The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Long Range Hunt....uh-oh.

itgoesboom · April 15, 2006, 04:09 PM

I know this is opening a whole can of worms, but I have some questions here, being a novice hunter.

First, the reason:

I just got back from a hunt where we were told by locals, and other hunters that long range shots were what it would likely take to bring home the bacon. Our guides also encouraged us to be prepared for long range. What is their definition of long range? 400-500 yards or more.

The rain forest is so dense that it is tough to see anything inside, so shots are made at clearcuts, often from landings to draws. This ain't east coast hunting.

Now, being a new hunter (but experienced shooter), and not wanting to put myself in a situation where an animal might suffer, or where I could screw up a shot, I have given myself a mental limit on what distance I would shoot. That distance is 350 yards. I never wanted to overestimate my abilities, and have that cause suffering to an animal.

For that, I want to be able to have a rest (bipod, backpack or stump), time, and little to no wind.

So to be told that 500+ yards might be as close as we get to the animal, that was a little disconcerting.

In the end, we ended up not taking any animals this hunt (turned down a Sow Bear with 1+ y/o cubs @ 50-75 yards

). Mainly because this was just the first hunt of the season, not many bears out (mainly a scouting trip for us), and we are waiting for the "right" animal.

At the end of the hunt, the guide gave us a demonstration of long range shooting. Distance was incredible, almost unbelievable, so much so that I am not going to mention it. Lets just say that it was way past 500 yards.

Obviously to pull off a shot like that, they had a rifle that was set up for it, one of the hot magnums, bipod, target turrets on a premium scope, and a laser range finder.

After they hit the target, which was very small, they gave a few of us a shot at it. My shot was about 3" off the target, which I don't consider bad. Put it this way, considering the size of the target, even with the 3" miss, had it been an animal, it still would have been in the vitals.

It made me reconsider my maximum distance.

Now that you know the reason, here are the questions.

1. I don't have a large magnum rifle, my rifle is a .30-06. Obviously it has enough power given realistic shooting conditions.

What would your maximum range be with a .30-06 if you were hunting in areas that provide very long shots?

2. Do you consider long range hunting to be ethical, with the assumption that the hunter is a qualified shot?

3. If you were hunting, and knew that shots at 400-500 yards were possible, and might be your only shot, what would you do to prepare yourself, and your rifle, for that kind of hunting.

Thanks in advance.

I.G.B.

April 15, 2006, 04:09 PM	#1
itgoesboom Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2002 Posts: 223	Long Range Hunt....uh-oh. I know this is opening a whole can of worms, but I have some questions here, being a novice hunter. First, the reason: I just got back from a hunt where we were told by locals, and other hunters that long range shots were what it would likely take to bring home the bacon. Our guides also encouraged us to be prepared for long range. What is their definition of long range? 400-500 yards or more. The rain forest is so dense that it is tough to see anything inside, so shots are made at clearcuts, often from landings to draws. This ain't east coast hunting. Now, being a new hunter (but experienced shooter), and not wanting to put myself in a situation where an animal might suffer, or where I could screw up a shot, I have given myself a mental limit on what distance I would shoot. That distance is 350 yards. I never wanted to overestimate my abilities, and have that cause suffering to an animal. For that, I want to be able to have a rest (bipod, backpack or stump), time, and little to no wind. So to be told that 500+ yards might be as close as we get to the animal, that was a little disconcerting. In the end, we ended up not taking any animals this hunt (turned down a Sow Bear with 1+ y/o cubs @ 50-75 yards ). Mainly because this was just the first hunt of the season, not many bears out (mainly a scouting trip for us), and we are waiting for the "right" animal. At the end of the hunt, the guide gave us a demonstration of long range shooting. Distance was incredible, almost unbelievable, so much so that I am not going to mention it. Lets just say that it was way past 500 yards. Obviously to pull off a shot like that, they had a rifle that was set up for it, one of the hot magnums, bipod, target turrets on a premium scope, and a laser range finder. After they hit the target, which was very small, they gave a few of us a shot at it. My shot was about 3" off the target, which I don't consider bad. Put it this way, considering the size of the target, even with the 3" miss, had it been an animal, it still would have been in the vitals. It made me reconsider my maximum distance. Now that you know the reason, here are the questions. 1. I don't have a large magnum rifle, my rifle is a .30-06. Obviously it has enough power given realistic shooting conditions. What would your maximum range be with a .30-06 if you were hunting in areas that provide very long shots? 2. Do you consider long range hunting to be ethical, with the assumption that the hunter is a qualified shot? 3. If you were hunting, and knew that shots at 400-500 yards were possible, and might be your only shot, what would you do to prepare yourself, and your rifle, for that kind of hunting. Thanks in advance. I.G.B. Last edited by itgoesboom; April 17, 2006 at 05:07 PM.