How far is to far?

Rob5589

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Have harvest numbers increased because gear has stretched the distance, or are distances stretched because of some other reason?

Good question. Probably hard to quantify unless the kill distance was disclosed. If it were, it is probably minimal. I would be more concerned with increased wounding numbers than kill numbers.
 
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Set up pie plates. 100, 200, 300 ,400,500,600 etc.

When you cant hit one of them with a cold bore on the first shot. Go backwards 100 yards and thats your effective range.

Bet you 95% of the people on here couldn't hit a pie plate at 400 yards under normal hunting pressure/situation and 40% couldn't do it from a solid bench.


I've no doubt you'd win that bet.
I shoot at a public 300 yard range throughout the year. For the few weeks before hunting season the public range gets over run with hunters toting lead sleds. Its pretty rare to have them shoot at the 300 yard targets and not real common for them to shoot at the 200 yard line. Most just bang away at the 100 yard line from their lead sled. Fairly often folks have to help them get their rifles zero'd. They shoot half a box from the lead sled and if they manage to keep them inside about the 8 ring they call it good and head home. Never having tried anything over 100 yards, and never trying their rifles from an unsupported shooting position.
 

Rob5589

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I have no doubt people stretch the gun barrel when they feel the need to shoot something big.

Prime example:

My father-in-law really wanted to shoot at a good deer at 600 yards. Could he have hit it? maybe. We got to 300 yards and sat there for 4 hours waiting on that deer to come out of that canyon. It got dark on us and the deer never came out. He layed there until dark like those big old bucks do sometimes.

He talks about how he should have tried the shot from 600 yards.

I'm still glad he didn't take the shot.

Why? Because the wind was blowing 30 MPH and I didn't feel like having a rodeo chasing a wounded deer around. It was a very big buck. But it was not worth it.

90% of people would have tried the shot I bet.

Fact of the matter is that he went home empty handed. And thats OK. We didn't leave with a wounded deer running around....

Thats sportsmanship. Most people just dont have it.

I pulled off a 400 yard shot on a whitetail on the last day. There was no wind and I still didn't hit exactly where I was aiming and I consider myself to be a pretty good shot. For the record, I would have missed the pie plate. (hit the deer in the liver/back of lungs)

I consider myself to be a 400 yard max shooter and there is no telling how many thousands of rounds I fired downrange. In normal hunting situations 400 yards and under is my personal limit.

DO I JUDGE people who shoot animals at 1000 yards and put it on YouTube for the sake of selling rifles? YES I absolutely do. I always will. That is reckless greed in my opinion and they should have their licenses taken away.

No wind at you, or no wind at the target? It is pretty crazy how much winds can vary at any significant distance. As an experiment, those wanting to shoot at distance should place wind flags every 100 yds to say 800 yds and see how the wind can vary.
 
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I have no doubt people stretch the gun barrel when they feel the need to shoot something big.

Prime example:

My father-in-law really wanted to shoot at a good deer at 600 yards. Could he have hit it? maybe. We got to 300 yards and sat there for 4 hours waiting on that deer to come out of that canyon. It got dark on us and the deer never came out. He layed there until dark like those big old bucks do sometimes.

He talks about how he should have tried the shot from 600 yards.

I'm still glad he didn't take the shot.

Why? Because the wind was blowing 30 MPH and I didn't feel like having a rodeo chasing a wounded deer around. It was a very big buck. But it was not worth it.

90% of people would have tried the shot I bet.

Fact of the matter is that he went home empty handed. And thats OK. We didn't leave with a wounded deer running around....

Thats sportsmanship. Most people just dont have it.

I pulled off a 400 yard shot on a whitetail on the last day. There was no wind and I still didn't hit exactly where I was aiming and I consider myself to be a pretty good shot. For the record, I would have missed the pie plate. (hit the deer in the liver/back of lungs)

I consider myself to be a 400 yard max shooter and there is no telling how many thousands of rounds I fired downrange. In normal hunting situations 400 yards and under is my personal limit.

DO I JUDGE people who shoot animals at 1000 yards and put it on YouTube for the sake of selling rifles? YES I absolutely do. I always will. That is reckless/unethical greed in my opinion and they should have their licenses taken away.

Hate me for it? Thats fine, at least you know where I stand.

*Edited to be somewhat less shitty

No hate here but I don’t think where you stand is based on solid thoughts.

  1. 90% of people would take a 600 yard shot in 30 MPH winds? Guess I've only hunted with 10 percenters
  2. Claiming "Sportsmanship" and moral high ground for passing on a 600 yard shot with 30 MPH winds yet claiming someone who shoots something at 1000 deserves to have their rights taken.. A berger 215 at Win Mag velocities (bucks the wind well) @ 600 yards with a full value 30 MPH wind shows 54.6" of drift. At 1000 yards with 3 MPH wind drifts 17". So basically - anyone who has put in their time will likely tell you they'd take the shot you want to take peoples rights for over the one you're patting yourselves on the back for passing on.

There is no doubt that reserach, equipment, and growing competition scene is driving Long Range capabilities and competence in many people far beyond where it was in the past. There is no denying there is an unfortunate byproduct of "10 bullet a year bobby's" who think making good shots at 500+ is just a range finder and a drop chart away because of what they saw on TV or the internet. But you also can't lump everyone who shoots long into being unethical.

I think most people would have the impression that the meat eater crew would have a pretty good grasp on shooting/ballistics/equipment. However, when they got into how they build dope charts on a recent podcast it was pretty cringe worthy. There are a lot of different places along the spectrum and there are no hard lines IMO.
 
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16Bore

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I think Rinellas limit is 400....and lord knows he misses his share.

Which is also cringe worthy.
 

treillw

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Wind changes everything. You may be able to easily calculate the vertical correction to make with your scope at 700, 1000, or 1500 yards, but the horizontal correction is a-whole-nother ball game.

My friend is a multi time national champion long range shooter. His max range in absolutely ideal conditions when he is confident that he can judge the wind to within 1 or 2 miles an hour is around 700 yards on elk and less on smaller sized targets. He has guns that shoot over 2000 yards. He has them tuned to shoot under an inch 10 shot group at 400 yards.

I shot a 19.5" 5 shot group at 2000 yards with one of his guns. A few minutes later the same gun was shooting 50" groups. Wind uncertainty is real.

It's pretty telling to me how far I should be shooting when somebody with his level of experience is "only" confident to 700.
 

Ryan Avery

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I would still say the new Trad or LR bowhunting craze is wounding more animals than LR rifle hunters! When I find a dead head in the woods I instinctively look for an arrow and I find more than I would like. But that's ok because that's "hunting"

I wish people would spend more time practicing than whining about what someone else is doing.
 

mtmuley

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I wish people would spend more time practicing than whining about what someone else is doing.
Yep. But sadly, I think we are in the "no practice required" era at least as far as rifles are concerned. Buy a "long range" rifle, a box of ammo deemed "high bc" and off to the races. mtmuley
 

Ryan Avery

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No different than buying a compound bow and shooting 80 yards for a week and going hunting with it thinking he’s deadly to 100 yards. Does anyone really think this is short range hunting?

Or a guy jump shooting deer with his rifle he dusted off a week before season.

Shitty ‘hunters’ are everywhere.

It’s easy to buy it.. now practice That’s hard.


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mtmuley

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No different than buying a compound bow and shooting 80 yards for a week and going hunting with it thinking he’s deadly to 100 yards. Does anyone really think this is short range hunting?

Or a guy jump shooting deer with his rifle he dusted off a week before season.

Shitty ‘hunters’ are everywhere.

It’s easy to buy it.. now practice That’s hard.


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We think alike. mtmuley
 

Rthur

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Always dictated by conditions/ quarry/ weapon/caliber/ bullet choice.
Ancillery gear may regulate as well.
Many range finders haven't near the reach on hide as they do on other targets.

R
 

JWP58

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No different than buying a compound bow and shooting 80 yards for a week and going hunting with it thinking he’s deadly to 100 yards. Does anyone really think this is short range hunting?

Or a guy jump shooting deer with his rifle he dusted off a week before season.

Shitty ‘hunters’ are everywhere.

It’s easy to buy it.. now practice That’s hard.


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And expensive! My time is like 33 an hour...plus ammo!
 

Rob5589

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No different than buying a compound bow and shooting 80 yards for a week and going hunting with it thinking he’s deadly to 100 yards. Does anyone really think this is short range hunting?

Or a guy jump shooting deer with his rifle he dusted off a week before season.

Shitty ‘hunters’ are everywhere.

It’s easy to buy it.. now practice That’s hard.


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A week? I know guys that try to get their gear dialed in while in camp. I shoot out to 80 yds regularly since I have pins out that far. But I won't shoot at a non wounded animal that far. I don't think you are finding "dead heads" due to LR archery shooters, you are finding them due to guys that think just getting an arrow into something means a successful trip/hunt.
 

16Bore

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Yep. But sadly, I think we are in the "no practice required" era at least as far as rifles are concerned. Buy a "long range" rifle, a box of ammo deemed "high bc" and off to the races. mtmuley

Googlenation....

The era of instant gratification, everyone is special and deserves a trophy.
 
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