phil mcwilliam
New member
I was up at my regular hunting property recently - my mates 2,000 acre cattle ranch & I got talking to the manager who I know quite well. Feral goats & pigs are in plague proportions on this property & have to be culled continuiously.
The manager(Wayne) had told me that the local auto electrician had done some work on the farm vehicles & in return wanted to shoot a few feral goats for dog food.Wayne agreed & the electrician & his mate turned up on the next non-windy day.
Wayne was amazed when the electrician pulled out a custom 300 magnum rifle with 5.5-22 x 56 variable scope Wayne said he could just lift the rifle with one hand, & the barrel was as round as a beer can. These guys wanted to shoot goats at long range & had brought with them heaps of sand bags, & an expesive line up of spotting scopes, range finders & even a laptop with all their range tested & varified ballistic information.They even had gadgets for measuring wind speed & direction, although on this day it was not needed.
Well Wayne took them to a spot along the river looking up into some canyons where the feral goats inhabit.
These guys spent about an hour getting their basic set up. Then a target was picked. After another 20 minutes of confirming range, checking ballistics info,& trying to judge when the goat wont move, the shot was taken.
Wayne is not know for exageration, & swears the shot was over 1840 yards.
They shot another 2 at around 1,100 yards & had their supply of dog food.
All 3 goats were chest shots & all 3 dropped where they stood, although with the first one ,Wayne said he was amazed at the time it took for the shot to ring out & the goat to drop.
Ive read previous threads where people respond with how unethical it is to shoot at extreme range, but these guys were not ratbag shooters taking pot-shots at game at unknown distances & hoping for the best - they took an abundance of gear with them to help them achieve a one shot kill, which is after all what all hunters are trying to achieve, & they achieved it in 3 successive shots.
My attitude has changed towards these long range shooters once I recognised the skill & gear needed to participate in this niche sport. Wayne has said he'd invite them over next time I'm up there & I can see first hand.
Got to admit I still prefer to go out stalking.
The manager(Wayne) had told me that the local auto electrician had done some work on the farm vehicles & in return wanted to shoot a few feral goats for dog food.Wayne agreed & the electrician & his mate turned up on the next non-windy day.
Wayne was amazed when the electrician pulled out a custom 300 magnum rifle with 5.5-22 x 56 variable scope Wayne said he could just lift the rifle with one hand, & the barrel was as round as a beer can. These guys wanted to shoot goats at long range & had brought with them heaps of sand bags, & an expesive line up of spotting scopes, range finders & even a laptop with all their range tested & varified ballistic information.They even had gadgets for measuring wind speed & direction, although on this day it was not needed.
Well Wayne took them to a spot along the river looking up into some canyons where the feral goats inhabit.
These guys spent about an hour getting their basic set up. Then a target was picked. After another 20 minutes of confirming range, checking ballistics info,& trying to judge when the goat wont move, the shot was taken.
Wayne is not know for exageration, & swears the shot was over 1840 yards.
They shot another 2 at around 1,100 yards & had their supply of dog food.
All 3 goats were chest shots & all 3 dropped where they stood, although with the first one ,Wayne said he was amazed at the time it took for the shot to ring out & the goat to drop.
Ive read previous threads where people respond with how unethical it is to shoot at extreme range, but these guys were not ratbag shooters taking pot-shots at game at unknown distances & hoping for the best - they took an abundance of gear with them to help them achieve a one shot kill, which is after all what all hunters are trying to achieve, & they achieved it in 3 successive shots.
My attitude has changed towards these long range shooters once I recognised the skill & gear needed to participate in this niche sport. Wayne has said he'd invite them over next time I'm up there & I can see first hand.
Got to admit I still prefer to go out stalking.