Fears about the popularity LRH?

I meet a fair amount of people at the range and I go there often. I hear the brags about 500-900 yard shots and I love to ask them how and where they sighted their rifles in at that range. The answer usually is a bunch of bluster and statements like "there's a ballistics chart in the back of my loading manual so I don't need a range" but they don't own a chronograph or ballistics software nor to they have any idea how much their bullet drops beyond 300yds.

I'm not too worried about these braggarts wounding game or even placing a bullet in the same general vicinity of their quarry.

The damage that is done in my opinion is to the people that think that they can buy a "long range rifle" and a couple of boxes of ammo at Wally World and suddenly they're long range hunters. They can become disillusioned and start badmouthing the sport.

To me long range hunting is almost a lifestyle. It requires so much time and expense and dedication and for someone here in the east without easy and reasonably close access to ranges with the option to shoot out to 1000 or so yards it requires a whole lot of driving back and forth to a range.

Then there's the expense of a trip "out west" which is where almost all long range hunting is done and trying to set all that up without a guide is likely to be an exercise in frustration.

Yessir... I'm committed to doing some long range hunting and I don't mean just shooting a deer 500-1000 yards down a powerline ROW although that's likely to happen too. I mean sitting on top of a hill somewhere near the Rockies and shooting an elk or muley beyond 600 yards on my first long range hunting trip out there.

The preparation and planning and expense for that trip is likely to take me a couple of years and I certainly know I am capable of missing or wounding game at that distance but if I do it won't be because I haven't done the proper practice or have the proper equipment or knowledge or a good guide. It will be because I'm just a human being and subject to failure but it won't be because I didn't put in the time and money and effort to become a man that can take that one cold bore shot at game way the hell and gone out there and place that bullet right where I need to.

If only I could find a range offering 1,000 yard shooting within 2 hours of where I live that is accepting new civilian members this would be a heck of a lot easier. <sigh>

I can shoot 500yds on my hunting lease and 500yds at a buddy's farm but can't even find a place to shoot 600 anywhere but power lines so that's likely where I'll get most of my practice but even places like that are few and far between around these parts.

$bob$
 
I don't think I've very taken a critter over 500 yrds and that was before I started playing the long range game. I frequently shoot 600-700 yrd at the range with likely 95% success rate on first round hits. I'll even play at 1000-1200 yrd for fun but with less than 50% success rate on first round hits. For me part of the hunt is getting close. Not to take anything away from the long range folks on this page as I'm sure all are very capable of making the shots they select. Practice and range time are key to building confidence and skill.
 
hunting stories can be like fishing stories:

Recently I was at a stag and a guy was telling everyone how he had a custom reticle made that worked out to 800 yds and it worked bang on.
Finally I said, "I was fishing recently and my suddenly I had something heavy on and I tightened my drag and winched away, finally pulling up a lantern and the **** things even lit!"
The guy said, "********"
And I replied, "I'll tell you what, drop the distance to 500 yds and I'll blow out the light."

People like to talk, few can really shoot long range. I don't think their actual hunting behaviour will change. The guys that sight in the day before will continue doing so, while the rest of us will do what we do. But if long range hunting gets even a couple more ppl out practicing, good deal.
 
Definitely not LR , but I had a buck at 7 yards yesterday, thick trees and brush blocked any possible shot with my bow . I walked away with a smile on my face and realized later most guys would have attempted a shot , most likely deflecting the arrow resulting in a miss or wounded animal. I have more respect for the game than to risk a poor shot , even at 7 yards there's alot that can go wrong.
Bow hunting about 10 years ago, I had to draw-down my bow on the biggest **** buck I've ever seen! He was 30 yards out, perfect shot! As I wait, draw, breathe, wait for him to take that one final step broadside, the sun drops behind the trees and I can't see my sights... Hold, hold, hold, hold, hold, heavy, heavy, heavy....DAMNIT!!! Draw-down easy, and watch him ease away into the wood line... Been hunting my whole life for a trophy buck like that... That was the single hardest thing I've ever had to do when hunting. I'm proud of the decision I made, but at the same time, My sights were lined-up, all I would have had to do was flick that release trigger and send it home... But I wasn't 110% confident in the shot, so I didn't take it.
 
Interesting thread, I believe 300 yds is a long shot for most hunters. I went on a sheep hunt several years ago in the Yukon. The guide had a target set up @ 100 yds, one @ 200 , 300yds and 500 yds. He wanted to be sure of the hunters ability. The 500 yd was a sheep size steel target. Out of 6 hunters only two hit the 300 yard gong. When I hit the 500 yd they were all surprised. When they saw my (custom built) scope with lines indicating hold points to 1000 yards they called me a cheater. Most hunters don't practice past 200 yards and don't really know how far a 300-500 yard shot really is. I realize todays scopes and range finders give us a greater ability but most hunters are not qualified for most shots past 300-400 yards from what I've seen. I shoot to 800- 1000 yards all the time with custom equipment and 500-600 yards is a long shot on game for me.
 
Hello,

The "Fear" better called "Concern" is real....
It doesn't take much to make that conclusion at all if you ask me; case in point is another thread HERE at LRH linked below.
I would guarantee the poster of that thread has never shot anything at 1 mile on demand, much less 3000 yards...yet he thinking a prairie dog at 500 just might be same as an elk at 3000 yards.....

http://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/would-you-compare.191306/#post-1339829

THEIS
 
Hello,

The "Fear" better called "Concern" is real....
It doesn't take much to make that conclusion at all if you ask me; case in point is another thread HERE at LRH linked below.
I would guarantee the poster of that thread has never shot anything at 1 mile on demand, much less 3000 yards...yet he thinking a prairie dog at 500 just might be same as an elk at 3000 yards.....

http://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/would-you-compare.191306/#post-1339829

THEIS

Yeah I commented as diplomatically as I could given the absurd comparison. Hard to fill a glass that's already full. Hell I've never attempted to shoot 3k, the only thing I could hit would be the earth and that's only because of one over riding effect upon bullets, gravity lol
 
Not worth worrying about. It's the same guy who buys his first bow a week before his bow hunt, or get his rifle bore sighted and goes hunting. These knuckleheads have always been around and always will. It's no different for LR. Fortunately these are the minority not the majority of hunters
 
10-4 that plinker147
Sure seem to be breeding tho, seems like the jack wagon population has increase in recent years.
I used to sell guns, ammo, scopes, and outdoor equipment... I came to 1 conclusion... Your average hunter knows jack-sh!t about guns, ammo, scopes, shooting, hunting, and if that's not all bad enough, also, they know nothing about animals they're hunting...
 
If you are not afraid of the rising popularity of long range shooting and the people getting involved in it that are unwilling to learn and put in the effort to do it correctly, just read this thread:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/would-you-compare.191306/

And you will see why it too worries me, some of the people getting involved in this sport. I guess there has to be one in every crowd, sadly.
 
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