How well does the average big game hunter shoot?

[Beluebow]

In my estimation "the average" big game hunter sucks at long range.

 

[KyCarl]

Not as well as they think they do!

 

[Rosebud]

In 1977, kicked out of a pickup truck in the dark on the east pasture of a Wyoming ranch. 83,000 acres pasture I had never laid eyes on the place in my life day pack with water and a sandwich, box of 130 grain 270 Hornady soft points I'd loaded two weeks ago. Remington 700. Redfield 3-9x40. When it turned daylight I said shi@. Had no idea how to shoot the distance I was seeing antelope. My 1st experience in wide open range. To cut this short I was able to see a nice buck about half mile away. Saw the only tree in sight was near him.got into dry wash and ran to the point where the tree was .left my pack in the wash and climbed out beside the tree. Looked every where. No antelope. Turned to slide back in the wash and he was behind me. Luckily, facing away. Back in the ditch. Went another hundred yards and climbed out to the edge. Only to discover it was false edge. Belly crawled another twenty yardsand peeked over the edge. There he was 150 yards away. Still mounted on the living room. 15.7 inch length. Never had him scored.

 

[scpaul]

The older I get the more I forget

What did you say?

 

[Rosebud]

The kicker to the 1977 hunt was the antelope tag was seventy five dollars. Trespass fee to hunt the ranch was another seventy five dollars. They also allowed you sleep in the sheep barn. Nice bunks and hot shower. Wish I could do that again. And there was a game warden who had watched my entire stalk with a spotting scope from a mile away. Drove up to where I was gutting it. Checked my tag and drove off. I'm thinking a little help back to the two track we came in on would be nice. But no, nothing but a dust cloud.

 

[Lee7588]

What did you say?

I can't remember

 

[Mike Matteson]

When I was 21 I worked in a local store that had a big Gun dept . Just across form our gun department was the fishing Dept. The guys in Fishing would sell Split Bamboo Fly Rod 's and Fly reel that were super expensive in that day to fishermen who appreciated and expected quality VS , the guys that came to buy a deer rifle, and began every sentence with the word "CHEAP" Cheap rifle, Cheap scope, oh Damm you need mounts to put the scope on??? and of course, Cheap ammo. If our Remington green and yellow box was $1.00 more that wall mart, they would not buy the ammo in our store. It was my personal feeling that the Hunting rifle /scope package I purchased would be a time possession. So if took me another year to save up for the more expensive, Leupold scope, I did that, as opposed to getting the Bushnell banner, or the Tasco. I had come to learn that to so many Hunters, ( Not all thank God ) shooting is just an expense. It is not something they want to do. So many really believe once zeroed, the rifle never needs to be fired until opening day. The scope will never need to be re zeroed. Rings and bases will never need to tightened. Ammo formulas will never change. I am about to turn 75 and I am still having these conversations with friend who are also 75 and with their sons who are in their 40's. I have to remind myself to shut up and stop preaching about the benefits of shooting. The guys who purchased the 270 Win Short Mag and the 28 Nosler are just not going to shoot a New factory box of ammo , at paper and burn up a $120 to $160 Dollar box of ammo. That box of ammo should last 10 years. I must learn to shut up. They just shoot the deer in the food plot usually at 30 to 60 yards, sometimes need to track and hit it again, then put the rifle and box of ammo away till next year !! As Larry Potterfield often says, " and that's the way it is. "

Interesting on what you had to say. Well I am 75, and been huntng from 10 yrs of age. Started hand loading at 14 for a 300 H & H Mag. Couldn't hardly afford store ammo. That time I got Weaver 4 powder scope. I was in tall cotton. Later on moved up to a 2x7 duplex Leupold. Finally place that 2x7 on a Rem 721 in a 25/06. Used it for year and still have it. Learn to use the 2x7 on 7 powder; for ranging my animals. It never left me short, and made my kills out 500yds.

 

[scpaul]

I can't remember

Oh, well must not have been very important, catch you later.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

Classic 300 H and H . I think way back it was nic named the" Super 30 " It won the 1000 yard Wimbledon Match in a Winchester rifle. In 1920 something??? I remember the Leupold 2 to 7 . Great all-around hunting scope, especially here on the east coast with NY State or Penn woods. Great story buddy!!!We mounted a ton of them in those years. Funny we often opted for Redfield Rings and bases. Good strong steel Rings and Bases .

 

[scpaul]

A 2 - 7 power scope is still a very useful magnification range for most of the country. I haven't looked in quite a while but there used to be a decent selection of manufacturers, quality ( both high and low) and price ranges. I found that it was a good all around scope for beginners too. Not too extreme of power either way.

 

[RockyRandy]

I shoot competitivly at 1000 yards. I often get asked what the longest shot I've made on a game animal. My replys are 50-70 yards on elk, maybe 100 on mule dear and maybe 200 on antelope. My thoughts are I hunt, getting close for my shots. If I want to shoot long range I'll go shoot paper. Then if I make a bad wind call and miss my shot, oh well, no big deal. I do not want to nor ever had made a bad shot on game because I hunt.

All the talk that people make about shooting game at long range needs to stop. It makes the unskilled say, "I'm going to buy a 300WM and go hunt my elk at 1000+ yards." With no understanding of ballistics all they do is wound animals if they can hit one. Hunting needs to go back to hunting skills. Learn the animal, stalk the animal and make realistic shots. I personally like to learn the terrain and animal habits, then wait for them to come to me.

Wow, someone who really gets it! I couldn't agree anymore then with you on this subject. I never understood hunting until I started hunting Elk with a bow and arrow. There isn't nothing more thrilling than to get within bow range of an Elk. In fact I haven't hunted big game with a rifle ever sense I started hunting with a bow 14 years ago but I love the heck out of shooting Steel.

 

[yobuck]

I've wounded deer at close range, I'm not proud to say. I've also shot groundhogs close to 800 yards.

For me personally, I've found in deer season that hearing protection makes ALL the difference. Many times with our hunting style we don't get time to slip in ear pro, or so I thought. Once I started making it a priority, my shots got MUCH better. Hoping that now with the suppressor I can continue the trend, AND protect my boy's hearing while they are young.

But, But, you failed to mention how you went about the shooting on the animals you wounded at close range, as opposed to those you killed at long range.
Was there a difference in your shooting method that helped you on the long shots?
Simply wearing ear protection wont do that as you well know.

 

[Unionsparky46]

Here in Washington State I've seen more "hunters" make unethical shots vs their skill set. They serious just sling copper as fast as they can. Worst part is they don't look at their background. With it being a pumpkin patch in most areas around here you'd think they'd watch out. They don't. It's literally like an Elmer Fudd cartoon.

We hunt the high country of the Methow. My camp has been doing it for 15 years now. I started with my grandpa and dad in 1991 in the area. 3 years ago a buddy was up on the higher hill in a decently popular area. He jumped a nice 6x6 on his hike. Not to put pressure on it he just lagged behind a little as most of us do to get closer. He got within 250 yards when all hell broke loose.

Couple of idiots were on the road and spotted the monster. Immediately they got out of their rig and opened fire right in my buddies direction. He hit the deck and after they unloaded their rifles he stood up and started yelling and waving his orange. The idiots reloaded and continued to fire as they hadn't come close to hitting the deer and he didn't know what was going on.

One of them ended up hitting it in the leg. It took off with my buddy low crawling in his direction. He caught up to it laying in a gully. He spooked but didn't get far as my buddy put him down. I got to the scene as I was within radio and shot distance to hear the story and help him get it to the truck. I ranged from where he was to where they were on the way down. 835 yards up hill!

Got down to his rig and lo and behold they were there watching us drag him from the other side. With an extreme amount of restraint and a few choice words they left. My buddy decided to notify the game warden. To much avail, nothing was done as they couldn't prove that they were actually firing in his direction and I couldn't bear witness. He did say he'd talk to them but nothing ever came of it.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this has happened to us it's just one of the worse ones we have experienced. I heard the shots and it sounded like a war zone. I've personally had bullets zing over my head while in the field. It concerns me a lot that idiots don't practice and take unethical shots per their skill but it bothers me even more they don't check their shooting lane. Well, off to the range for me! I'll be at cascade rifle and pistol if anyone else here in WA is bored!

 

[Mike Matteson]

In 1977, kicked out of a pickup truck in the dark on the east pasture of a Wyoming ranch. 83,000 acres pasture I had never laid eyes on the place in my life day pack with water and a sandwich, box of 130 grain 270 Hornady soft points I'd loaded two weeks ago. Remington 700. Redfield 3-9x40. When it turned daylight I said shi@. Had no idea how to shoot the distance I was seeing antelope. My 1st experience in wide open range. To cut this short I was able to see a nice buck about half mile away. Saw the only tree in sight was near him.got into dry wash and ran to the point where the tree was .left my pack in the wash and climbed out beside the tree. Looked every where. No antelope. Turned to slide back in the wash and he was behind me. Luckily, facing away. Back in the ditch. Went another hundred yards and climbed out to the edge. Only to discover it was false edge. Belly crawled another twenty yardsand peeked over the edge. There he was 150 yards away. Still mounted on the living room. 15.7 inch length. Never had him scored.

A trip in early 80's into Wy. First time hunting antelope. (The buck I took) Buck was with a doe, and bedded down with the world in his view. I was about a 1.25 miles away. i figure I could close the distance. Moved over to a deep ditch and worked my way to where he at. Closed that distance down to about 500yds. I had to do some low crawling to close that distance, and was afraid I was going to be spotted. I had done a lot of shooting with the rifle I was using. 721 rem in a 25/06, 22" barrel. with a 2x7 Leupold duplex scope. I had set up several years before that to learn how to range animal at deer size out to 500yds.
Determine that the buck was at about 500yds. Laying down on the ground and holding myself up on my elbows. Set to make the shot. One thing I hadn't realize that he was laying down and not sitting up. Place the shot and made the shot. The dust below up around him, and made me think I was low. By then I had chamber another round and took up aim again. The doe that was with him ran up the hill, he move towards lower ground there. In my second shot, I noted that was a red spot on his side where his heart should be. I missed my 2nd shot, but noted that the red spot was back to his hiden leg. He drop over by that time.
I had hit him in the heart, but didn't realize was when he was hit, it make him jump and his leg kit up the dust, not my bullet being low.
That all comes from knowing my rifle and how to range using my scope, and shooting paper at different ranges. Part of it is I never missed at those ranges. I have missed at closer ranges, but nothing at that distances. That was from learning how that rifle shots at different yardages, and to where to place the scope on the target or animal. At that time I didn't have a chronographs either. I have a couple of them now.
So much for those range finders at that time. Today range finders are different story. So there more than one ways to skin a cat. You do need to know your rifle and how the bullet fly down ranges. Without that you might as well throw rocks at them.
With Chrongraphs sure cut down on what your bullet is doing going down range. I'll add that if your bullet are on the same desgn and the velocity are about the same. The flight of those are all about the same. So I try and keep my rifes that I use in that velocity range. That way I don't have to remember where to hold that rifle at a give distance.
Nothing against having a dail-up-scope to do the work for you. I have one now, but I going to extend my range out to about 750yds, so I feel that a better scope is needed.