.... that was a new challenge to me, that takes dedication to shoot a lot, just like if the new goal was to shoot something beyond 700yds.... to me, it's no different, though opposite ends of the spectrum..... neither superior to the other, just a difference in taste.

the person who goes to long range likes nerding out on stuff, that's the fun for them.... for me, i like to keep it caveman and simple, that's what's fun for me.

i think it's important to keep an open mind though, now more than ever about differing hunting styles. some people think running bear and lion with hounds isn't fair chase, too easy.... hunters! if some would get their heads out of their rears, and just actually tried it to form a logical opinion, they would see running hounds is one of the most challenging time consuming ways to hunt..... i haven't done a lot of it, but certainly enough to realize how tough it is..... especially without fresh snow on the ground.

another example i find funny and annoying is some compound archery hunters have so much disdain for crossbows, like the modern compound is some primitive weapon, haha

 

[Ucsdryder]

To each their own...but I’ll tell you this. I’ve never been more disgusted in my life, when watching a bear hunting show a few years back and the guy backed up so it would be his all time record distance.

 

[Megalodon]

I don’t follow your assessment OP. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone put down long range hunting because it’s too easy. Is that really a thing?

 

[roosiebull]

My 2c if you care to read from someone that has gone down this long range road recently... I want to be as efficient and effective as possible. For many years I was and still am focused on bowhunting. I would regularly shoot out to 100 yards bc it was fun and it built confidence in my 60 yard effective range.
When I drew a good rifle deer tag I thought about my capabilities with a rifle.

Forever I have been an off the shelf rifle, factory ammo, 3x9x40 scope, shooting slightly over 1 moa 2 inches high at 100 yards with an effective range around 300 yards because in my mind if I can get close with a bow I should be able to at least 300 with a gun. "Dialing" was not in my skill set.

Then I started watching long range videos on youtube and looking through forums. I got hooked, got my stepdad who has the grandslam and countless trophies under his belt with a r700 and 3x9x40 leupold for the duration hooked... it was a game changing experience to learn to shoot long distance. I studied, took courses, and now treat 600 yards as my practice yardage with my rifle. I have never felt this kind of confidence behind a gun and I recommend it. My farthest kill is 651, could I shoot 1000? Yes but I dont want to. Shoot to 1000 so 600 feels confident. Just like bowhunting. Effective at 100 so I am confident at 60 yds.

Good tale of the tape, my stepdad's first kill after learning long range... 80 yards. He spent all this time expecting to take a 600 yard cross basin shot and he ended up belly crawling in to 80 yards.

you bet. Practicing at longer range is fun and you are right about confidence... For that reason, I think everyone should shoot further than they plan on shooting in the woods.

I'm getting another rifle here shortly, and the scope will not have open dials, but will have some variation of a BDC reticle (have it narrowed down)

I plan on setting it up for MPBR for the woods, never set a rifle up that way and like the concept, but I do want other aiming points for practicing longer shots than I'll take. I'm guessing my hunting range will be around 350 yds, which is more than enough for me for hunting.

for my needs, dials don't make sense knowing I don't plan on shooting a long ways at a critter, and don't need an open turret that spins around on it's own while packing the rifle around (been there)

 

[roosiebull]

I don’t follow your assessment OP. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone put down long range hunting because it’s too easy. Is that really a thing?

it's for sure a thing. i know i'm not the only one who has read "it's not hunting, it's shooting" which implies it's not fair.

 

[Mosster47]

This topic gets beaten to death. The tool is just as important as the shooter when you're stretching past 600 yards. A 1 MOA rifle is a great shooting rifle by any standard, but at 1,000 yards you're looking at 11" of wiggle room even if you make a perfect shot. That's with conditions inside of a vacuum at sea level. On deer sized game 11" is huge. That's the difference between grazing the front of their sternum and gut shooting. If your rifle isn't .5 MOA or under you shouldn't even consider firing on animals past 500 yards. That's my personal opinion.

I love distance shooting and used to be obsessed with it. My personal ethics were if I couldn't put a bullet into a paper plate no matter the conditions on the first shot then it was too far to shoot at an animal. That limit was 600 yards for me and still is. Others go farther, some much farther. If they can pass that same test with a cold barrel, a swirling cross wind, a lack of sleep, and an elevated heart rate then so be it. If they can't, then I'm not a fan of what they are doing.

 

[roosiebull]

I am getting claustrophobic reading this thread! This is obviously unrealistic at this time but think about your favorite unit in ID or CO, say 500 rifle tags, 70% public land, only 40% holds the elk, all the hunters are shooting out to 1000 yards. Sounds like a massacre, we will turn elk hunting into good ole Midwest deer drive hunting before you know it! I get shooting long distances is fun, and I like shooting my rifle, but at a certain point I ask myself when is the hunting/ fair chase aspect lost, when do advances in gear go to far? I have too much respect for the animal and the hunt to be taking rifle pokes at it from 1000 yards and it honestly does not remotely peak my interest.

Also a lot of the guys getting into this game are not great ambassadors for the sport it seems. Game Warden in the unit I hunted last year had a horror story of guys from Oregon trying to shoot elk at "extremely long range" and wounding a number of critters. Said he had video from other hunters and was trying to prosecute. Basically said one group of guys, trying to shoot way to far, ruined the season for a lot of other hunters..

Anyway, yea everybody can do what they want and we do need more unity in the hunting community. But I guarantee every single one of you would be pissed off if you had your bull in your sights at 300 yards and some guy 800 yards out shot him in the ham before you could pull the trigger. Leave the long range to competitions and the range, keep hunting, hunting.

all of this could be argued about most styles of hunting today, or any range.

would you not be pissed if you had that bull in your sights at 70yds and someone shot him in the ham at 200yds? is it any different at all (in real life)?

look how good and easy to shoot compounds have gotten in the past 15yrs.

the massacre isn't really realistic (in real life) and if a person fills their tag every year, regardless of weapon, what's the difference?

 

[BuzzH]

A couple things that matter to me about shooting long range:

1. I've done it and each time feel a bit empty about it, like I robbed myself of the actual hunting part.

2. More efficiency by increasing killing ability, including but not limited to LR hunting, is going to impact us all with shorter seasons, less tags, and ultimately less opportunity to spend time in the woods.

 

[*zap*]

I think folks should do what they like to do and is legal. If someone want's to hunt a certain way they ought to and @ the same time they should not speak down to others who choose a different method, crossbow vs compound is another example of this.

 

[Cody_W]

Everyone has their own reasons for why they do things a certain way. Some people just get to riled up about thinking their own way is better, when in reality the best way is whatever way works for you as long as it’s legal and will properly harvest game. If someone can make a 1000 yard shot on game successfully then by all means, same with the 100 yard compound shot, or 450 yard muzzleloader shot. If you have the equipment and know how to use it then fair game. Same to the guy who shoots trad or open sights. Different strokes.

 

[idahohikker]

A couple things that matter to me about shooting long range:

1. I've done it and each time feel a bit empty about it, like I robbed myself of the actual hunting part.

2. More efficiency by increasing killing ability, including but not limited to LR hunting, is going to impact us all with shorter seasons, less tags, and ultimately less opportunity to spend time in the woods.

Agreed.

And long range is not a good look for nonhunters. The wounding loss is not on the same levels as shooting within 300 and if guys says it’s the same they lose credibility to me. So many goofballs lobbing long shots these days. The time involved is something many won’t invest in.

 

[mtnwrunner]

I'm surprised that Ryan hasn't locked this thread down yet. It always gets beat to death and there is no clear definition of what LRH really is other that it is a personal choice and a particular skill set.

Randy

 

[EastCoaster]

If animals rang like steel when they got hit......the LR addiction would be worse .

 

[mwebs]

Maybe there will be LR zones and non-long range zones pretty soon. Similar reasoning used as for the motorized hunting rule...