Range of 80% of your hunting shots

Depends on what I'm hunting. Most white tail shots are 75yds or less. (in the woods). two were at about 300. Mod 70 in 30-06
Groundhogs, 100-500 yards with most around 200-250. 22-250 mostly.

a few song dogs around 300. 243.

22-250 and 243 are both heavy varmint rifles.
 
I never kept a list of distances my deer were killed, but a few years, when in high school, kept a list of varmint kills. One year, I killed a number of woodchucks and a few crows. The average chuck distance for one particular year was 230 yards.

That doesn't seem impressive, but we didn't have dedicated varmint rifles back in the late 1950's and early 60's. I used a Savage 110, 30-06, 22" barreled sporter with a Weaver K 2.5X scope.

My longest shot was 480 yards, the second shot at a chuck on a recently-freshened mound on a side hill. I used a "bipod" that I made from copper tubing that could be carried in my rear pocket and stuck in the ground for support.

All shots of 100 yards or less were offhand, since we were shooting chucks for getting to know our rifles and handloaded ammo ballistics for deer hunting.
 
Have only shot two deer so far since getting into hunting.
Two years ago bagged a 100lb doe at 60 yards.
Last season bagged a 120lb doe at 120 yards.
Used 270WSM on both, with the rifle set to shoot up to our max food plot distance of 350 yards.
Both deer walked onto the road leading to the food plot. Shot them from a box stand. Both neck shots, both dropped instantly.

Hoping for a buck this season......
 
I typically hunt a power line clearing and the average distance out there is around 150-200yds, I also hunt a farm and the distances are similar. When I'm in a tree stand, though, it typically doesn't get over 75yds.
 
So for you hunters, 80% of your (non bird) shots are under what range?
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80%? Probably under 150, with the average of all shots just over 100- the really short ones pretty much cancel out the really long ones. That said, if I had to pass up everthing over 300, there would have been some lean years here .... as it is, I have managed to "fill the freezer" all but two seasons.


I know I have run into the problem of not even being able to locate the exact spot where I shot an animal (that ran) in order or find the blood trail. It is a lot easier to find the blood trail if you can find the exact spot where the animal is shot and find that spot is often easier if the animal is at closer range.
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I carry a lenstic compass (partly*)for this reason. If the deer is so far out there there that I might have a hard time finding the spot, then I generally have ample time to hit it several times with the laser rangefinder and take a bearing with the compass. Even if it's not, I take a mental note of what's directly behind it, so I can take a bearing on it when I have time after the shot.

After the shot, if the animal is not in sight, walk out on that bearing, and use the rangefinder to verify the distance by ranging the tree you were sitting against ...... drop your hat and start a spiral pattern search for blood and hair .....

Anybody that thinks this is silly has never looked for something small somewhere in the middle of a 400+ acre field of cornstubble .....

* the other reason is that it is much easier to find my spot in the dark- I have to walk better than 1/2 a mile across a field into a treelined dry creek in the dark ..... the creek is easy to cross if you hit it in the right place .... miss that spot and you'll be struggling through pretty thick brush in the dark, spooking everything in the area.
 
In Ohio with a revolver, my average is probably about 60 yards. My shortest was about 20' and my farthest was 120 yards.

One thing I have found to be consistant. Hunters judge distance like fishermen show you how big their bass was. In my experience, the average "150 yard shot" proclaimed by a given hunter actually paces out to about half the distance claimed. :D
 
I enjoy killing paper out to 1,000 yards. So much easier to clean! :rolleyes: Put some salt and pepper and butter on them and it is just like grits. :D

Bob
 
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