Thread: What distance do you shoot game animals?

Last 7 deer, 40 yards, 20 yards, 130 yards, 184 yards, 523 yards, 412 yards and 50 yards. Have had another 2 sika under 10m recently that I photographed instead of shooting aswell.

45m average

Got a mate who, when dialling his 300 wsm, can satisfactorily take goats out 620 metres. I would happily use my Tikka 6.5x55 out to 450m.

As close as I can usually between 10 and 150, occasionally out to 300. Longest 475 metres with some body else's 7mm magnum. It was a wallaby so no recovery needed otherwise it would have been left alone

I'm happy taking game from 10meters out to 500meters with my 7mm08 snd 284win.
I do shoot steel at various ranges out to 1200meters, so have confidence in making shots out to 500meters.

Interesting poll with good and interesting answers. I would shoot a lot of my deer well under 100m. Often it is 20m. Nearly all under 200m. No matter where I hunt. I have shot them out to 500m. How far I can kill a deer at and how far I want to kill a deer at are two totally different things for me personally and probably the same for others on here too. For me, the further out the shot is, the less exciting it is and the less it feels like hunting (for me). If I had to put a number on it I would say that for me over 200m it seems to get quite unemotional. I enjoy the stalk and don't feel the need to kill a deer as soon as I deem it to be in max range. I like to get as close as possible and take/ enjoy the time to do so. That is just me and each to their own. I do have real respect for the hunters who have decided they want to shoot further out and so put a big effort in to practicing their longer shooting etc to make themselves the best and most humane they can be.

Originally Posted by Hiawatha

Interesting poll with good and interesting answers. I would shoot a lot of my deer well under 100m. Often it is 20m. Nearly all under 200m. No matter where I hunt. I have shot them out to 500m. How far I can kill a deer at and how far I want to kill a deer at are two totally different things for me personally and probably the same for others on here too. For me, the further out the shot is, the less exciting it is and the less it feels like hunting (for me). If I had to put a number on it I would say that for me over 200m it seems to get quite unemotional. I enjoy the stalk and don't feel the need to kill a deer as soon as I deem it to be in max range. I like to get as close as possible and take/ enjoy the time to do so. That is just me and each to their own. I do have real respect for the hunters who have decided they want to shoot further out and so put a big effort in to practicing their longer shooting etc to make themselves the best and most humane they can be.

Excellent post mate.

This is exactly how I've been feeling. After a few years of pinging deer and goats at 400-500m+ it all started getting a bit boring and I noticed I was leaving the properties feeling quite empty and dissatisfied. It's pest control, not hunting, is how I decided to define it. It's gotta be done and I won't stop doing it else I'll not be doing my bit, plus I eat some of the pests, so bonus!

The kind of open hill country shooting I've been doing a lot of isn't really that hard to be honest. But these last few hunts where I've gone open sights and creepy creepy have been mega exciting and deeply satisfying, even considering I've only been shooting goats. It has also been a reminder of just how completely crap my stealth mode has become, as I've spooked several reds close in. Makes me smile in the moment, which is cool. Only one red in the past couple of stalking hunts have I managed to get really close to and it didn't get shot, my choice. It's a different game altogether and one that I am looking forward to getting back into more.

Totally agree with Marty,thats why its called hunting and not shooting.

From 3m in the thick shit to 1000m in the open but most would be 50 to 500m. Got 4 animals this week, closest being 20 odd meter pig with 22mag and fallow at 250 odd with the 7saum

My furtherest deer taken was 350m, but I’m far more comfortable out to 250m

That yellow 200 litre drum in or around centre of photo is 500 metres...can you even see it let alone put a bullet in it?

Originally Posted by DavidGunn

That yellow 200 litre drum in or around centre of photo is 500 metres...can you even see it let alone put a bullet in it?

Attachment 147860

Is it on the switchback below a large squareish rock

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Is it on the switchback below a large squareish rock

Originally Posted by DavidGunn

That yellow 200 litre drum in or around centre of photo is 500 metres...can you even see it let alone put a bullet in it?

Attachment 147860

I think I found the drum....


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Originally Posted by tiroahunta

I think I found the drum....


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My trusty 25-303 with a 90 gr bullet...shoot a sparrow off it. Probably unscrew the caps at 1000 or so with a 75 gr.