Long range hunting vid

[ngcsugrad09]

Having lived out west, hunting at longer distances is not that uncommon. The animals are quite intelligent, and pronghorn or "speed goats" do require a bit of skill and stalking to get even a 300 yd shot on a big male. It's just a different type of hunting, but it does take more skill and regular practice.

 

[Bear44]

Hey, I just missed a squirrel at 150 yds this morning, hit about an inch low and an inch left. Something that'll stand still at 1000yds and give ya 30mins to set up the shot with $3k worth of equipment isn't really that impressive to me. Lets see what they can do with grey squirrels at a tenth of that range, but that's just my perspective.

Nick T

I know what you're saying about the difficulty of killing tree rats with a rifle, but the skills needed to make this kind of a long range shot is a different kind of thing all together. You say you aren't impressed with this kind of shot, so I've got to ask. Have you ever shot at 1000 yards? When a ten mile an hour cross wind will move you POI by FOUR FEET, it's a very different game.

Reading the wind is like trying to read a putt on an invisible green.

 

[jcountry]

I know what you're saying about the difficulty of killing tree rats with a rifle, but the skills needed to make this kind of a long range shot is a different kind of thing all together. You say you aren't impressed with this kind of shot, so I've got to ask. Have you ever shot at 1000 yards? When a ten mile an hour cross wind will move you POI by FOUR FEET, it's a very different game.

Reading the wind is like trying to read a putt on an invisible green.

I don't think the guys in that video are skilled at all. If they were, they would have hit the vital area and not gutshot the poor animal.

The other thing is the wind. 10 mph at the shooter's position is one thing, but that can easily change 5 times between that point and where the animal is with this kind of distance.

These guys are trying to play sniper. They should play that game against steel or paper targets at that distance. Those guys are just hacking at it. And every once in a while, they hit what they are shooting at. (I bet there are a lot more videos on the "cutting room floor" of clean misses or shooting a leg off.) If they had skill (and ethical responsibility) they would have hit the lung area. Missing by a foot or two to the left is as unacceptable as missing that far to the right and maiming the animal.

If they had skill enough to take that kind of shot, they would not have missed (and a gutshot is a miss in my book.)

-Not impressed.

 

[Bear44]

I don't think the guys in that video are skilled at all. If they were, they would have hit the vital area and not gutshot the poor animal.
Actually, this was not a gut shot. A gut shot is a hit that only hits the gut area and is not in any of the desired vital areas. If you look closely you will see the animal is facing at a relatively sharp angle away from them. Look at the shadow on the ground and it's easier to tell the angle. They also show the exit wound, which is right behind the shoulder. That's a good hit.

The other thing is the wind. 10 mph at the shooter's position is one thing, but that can easily change 5 times between that point and where the animal is with this kind of distance.
This is exactly my point about the skill level needed to get on target at these ranges. There are several techniques used to determine wind direction and speed all the way out to the target. Then the shooter has to do the calculations to determine how it will effect the bullet flight. A shooter that can put a round on target at these ranges is highly skilled.

These guys are trying to play sniper. They should play that game against steel or paper targets at that distance. Those guys are just hacking at it. And every once in a while, they hit what they are shooting at. (I bet there are a lot more videos on the "cutting room floor" of clean misses or shooting a leg off.) If they had skill (and ethical responsibility) they would have hit the lung area. Missing by a foot or two to the left is as unacceptable as missing that far to the right and maiming the animal.
They aren't "playing" sniper, they're doing it. If they were relying on luck to make hits they would only be making good hits 1 in 100 tries, if that.

If they had skill enough to take that kind of shot, they would not have missed (and a gutshot is a miss in my book.)
Didn't happen.

-Not impressed.

As far as whether or not it is ethical to take this kind of shot, that is a very good question. Less than 1% of shooters have enough skill to do it ethically and I'm not sure these guys are in the 1%. They are clearly very skilled, but are they skilled enough to transfer their abilities to consistently making humane hits on game? Maybe, maybe not. As you point out, editing is their friend. But I'm sure they are doing a lot more than just slinging lead and hoping for the best.

Another thing to point out is that apparently ethical standards have a sliding scale on the ODT. I may be wrong, but I think me and just one or two other people have ever said anything about folks taking head shots on deer. A four inch miss when doing that can end up with that same broken jaw. The deer doesn't care if you are shooting from 20 yards or 1200. What about small game? A 100 yard shot at a squirrel is VERY likely to result in a terribly wounded animal that does not die quickly and is not recovered. I didn't hear a sound of objection from anyone about that.

 

[REDX]

As far as whether or not it is ethical to take this kind of shot, that is a very good question. Less than 1% of shooters have enough skill to do it ethically and I'm not sure these guys are in the 1%. They are clearly very skilled, but are they skilled enough to transfer their abilities to consistently making humane hits on game? Maybe, maybe not. As you point out, editing is their friend. But I'm sure they are doing a lot more than just slinging lead and hoping for the best.
.

I actually agree with you on this, What is ethical is up to individual interpretation. Yes it takes skill and practice to reach these distances and beyond but Its not impossible or uncommon. Long range hunting is becoming more and more popular IE: Extreme outer limits or long range pursuit on the Sportsman channel. I think the average hunter goes buys his/her rifle, "zeroes" it for "2 inches High at 100" and takes it out to his stand for his 200 yard "long distance shot" without ever actually learning everything they can about their rifle and how to use it properly. At 800 yards a 243 AI has 30 inches of drift in a 10 mph crosswind. An antelope body size is 42-56 inches with a 15 inch kill zone which for these types of shooter/hunters is more than enough target size to leave room for error. These are probably the type of guys that shoot sub MOA sized targets at that distance or further on a regular basis.