What is long range hunting and what is hunted?

Keith M Sheehan said:
Your observations and hunting style are spot on. I've hunted all over Alaska, New Zealand and Africa for 60 years and I've noted that the hunt is over when the bullet is in the air. To me, it is short-sighted to hunt at distances beyond 400 yards. There is rarely any stalking involved and the shot is the skill, not the hunting. The animal that is hunted for "sport" dies in earnest. Give him the dignity of a fair hunt.
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To put an arbitrary distance of 400 yards is not relevant to all hunts. I put more effort into the stalks and scouting hikes I did on my hunt in the Jarbidge wilderness last fall than any hunt I have ever been on. A horse would have helped a lot!! lol but for this old man go do it on my boots was a physical challenge. I encountered a 5 point bull first light of opening day 200 yards from my tent and he was at 47 yards!! That was pure chance, and I could have harvested him as he stood there barking at me trying to figure out what I was. I passed because I wanted to have a hunt! And boy did I. The elk I harvested the next day was at 740 yards and I spotted him from over 3000 yards away across a deep draining and a mile up another. 3.5 hours of hard hiking to get into position. That was a hell of a hunt and a good shot as well. So the distance a shot is executed has little correlation to the challenge of the hunt leading up to the shot. It all depends.
 
Taylorbok said:
That is an astounding swing in accuracy and also a very short accuracy window for that round. I honestly feel like something else is going on there.
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It might be closer to 200 rounds between cleaning... it's hard to tell b/c it is kind of the camp tricycle, everyone takes it for a ride. it's the unofficial pig killing machine and there is always an ammo can of mil-surplus ball ammo for banging steel. (it's taken the place of plinking with .22LR)
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it has a chrome lined barrel... which is why I bought the gun in the first place, FN guaranteed .5MOA for 10,000 rounds because of the hardened chrome barrel.
 
jeep351 said:
It might be closer to 200 rounds between cleaning... it's hard to tell b/c it is kind of the camp tricycle, everyone takes it for a ride. it's the unofficial pig killing machine and there is always an ammo can of mil-surplus ball ammo for banging steel. (it's taken the place of plinking with .22LR)
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it has a chrome lined barrel... which is why I bought the gun in the first place, FN guaranteed .5MOA for 10,000 rounds because of the hardened chrome barrel.
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Jeep, Is your chamber 5.56 or 7.62?
 
slick Nick said:
Hmmmm I think long range is an individual, each case scenario. Everytime we shoot at a distance that is in any way questionable as to the outcome, regardless of equipment at hand or ones own ability it is long range. Like all statements it's all clear as mud. Why is this always a topic has something happened to make you question a shot that was taken during buck fever or maybe a less than desirable out come after a shot and long blood trail. Things that make you say hmmmm.
Now back to my cigar and adult beverage.
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Worked as a guide for a little while and watched clients that could shoot excellent groups on paper targets routinely miss shots afield. So I figured a benchmark of 3 MOA is about average under actual field conditions for critters without projectiles weapons. Depending on the size of the games vital zone that is the figure of merit I use to determine what is the max distance for an ethical harvest providing the equipment can deliver at least enough kinetic energy at that distance. Nowadays when I get a chance for practice on the rifle range I just shoot a modified version of Service Rifle out to the 200 yard mark. Standing freehand, sitting, kneeling, and if conditions are good perhaps prone. My Active Service time clock ran out back in 97, so that's when I Retired from active duty. Time and tide have withered me physically. So I don't run or swim as fast as when I was 18. The determination is still there, the physical ability has just eroded. Nowadays I only shoot the steel plates of the Red cloud 1K Range on MWR Saturdays when convenient. Fort Stewart only allows .308 Win so I've sold off all the equipment and collapsed the small arms locker to reflect my current usage. Yet I do wish I'd have kept the Ruger Safari in 9.3 x 62 and the Alaskan in 300 Win Mag. So currently my highest high power rifle is a 30-06 Guide Gun.
 

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slick Nick said:
Hmmmm I think long range is an individual, each case scenario. Everytime we shoot at a distance that is in any way questionable as to the outcome, regardless of equipment at hand or ones own ability it is long range. Like all statements it's all clear as mud. Why is this always a topic has something happened to make you question a shot that was taken during buck fever or maybe a less than desirable out come after a shot and long blood trail. Things that make you say hmmmm.
Now back to my cigar and adult beverage.
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This is so very true and so dependent on conditions and equipment and also to a large degree, marksmanship skill level. It takes some mature honesty to be able to admit it also. Now back to my rum.
 
So when does hunting become Long Range Shooting? I know well what my Extreme Long Range abilities are, but when does the shooting resolution overtake the ability to stalk closer? Of course this leads to the I know I can make that shot over 90% of the time, but should I take that shot or stalk a bit more?
 
M118LR said:
So when does hunting become Long Range Shooting? I know well what my Extreme Long Range abilities are, but when does the shooting resolution overtake the ability to stalk closer? Of course this leads to the I know I can make that shot over 90% of the time, but should I take that shot or stalk a bit more?
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When stalking is not an option, a decision must be made.
 
I'm not sure I follow the stalking is not an option? I understand the stalking closer may not provide a better solution, but by then I'm within range that there should be no decision needed. If I'm not, then I error on the game animals side and don't take the shot. I guess filling a tag isn't as important as it once was, but I've never had an unfilled tag.
 
Guess I'm becoming more of a Sport hunter than a meat hunter nowadays. I prefer to hold under than to hold over on game that fills the freezer. YMMV.
 

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