How well does the average big game hunter shoot?

[Rich Coyle]

Here is a photo of a deer in my living room which I didn't kill. John gets fulll credit.

John Lachuck killed it a few decades ago. I thought it was a beautiful specimen of a muledeer so I asked him if I could buy it. He said,
"Talk to my son when I'm gone."

 

[duramaxfxr2]

Been hunting for 25 yrs almost, was raised poor and have always looked at it with the .. " if I'm going to shoot it, I'm going to eat it" and have always cut my own meat..needless to say I have helped friends cut there's and the amount of waste from a poorly placed shot and then poor field dressing disturbs me! If you can't spend the time to be consistently accurate with your firearm leave itnin the closet!!

 

[victor3ranger]

Unfortunately a lot of people think just because they hit a target at 100yds they think they are a marksman. I have seen the same thing in archery, one of the guys I used to compete with was one of the very best bow shooters I've ever seen, could judge yardage to the foot. But you put him in the woods with a deer and he was horrible.

 

[duramaxfxr2]

If ya sit down and think about it. A 1moa shooter may only be off 2in at 200yd..but put that same shooter at 700yd and that's almost a 8in group..good enough for elk?? Maybe if there isn't any other factor..put an antelope out there and that's either a miss, a broken leg, or gut shot..put a coyote at 700 and good luck

 

[Rich Coyle]

If ya sit down and think about it. A 1moa shooter may only be off 2in at 200yd..but put that same shooter at 700yd and that's almost a 8in group..good enough for elk?? Maybe if there isn't any other factor..put an antelope out there and that's either a miss, a broken leg, or gut shot..put a coyote at 700 and good luck

Actually, a 2MOA rifle will only be off approximately 1" at 200 yards. My first elk was a ranged 400 yards. I had a confirmed 2MOA rifle and knew the bullet would hit within 4" of the point of aim. I was lying on a berm with the rifle as solid as if it were on a benchrest with sandbags. I aimed center of chest and let it rip. During gutting I discovered the 7mm 160 grain partition (muzzle velocity of 3,300 feet per second) destroyed the top of the heart and the connecting arteries and vessels.

For those interested there was a 6" bruise on the skin around the entrance and a 3" bruise in the skin around the exit.

 

[sea2summit]

You probably don't even check for carbon rings.

I don't know what spark plugs have to do with shooting big game at long range.

 

[sea2summit]

If ya sit down and think about it. A 1moa shooter may only be off 2in at 200yd..but put that same shooter at 700yd and that's almost a 8in group..good enough for elk?? Maybe if there isn't any other factor..put an antelope out there and that's either a miss, a broken leg, or gut shot..put a coyote at 700 and good luck

I'm gonna say that "1 MOA" shooters couldn't hold a MOA beyond the 100 yard line if there are any environmental factors to consider. And most that claim they, or their equipment, is "1 MOA" are basing it off one particular group or maybe a few lucky groups and it's not something they can do every time they produce the rifle let alone from anywhere other than the bench at the 100 yard line. I hate that term. Rant/off.

 

[Mt.Vernon]

I have taken down a few deers at 70-100 yards. Pretty impressive for an old fart.

 

[44-40]

I have hunted elk and deer out west for many years with rifle and bow, all bull elk were killed 30 to 100 yds. Same with deer except one in a clear cut at 600yds. About one third were killed on the run with a rifle, cause your up close and they explode out of the brush like a flushing pheasant. The costal rain forest to the high mountain wilderness areas and wide open high desert, where I tracked a huge buck who was picking up does. Killed the coward buck at about 70 yds on the run trying to hide in a herd of his does...he dropped back in the pack exposed his flank, shot him in the flank he slowed a little more exposing his chest and I killed him there as his does ran off. A tough discusting chunk of meat. Never really liked venison, antelope, or bear...but I killed so I ate em. I only hunted with a few hunting partners, they were good shots, one combat vet, we killed em up close in the brush ..I mostly hunt alone, especially elk in the wilderness...it makes a very long day when ya kill one and pack it out.
All my long range shooting is varmints out past 1000 yds or targets these days. Regulations are such a hassle, long range shooting at game is a thing of the past the last few years. No range finders or electronic devices are allowed on your rifle or person while pursuing game. Only a trail camera and lighted reticle allowed but no range finding capabilities, allowed, no night vision scopes. Goes for all firearms and bows.
The 44-40 decimated the early American deer and elk herds before smokeless powder came along. And the factory 14" Winchester lever action 44-40 was good mountain lion gun over dogs.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Hey…..I'm right here! And, that's getting a little personal! memtb

Ditto...

 

[CMP70306]

Happens in real life.

Years ago a former teammate of mine guided at a high dollar fenced up multi section spread in SoTex. One season a well healed guy from Houston showed up with fancy Weatherby topped off with then a newly introduced Lupy silver scope that he bought at an outfitter.

Rig was bore sighted by the outfitter. After missing one of those 20k trophy deer they are selling two days in a row, he asked Jeff to shoot ine for him using the guide rifle. Jeff obliged. The hunter turned at Jeff and asked if he had 100 bucks in his pocket, which he could not pulled it out fast enough anticipating what's next. The hunter then handed the "*** rifle, in his own words" rig to Jeff for 100 bucks. With the condition between them to tell the group that he gave the rifle to the guide as a tip. And he will have his kill mounted to display.

Last guided hunt I went on the guide said I would be surprised how many people show up to hunt with a new gun and zero concept of how to even load it. He had me check my zero on a steel plate and was much more relaxed after I insisted on tweaking the zero on the first rifle and shot the impact mark with my second rifle.

He had a client miss at 87 yards seated off a tripod who then proceeded to yell at him that he definitely hit it and they should go check despite watching the deer run for a mile then stand around eating. Once he realized he actually missed he was an *** the rest of the hunt even after he shot the same buck later in the week.

 

[asd9055]

Last guided hunt I went on the guide said I would be surprised how many people show up to hunt with a new gun and zero concept of how to even load it. He had me check my zero on a steel plate and was much more relaxed after I insisted on tweaking the zero on the first rifle and shot the impact mark with my second rifle.

He had a client miss at 87 yards seated off a tripod who then proceeded to yell at him that he definitely hit it and they should go check despite watching the deer run for a mile then stand around eating. Once he realized he actually missed he was an *** the rest of the hunt even after he shot the same buck later in the week.

Couple of things one should ask before going on a guided hunt. 1) distance, 2) Shooting position (sticks, tripod, backback, standing, prone, seating, etc.)
Then Practice those positions at LEAST at those distances, and longer if you have access to a range.

 

[BenelliHunter]

I have come to FIRMLY to this conclusion based on personal experiences as well over the last 5-10 years. I tell anyone/everyone I can to try it, especially involving young hunters/shooters. Wish my dad had done it with me when I was a kid. Just wasn't a thing back then... The deer come and go but tinnitus is forever!

Yeah, I was young and dumb for too long. I had a bad experience in basic training. Forgot my cheap army issue ear plugs and was more worried about the dusting we would get from the drill Sargent than I was about my ears. Shot 120 rounds from a covered foxhole and almost cried on every shot. Hearing was never the same and now the constant siren in my head never quits. I have not hear silence in 20 years.

My two boys always wear hearing protection and shoot suppressed.

 

[BenelliHunter]

I hunt 3-5 states per year and I will shoot out to 1000 yards comfortably. That being said, I don't think I have shot at a game animal without the aid of a RRS tripod in about 7 years. My favorite hunts are muzzleloading with my McWhorter 45 XML.