James B

I know a lot about long range shooting under all conditions. This because another rancher friend and I set up a steel silhouette range on our land. The targets are at 500 meters for the ram which has a body the size of a deer. The turkey as memory serves was at 385 metters and is the life size of a real turky. The pigs were 300 meters and the chickens were 200 meters. We shot in all kinds of weather and wind conditions and I quickly learned how many variables there are at those ranges. Most of us shot 308 and 7mm-08 rifles but first timers were welcome to bring any rifle that they wanted to try. No magnum rifles were allowed for match shooting because of damage to the closer tartgets. It takes skill to be a good hunter no matter how you hunt. I do not believe in taking iffy shots at game animals. An iffy shot can very greatly with hunter skill and shooting condiitions. There are days when 100 yards can be an iffy shot. There is seldom any real need for real long range shooting. I have hunted about everything and seldom have I found the NEED to shoot past 300 yards and those times were not often. I returned ten minutes ago from the last mule deer hunt for this year where I filled my four remaining doe tags. In three days I had probably fifty oppertunities at deer. I shot two at 200 yards, one at 100 yards and one at about 70 yards. Where I hunt, most shots are between 100-200. If a guy is about 99.9 percent that he can make a good clean kill at whatever range he shoots then fire away. If he can't then he should not be hunting.

Slamfire

I belive a hunter should be absolutely positive he can kill his quarry before he shoots. Up close he'll probably only need one shot to hit the vitals, but game way out on the horizon is a different proposition. In case something should cause his bullet to strike a non vital area he needs the game to be in the open so he can shoot again. Some times the wounded game cannot locate the hunter and just wobbles around, but somethins it puts on the afterburners and makes for the closest cover. That second senario means our nimrod has to be practiced at shooting running game. You can acquire this hunting varmints in open country. If you can keep your bullets within a foot of a jackrabbit, you'll be able to whittle down an elk. Now long range shooting from a bench rest or even prone won't do you any good in desert country. The steadiest position you'll be able to use will be sitting. You'll need to learn how to use a tight sling, and get into it in a hurry. You'll be prepared to do what is required, if you practice at least once a week at various ranges from the sit and kneeling positions. Offhand hits a couple hundred yards away at running game are just dumb luck.

ELKINMTCWB

I killed my last deer with a knife! How do i rank on the skill ladder :}
mmmmmmmm He was hit by a car 1st though

RedAllison

Jud does it really matter "whose the best"? What are we in a competition? Thats the kind of division that is keeping hunters from uniting politically. In the end we are only hurting ourselves.

I have stalked deer with a bow and done so sucessfully. But WAY more times was it a dry run than productive. I likewise have been blessed by the man up stairs to have killed two P&Y whitetails, one with a recurve no less. Both were from a treestand (incidentally in the exact same spot in MO exactly 10 years apart! But trophy hunting deer is all about odds and hunting from a stand or concealled ground blind is MUCH more productive than stalking them. If a deer is just one on one with you and the wind and moisture is right, then yeah its a "mano e bucko" fight too the death. But realistically theres just to many deer around now and you likely will be busted by other deer before getting close enough to a single deer while on the ground with a bow.

With a gun its the same thing (oddswise) but you at least have a little better chance by covering more ground with your gun. I occasionally like to get down and go after them. But unless you have unlimited time afield (spelled hunt EVERYDAY) you are burning up some productive time better spent on stand. If you cant or dont like sitting then do some "mini standing" whereby you slip to one vantage point and stand beside a tree or sit in a bush for an hour. Then get up and creep too another vantage point. In open areas during high movement periods thats a fun and productive way to bump into something!

Good luck whatever ANYONE trys,
RA

ssternadel

The skill of markmanshipe can be taught to most anybody with patience, The art of still hunting or stalking (which ever you prefer) can only be taught to a certain degree. You can only tell a fellow hunter to face the wind, or stalk barefoot so much and they may or may not be able to effectively get close to game. I feel, and this is just me, that getting vloser to game is much more difficult than shooting game. Example: I like to hunt deer with a rifle, I love to hunt deer with a bow. The rush at 20 yards is much greater than that at 200 yards. I believe that most bow hunters would probably agree with me.

Judson

Red, I was not busting on you, picking a bit maby but you are right we are all hunters, who is the best is not relivant and all of us should help each other and promote the sport!!!
Congradulations on the recurve deer!!!! Any deer taken that way is a trophy, I believe that is the hardest way to hunt. Trophy hunting is different then just filling a tag and one has to put some things in their favor. When I could still hunt the way I liked best it took me three years to get a deer I decided I wanted. He made a mistake and I got lucky it was not skill or being a great hunter.
In Africa you are trophy hunting and it requires longer shots then for meat hunting which we can not do over there.
By the way, why do you use a 150 grain bullet? I with most 30 cal rifles the 165 holds up better velosity and tradjectory wise at long range.

skeeter 7MM

Both ways take skill that not each individual possess, so I wouldn't say one makes you a "Better Hunter" really. I certainly wouldn't consider myself a long range shooter or hunter, I have made some pretty long shots by my estimation but in no way would I attempt a 500 plus yard shot under any circumstance on a game animal. My main reason not enough access to practice facilities and I really don't think I am that good of a shot nor will I be able to accurately field judge the animal at that distance.

Being a bowhunter has made me a much better gun hunter, in fact I hunt very similar with a gun as I would with a bow. Yes my range or setup is slightly different but I now prefer where ever possible to be in tight on the animals I am hunting by way of solid scouting/pre hunt preperation and by way of calling techniques used to locate and lure animals to me vs me have to go after them or wait them out in the open terrain. I do not use a treestand for anything except black bears regardless of the weapon, as I prefer the mobility and challenge of being eye level. This in no way makes be a "better hunter" just a personal preference. I think in the end that is the key we all know our own skills, experiences, goals and what makes us tick, it may be different than the norm or others but really isn't that the point! I don't measure my hunting success or tatics based on others but what I get from my days in the field.

Long or short range hunting is really no different to me than the Meat or Trophy debate! A different perspective that is driven from different experiences, areas, requirements, goals and so on. Like previously said really who cares we are all part of the same crew here "Hunting" is the prefix and the precursor is strictly a personal choice.

Judson

One thing I guess I did not make clear when I posted this topic is that I am not talking about who is the best hunter! What this is all about is where is the challange and what skills are required. Being a good long range shot does not make a person a poor hunter just as being a good still hunter does not make you a poor shot. However different skills for different jobs. I like close in and under 300 yards that does not make me a better hunter then the person who wants to wack a buck at 500 yards and has the ability to do so. Could I do that? I do not know, never tried, never wanted to and I doubt if I ever will. On the other hand some people race horses and some cars, all are into racing but different. Neither is wrong, all of them are into raceing Most important of all is we are hunters and sportsman and argue as we will we all have to remember that and stick togther!!!!!