How well does the average big game hunter shoot?

[tony d willIiams]

What really bothers me is the trendy marketing around long range hunting, everyone thinks they can go buy the "easy button" setup and be a sniper.
For example a friend I grew up with who shoots well from a bipod to about 300 yards went and got a PRC cuz he wants to kill deer and elk at 800 +.

I did my best to educate him and emphasize how import it is to shoot in the wind and really learn ballistics before lobbing bullets at game animals.
Sure enough he waited until the day before his hunt in Montana to actually shoot beyond 100 yards, he was texting me in a panic cuz his ballistics weren't jiving with actual impacts.

Long story short he said he "missed" two bulls that season between 500-600 yards because branches probably got in the way
The next year he made a terrible shot on a raghorn at 700 yards and took the front leg out, him and his buddy found him hours later and at least finished the deal.
He literally went shooting maybe twice before the season.
I haven't hunted with him in 3 years now and never will again.

Had a friend like that. I told him I was going iin a wash and not to shoot that direction. He did. He said it was safe as he couldn't see me. I had a headache step in. We had our lunch, got in my truck and have never shot together again.
I have been shot before. It was on purpose, but my safety sense is set at a higher point than most people. Not including servicemen or LEOs.

 

[sp6x6]

Packed my 562 xp and cut this snag off, main part blow down.Have many such spots, big flat rocks stacked etc.Launch pads for 300 OTM's

 

[memtb]

Packed my 562 xp and cut this snag off, main part blow down.Have many such spots, big flat rocks stacked etc.Launch pads for 300 OTM'sView attachment 471424

You must've had the saw rigged for "silent running"! memtb

 

[COBrad]

Packed my 562 xp and cut this snag off, main part blow down.Have many such spots, big flat rocks stacked etc.Launch pads for 300 OTM'sView attachment 471424

Nicely set up position.

Packed my 562 xp and cut this snag off, main part blow down.Have many such spots, big flat rocks stacked etc.Launch pads for 300 OTM'sView attachment 471424

nicely set up position you have there. This elk was taken at 1176 yards from the switchback seen over my left shoulder. It's an atv trail from the ranch. I set up prone with all my equipment at hand.

 

[0002s]

Most hunters I know don't practice enough, from a variety of shooting positions, with the rifle/load they are going to use, on a specific hunt. Next they aren't in shape enough for the hunt and make a poor shot due to the inability to slow their heart rate and control their breathing.

 

[yobuck]

Totally agree. I've seen hunters go to blinds or what not with ear muffs, ear plugs, etc. Along comes suppressors and I'll be most of the guys have them just for the blast. People that have asked me for help shooting the first thing I generally do is look at their rifle and quietly take the round out, put it on safety set it back on the bench and tell show me what you can do. Well over half the people will flinch. 80%+ of the people know nothing of shooting further than 200 yards. Half of those are not comfortable shooting at 200 yards anyways. Most of the guys that can shoot I see are the country boys that grew up shooting a 22 or something from age 5 or so and just kept working their way up shooting through the years. Rarely do you get a person new to shooting (city dude) that can get on a bench and put a group together at 200 yards that most would be happy with. When I hear of people happy with their load development, or happy how their new rifle shoots at 100 yards with 1" groups or just under, it makes me want to vomit in my mouth. Sorry guys.....if you're too sensitive and that bothers you then please block me lol. If the best you can do on a steady bench is 1" at a 100 yards......then you have no business shooting very far at all on a much less steady rest. Most don't even know how to steady their rifle in the field, much less apply all Enviromental factors and shooting form into a shot quickly and then get steady. Almost all these guys try it and end up rushing a shot and missing or much worse wounding an animal that he had no business shooting at. And for some of the guides out there that push their clients to take a shot they know the chances of them making a clean kill are very low, then shame on you. For the patient guides that work them into the closest they possibly can then hats off to ya.

Now for the 5% of guys that can hold 6" or less at 1000 yards or more hats off to you. There's not as many of us, I bet, that actually can do it.

My kids 22,19 and 9 can all consistently hit 500 yards 3"-5" groups. The two older ones have been shooting something since they were 3 and 4 years old. My 19 year olds first bullseye at 3 years old was his mothers butt bent over in the flower bed with a BB gun lol. Long story. My daughter at 19 is one that does not like the "Bang". She uses ear protection when shooting game. Drove me nuts for a while. She now shoots suppressed and has gotten quite a bit more consistent. I'm going to push her to 1000 yards late summer and see how she does. My 9 year old has been shooting since he was 4 with 22's. Little terd is pretty dang deadly with a 22 on. squirrels, rabbits, turtles, etc. He was busting still last fall at a 550 yard target in the pasture several times with a 7mm SAUM. I'd just grab a rifle, dial it in for him and we would randomly drive out and let him shoot steel. He told me playing call of duty helps him. I laughed.

Traditionally, it's people that grew up like I did and my kids are doing that are very consistent long range shooters. It takes a lot of practice, skill and knowledge to shoot and it just drives me nuts with people who really think they can.

Yes this is a sore subject with me, can ya tell! And yes my ears ring constantly lol.

More proof that everything in Texas is bigger. lol

 

[bpwsm]

Clients who brag about their shooting, almost guaranteed either misses or gut shot.

Guys who say "200-250, if I have a good rest and I'm not winded" can almost always hit stuff at 350 regularly. Sometimes, farther.

200 is about max for a client I'm unsure about.

I agree with the OP and above... I've taken dozens of guys out over the last 20yrs, and it blows my mind how poorly people shoot, even return hunters that are so disappointed in themselves because they either wounded an animal or didn't get one at all and say, "I'm going to practice all the time and be better next year", then show up and are just as bad.
We can usually get to 150 of any animal and most shooters can't make a clean kill.

I had an Army Sniper (true story!) brag about how good he and his 6.5 creed. was while turning his dials at our 100yd sight in... I thought oh boy here we go! Sure as **** I had him and a first time hunter at 120yds of a group of Antelope, the newby shoots ..bang flop. Sniper shoots and misses, shoots again wounds the animal and eventually needed five shots all inside of 200 to finally put it down...
Don't brag... Practice!!

 

[birddog 68]

Don't brag... Practice!!

A old fellow once told me to never brag about your shooting, your dog or your truck unless you like eating crow.

 

[GUNNNN]

I agree with most of your post but as posts 200 & 201 say this is a long range HUNTING forum. It's up to individuals to decide at what range they want to take or try to take game.

I won't argue with any of the comments made about longrangehunting but sometimes I wonder how many people post about the long shots they've made but you never hear about the ones they wounded that went off and died that were never recovered, we need to know our limits and not try to stretch our skills or equipment on a living animal we have to be ethical hunters if for no other reason than the future of the sport

 

[kopcicle]

...

average

 

[birddog 68]

I won't argue with any of the comments made about longrangehunting but sometimes I wonder how many people post about the long shots they've made but you never hear about the ones they wounded that went off and died that were never recovered, we need to know our limits and not try to stretch our skills or equipment on a living animal we have to be ethical hunters if for no other reason than the future of the sport

This is a old post but still relevant.

Re: Ethics of Long-Range Hunting

As a rule we don't discuss the ethics.

Your ethics are different than mine and that doesn't make either of us wrong.

Here is my simple definition. I shoot as far as I am capable.

As mentioned it's a old post but it's still the rule of the forum. And like @geargrinder I shoot to my capabilities.

 

[bpwsm]

To my mind, practice and ethics are part of the same conversation. I shoot a lot at longer ranges out to about 700yds with my rifles and out to 80yds with my bow. I am very capable of hitting a target with consistent accuracy, at these distances, but when I hunt, I will always try to get as close as possible to an animal. The longest shots I've taken are 50yds with a bow and 420 with a rifle and because I practice, these were clean kills.
There are people who have the skills and equipment to make longer shots ethically and that's because they practice their skill. It's the one's who don't hone their skills and think they can just put the gun up and shoot, that are lacking in the ethics department...

 

[Mike Matteson]

Shooter form I kind of feel makes a lot of different. Not to hurry the shot. If not rested them don't make or take the shot expecialy at long distances. If the animal walks or runs off so be it. Practise helps, but if your setup isn't any good, you are going to miss. I know if I can I will rest my rifle on something, or place it against a tree, and hold the forearm against the tree if it's not moving around. It doesn't have to be perfect, but good. If not steady don't shoot.

 

[LRNut]

I won't argue with any of the comments made about longrangehunting but sometimes I wonder how many people post about the long shots they've made but you never hear about the ones they wounded that went off and died that were never recovered, we need to know our limits and not try to stretch our skills or equipment on a living animal we have to be ethical hunters if for no other reason than the future of the sport

I was on an elk hunt in NM year before last. One guy shows up with a Gunwerks rifle in 28N and could not stop talking about what a long range killer it was. My guide said he missed twice at 200, then wounded the elk and it wasn't recovered. His hunt was over. The next year, same thing. Guy shows up with a "long range rifle" and talks about how it is deadly out to "x" (I can't remember the exact range) yards. Wounded an elk at 500+ yards.

I suspect a lot of long range fans practice prone at targets that never move, etc., but fail to practice on much more likely shots, e.g., 200 yards away from a "not so steady" position. If you ever go to Africa, for example, practice standing off the sticks, because that is likely what you will be using. Unless you are hunting sheep in Alaska, you won't be shooting prone.