I vote for letting the thread run its course. Both sides arguements are NOT without some merit. We watch. We read. We listen. We decide for ourselves. Both sides views may be altered somewhat before it' s all over.

Maybe I should sharpen up my technique and get some training and perhaps I' ll be good out to 400 yards instead of 250.

Maybe they will pass on more of their 1000 yard shots than before if everything isn' t juuuuuust right. Or perhaps they' ll back off to 600-800 yards.

Probably not. But it is a healthy dialog -- just a spirited " debate" no fisticuffs that I know of. On balance, some pretty articulate writing. Much better than some of the drivel to be found in some of the other threads.

Sound ideas, well written, will stand up for themselves (no moderator needed).

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

2000yds, that' s over a mile. You must have Superman eyes. I wouldn' t even see an elk at that range, let alone try 2 shoot it.

Tiggeer: You are the only one here calling people names. I don' t do that. I dissagree with people and when they say something that I feel helps my side of the argument, I say so. I simply dissagree that Dale should have taken that first shot. Doesn' t mean I don' t like the guy, we would probably get along great otherwise. I will buy him a beer anytime.

Yes, I have wounded deer, even at 100 yards, but there is a limit to how far we should shoot at game and it is individual to each person. If you will read all of my posts, you will see that I have given the other side some credit too. That said, everything must go absolutely right at 800 yards or you will either miss or wound your quarry. The fact that Dale hit a deer sized animal in the neck on the second shot seems " lucky" to me in light of the fact that he missed the first one " to her right." You might have a 4 inch kill zone on the neck of a deer. I doubt that his rifle shoots groups that tight at 700 yards consistently. If it does, power to him, but why did he miss the first one. Either he is a great marksman and he just missed the first one (I certainly wouldn' t fall into that group) or he was a little lucky the second shot.

Good hunting

TX not the greatest shot in the world but with the equipment i was using it isnt that hard. The first shot was ess than 2 inches from hitting her. That was the first and only time i went longe range hunting but i would go again. If the deer would have been wounded we would most definately have followed it up.There are spotters that tell what is going on. Also she never moved afterthe first shot but stood in the same place. The guys that do this all the time are very safety concious and ethical hunters. Every thing is done to insure a clean kill and if a animal is wounded they do in deed follow them up. They just dont let let them go. The people i was with have shot where we were hunting for a lot of years they know the range to all of the opposite mtn side. and they know how to set their scopes to allow the shots. I am not trying to push another web site but go to huntingpa.com look on general forum and check back probably 60 days there is a thread with pictures .It shows the equipment used and has a gentlemans name that will gladly explain it to you.

I agree with Elkkampmaster this thread has run its course and agree to disagree both ways.
Just to see how good you really think you guys are go and try this simulater shooting out for long range and see what it takes. And check it all out to see what it takes its not as simple as one thinks.
http://www.shooterready.com/lrsdemolow.html

you guys are saying that the people shooting that distance cant be that good because @ camp perry they shoot that good gotta tell you there are people out there that dont want to go to camp perry and shoot compitition(sp?) and can probably shoot just as well or right there somewhere, well i gotta tell you just because they dont want to compete there doesnt mean that they cant make the shot, your right i called you guys dick heads because your sittin on here doggin on a guys way of doin something, thats not right man thats just stupid you know what i mean if hes not in your area hurting you and if he claims he wont wound a deer than he better be true to his word, just let it slide, if it is what he wants to do then have at it.

Thanks for the reply Dale. It does sound like you may be one of the few that can ETHICALLY take such a shot and just missed on the first attempt. But you also stated that you have the right equipment to do the job. Not many invest in the right equipment. If I came across as condemning, I apologize. Only you can decide what is ethical for you. For some people, taking any shot over 50 yards may be unethical. It is a personal thing to set your limits. I just worry that someone without the right equipment/practice time will see this and say, " Must not be that hard" and try the same shot.

Tiggeer: just a friendly reminder that language such as " D H" and stupid can get your posts deleted. Good hunting.

Buck: I think you are right. This has run its course for me. See ya around.

As i sit here at this computer i find myself with so many different thoughts running thru my head. I have been on Huntingnet.com for 2 years & i have found that there is some very opinionated people in this world. People who condem, find fault in, & just plain ole criticize a fellow hunter for doing things his/her way. This thread involves a fellow HUNTER askin our views on a certain way of hunting and all he gets (for the most part) is a bashing. What gives any of you good people,,,(fellow hunters) the right to tell this man weather or not his love for hunting should limit his shots to under your given yardage? I know that there has to be at least a few of these same guys/gals that so criticize this 1000 yd shot with well equipped gear, shooting 3-d all summer long or just practicing with their bow in the backyard shooting 100+ arrows a night goin out the 1st day of archery season gut shooting the 1st half way decent deer that walks under their stand. Or the guy that has to choose between is that a legal buck this year or is it not & then deciding YEAH,,,thats legal & wings one at it at the last minute and smashes it in the front leg,,,then works the bolt,,,pump,,,etc & has to finally walk up to it at 15 yds & smash it again to finish the kill? theres so many different variables in hunting no matter what your shooting bow,,rifle,,shotgun,,,crossbow,,long range etc,,,lets just face it here guys,,,we all have bad shots!!!!!!!!!!,,,& if ya say ya hav' nt,,,yer a liar (and i mean that in the nicest of ways) I for one got my 1st chance to long range this year & im gonna do it a whole lot more. I want the chance for John B to teach & guide me in his experience of bad shots so that maybe,,,just maybe,,i' ll have a time where i know not to touch that trigger,,,the time where i can say HEY,,,this might not be a good shot! Where without his knowledge & well stated experience,,i may have to go home with a lifelong never ending dream of a miss,,or worse,,,the BAD HIT. I see the word ethical flying around here so much & i have to wonder how many people that scream thats not ethical,,,even practice their method of hunting at all???????????????? I wonder how many ethical screamers here are telling their children every weekend that they dont have time to take their Son/Daughter scouting or fishing with them this weekend because the trucks full,,,,the boats too full,,,,etc,,,, WHAT,,,IS THE OLD TALE YA CANT TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS the fad these days???????? Live & Let Live! This sport (way of life in my world) needs as much help as it can get & quit criticizing peopkle for doing things their own way! The camp i had the pleasure of hunting long range out of this year was awesome,,,we said a prayer before our meals! i got to meet a man of 70+ years of age & hear his stories of WW2,, & watch this same man get up every morning & anticipate a shot at a nice Buck,,,then to hear tale of him giving up his shot to his Grandchild,,,that to me is the true virtue of this life (being able to do as you please) 500 yd shot,,,12 yr old boy,,,but i cant wait to see the guys calling me a liar,,,because,,,the Marines didnt do it.,,,but sure as im sittin here,,,it was done!,,,I dont usually get involved in the bashing part of the issues on these threads,,,but this is something very important to me & all i ask is that you give something out of the ordinary a chance before you base your opinions.

Thank You
Mike

Wow I left for a little while and look at what happens.

A62Rambler,

If we are going to have a meaningful discussion you have got to read what is said not what you want to be said. What post of mine contained the quotes you have printed??? I have taken a lot of constructive criticism from people here and I really like it, but I will not take any for something I did not say.

I never said we were going to show any shots beyond 800 yds. I believe shots beyond that distance require dedicated rifles that become to heavy for general hunting.

Everyone,

I want to reiterate again that the show is not about long range shooting, it will just contain some shots at longer than conventional distances.

The equipment I personally use is what I believe to be the best compromise for general hunting. In other words I am looking for a balance between fast handling - portability and long-range performance. If the rifle is to heavy I cannot pack it to the top of the ridge or swing with the bull that just jumped out of the timber at 75 yds, too light and I cannot shoot it when the wind is pushing me around and it will kick the bejezzus out of me when I am prone and shooting up hill. Just like life it is all a compromise.

For me the best balance is 10 –11 lbs. I find I can shoot noticeably better in the field and still manage to make it to the top of the mountain. In a rifle of this weight the biggest cartridges I can still shoot well have a maximum range of around 800 yds. I find my shooting limit to be about the same. I can still bail off a horse and get the gun into action fast enough to be practical and carry it all day if that is how I am hunting. This is the type of weapon I carry when I want the best chance possible no matter what kind of a shot I will see.

I don’t hunt usually with dedicated long-range rifles. To use this type of equipment requires a different type of set up. Most guys doing this type of hunting set up in advance and are looking for a particular type of shot instead of a particular animal. I usually am looking for the biggest bull I can find, which is usually not very big, and have better success being more mobile than this type of hunting allows. Remember we all hunt for our own reason.

Rem700man,

Thanks for the kind words. I hope the show doesn’t disappoint you. The long shots will be few and far between but there will be some.

John

This thread is a good thread and should be left but I see a big division and the same things are really being said over and over.

The thing I don' t understand is where the " majic" number comes from that says it is ethical to make a shot at ?99 yds but at ?00 it is no longer ethical. Who determines that? Is it gun manufacturers? How about Ammo makers? Is it determined by some governerning body? Hunters in the field?

Some guy pointed out that he missed a doe at 700 yds then took her with the next shot. Someone else replied that just proved his point that it is unethical at that distance. Really? Well I embarassingly enough missed a doe at 80 yds this year, we both stood there for a minute wondering what had just happened and I took her with the second shot. Is 80 yds out of my range? I can tell you all that I took 3 other animals this year and connected on all of them at longer ranges. I' ve never missed at that range before. Still don' t know where it went.

I' m sorry but based on that logic that if you miss its an unethical range then none of us would be hunters anymore because no one is 100% at any range. I' d put money on the fact that 99% of us have wounded or missed a shot we were all capable of taking at some point in our hunting careers.

My personal limit is about 500 yds. Why? Because at that point I no longer consider myself a consistent shot. That doesn' t mean some of you should be shooting past 250 yds with your ability or others need to limit to 500 yds? Could I get better equipment or just practice more and extend that range? You betcha!Range is just that, range nothing more. Its like different shooting positions, some guys need rests to shoot accurately and I know a guy who can shoot as well as anyone shooting standing freehand. Is he unethical? No as long as he can consistenly make his shot. Does me miss? Yep, but not very often. Do we all miss at some point? Yep, anyone who says they have never missed or gut shot something is a liar or as rare a breed as bigfoot.

As long as there is enough energy present in the bullet to go through bone and the shooter can consistently hit his mark then its fine in my book. The only question I would ask is does the bullet have enough energy past 800yds? That would be my concern. For an elk you would need around the neighborhood of 1700-1800 ftlbs. If under that I wouldn' t take the shot even if I could hit a coke can at that range.