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Old April 4, 2012, 10:08 PM   #26
LSnSC
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The closest Ive taken was about 6 feet from a ground blind with a a .41 mag revolver. The farthest was 502yds with a 300WSM, over beans from the loft in a barn with a shooting bench. I was shooting deer on nuisance permits and had plenty of time to identify, ( no bucks allowed) laze and make the shot.
The vast majority Ive killed with a rifle are between 100-200 yds.
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Old April 4, 2012, 10:18 PM   #27
Buzzcook
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The two longest were about 250yds. The closest was about 20ft.
Hunting in Western Wa. and Or. I'd average between 40yds and 90yds. Hunting on the East side I'm averaging about 125yds.
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Old April 5, 2012, 12:44 AM   #28
bamaranger
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bow & gun

I bow hunt whitetails from trees, and have kept a pretty good "deer diary".
My bow shot average is 14 yds. My longest bow shot was 30, and I have only taken a 30 yd shot on one other occassion (missed). These days I shoot one pin set for 20 yds.

My longest deer shot was paced at 225, on a ROW (.270/130) , bamaboy has the family record at a lasered 260yds on a ROW with a .243/100. But, almost all my other rifle kills have been under 100, half those under 50. Biggest buck I will likely ever kill was at 19 paces w/ a bolt 7.62x39/135. The last rifle kill I made was at 30 paces w/ a .308/150 scout.
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Old April 5, 2012, 08:16 AM   #29
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Mitchell County, Texas

on our ranch typical range for shots is between 80-175 yards. The furthest anybody has taken is a deer is 355 by my father using a Browning MKII BAR in 270. This range is not the norm for us however and that was only once.
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Old April 5, 2012, 10:10 AM   #30
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I hunt with a 10mm pistol and have gotten three deer in the last four seasons. Every deer has been less than 25 yards or less. Last season was about 5 yards. Stalking and woodcraft is a must
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Old April 5, 2012, 10:31 AM   #31
L_Killkenny
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Shotgun only state here so my ranges are 10-75 yards. Occasionaly 100. But that has nothing to do with how far I would shoot em if I could. With the open fields around here there's a good many times I wish I had a 300 yard centerfire in my hands.

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Old April 5, 2012, 01:02 PM   #32
Wyoredman
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It is my opinion that taking an animal at any distance over 400 yards is not impossible, but it is not a great idea. I like to hunt for trophy animals and find it very dificult to judge the quality of any trophy out that far.

I have taken animals out past 400 yards, and every time I have been dissapointed in them. What looks to be very large through the binos or spotting scope, often turns out to have major ground shrinkage.

I think that T.V. has caused many hunters to think that they can take the long shot because they saw it done on T.V. The thing with television, though, is the shows are all edited and never show the misses and the wounded animals. I suspect that they also substitute beter quality animals for the closeup shots!

I guess it is really up to the individual, what are the risks you are willing to accept?

I like them closer than further!
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Old April 5, 2012, 01:29 PM   #33
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East Pa.-50 to 150 yards.
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Old April 5, 2012, 03:28 PM   #34
Daryl
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Closest was six yards. Farthest was 472. Depends on the situation vand the country I'm hunting.
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Old April 5, 2012, 03:28 PM   #35
Hawg
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Where I live now between 50-75 yards. I grew up hunting across soybean fields tho. If you couldn't make a 300 yard shot you best stay home.
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Old April 5, 2012, 04:06 PM   #36
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Southeast Missouri I'd take deer out to 125 yds at the most, but as a rule under 75 yds mostly. Now up here in northern Missouri we see and can shoot deer up to 50- 500 yds. Shooting at deer at over 300 yds (for me) has to be taken from a solid rest with no wind nor distractions, It would definetly have to be a broadside heart lung area type shot. My rifles are super capable of these distances but I'm not, as I only practice from 100 yds.. My scopes are zeroed 3 inches high at 100 yds so they should be money at 300 yds, but I'm the weak link in the chain, I have to use a solid rest,, so last year I bought one of those Primos "trigger sticks" tripod, and it's super solid man, Last year I was carrying the damn thing, but dropped it when my buck jumped up and I shot him off-hand at about 75 yds or so. I wished I had a 300-500 yd range here to use, but I don't so I practice every weekend at the local MDC range.
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Old April 5, 2012, 08:27 PM   #37
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I am the op in this thread and I see that every one else is posting there guns. My gun I "harvest" deer with is a Marlin 1894C in 357 magnum (the barrel was cut to 16.5 inches for me when I was a kid) Most of these shots are from my back porch at a range of about 20-60 yards.

When I have to go out and actually hunt I bring my Marlin 1895 in 45/70. These shots typically are about 50-125 yards.

I guess I am use to shooting in the brush with a "pumpkin tosser" for a gun I typically load 405 grain bullets doing about 1600FPS. To me a 300 yard shot just sounds crazy. I know people do it but probably with some thing like a 30-06 or a 300 magnum.

I can shoot "longer distance" for my gun but that is from a bench and with laser and lots of prep. but even from a bench I doubt I could make a 400 yard shot with my 45/70. There are people that could (I have seen in in CAS)

any way I dont know why I am saying all this.
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Old April 5, 2012, 09:16 PM   #38
mo84
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about 35 ft is the furthest I have ever had to shoot, I typically sit in dense woods with very limited close shots, let alone long ones. sometimes I sit on a ridge which has some 100 yard shooting lanes but the deer I took there was about 20 ft away.
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Old April 5, 2012, 09:27 PM   #39
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100-200 yards being the maximum distance for the area I hunt in.
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Old April 5, 2012, 10:00 PM   #40
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For me typically between 25 and 50 yards. I like to get em in close.
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Old April 5, 2012, 11:06 PM   #41
idnative1948
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The area we hunt for deer here, anything over 100 we wouldn't fire. Usually we are in heavy timber areas. Always try to plan for an uphill shot, but more often than not it will be an offhand downhill. Just the way it seems to happen.
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Old April 5, 2012, 11:14 PM   #42
egor20
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I hunt on horseback and use an SKS so 40 to 70 yards, is my average.
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Old April 6, 2012, 06:43 AM   #43
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From about 30-50 yards in a treestand. I have also stalked deer in a leaf suit on the ground to within 15 yards.
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Old April 6, 2012, 07:27 AM   #44
dayman
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I hunt pretty thick woods, so always under 100yds. Out west I'm told there's a lot of hilltop to the next hilltop hunting, so I can see getting 500yds+, but up here I'd have to look pretty hard to find a shooting lane much longer than 100yds.
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Old April 6, 2012, 09:05 AM   #45
chewie146
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The longest shot I've made is about 350, but I've taken them as close as 50. These are elk, mind you, not deer. I long ago gave up trying to draw for a deer tag, and the last deer I got was when you could still buy the tags over the counter here. That was at 150 yards with a TC Hawken. Somehow, I hit one lung on that deer. I'm not sure how I did that. I was about 9 when that happened. Fast forward darn near 20 years, and I'm looking at moving to Florida, where the deer are numerous and I know people who have lots of land. There, the shots may be somewhat shorter, but I don't know. I have a 12 gauge and a .270...between those two I can make it work.
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Old April 6, 2012, 10:12 AM   #46
RevGeo
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Usually under 200 yards. Even though I live in the woods of the Idaho panhandle there are quite a few clear cuts and such that provide the occassional long-ish (200+yds) shot. The last two deer have been under 100.
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Old April 6, 2012, 11:29 AM   #47
sc928porsche
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I have been hunting since I was 12. Both foul and 4 legged. I have hunted the California coast, the Sierras, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, the rocky mountains states and Alaska. I now reside in Alabama. Most of my game has been taken between 100-300yds. There have been a few that were closer and some further away, but that is the nature of hunting. One thing nice about Alabama.....now that I am 65, I dont have to pay for my license.
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Old April 6, 2012, 01:53 PM   #48
Scorch
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This is going to vary widely based on geographical location, IMO. When I lived in CA, the farthest I ever shot was about 125 yds, IIRC. Most were 60-100 yds. Then I moved to TN, where shots were about 60-100 yds. Then to NV, where 300-400 yds was not unheard of, and my longest shot on deer was about 325 yds. Then to ID, where I usually shot at around 100-150 yds. Then to OR, where about 100 yds was average. Now I live in western WA, where I think 100-150 yds would be a long shot, I shot a little buck about 10 years ago at maybe 10 yds and another a few years later at about 80-90 yds.
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Old April 6, 2012, 03:03 PM   #49
NickySantoro
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Shortest, about 20 feet
Longest about 50+ yards
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Old April 6, 2012, 10:19 PM   #50
Big Pard
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Normally from 100-150 yards but it seemed last year that everything was 350+...
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