I live in Arizona and thus hunting is done with a high powered spotting scope first. Most of the game we spot are usually several thousands yards away. At that point using radios and ear buds one of us will keep and eye on the deer, elk, or what ever we happening to hunting, while the other guy watches and guides the shooter into a position for the shot. All said and done, most shots average between 200 yds. and 500 yds.. I have 5 Son's, so it's not too difficult to find guiding help at the optics to provide 2 man spotting teams.
Average Range you shoot???
- Thread starter JMF0486
- Start date
YARDDOG(1)
New member
The furtherest shot I've taking was 150Yds. The land I'm hunting now, I've
shot 4 deer this year all within bow range 30Yds ; )
Y/D
shot 4 deer this year all within bow range 30Yds ; )
Y/D
Outdoorsman
New member
On woodchucks I'll shoot & kill them at up to 500 yds where I hunt them. Just don't have a place to hunt them that would allow longer than 500.
On predators I've not shot over about 375yds, though I might depending on the situation such as a large yote standing.
On mule deer the longest shot I've made was just a bit under 700yds. Not 800-1000 as the OP asked, but farther than really sane. All other mulies have been between 25-240yds.
On whitetails the longest is 200 & only two of dozens of them were beyond 150yds. Where I hunt and a rifle can be used, the cover is thick enough that a shot gun with a good rifled barrel and sabots can cover most shots. One of the two I've taken over 150 was in fact with my SBE in a shotgun only area.
I think there are far, far more long range shooters now than in the past. Far better powders & more streamlined bullets combined with superior barrels & optics have allowed for this. I work with a man who's a member of the "750yd club", done on P dogs.
45 yrs ago when I was starting out a 700yd shot was considered a myth by most & anything over 400 claimed was taken with a large dose of salt. Now it's clearly still a long shot, but far from the realm of myth. I'm amazed at some of the shots I've seen that were filmed by some of the guys who post such on U tube, hunting CD's, or on TV for that matter. In fact I rather enjoy watching some of these long range prairie dog shoots & predator hunting as well. Some highly skilled folks out there now with gear to reach WAAAAY out there.
I've a 600 yd range on my farm & I practice often. Yet it's different when the target is living & will suffer if I'm not DEAD on. Yet those vids and this thread have me thinking again about a fast twist 22-243 or some such......
But only for varmints or predators, I took a deer once at crazy range...that's enough for me.
On predators I've not shot over about 375yds, though I might depending on the situation such as a large yote standing.
On mule deer the longest shot I've made was just a bit under 700yds. Not 800-1000 as the OP asked, but farther than really sane. All other mulies have been between 25-240yds.
On whitetails the longest is 200 & only two of dozens of them were beyond 150yds. Where I hunt and a rifle can be used, the cover is thick enough that a shot gun with a good rifled barrel and sabots can cover most shots. One of the two I've taken over 150 was in fact with my SBE in a shotgun only area.
I think there are far, far more long range shooters now than in the past. Far better powders & more streamlined bullets combined with superior barrels & optics have allowed for this. I work with a man who's a member of the "750yd club", done on P dogs.
45 yrs ago when I was starting out a 700yd shot was considered a myth by most & anything over 400 claimed was taken with a large dose of salt. Now it's clearly still a long shot, but far from the realm of myth. I'm amazed at some of the shots I've seen that were filmed by some of the guys who post such on U tube, hunting CD's, or on TV for that matter. In fact I rather enjoy watching some of these long range prairie dog shoots & predator hunting as well. Some highly skilled folks out there now with gear to reach WAAAAY out there.
I've a 600 yd range on my farm & I practice often. Yet it's different when the target is living & will suffer if I'm not DEAD on. Yet those vids and this thread have me thinking again about a fast twist 22-243 or some such......
But only for varmints or predators, I took a deer once at crazy range...that's enough for me.Outdoorsman hit on something that I think most long-range shooters adhere to (maybe even subconsiously). Most hunters are far more agreeable to the idea of taking a super-long range shot on a varmint than a large (i.e. deer/elk) animal. I think it is just kind of human nature that we would worry less about a pest type of animal.
TheNatureBoy
New member
I have access to a lot of real estate sooooo......I'm gonna say 500 yards average. Having said that, my longest shot/kill is about 120-160 yards. Its been a while so I forget. Thats about right though. I passed on a 1000 yard shot this past season. If was gonna take the shot I would have eased down the edge of the power line to get as close as I could w/out spooking the deer (3). Closer is always better in my opinion.
Outdoorsman
New member
From JerryM,
"I do not consider it hunting to shoot at the ranges I sometimes hear about - 800 to 1000 yds. To shoot at those ranges with range finders, bipods, and specialized equipment is not hunting, but just shooting.
Part of hunting are the spotting and stalking aspects. 1,000 yards is just shooting, but not hunting or sporting."
End quote
Perhaps, but please also remember this: Woodchucks, P dogs & wild hog ALL do serious damage to the income of the farmers & ranchers lands they are on. It's not just for fun that I gun chucks, it's to eliminate pests.
Same is true often enough for fox & yotes, though mostly it's yotes that kill stock.
And to ME at least it is hunting & sporting as well. Not a easy to hit as ranges get longer, so it's far from a sure thing. You don't see the dozens of misses those guys have on U Tube, just the hits. Still interesting to watch those vids though, at least to me.
"I do not consider it hunting to shoot at the ranges I sometimes hear about - 800 to 1000 yds. To shoot at those ranges with range finders, bipods, and specialized equipment is not hunting, but just shooting.
Part of hunting are the spotting and stalking aspects. 1,000 yards is just shooting, but not hunting or sporting."
End quote
Perhaps, but please also remember this: Woodchucks, P dogs & wild hog ALL do serious damage to the income of the farmers & ranchers lands they are on. It's not just for fun that I gun chucks, it's to eliminate pests.
Same is true often enough for fox & yotes, though mostly it's yotes that kill stock.
And to ME at least it is hunting & sporting as well. Not a easy to hit as ranges get longer, so it's far from a sure thing. You don't see the dozens of misses those guys have on U Tube, just the hits. Still interesting to watch those vids though, at least to me.
This year I took three whitetail deer at 50 feet, 40 yards and 50 yards. That is the norm where I hunt in thick woods. Some years I take some at 90 to 100 yards in one field. However I did see three deer one day at about 225 yards in bottom land, but I did not have a good rest at the time, so no shot attempts were made. They pretty well spotted me at the same time I saw them and they took off. I will say that back in my steady groundhog sniping days (with the trusty 22-250) I could easily kill varmints at 350 yards and closer on a regular basis. Never tried many shots past 400 yards, but did have 1200 yard shots available. I generally tried to close my distance with to within 275 yards or so. Not that I was afraid to try longer shots, but there was always the possibility of livestock being in the area.
bamaranger
New member
whitetails
I love rifles, but am primarily a bowhunter for deer. My avg bowshot is 14 yds.
The meat buck for this year was at 12. I missed at 11 (don't laugh to hard) and 17. Hey, the 11 was in bad light, OK. The 17, well that was my fault.
My rifle kills are fewer but more varied, but the theme is that in the woods, 50 yards plus or minus is pretty common. My last two rifle kills were at 30 and 25 yds. My longest 3 are 225, 210 and 175. All the long shots on ROW's. My longest woodland deer shot was 86 paces, my first deer, a doe with my Grandad's rifle, a Win M88-.308 (I still have it)
Bamaboy has the family record at 260, with his Grandad's .243 Savage 110.
Used to groundhog hunt a great deal, but the coyote's have cleaned out most of the pasture pigs. I'd shoot at those with a 22-250 ruger 77V/12x way out there, and miss a bunch.
I love rifles, but am primarily a bowhunter for deer. My avg bowshot is 14 yds.
The meat buck for this year was at 12. I missed at 11 (don't laugh to hard) and 17. Hey, the 11 was in bad light, OK. The 17, well that was my fault.
My rifle kills are fewer but more varied, but the theme is that in the woods, 50 yards plus or minus is pretty common. My last two rifle kills were at 30 and 25 yds. My longest 3 are 225, 210 and 175. All the long shots on ROW's. My longest woodland deer shot was 86 paces, my first deer, a doe with my Grandad's rifle, a Win M88-.308 (I still have it)
Bamaboy has the family record at 260, with his Grandad's .243 Savage 110.
Used to groundhog hunt a great deal, but the coyote's have cleaned out most of the pasture pigs. I'd shoot at those with a 22-250 ruger 77V/12x way out there, and miss a bunch.
Where I hunt the dark timber rarely affords a view over 100 yards. If it weren't for the gaps left by dead lodge poles (is there a benefit to pine beetles?), the average distance would be less.
To me 200 yards would be a long, long shot. I sight my 4x scope for 200 and I know that I'm pretty much covered.
People who say they take 400+ yard shots are speaking Greek to me.
To me 200 yards would be a long, long shot. I sight my 4x scope for 200 and I know that I'm pretty much covered.
People who say they take 400+ yard shots are speaking Greek to me.
603Country
New member
On our place in Texas, the longest shot I could ever have would be about 375 yards. I'm certainly good to 300 (coyote on Tuesday at 313 yards), but I probably wouldn't take a shot much over 300 unless conditions were ideal. My average shot on deer over the last few years was probably 100 yards. Coyote shots average about 200 yards or so. I grew up hunting deer in northeast Louisiana and the average deer shot would have been more like 150 or a bit further. Last buck I shot there was 268 yards in fading light, and he was probably trailing a doe, so he was walking rather fast - so I think it's worth mentioning that the length of the shot has a lot to do with how much time you have to take the shot. Many times, those pipeline shots in Louisiana only gave you maybe 5 to 8 seconds to spot the deer, get the gun up and then place your shot. In Texas I tend to get way more time than that to shoot, which means I can take longer shots.
I've personally taken almost fifty now that I have remembered up and took count of. I have been deer hunting since 1978, here in Missouri. The game limits have become steadily more generous as the years go by. Honestly I would like to spin some yarn about how I shot most from lengthy distances, but I cannot. I took one doe that I recollect at 250 yds, I aimed a little high "in the skin" and spine shot her. I'd honestly say without guilt of conscience that most of mine were harvested under 40 yds. That would be the most accurate average of all deer harvested by me, the hooligan1.. period.
sc928porsche
New member
Most of my deer have been taken from 150 to 300. There have been a few that were closer and two a bit further. One was a shade over 400. I am comfortable with shots out to 300 and have to do some real thinking about it before I let loose at over that distance. Things have to be perfect......no wind, body angle etc. Since I have moved to Alabama, they have all been under 100.
Fat White Boy
New member
The only big game I hunt is wild pigs. Closest I have taken on is 100yds, the furthest 220yds. My longest shot on a ground squirrel was 315yds IIRC. That being said, I have a Remington 700 MLR in .338 Lapua that is due in next week. I will let you know how that works out...
I hunt over beanfields and shoot alot of deer on nuisance permits here in SC . Some of the shots can get pretty long and I have a rifle set up for that purpose. My longest shot was a lazed 502 yds with a custom 300 WSM out of a barn with a shooting bench built in the loft. When the beans start coming up, its not uncommon to shoot half a dozen in an evening from that stand.
Ive shoot several each season from 200- 300 yds, but the majority are shot at 200 or less. This season I killed deer from as close as 15 yds with a bow to 300+ with a rifle. Distance usually depends on where Im hunting and what weapon Im using.
Ive shoot several each season from 200- 300 yds, but the majority are shot at 200 or less. This season I killed deer from as close as 15 yds with a bow to 300+ with a rifle. Distance usually depends on where Im hunting and what weapon Im using.
scottrussell
Inactive
Seein how i spent the majority of my life hunting with a couple old muzzle loaders and a bow, for me anyway 75 yards is a long shot and 25 to 30 is what i consider my norm....done alot further with modern guns but that is not near as much fun as gettin up close and personal with em.
It really depends upon the prey and locations' environment. A deer in the AZ open desert or prairies of NW texas where visibility is open and in miles, having a targeting radius of 500 yards is very reasonable. With a 7 mm Wetherby and a stable shooting platform, 1000 yards in this environment, assuming a clear backstop, is not unreasonable (not necessarily likely, but not unreasonable). The nice thing about such a shot is it's pretty easy to walk to the target. Shooting gophers at 1/4 mile with a .223 was a common sport (at least 30 years ago near Lubbock).
In heavy woods or small prey such as a rabbit, max range could be 25 yards, based upon backstops. In that environment, I can't see using anything other than slugs in a shotgun, much less going for a deer in East Texas piney woods more than about 100 yards.
In heavy woods or small prey such as a rabbit, max range could be 25 yards, based upon backstops. In that environment, I can't see using anything other than slugs in a shotgun, much less going for a deer in East Texas piney woods more than about 100 yards.