Extreme Long Range Hunting

[Huntinfool]

Hello, everyone I'm new to the LRH forum but not to hunting. I was recently introduced to extreme long range shooting, as I like to call it.

I've dispatched hundreds maybe even over a thousand of groundhogs as we call them here in WV using a .222 a 22-250 a bunch of 243's and my pet .270! In the past most of my hogs were taken anywhere from 200 to 450 with an occasional 500 yard shot.

After 25 to 30 years of it, I got bored with how easy it had gotten. As luck would have it, my new neighbor Rick Turner turned out to be an extreme long-range varmint hunter. When he first moved in he told me of his new gun he was having built a .338 Lapua Magnum. He named her "The Equalizer" the gun is made to be shot from a bench it weighs 38 pounds has a Nite Force scope 15 to 42 I think.

On Dec. 26th 2003, Rick invited a friend and me to go deer hunting. He had permission where we might get up to a 900-yard shot. We got to the farm about 1:00 in the afternoon. We set up his bench, spotting scopes, and range finder. Rick jumped on his 4 wheeler and ran some milk jugs and bowling pins out to dial in the scope plus for us to plink a little.
As soon as he got back Rick said I'm going to try a pin at 750 yards (he has a Wild range finder as well as a laser range finder. We weren't expecting deer till later that evening. Shows how unpredictable deer are. He adjusted his scope both windage and elevation.
Boom first shot he smacked down the bowling pin he'd called. Steve my other buddy and I just stared at each other with slacked jaw.

Immediately when I turned around to look in the direction of the pins, I saw a big anterless deer, which was what we were after. I told Rick and we figured the yardage real quick as the deer walked down into a dip so that only her head and three inches of her neck showed. She was intently looking at the bowling pins trying to figure out where those white things came from. Rick dialed up the scope for 650 and said he was going to hold where the grass and the deer's neck meet.

At the boom of the rifle and 7 tenths of a second later the 300 grain 3 inch long Sierra bullet crashed through the deer’s neck exactly where he called the shot! It's head disappeared like so many hundreds of groundhogs I've seen get zapped. We saw a big puff of fur float away on the wind! It turned out to be 668 yards. Later that evening I shot a little doe at 553 yds and with that gun, it seemed like a chip shot!

That was the most awesome display of long-range expertise I've ever witnessed. But Rick and his friends go PD hunting every year and last year he got in the 1500 yd club with a 1538 yd prairie dog and this year he's going for the 2000 yd club with the VHA. I've also been out with him 3 other times and we shot milk jugs and 20 ounce soda bottles at 1000 yds.

Yea there's some luck to it but a heck of a lot of skill also fellows. Don't knock it till you've tried it. It has certainly got me back into varminting now I'm hunting for places where I can stretch the barrel. Oh and I'm also eyeing a new rifle a Savage Varminter in 300 Win Mag.

I don't want to harp on politics but if we give in to the antis, there's no stopping them. We can't afford to give an inch on any part of our sport. Who am I to say that a fellow shouldn't shoot at a certain distance? Everyone has to know his or her own limits. I hunt with a .50 cal Flintlock longrifle I taken 5 deer in two years with flintlocks the longest shot was approx. 75 yards.

A hunter who buys an open site 30/30 shouldn't shoot at ELR of course. However, a hunter who has 3500 dollars in a custom built rifle that will group a 3 inch long 300 grs .338 cal. bullet into 5/8 inch hole at 300 yards(3 shot group). And then puts a 1500 dollar scope on it. Plus spends another 1500 bucks on range finding and other equipment.

Hey, I'm not going to tell him how far he can shoot. For one thing, I have no idea how far he can actually shoot and get a first shot hit!

Remember fellow hunters the anti's plan is to divide and conquer. Being that this was a LRH site, I naturally thought I'd find an ELR area.

Hey Len, if you can help me post it me I have a good pic of "The Equalizer"!

Keep Yer Powder Dry,
Chuck Goodall
“The Original Huntin’ Fool”

[ 03-20-2004: Message edited by: Huntinfool ]

[ 03-20-2004: Message edited by: Huntinfool ]

[Ian M]

Great stories. For some reason within the hunting fraternity extreme range shooting of varmints and predators seems more palatable than doing so for big game. Interesting isn't it, since the end result is intended to be the same - a clean one-shot kill.

I am somewhat surprised that lately there appears to be so much interest in publicizing extreme range hunting. Several years ago I discussed doing just that with an individual who is one of the "grey-beards". He decided inclusion in a magazine article for Deer and Deer Hunting that I was working on, was not in the best interest of the sport. I respected that and did not include the involvement as I had considered. Matter of fact, I happen to agree that he made a wise decision.

Given the restrictions imposed out west (overall weight of the huting rifle being restricted) I would think that fairly low-key would be a good idea. We recently made a decision to eliminate an extreme range section and competition section here, you can find the rationale if you look back a bit.

Great story, sharing info on such fine shooting is something that we are here for. There are many guys here who hunt with muzzle loaders, shotguns and archery equipment as well as a wide assortment of rifles. You will not find any yardage, equipment or technique restrictions here, as long as they are legal.

[Huntinfool]

Wow, I just went back and read some posts. I guess I should've read them before posting this subject. I didn't know that ya'll had just gone through with all that. Please except my humble apology.

I've always preached to the choir that we should all stick together. I guess my whole message is stick together like glue. Be more like Ted Nugent, it is what it is!! Don't let the anti’s divide and conquer us.

PS: I also shoot a longbow with my custom made cedar arrows. Looks like Lens got a nice board here!

[TOM H]

I do alot of elk and deer hunting and shooting big game from a bench with a 38 lb rifle doesn't seem right. Dan Lilja use to write about his long range table shooting (50lb rifles) at elk in Precision Shooting and were I live you have to be able to shoulder the rifle other wise we have guys with 50 cal on bipods. I don't mean to flame anyone but such articles are bad for the hunting world and take the idea of fair chase out of the picture. I can just see some anti-hunting group getting hold of such a thing. Varmit hunting is one thing but deer and elk are another. I'm real surprise this type of post hasn't been pulled.

[4ked Horn]

Hi Roper

I thought I would do a line by line response to your post but I dont want to seem argumentative. Things have been rough here this last week and I don't want to stir the pot. Instead I will just put out a few thoughts and an oppinion or two and see what happens. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I think that it is the hunters responsability to put down his quarry as quickly as possible given the thousands of possible circumstances. If this means shooting the animal from such a distance that the animal is not prone to jumping or flinching as the shot is taken then I think distance is good.

But with distance comes the need for comparably accurate equipment. Also comes the need for adequate energy at the extended distance. Wounding game is never the intent of a responsible hunter.

I'm not certain what "fair chase" is and how it benefits the animal. Most animals have an advntage in sight, hearing, sence of smell, knoledge of the area, camoflauge, traveling speed and they are not limited by private property boundaries or game units or laws. All of these factors make the one shot kill harder to place and they add to the dificulty of retreiving game that flees after a shot is taken

Long range removes many of the sources of a nervous animal. This allows a higher possibility of a quick killing shot and a more certain recovery of that same animal as many animals will not flee what they don't know is there and the shooter (and spotter) can often visually follow the animal to its terminus.

I will only mention that long range tools benefit hunters that are disabled like me. More on that only if you ask me so this dosen't sound like I'm on a personal soapbox.

Lastly, ground squirrel or bull moose, they are all vertibrates and (if hunted) should be dispatched rapidly. Ethics apply across the board regardless of trophy or food value.

(I'm not looking to offend even a single person here but...)
I would suggest that if you are concerned about the way an animal is harvested you might first consider how fish are treated both in and out of the water. (Fish are vertibrates too.)

(Bracing for what might happen next [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] )

[Huntinfool]

Hey fellows I don't wish to flame or argue either but anything the antis get a hold of is fodder for their battle.

If we let them take away our right to hunt at long range then next they take away Muzzle Loading. They'll say my flintlock isn't reliable enough to kill humanely.

Or that bowhunting is cruel...The list goes on and on doesn't anyone see what I'm trying to say.

We must quit worrying about what the antis think, see, or hear. They will never be happy as long as we hunt. I agree with 4ked I think coyote or a prairie dog deserves as humane a death as a deer or elk.

We are responsible to deliver a swift and humane death if at all possible. But those very words inflame peta because they think we have no right to do anything to any animals period.

Roper everyone has their own idea of what is fair chase in this state there are no restrictions on rifles period. I've had fellows tell me that I was a sissy if you use a scope. I know another gentleman who hunts with nothing but a flintlock. Just how much fair chase do you require? Do you see what I'm driving at shooting deer from a bench with a 38 pound gun doesn't sound right to you then don't do it. A lot of people think hunting from a tree stand is not fair. Or using sites on a bow... the list is endless.

The dog hunters argue with the non dog hunters. Some bait some don't. Each state has it's own set of rules and regulations. But we as hunters need to stick together or we'll fall. I may not like they way you hunt but I'll defend your right to do it if it's legal!

Sometimes I wonder if these forums aren't loaded with peta types just trying to cause trouble amongst us hunters!

Divide and Conquer is their goal.

[ 03-21-2004: Message edited by: Huntinfool ]

[ 03-21-2004: Message edited by: Huntinfool ]

[Perkules]

Huntinfool,you nailed it. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]