[Ben Towe]

I've traveled the West quite a bit but never had the opportunity to hunt it. In the part of Kentucky where I normally hunt (south central, or Soky to us natives) shots can be varied from under your feet to 1000 yards (actually I can think of one place you could theoretically make a shot approaching 2000 yards). I would say the average kill is made at 150 yards or so however. My personal longest is 450 and the shortest 15 or so. The creek and river bottom long shots are countered by the occasional tract of cut timber which is nearly impenetrable after a couple years due to blackberry briars. Believe me, you don't want the hounds to tree a coon in the middle of one of those, it's almost always a slick tree and by the time you get to it your clothes are torn off and you're light headed from the pint of blood you unintentionally marked your trail with. At that point, you curse, cry, and briefly consider shooting the dogs because you realize your journey is only halfway over. But I digress. I avoid that crap for deer because I don't really think deer frequent stuff that thick very much, and I'm granting compassionate reprieve due to mental incompetence to any that do. The "big woods" offer some good hunting and shots up to 100 yards in places.