Long Range Deer Shooting.... Hmmm...

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dvajda

dvajda

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These guys are shooting deer at some super long ranges. While I respect the skill (and these guys seem to have some) that it takes to make hits at that range, I'm not sure this is a good idea. Shooting at paper at such ranges is one thing to me, but at live animals is another. It just seems that the chances for wounding an animal as opposed to killing it increase with distance, and I'm not sure this is what a good hunter should do. I'm a fan of getting in and getting the quick, sure kill. In one of the shots, they definitely wound the deer, plus they are like 900m away from the damn thing when it takes off, and I highly doubt these guys are gonna go run after it. Seems to be a little bit inhumane, any thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBjqA02Sb3c&NR
 
I agree with you, I have no problem hunting but a good hunter makes sure they get the kill as fast and clean as possible.
 
+1 - Part of the pleasure of hunting is being able to move close to the deer and/or bring the deer toward you and make a clean shot.
 
Those guys are not hunters, they are just using the deer as targets. They give the rest of us ethical hunters a bad name.

Bob
 
bsimardjr said:
Those guys are not hunters, they are just using the deer as targets. They give the rest of us ethical hunters a bad name.

Bob
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Though I no longer hunt, (personal choice), I hunted for most of my life - well into my 20's. I still support hunting and allow it on my property. My grandfather taught me to always respect and honor the animal I was hunting and to only take a shot when it was a humane kill. Guys like this make me ill. It draws a clear distinction between folks who hunt for tradition, meat and sport and those who do it just for the purpose of kiling....
 
those guys set up a mini friggin fort on that hill and are just takin pot shots at whatever strolls along...thats not hunting...a long range shot is fine sure if youre in a blind and youve set up there and whatever...but dont put out a bench rest and a table and all kinds of equipment...that aint huntin
 
bsimardjr said:
Those guys are not hunters, they are just using the deer as targets. They give the rest of us ethical hunters a bad name.

Bob
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That is a pretty high horse to be on. I bet they take the deer more cleanly than most hunters and they don't need road signs to zero their blunderbuss in on. [angry]

What is your criteria for hitting your mark and at what distance can you achieve it? Exactly how familiar are you with the current state of 1000 yard bench rest?

B
 
I don't see anything wrong with it. It's hardly MY place to tell someone how to enjoy hunting. I'm always amazed when sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts denounce each other because they don't agree with another person's style.

That being said, their style of hunting certainly isn't for me. I don't find it exciting, or sporting, to build a huge gun rest on the top of a hill and sit in a lounger shooting deer 1000 yards away.
 
They may be competent marksmen, they are amazing shots, no doubt. Are they hunters ? That's debatable. Even if I had the skill to take the shot I don't think I would. Where's the sport ?
 
Well, they could just run up behind them and snap their necks with their bare hands. It's hunting. Who is to say what is right or wrong? Why the hell bring a high powered rifle if you are going to walk up so close you can club the animal. Nice shots. Nice job. Incredible field of view...it looked pretty safe to take the shots. They all hit their target...no stray bullets. Good for them.
 
The only problem I have with it is when any "Joe Gut Pile" sees that and tries the same thing with Grampa's 30-30.
 
Well the real problem is, in my opinion, that the chance of an error is very high, and I don't think these guys pack up all their stuff and chase down a wounded animal. I mean, if they hit dead on every time, and the animal goes down, there really is no problem. But, I think that they would be bored if that were the case, or they would move even further away... So, I think that while they may make some amazing shots, they may also be wounding animals, which it seems unlikely that they track down. Thats my only problem. Shooting things from super far away to test your skill is great, but doing it against targets vs live animals is a bit different.

Most bad hunters probably wound an animal from 50 yard shots, but I at least hope they chase them down and finish them. These guys probably wound far less animals than all the unskilled hunters do, but I worry that they don't chase down the wounded ones...
 
dvajda said:
Shooting things from super far away to test your skill is great, but doing it against targets vs live animals is a bit different.

Most bad hunters probably wound an animal from 50 yard shots, but I at least hope they chase them down and finish them. These guys probably wound far less animals than all the unskilled hunters do, but I worry that they don't chase down the wounded ones...
Click to expand...

So you probably dislike bird hunting then, huh? Or what about a running deer? What is the maximum distance you think we should be allowed to hunt from? I'll pack my tape measure.
 
dvajda said:
Well the real problem is, in my opinion, that the chance of an error is very high, and I don't think these guys pack up all their stuff and chase down a wounded animal.

So, I think that while they may make some amazing shots, they may also be wounding animals, which it seems unlikely that they track down. Thats my only problem. .

but I worry that they don't chase down the wounded ones...
Click to expand...

I agree that that if they wound the animal they should be responsible and track it to kill the wounded animal. Shoot from as far as you want being the safe and knowing all the rules of target and beyond, know where your shot goes and all that.....but definately track your wounded animal. They seemd to have the vehicles to conduct some long range tracking so I think they would track the animal.
 
dvajda said:
These guys probably wound far less animals than all the unskilled hunters do, but I worry that they don't chase down the wounded ones...
Click to expand...

Why would they be any less ethical than you when it comes to tracking down a wounded animal.

B
 
I personally have never been hunting, I am not against it and will eat just about any game meat my friends who hunt are willing to throw my way. That said I find it comical to call that hunting. I always pictured hunting in my minds eye as getting into the woods as up close to the prey as possible and dispatching as efficiently as possible. But just because I dont like it does not make it wrong, just kinda takes the sport out of it in my opinion.
Honestly not a shot I think I could make however.
 
I'm a 30 year deer hunter so here's .02$ worth:


If they are within the scope of the law as it applies to hunting, then no one can really complain. Opinions about their means of take....sure, but they are engaged in what seems to me like a legal deer hunt. And, for all we know they could have spotters down range looking and waiting for wounded animals. I personally would not take shots at that range unless I had someone down low with a rifle and radio to do follow up shots and to make sure other hunters and people were clear of the area.
 
Hunting is different things to different people. For them, this is hunting, and I have NO problem with what they are doing. To say what they are doing is unethical, is just plain ignorant!
 
Totally Disgusting to watch such videos.
$100s of dollars worth of equipment would tell me they don't need the food, so what do they need? the pleasure in hitting a LIVE target at 600 meters? Send their asses to Iraq and they can have all of the pleasures they want.
That isn't a sport and is like hunting on a 500 acre Preserve, the odds are highly in the shooter's favor and highly against the Animals.
I wonder if they went after the one they shot in the rear hip?
Disgusting...... No Pride with those guys and definetely no HONOR.

Nothing AMAZING about those shots, Hitting a Center BULLSEYE would be AMAZING.
How do they know what they have for a backdrop? What if there was someone in those trees in back would they have any idea?

You also know there is an abundance of EGO when you have to film yourself taking a animal.
Anyone with a decent rifle and a scope can do those shots and I know quite a few, including myself who can do those shots without a scope, but have no desire to film it or do it.
 
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Wingwiper said:
Anyone with a decent rifle and a scope can do those shots and I know quite a few, including myself who can do those shots without a scope, but have no desire to film it or do it.
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You have got to be kidding. Those boys are well seasoned hunters with unbelievable skill and obviously excellent equipment. When the camera pulled back, it clearly showed that they were hunting two zip codes away. You could never have made that shot without their optics; in fact I'll bet you couldn't even see the deer. That was great stuff, sorry for calling you out on the carpet!
 
Sellscottsell
You have got to be kidding
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No! I am not kidding. Those shots were only about 500 to 600 meters. Cameras will make things look smaller than what they are. Note the houses in the background on the first segment. If the guys were hitting them in the head each time, I would say those would make it very good shots. Witht the Equipment that they have, they should be able to do the same with Beer Cans.
You have a few guys on these boards who have done those very same shots but with Paper Targets where the accuracy is measured in inches, OPEN SIGHTs and greater distance. 600 meters is Standard for earning points and I shot Competition for many years, I have seen many a Soldier and Marine make far more dificult shots than that and with OPEN SIGHTS. Both the M-16 and the M-14 are quite capable of doing a 600 meter shot and with a high degree of accuracy. The M-14 is quite capable of doing it at 1000 meters with the right individual. You aren't calling me at all.

Those boys are well seasoned hunters with unbelievable skill and obviously excellent equipment.
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you got all that from the videos???? I didn't see any GOLD...
 
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Aside from shooting I fish too. When i first started out I used medium to heavy rods with the beefiest reel I could find and threw 25 to 30lb test line with as amny hooks as I could find. Used more comoon baits to try to ensure i would at least catch something and when I did you would need a tank to snap the line.

Well, after a while that gets boring. So you use a lighter rod and smaller reel and lighter line and tend to work more on your skill than your muscles for landing a fish.

That's what I see here. These guys have gone on the hunts and done the close reange seak uup and tree stand style of hunting and now they are learning or working on a new skill and new way to hunt.

With or without optic and it would be much more impressive a shot without I think it was fun and amazing to watch.

I also agree with the poster who felt there might have been spotters down range. Definately was testing his long range skill there.

I liked it.
 
If those shots were indeed within 500 to 600 yards, I have to go with Wingwiper. Those are not difficult shots to make as long as one has a good read on the wind (anyone hunting big game in open country should have a spotting scope) and distance (laser rangefinders are common enough). Like him, I've been there, done that on paper. And I can place my first shot within an 18" circle at 600 yards almost on demand. Almost any NRA Highpower Rifle Master or High Master can make a shot like that with relative ease. I know it seems incredibly boastful to those whose experience does not include anything beyond 200 yards, but it's no boast if you can back it up.

But I have to seriously question the judgement involved in doing those shots on game. There are many issues that I cannot understand how they account for. How can they tell at that distance if a game is wounded fatally or not? Do they have spotters to follow and mark a hit animal for later recovery? What about making sure there are no people downrange? Are they shooting out west and just hoping no one is around?
 
Wingwiper said:
Sellscottsell

600 meters is Standard for earning points and I shot Competition for many years, I have seen many a Soldier and Marine make far more dificult shots than that and with OPEN SIGHTS. ...
Click to expand...

Wingwiper, I shouldn't have argued with a Green Mountain boy! My hat's off to any of you capable of making shots like that, I guess I need to work on my long gun technique a bit!
 
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