What got you interested in long range hunting?

[TGVan]

I was bitten by long range shooting back in my C&R collecting days. I had a Swiss K31 7.5x55 that was popping 2 foot rocks with regularity out around 800 yards. Then same thing with my old m 91 mossin-nagant. Both using the military ladder sights. Sadly I had to sell the K-31.

Then my 7RM entered the picture, I saw the shows on tv. I thought I would become super deer sniper. Boy was I wrong. To date my longest shot is 387 yards down hill and across a canyon. It was not the shot I wanted to make but I got it done. I have learned a lot since then and I have a lot more to learn, and a lot more practice time that I have not had.

 

[Korhil78]

I was on a New Mexico desert mule deer hunt down near the boot heel of New Mexico. Found a nice buck and ranged him at 900 yards. Knew I couldn't make that shot so I tried to move closer on a buck that was barely even in brush. By the time I got to the next hill, he was gone.

I vowed to learn to do longrange hunting. I got in this website and soaked everything in and put it to training. Got a custom rifle and was shooting it out to a mile regularly. Went on a rifle elk hunt and killed a nice bull at 760 yards. I have killed a few other animals just under 800 yards. I was using a heavy 338 Lapua at the time but I have since changed my tune. Going with a 9-10 lb rifle instead of a 13-14 lb rifle, going with a 6.5 or 7mm now and practicing out to 1300 yards, But my comfort zone is 800 yards and under.

I no longer have the urge really to shoot something at 1000 yards and it doesn't really bother me that I don't have that urge anymore.

I know a lot of people back east who can't fathom taking a 700 yard shot at an animal because they can barely see 100 yards through the woods but out west is a different animal all together.

I'm happiest shooting an animal at 600 yards haha.

 

[J E Custom]

The one thing I have learned over my life time Is that If you wan't to become more proficient at anything, join a group of like minded individuals and the competition alone should make you better plus the knowledge you can acquire if you listen and observe. So when I decided to improve my comfortable distance to shoot, I chose to start match shooting at the longer distances. Once again I improved but there were not that many that wanted to hunt long distances and I felt that It was just an excuse (Many claimed there were horrible consequences) Or just for their lack of ability or desire.

When I first saw this site and the flack that Len was taking for promoting this way of hunting, I had to try and see what all the hubbub was about and why anyone would not want to try to improve their shooting even at normal distance. There appeared to be some real shooters on this site that saw the real advantage in this sport, and they were not interested in showing How good they were, but in helping others improve by sharing what they had proven at least to themselves and to enjoy the benefits of this sport on hunting.

I joined in 2004 and have never stopped learning and even though I am older (78)
my accuracy has for the most part improved because of this site. It has been one of the smartest things I have done and there have been no regrets.

So my answer is that I saw a chance to improve and took it. Many other sites were to adversarial and to much time was spent arguing instead of learning. Also I like the way Len runs his house.

J E CUSTOM

 

[catamountsierra]

I think my preference will always be to try to get as close as you can, but sometimes that just isn't that close. I figure it is better to be able to shoot long range and then have a closer shot than chance it the other way, and if I get to where I would be comfortable shooting game at, say, 1000 yards, it means it is just that much easier when the game shows up at 200. I'm not looking for that long shot, but I certainly want the skill to take it if that is the only shot I will get.

Besides, I believe it was Whelen who said that only accurate rifles were interesting, or something to that effect, and I believe that if you have a rifle (or anything else for that matter), you should know how to make full use of it or keep learning until you get there.

 

[Greyfox]

Years ago I had stumbled upon a copy of Plasters book, "The Ultimate Sniper". Being an avid hunter(all forms), and shooter since my youth, this very well written and thorough book "hooked" me into thinking about, and applying many of the equipment, tactics, and principles described in detail, to the taking of game at long range. It worked. Within a years time I found i had extended my "high-confidence", first shot, shooting/game-taking range to 500 yards. The LRH addiction continues to this day....

 

[idcwby]

Growing up in Idaho, never knew anything over 300 yards was considered long range until I was older. We sighted the ol '06 in at 300 yards and than hold over so much for shots out to 500. This was all before holdover reticles. This was the way we put meat in the freezer. As I've got older I've just looked at better ways to do this and this website has been a lot of help.

idcwby

 

[IanCo]

Don't consider myself a long range hunter. But hunting in the mountains I have learned I need to constantly be putting in effort to improve my maximum effective range. With rifle and bow. (Learned it a long time ago shotgunning the plains upland birds)

 

[Backcountry sports]

For me: I grew up on a farm and no one in my family hunted or done much shooting. I hunted with a Winchester 1300 & slugs from age 13 to 18 by myself and didn't know anything. Never hardly saw deer and never killed anything. @ 18 years old I bought myself a 35 rem marlin 336 that I saw no reason why I couldn't hit the moon with it, seriously, lol. Had an lot older fellow help me sight it @ 100yds. Finally got a shot at a deer about 300 yards away with the old 35 propped up on a hay bail. Made three shots and the deer still just standing there. I didn' even know to try & hold over, I thought the old 35 rem was a Lazer I guess. Lol, funny I was that green. I was so disgusted. If I would have killed that deer I would have never had the determination that I needed to learn what I should know about shooting at longer distances. It took my failure to motivate me to learn more. Now I'm glad that deer was 300yds away and I missed it. Wouldn't have learned much if it would have been 50yds away and I would have hit it.

 

[TheLongRanger83702]

I refused to crawl 600+ yards across a cut wheat field to try to get a 400+ yard shot when I got there.

 

[Backcountry sports]

Started with a model 94 3030 kept seeing good bucks at 200 to 500 yds so switched to a 2506 that fixed the problem now shooting up to 800yds with 7mm and grew up were shots were longer in California no longer in California with there laws moved to Oregon

 

[JD284win]

A lot of the country we hunt in CA is big long open canyons. The ranch I hunt locally and the high country of the Trinity mountains a close shot is 300yards. 4,5, and 600 are normal. Most guys just say it's too far and won't shoot.

 

[azsugarbear]

My family moved to AZ in the 1870's. Everyone hunted to help put meat on the table. Being out west, sometimes the shots were long. The tradition was handed down with my grandpa teaching me to shoot out to 400 yds using hold-off and some 'Kentucky' windage with a 270 designed by Jack O'Conner. We didn't have the equipment or knowledge available to us now.

I lost my grandpa back in the 70's, but he still comes along on my hunts. I can feel him smile every time I connect on a long distance shot. He would have loved the times we are living in now.

 

[RetiredSniper]

I went into the Army at 17&1/2 years old. Was weened on the M-14 308 rifle. Loved it. Then in advanced Infantry training (AIT) Was given an M-16. Did not like it much. When over seas they asked for volunteers of those who made expert with the M-14 in basic to go into the sniper core. I did and I volunteered. We trained at 900 meters. Then out into the jungle for the real thing. I still shoot the 308 at long range but now mine is a heavy barreled bolt action HOWA 1500 Mountain rifle. I only shoot my reloaded 165 and 168 grain bullets as they are more accurate than the lighter 149 and 150 grain bullets. I've had that HOWA for over 20 years and it still drops them every time!

 

[Stgraves260]

What got me started? Hum. Well most my family have been and some still currant militarily. My pop was showing me some pics a while back when I was in his lap wearing my diapers still. LoL!! I was brought up with what Honor, Respect, Duty really mean. So if I was going to follow my family's path I had to learn to be the best I could be no mater what it was doing. I took self defense classes by the time I could walk and learned to shoot from my family. My path skyrocket from there. I'm very thankful for the man I am today. My family has never turned there back on me or this country. I'm truly blessed. God, Family, and Country I will defend.