How far will you shoot at an animal?

[RetiredSniper]

I'm new to this long range stuff. In fact, I'm just getting started. But I'm doing this solely to have fun and shoot steel at way off distances. Now I've been hunting for about 55 years now and I've shot a few deer and antelope over the 300 yard mark and one mule deer out approaching 450 yards. All with a std Rem 700 in 270 Win that consistently shot .5 MOA (why I sold it I'll never know!)
I just ordered a Begara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM for the purpose of playing around shooting steel targets. If I practice enough and get good enough I may just take it hunting to a few places I know I can shoot about 500. That's likely as far as I would like to shoot at a deer. Especially with that cartridge. Now maybe with a .338 Lapula I would shoot farther but there is too many variables to consider in taking a shot at an animal at those extreme ranges.
My hats off to those who can do it without losing an animal. But I honestly don't think that there are that many of you out there. Except maybe those that have been doing it for decades.

I used to shoot 900 meters in the service with a National match M-14 in 308/7.62X51.
I am older now and I don't have the M-14 any longer. With my 308 Howa 1500 Mountain rifle with heavy barrel I can do 300 to 500 yards safely.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

For me personally, 600 max range. That's as far as I feel comfortable with a cold bore hit every single time.

 

[Core781]

I'm new to this long range stuff. In fact, I'm just getting started. But I'm doing this solely to have fun and shoot steel at way off distances. Now I've been hunting for about 55 years now and I've shot a few deer and antelope over the 300 yard mark and one mule deer out approaching 450 yards. All with a std Rem 700 in 270 Win that consistently shot .5 MOA (why I sold it I'll never know!)
I just ordered a Begara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM for the purpose of playing around shooting steel targets. If I practice enough and get good enough I may just take it hunting to a few places I know I can shoot about 500. That's likely as far as I would like to shoot at a deer. Especially with that cartridge. Now maybe with a .338 Lapula I would shoot farther but there is too many variables to consider in taking a shot at an animal at those extreme ranges.
My hats off to those who can do it without losing an animal. But I honestly don't think that there are that many of you out there. Except maybe those that have been doing it for decades.

Sounds like less of a question and more of a projection statement? Just sayin. I'll bite: depends on the platform, game, and environment. Farthest kill I've made on a Whitetail is 200 yards. I could easily make the kill at 1000 yards with my hunting rifle, even with moderate winds. The rifle I used prior is a 200 yard rifle, as far as kinetic energy goes. My new rifle will kill them quickly out to 1200 meters, but 1000 meters would be my max based on the variables for a deer sized animal: excluding Moose. I use 400 meters for my field zero, so 1000 yards is easily within 6" poi for me. That's my comfort zone. I have friends who shoot 6" at 100 yards. So.... Just sayin.

 

[coop2564]

Its all about conditions and setup. If good conditions and solid setup I would go about 800 deer size game and 1000 elk. But thus far the longest on deer has been 577yds, 685 yds on hog. Both with 6.5cm HMR

 

[BrentM]

Conditions and terminal ballistics of the cartridge etc determine my max distance. I have shot coyotes out to 1475 under ideal conditions. For big game, including wolf, which is why I shoot long range, I will go 1000 without much thought when conditions are good. 500-800 when conditions are 10-15 mph winds or less. I have shot several matches in higher winds and anything past 800 becomes sketchy.

 

[joseph singleton]

Been shooting a new 6.5-284 Norma since the beginning of the year. I average 2 trips a week to the range. My range only goes out to 600 yards. I would feel very comfortable taking a 500 yard shot at a deer sized animal. 600 and beyond.....I am not there yet and refuse to risk a poor shot on an animal.

I'm with the same range as "deerhunter64"

 

[Toolhand]

Like others have said. Depends on weather and cartridge. I have a personal range out to 1k and shoot on it a lot. Also Put in the time to develop loads with small ES and less than 1/2 MOA groups not just at 100 but at extended range spend the money on quality rifle, scope, bipod, etc combinations and you will be surprised with practice how "easy" 300-500 yards becomes. To answer your question in good weather conditions I have no problem with pushing to the 1200 foot pound of energy point of the cartridge which varies. If weather conditions are bad then it's a judgement call

 

[sodakota]

Over 600 yards in prairie dogs and wood chucks.
For big game, maybe 300 yards.
For squirrels 100 yards pretty much is maximum.

I lost one big game animal in 55 years of hunting deer and bigger and I don't plan on losing another.

 

[ThorThor]

Iam with a lot of people in that 500- 600 ish max range. I shot an antelope at 634 in Nevada in 2017 which is longest game shot to date. Flat wind and solid rest, 7mm ultra Berger 195 starting at 3100 could probably kill one clean at double that range but Iam not going to try. As others mentioned time of flight is a huge deal at these longer ranges. Even a small step forward can be disaster.

 

[BrianID]

Farthest I've shot/killed a deer was about 575 yards. I've killed a handful of deer/pronghorn around 500 yards. Under ideal conditions the furthest I've been comfortable taking a shot is 600 yards. With more practice I would like to stretch that distance out but I'll need a lot more practice before I would consider the really long shots on deer or elk. For the past 5 years I've been confident that I could hit a deer at 1000 yards but that is total different than cleanly killing a deer at 1000 yards.
I had ideal conditions to shoot at a big mule deer buck that was about 500 yards out a few years ago. However, he was in a place that I could stalk closer and I killed him a couple hours later at 125 yards. If getting closer wasn't an option I would have killed him at 500 yards. I don't go out hunting with the goal to take long shots. Even though I feel very confident in my ability to shoot out to 600 yards, I have passed multiple 400-600 shots the last couple years. In most those situations I was able to put a good stalk and get a closer shot and get the animal. In one of those situations the animal was able to slip out of there without me ever getting a shot. In another situation the animal was close to a property line that I didn't have permission to cross and I didn't want to risk the animal dying on the wrong side of the fence.
For me the biggest benefit to practicing at longer ranges is it has made me a significantly better marksman for 200-300 yard shots than I was 20 years ago. I had a rushed 350 yard shot on a Coues buck last year and it felt like a very easy shot to make. 10 years ago I don't think I could have made that shot with confidence.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Coyotes? As far as I can glass them up. 1327 & two at 1365 are my longest to date.

Big game? Depends on the bullets and load. 1800fps minimum for any bullet I shoot. 1000ft/lbs remaining energy for deer sized game. 1500ft/lbs remaining energy on elk sized game. If those numbers are both still available, I would think 1000 yards is about my max. Even though my longest personal shot on big game is only 662 yards.

Conditions are big concerns. I have passed 300 yard shots on game. Wind limits my shot choices too. But with a good prone or sitting with front and rear rests, good weather and light, and a relaxed stationary game animal.....

 

[ccmain]

I'm new to this long range stuff. In fact, I'm just getting started. But I'm doing this solely to have fun and shoot steel at way off distances. Now I've been hunting for about 55 years now and I've shot a few deer and antelope over the 300 yard mark and one mule deer out approaching 450 yards. All with a std Rem 700 in 270 Win that consistently shot .5 MOA (why I sold it I'll never know!)
I just ordered a Begara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM for the purpose of playing around shooting steel targets. If I practice enough and get good enough I may just take it hunting to a few places I know I can shoot about 500. That's likely as far as I would like to shoot at a deer. Especially with that cartridge. Now maybe with a .338 Lapula I would shoot farther but there is too many variables to consider in taking a shot at an animal at those extreme ranges.
My hats off to those who can do it without losing an animal. But I honestly don't think that there are that many of you out there. Except maybe those that have been doing it for decades.

 

[ccmain]

I think long range is very different to most of us. It depends on each persons ability and the rife we are using. 223 at 600 yds is long range for me but not so much with 300WM.

 

[skipglo]

I'm new to this long range stuff. In fact, I'm just getting started. But I'm doing this solely to have fun and shoot steel at way off distances. Now I've been hunting for about 55 years now and I've shot a few deer and antelope over the 300 yard mark and one mule deer out approaching 450 yards. All with a std Rem 700 in 270 Win that consistently shot .5 MOA (why I sold it I'll never know!)
I just ordered a Begara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM for the purpose of playing around shooting steel targets. If I practice enough and get good enough I may just take it hunting to a few places I know I can shoot about 500. That's likely as far as I would like to shoot at a deer. Especially with that cartridge. Now maybe with a .338 Lapula I would shoot farther but there is too many variables to consider in taking a shot at an animal at those extreme ranges.
My hats off to those who can do it without losing an animal. But I honestly don't think that there are that many of you out there. Except maybe those that have been doing it for decades.

Come on now....you don't have to do it for decades....you just have to be on an Outdoor T.V. show! And how far was your question...they can shoot just about anything......in the next County