Range of shooting big game?

[myshootinstinks]

I know this is a LR shooting forum but my shooting of game has never been a long range shot. I would guess my average distance on elk & deer would be around 150 yards. Antelope probably 250. I'm not in any way critical of those that shoot much longer distance but I've not yet needed to. I invite your experiences on killing game.

 

[memtb]

Prior to relating to our present area, our average shot on elk was about 150 or so yards. Since relocating….it's closer to 350 yards! Antelope is about the same as prior to relocating…about 250 or so yards. My longest was 430!

I believe that getting older had also contributed to the longer shots on elk as we don't hike the hills and timber as we once did! memtb

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

Deer, whitetails and muleys avg probably 125 (longest 382); antelope probably 225 or a little better, 410 was the longest and my best one was 269yds on a 81 2/8" alfalfa buck this yr - see pic; Elk, probably 200ish for average (1 at 505) Personal limit is 600yds on an animal - well, an edible/food game one. Coyotes and other predator/varmints, might try further.

 

[memtb]

340Wby-4-everything, I have the same self-imposed range on game animals and feel the same about varmints! memtb

 

[waveslayer]

It really depends on the situation, animal, and other factors. Closer is always better, better odds of filling a tag or wounding an animal that you won't recover.

One time we had to cull some goats... I wasn't into doing some Cliff Hanger maneuvers to cull some goats. So over 1,000 yard shots were in order and oh man, it was a lot of fun. Those things are so sure footed it's amazing

 

[owlman]

I'm inclined to always try to get as close as possible for a shot at a game animal but sometimes it becomes dependent on terrain.
Last five bull elk were 275 yds, 425 yds, 225 yds, 210 yds, 605 yds which is about a 350 yd average. The bull at 605 was in perfect conditions with a great rest. I'm capable of shooting farther than this but for me there's too many variables that come in to play past 600 yds to risk a bad shot on a big game animal.
My last two antelope were at 425 yds and 250 yds.
My average distance on whitetail deer is right at 200 yds.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I've shot quite a few groundhogs from 600-1,000yds. But ..... my LR shot opportunities at biggame have all been shorter. I've taken many whitetails and a few pronghorns from 400-500yds but not farther. The terrain that I normally hunt is usually the limiting factor to my LR hunting.

 

[Hugnot]

400 yards - beyond that greatly increased drop, increased wind effects, and increased time of flight all of which will increase probability of a wounding but not killing shot. I might be a speciest because the horizon is the limit for rodents.

As I write this, in view are the horns of a big white tail I shot at 391 yards with a .280 Rem using a 139 Hornady spbt at about 3,000 fps. Another set of horns came from a big alfalfa mule deer shot at 367 yards with a .25 Souper (.25-.308) using a 100 grain Barnes TSX at 3,100. After that I quit shooting deers.

 

[cynjon]

I seem to end up in the "Train for the worst, hope for the best" camp. While I practice a lot at what I would consider long range hunting distances (500-1000 yards), and am very comfortable shooting at those distances, I find that I rarely have to take LR shots. I really enjoy the challenge of seeing how close I can get to game animals, and have been very lucky/successful over the past decade, even on the open plains of western SD. I think the longest shot I've taken on a deer has been 175 yards or so, with an average of approximately 100 yards. For antelope, counter-intuitively, my average shot has been even shorter...more like 75 yards. I shot my last antelope buck at under 25 yards. Perfect conditions (rain) and a weed-covered fenceline allowed me to get in closer than I anticipated. One of these days I'll have my long range opportunity and be glad that I've practiced for it, but as long as the freezer keeps getting filled, I'm happy!

 

[CMP70306]

Stuck here on the east coast so our shots just aren't that far without specifically setting up for it. I went back and my average over 34 deer is 56 yards with the farthest being 150 yards. I did kill a crow at 300 though so that's my farthest to date.

 

[30378wbymag]

My longest buck was 419 most are in the 250 ish range...

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

My longest deer kill is 325 yards. Terrain here heels is within 500 yards for the most part, with limited opportunities for 1000 yard shots, so I do practice out to those distances. Longest confirmed hot was on a pig at 500 yards. He didn't die on the spot, but that didn't bother me. Pigs are varmints around here.

 

[Rick Richard]

The field where I hunt deer is @250 yards wide and 800 yards long. Most shots are in that 200 yard range.

Closest elk was 150ish yards with the longest at 750ish.

I have only taken one antelope and he was at 500 yards.

 

[Playtimefun]

This is an interesting question... if you practice then you will know your limitations and your gears limitations. This year I shot like schite at animals and missed mule deer because I was leading too far in front. My whitetail buck was a 350 yard flat out running shot which could be a 50/50 to pulled trigger perfectly or fluked it off!!! But I realized this year my shooting was horrible (in my mind) because over the last 2 years I wasn't practicing enough.

I know that I can shoot and I practice to 800-1000 yards (for fun with friends - last one to hit their targets buys chocolate for other guys wives. Before you laugh too hard... try it!!! Your wife will be encouraging you to practice AND you have an argument to buy more guns!!!). So I have shot big game animals (deer and elk mostly) out to just under 500 yards. Maybe 1 mule deer at 550. Lots of moose ranging from 30 yards to maybe 350ish. Coyotes to 780 yards (measured because friend bet me it wasn't that far).

But I am a complete gun whore as someone said of themselves. I keep buying so when I go out deer hunting, 3 rifles come with me. I hunt with 1 for 2.5 hours then the next, etc. If 1 shoots something, it goes into the safe. This year I wounded a mule deer doe (got her in the end) with an HK 770 in 308 at 60 yards (fingers were frozen solid just sneaking up due to the wind chill). In the end I was so mad at myself... why didn't I shoot her from the grid road (legal up here). But I knew that I could get close. It should have been easy but schite happens!!!

So basically knowing your limitations and what you are shooting for a cartridge (of course a creedmore is capable of killing the entire herd at a mile away) are the main things for me. If you have a decent rest in the field and have done some practicing... you already have an idea if you can confidently make the shot ir not.