Across the valley shooters out west the same.
Most of those shooters don't last very long. The lesson is immediate and impactful.
Once you shoot across that valley, you have to hike across it - and usually back again - possibly multiple times.
That "easy" 650 yard shot turns into a 3/4 mile hike, just to get to the animal. Then you have to haul it out, not to where you shot from, but back to camp or the truck.
For elk, moose, big deer, and a few other animals, that might be 5+ trips.
I think 6x is about the upper limit for anything that could be a moving target
For game, I agree.
But not for competition.
My precision rimfire rifles all wear 4-12x or 2-12x scopes.
On match day, they stay at 12x, even when shooting movers at short range (50-70 yd).
That is partly because it is (usually) far easier to identify a target on a sterile shooting range, than in the field; partly because I use SFP scopes - meaning I must be at 12x for my reticle subtensions to be accurate; and partly because movers on the range are traveling in a known direction at a predictable speed.
But even for our last field match, my son and I kept the scopes on 12x.
Never did varmint hunting. How far and small the are the targets?
Depends.
And usually changes throughout the day(s).
Could be rats and mice at 3-30 yards.
Could be squirrels at 15-400 yards.
Could be prairie dogs or coyotes at 50-600 yards.
Once you start slinging lead at coyotes and prairie dogs, the shots get longer and longer, as time goes on.
You might be able to start the day with .22 LR at 50 yards. But, by the end of the day, you end up finishing off with something more powerful for shots at 400+ yards.