How far will you shoot at an animal?

[Clem Bronkoski]

I'm new to this long range stuff. In fact, I'm just getting started. But I'm doing this solely to have fun and shoot steel at way off distances. Now I've been hunting for about 55 years now and I've shot a few deer and antelope over the 300 yard mark and one mule deer out approaching 450 yards. All with a std Rem 700 in 270 Win that consistently shot .5 MOA (why I sold it I'll never know!)
I just ordered a Begara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM for the purpose of playing around shooting steel targets. If I practice enough and get good enough I may just take it hunting to a few places I know I can shoot about 500. That's likely as far as I would like to shoot at a deer. Especially with that cartridge. Now maybe with a .338 Lapula I would shoot farther but there is too many variables to consider in taking a shot at an animal at those extreme ranges.
My hats off to those who can do it without losing an animal. But I honestly don't think that there are that many of you out there. Except maybe those that have been doing it for decades.

 

[deerhunter64]

Been shooting a new 6.5-284 Norma since the beginning of the year. I average 2 trips a week to the range. My range only goes out to 600 yards. I would feel very comfortable taking a 500 yard shot at a deer sized animal. 600 and beyond.....I am not there yet and refuse to risk a poor shot on an animal.

 

[deerhunter64]

I meant 2 trips a month. Not 2 trips a week. I am definitely improving. I am hitting the silhouette at 600 but not nearly as accurately as I need to be.

 

[TYoung]

My comfort range is 500yrds for deer and 600yrds for elk, but my set up is good to 1000yrds before the bullet loses enough velocity for proper bullet expansion. Not sure if I will ever exceed the equipment.

 

[Elkeater]

Depends on conditions. Good shooting conditions and my gear and me can do 800 yards. Wind blowing things around like crazy might make me shoot less than 300 max. It's about knowing your equipment capabilities and shooter capabilities in a given set of conditions. Speaking of which I gotta go confirm drops in the next few days.

 

[Aldon]

Each person will have a different answer. And many will pontificate on ethics etc. In the end, everyone who practices enough to feel confident of a clean kill at whatever yardage:distance it is, is shooting ethically.

Personally due to eye sight and body just breaking down I have to reduce the max distance.

 

[338 dude]

Been shooting a new 6.5-284 Norma since the beginning of the year. I average 2 trips a week to the range. My range only goes out to 600 yards. I would feel very comfortable taking a 500 yard shot at a deer sized animal. 600 and beyond.....I am not there yet and refuse to risk a poor shot on an animal.

I Shoot a 65x284 Norma as well I've been hand loading about eight years and go to the range regularly we have targets out to 1250 yards,last year I took a friend to Wyoming on a DIY antelope hunt our first time out west I shot my antelope at 615 yards and with my help and my rifle he shot his at 783 yards I feel I can do this without a problem with proper weather conditions to 800 yards somewhere years ago I heard you need 1000 pounds of kinetic energy to kill a deer according to my ballistic app I have approximately 950 pounds out to 900 yards but don't think I would go much past 800 on game

 

[Orange Dust]

Something seldom talked about anywhere. Long range to me is a lot like bow hunting. Time of flight comes into play. Some animals are better at standing still than others. Whitetails where i hunt have a lot of pressure. Does will piddle and stay in place, bucks will not. Does are smaller, but you can kill them reliably further than a buck. If a deer takes a step right when you shoot at 500 yds, you will gutshoot him every time. The calmness of the animal is as important as wind when deciding when to shoot. A 400 yd rifle shot is like a 20 yd bow shot. As distance imcreases many things come into play that makes it harder than steel or paper.

 

[willtim]

400 yards max for me.

 

[338 dude]

400 yards max for me.

I'm glad people consider all the factors and do put limits to what they believe they can pull off ethically no matter what the distance

 

[Clem Bronkoski]

In my initial post that mulie I shot, the actual yardage was 437 yards. My guide and I spotted him at about 8:00 in the morning on the opposite hillside. We hoofed it down the mountain and up and down a bunch of lesser hills until we got to a rock outcropping to search for him again. The guide spotted him up against some rimrock just a bit after 1:00 in the afternoon. I laid prone on the rock using the guide's jacket as a rest and hanging onto the rock with my off hand so I wouldn't slide off. I bracketed him between the 400 and 500 range dots on my Burris Fullfield scope. I was rock solid and squeezed off the shot and he crumpled like he got hit with a sledge hammer. Being a bit over 400 yards away, with the terrain so rugged, we didn't get to him until about 4:00. Needless to say after the skinning and packing out it made for a very very long day which lasted well into the night. Thank goodness for head lamps!

 

[Bucklowery]

Even depends on the gun for me as well. My 308 I have taken it to 750. 600 is about max on deer. My 300wm is more accurate and more capable but the limit is 700 just because I have not proved it beyond that with setup I have and load

Thanks

Buck

 

[Greyfox]

Conditions and the orientation of the animal dictate the range that I will shoot. To date my longest shot on a game animal was 1188 yards on an antelope. About 15 years ago I decided to develop the skills and acquire the equipment to extend my comfortable max range beyond 300 yards, since then I have shot a few dozen mule deer, whitetail, and antelope past 500 yards, the sweet spot probably falling in the 650-850 yard window. Add a couple of dozen coyotes to this...great practice. I consider long range hunting "added" capability. I will still try to get as close as possible to my game, and, am equally excited taking a good animal at shorter ranges.

 

[26Reload]

To big game animals....600...
Other varmints.....if ya cant see em'...cant choot'm....

Just watched a video on YouTube...cci 22lr traveled 11 3/8" into gelatin at 25 yards...bullet third bigger in diameter..lost a couple small pieces of bullet...
Same bullet at 300 yards....11.25"....no deformation...no weight loss...
Varmints beware.....