Rootsy

would i take this shot, after a day in the woods, cold, without a proper rest, shaking due to cold and adrenaline... probably not under those circumstances.... would i take it from the bench with bags and a cup of coffee on coyote and woodchuck... all day long... i do it all summer, fall and winter with the 222 and 280 remington.... a man has to know his limitations... his equipment, his physics and his mathematics... the latter is why i always carry the trajectory chart for my load... and work on adjusting for wind drift... and i'm no "expert" i learn something new every time i shoot... to be honest.. the longest shot i've ever taken on a deer in the past 18 years of hunting... is 168 yards (GPS yardage), 2 seasons ago... 1 shot head on in the brisket with the 280... slightly offhand with a sapling for a rest and not in the most comfortable of positions... 98% of all shots i've taken hunting deer have been less than 75 yards

these are a couple of "load development" targets.. please notice loads #4 and #9... 4 rounds each group, Custom 700 remington... 35 Whelen AI, 225 grain Nosler BT, 125 yards... from the bags... i take my shooting, ethics, handloading, gunsmithing and hunting VERY seriously....

BowHuntingFool

I personally would not be interested in taking a long distance shot! I most proud of my 12 yard shot with the 870 Express I made last year! The Doe had no idea I was there and was head to toe in hunter orange! Watched her come in for 45 minutes, just wanted to see how close I could get her!

I'm sure some places out west you need to make a long distance shot, to each his own I guess!

skeeter 7MM

I think that is really it in a nutshell, our area or terrain dictate what we practice and consider reasonable. I wish I still had a picture of a Huge mulie buckfrom years back. He was bedding in the middle of absoultely nothing with the prevailing wind blowing to his back. To further complicate the matters he had a harem of does situated around him as well. Stalking to withinrange was an impossible affair and we knew nothing could be done to get within range of this brute.Deer wins yet another battle!

NYBH, I have total respect for your passion and dedication towards hunting with string and sticks.Little doubt you are very proificent in the art of archery and now exactly what you need to be so. However my question was more of what I mentioned above, area, terrain and game form our opinions. I know many who consider a 50 yards shot normal in the wide open flats of Saskatchewan. I myself practicea lot further then I would never shoot, at any animal. Like you I like the slapping of shafts before I consider it a possibility. The described situation was within my possibility before I blew out my shoulder for the4th time, now 35 is as far as I'll even attempt such a perfect scenerio.Such "perfect" stituation withgun or boware quite rare to begin with, so bare in mind extreme ranges regardless of the equipment used are anything but the norm for a true hunter. I said it originally their is no room in my mind for "hope and prayer" attempts and stand by it. Shooting off a bench means nothing as if you miss oh well but animal we owe it to them to takje in account all the variables and take shots that we are 100% confident we will make good on. Thanks for your response and good luck to you.

Nomercy

While I've already weighed in on this....I WOULD shoot...I thought I'd comment on the "stalking in closer" comments.

While every scenario is different, it's not ALWAYS impossible to stalk in closer. There will ALWAYS, however, be instances where you just never had a chance to get a shot...whether it's due to range or conditions, foliage, or even another deer walking in your bullet path...don't blame it on range or surroundings.

While it may not be the rolling hills of the western states, I've hunted pretty extensively in kansas, including western kansas, which is notorious for being flat, and dry. I've taken some fairly long shots, some over 400yrds on deer and antelope, I've also taken some very short shots.

I've also crawled on my belly for an hour and a half in ankle deep prairie grass to get within range of a herd of deer with my bow. Theyhad hungout at a little over500yrds on my LRF for almost two hours, never coming closer, so I left my blind and started crawling. I was inside the perimeterof their herd when I finally rolled up to my knees and tooka 200# 10pt from right in the middle of them. I take more time designing my outerwear for bowhunting so I'm able to do so, but it's not unreasonable to believe that if a lion can stalk for 5miles across the plains to get close enough to jump on a zebra, why can't I stalk a few hundred yardsto getwithin range to shoot a deer?

I've also had deer walk through so fast at 20yrds in more densely wooded areas that I didn't even have time to get my rifle up and get a sight picture.

Moral of my story...you can always stalk closer, but practiced shooting alleviates the need to do so.

upnorthmn

Alot ofgood points. Terrain dictates. When I started hunting I got stuck in an open 200 acre hay field on a round bail. If you couldn't get off a 300 400 yard shot. Might as well go watch the vikes lose. But yes, around there only shots you will get off and very very few misses. So yes have to practice andknow you candrop it or don't shot.In the Marines you shoot at a target open sites 500 yards at a human size target, easly 10 out of 10 times. If you know you can do it. No problem.

Now I hunt back in the woods and my max shot range is 75 yds.

kdsberman

Hey now you have a teammate

NY Bowhunter

Well let me clarify in case there is any misunderstanding. I'm not bashing anyone that takes long shots. I'm not trying to come across as the "holier than thou" bowhunter[:-]. If taking long shots is your thing then by all means fire away. As long as you have practiced, you are consistently successful at those ranges, and it's legal then I have no problem with it.

I'm simply saying I could never see myself getting gratification from shooting an animal at 400 yards. Probably just the way I grew up and the type of hunting I've done all my life. Bow and shotgun only in my neck of the woods in NY. But for those of you that choose to hunt that way or have to hunt that way............... best of luck to ya and enjoy.

skeeter 7MM

I hope this was directed at me! []I wasn't ripping on any bowhunter nor would I, just posing a question that relates to the bowhunter mostly crowd. The point was simply to show that variances exist within all equipment in this sport and that what we practice, shoot, etc is a product of our enviroment more than anything else. If I came across disrespectful or made you feel "holier than thou" that certainly wasn't my intend and I appologize to any that felt this way.

North Texan

I wouldn't take the shot. My limit with my 25-06 is about 300 yards, but I'd much prefer to keep my shots within 100 yards if at all possible.

Whether or not the deer is a trophy is irrelevant.

Rebel Hog

Name: Jim Giacolone
Ammunition used: Remington 700 in 300 Ultra Mag, J36 126 grain bullet
I shot this deer with a Remington 700 in 300 Ultra Mag. This particular rifle has a stainless steel action with 28”stainless steel barrel, a laminate stock, and a muzzle brake that extends the barrel about 1.5”. I use only the J36 126 grain bullet. Our load is 98 grains of Reloader 19. I only re-use a case one time, as we have witnessed some deformity just above the rim after 2 to 3 uses. We size and trim each case. Most of our shots in this area are long yardage. My rifle is sighted in at 3” high at 100 yards, and it is extremely accurate. We shot this load through a chronograph and recorded 3,978.00 per second from my rifle.
This was the first mule deer I shot with a J36. This particular shot was at approximately 445 yards. I missed high the first shot. I lowered my aim point to within about 2” of the top of the deer’s neck, thinking that would place the shot perfectly at that range. The second shot dropped the deer where it stood, but did not kill it. When we approached the deer it was partially paralyzed, as I had hit it almost exactly were I was aiming and serving it’s spine.
I would like to explain why I aimed high, and why I think most hunters make this same mistake when first introduced to the J36. I have taken deer and elk with factory loads. I normally would aim with trajectory compensation based on past experience. I now believe that this simply does not apply to the J36 carefully matched to an efficient powder and load, and the essential knowledge of how a particular rifle performs and its capabilities.
I can tell you that I have witnessed other hunters using the J36 with similar loads and in similar situations repeatedly shoot high in an attempt to place the shot based on bullet drop. I can also tell you that I shot a deer last season at approximately 345 yards that was truly a “one shot” kill. I aimed just above the front shoulder and little forward and hit it in that exact spot. The deer was knocked backwards about 15 feet and was dead on impact.