Typical shot distance

[bnewt3]

Im an Eastern hunter buying points in WY for a future hunt(2-5 years). What are your average and longest shots? I have in my head I want to train to be confident with up to a 500yd shot. Is that reasonable?

I think my main hitch will be wind. We dont get WY winds back east, at least not on ranges with any distance.

 

[TaperPin]

Im an Eastern hunter buying points in WY for a future hunt(2-5 years). What are your average and longest shots? I have in my head I want to train to be confident with up to a 500yd shot. Is that reasonable?

I think my main hitch will be wind. We dont get WY winds back east, at least not on ranges with any distance.

How fun - antelope hunting is a blast and you get to see a ton of animals every day. Between myself and others I’ve hunted with over the years our shots distances are something like this:

Up to 100 yards, 5%.
100 to 200,15%.
200 to 300, 35%.
300 to 400, 15%.
400 to 500, 25%.

The terrain will often dictate shot distances. Some areas with rolling foothills or multiple shallow draws make 200 - 300 yard shots common. Some open country is so open there’s barely enough to hide behind on hands and knees, and shots are long or not at all.

Because they love to run, you might see a group a mile away jogging in your direction and they might not stop until a mile past you. Animal movement will cause more misses and gut shots than wind, but it is good to at least have a cheat sheet for wind and at least a little practice judging strength.

 

[Geewhiz]

I shot an antelope a this year at 89 yards. My wife shot hers at 1025. Opportunities vary wildly.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I have in my head I want to train to be confident with up to a 500yd shot. Is that reasonable?

It varies wildly but if you can shoot 500yd well that is a great goal and will provide many opportunities. Folks that aren't comfortable past 200yd are going to hampered in the situations that don't offer the terrain to close in more.

 

[longrangelead]

Whatever you prepare for will NOT be the opportunity presented...

To improve reading/shooting in wind, you have to read/shoot in wind...

The good news is, some days the wind isn't bad between legal light and sun-up.

 

[hiker270]

Its generally not that hard to get to within 300 yards.

 

[EdP]

I have taken 4 pronghorn. In order they were at 402 yds, 500 yds, 75 yds, 125 yds. Being prepared for 500 yds is a good plan. Beyond 500 even reasonable winds begin to create a real challenge for an eastern hunter not experienced with shooting in wind (which I am also). Although Wy can be very windy, in none of those situation was there much wind. Two days before I took my pronghorn this year there was quite a bit of wind. You never know what the wind will be or where the pronghorn will offer you a shot. I missed the opportunity for a 75 yd offhand shot at a pronghorn this year thinking he was going to take off right away because we had spotted each other at the same moment. He didn't and I should have tried, so practice that too.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Killed a few of them including a couple with a muzzleloader… usually terrain dictated the shot, but none of the shots were over 300 yards. Closest muzzy was like 12 yards, furtherest rifle was 290

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

How fun - antelope hunting is a blast and you get to see a ton of animals every day. Between myself and others I’ve hunted with over the years our shots distances are something like this:

Up to 100 yards, 5%.
100 to 200,15%.
200 to 300, 35%.
300 to 400, 15%.
400 to 500, 25%.

The terrain will often dictate shot distances. Some areas with rolling foothills or multiple shallow draws make 200 - 300 yard shots common. Some open country is so open there’s barely enough to hide behind on hands and knees, and shots are long or not at all.

Because they love to run, you might see a group a mile away jogging in your direction and they might not stop until a mile past you. Animal movement will cause more misses and gut shots than wind, but it is good to at least have a cheat sheet for wind and at least a little practice judging strength.

Where I hunt them in Wyoming, 200-500 yards representing 50-60% of all kills rings true.

 

[wapitibob]

This years Deer was 375, Elk was 365. Our Pronghorn have been closer.

 

[sambo3006]

I've shot three at 100 yards, three at 200 to 300 yards, and three at 400 to 500 yards. Practice in field positions and trajectory knowledge are your friends, wind is your enemy.

 

[MuleyFever]

Last hunt we killed bucks at 125 and 200 if I remember correctly.

 

[voltage]

Approximately…
450 prone
125 prone
310 prone
455 prone
250 sticks
255 prone
125 tripod
379 prone

 

[chicoredneck]

In my family it seems like someone has a pronghorn tag every year, sometimes we have several. The longest shot I can remember was over 700 yards. Most of the pronghorn we have killed have been between 200 and 400 yards, with quite a few under 200 yards. My best buck to date I killed under 100 yards after he ran up to me and proceeded to trash a bush like a tough guy.

 

[Deerfield]

Our last trip’s shots on antelope/mule deer in comparable terrain.

Sub 75
197
237
283
311

 

[Smokinyotes]

Southern Alberta here the winds are terrible and the antelope are wild. Year before last we had difficulty getting within 600 yards.

 

[Macintosh]

No expert here, but in a couple of low to mid-point units in central wyoming that I feel ar epretty representative of the terrain I've seen antelope in across much of the state, all our shots have been under 300 yards. Most hovering on either side of 200. My wife had a super cool stalk on the nicest goat we've shot in 2022--what I would consider a respectably representative antelope just from having driven around a lot of wyoming--and shot it at 170 yards on publicly accessible land in a 1-point unit half-way through the season. I have had a couple of "opportunities" at 500+ that we passed, but in no cases was it "necessary" to take those shots in order to have a successful hunt. I could see if you were really picky and after a specific animal that a longer shot might become more likely/necessary...and as a first-time antelope hunter you should know that in most of the cases I've experienced "being really picky" is almost the whole point of antelope hunting, your hunt will be over too soon if you arent. That was a very hard thing to wrap my head around coming from an area with extremely low deer density, where if you pass a shot you very likely eat your tag. At a minimum you should have the opportunity to be picky about the SITUATION you want to take an animal in, ie a good spot, stalk, etc, even if it isnt a giant animal. To me the trophy is the whole situation of the hunt, not so much the horns. By that measure, given its a OK unit, you should be able to choose the distance you want to take an animal at, and if you blow a stalk or two that may actually make it a BETTER hunt...but I would try to at least be proficient from field positions to 300 yards to avoid feeling under-prepared. Having shooting sticks or a pack to shoot off of is also helpful, as sometimes there is sage or grass high enough to prevent getting prone.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I am not sure, but I think I have shot over 50 antelope. None of them over 500 yds away, most between 200 and 300 yards. You are right about the wind, it gets more difficult to deal with the further away the animal is. Make sure you have a good range finder and know where you rifle shoots at the distances you plan on shooting.

Good luck, antelope hunting is a blast and you will have fun.