I don't doubt the skill of some guys with bows or guns....I know some guys that have made some amazing shots over the years. I say, shoot what you want and what you are comfortable with...as long as you are prepared. I think its funny how bow hunters are mostly always the ones saying how other styles of hunting are unethical. We need to all stick together as hunters, we already have enough against us. Elitist attitudes certainly don't help our sport. Tfox, that 1376 on the elk was amazing! I've shot groundhogs at 500-600...can't imagine shooting at something at 1300+. At least an elk gives a big target :D
You could tell in the video that the dad and the kid were more prepared for a 1300 yard shot than most are for a 200 yard shot in the deer woods but no one would get flamed for the 200. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
I'm not getting into this debate, but I do love watching that show. There is that one and another long range hunting show out there that I will watch anytime I come across them.
My personal issue with the extremely long shots is whether or not I would be able to actually find the point of impact and a blood trail if the animal didn't drop in his tracks. Blood tracking is by far my worst skill. I'm color blind and have a hell of a time tracking. I hit a deer at about 180 yards. I never did find one speck of blood or hair, thought I had a clean miss until he showed up on my trail cam 2 days later with a bullet wound about 2 inches too far back. I ended up bumping that buck two days after I shot him when I went back to try and recover him. Never saw him again, even after I gave him two more days to expire. For me, the long shots aren't worth the risk of wounding an animal and not being able to track him. Due to that instance, I have all but hung up my rifle. It hasn't even came out of the safe this season.
you think i guy cant hit a moving target with a 300 win mag at 325 yds? he was on a flat field and i aimed 6 inches above his vitals and 3 ft in front of him. he came out of the swamp with no wound and ended up on the ground with 2 hits. i fired twice. you figure it out. i also have a good rest to use. but then again i have missed standing deer at 100 yds. like i said before though i would never take that shot on an unhit animal. i bet some of these guys from out west wouldnt think twice about shooting at a wounded animal at 325 yds.
Scenery from yesterday's goat hunt. I'm still laughing that some of you think you can stalk up on a herd out here. You can see my truck in this pic, to give you an idea of the expanse. After we gave up on getting within 500 yards of the goats, we went after rabbits. Saw at least 40 of them. Even hit one jackrabbit that was about 100 yards away. Offhand... with a .22lr. I think we came back with almost as much meat as if we'd had scored on a doe pronghorn. Lol Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
Comparing bow hunting with long range rifle hunting is like comparing soccer and football, two completely different sports. Just as hunting the open country of the west is different from the woods of the East and South. Having shot deer at 400 yards with a rifle, a long range ethical shot is entirely possible. Put a bow in my hands, I am limiting my range to 25 yards. I am new to bow hunting and, for me, that is my confidence in my skill level. An ethical shot is not about range or weapon of choice, it is about the ability to place a killing shot that will quickly and humanely, end the animals life with as little suffering as possible.
I don't know all that much about rifle hunting, but I do know that even with a shotgun with shot, it is difficult to hit a moving target.If you did as you say you're either one of the best rifle shots on earth, or you got very lucky.
Yep, well said. I'll weigh in somewhat. While I have no intentions of partaking in it myself, those who can CONFIDENTLY take long range rifle shots like that in the field have my respect. It takes skill to make the shot. Maybe not the hunt, but the shot requires a ton of skill. Long range bowhunting is not my thing either. Bowhunting to me is getting close to the animal. Partially because of the minimal problems encountered at shorter distances as opposed to longer distances, but also because it's a challenge of hunting. What I DON'T like is people passing this information off on a public forum like a hunting website or a television show making it sound as if it's commonplace and even relatively easy. Elite had a post like this on FB a year or so ago promoting a 70+ yd shot and their bow being the reason those shots can be made. You're inviting a lot of inexperienced, or incapable hunters to make that shot in the field. That's bad, imho.
up until 3 years ago our area was shotgun only. alot of people around here do deer drives, and just about all the deer shot on those drives are running full tilt. i shot remington sluggers so i never have taken a shot with a shotgun past 150 yds but know guys who would shoot past that at running deer. if you know how to lead a deer and know your equipment these are possible shots. never shot buckshot, but you gotta be one hell of a bad shot not to be able to hit a running deer with it. no different then shooting ducks or geese on the fly.
The "hunters" showcased are not experienced behind the butt of a rifle. They reference that many times in the episode. I have no issue with taking these shots, but I have assembled my rifle/loads accordingly and know the internal/external ballistics to support what I'm trying to achieve. No, I don 'to take long shots because I can. Too each his own though.
