Long Shots & Wounded Deer

[muzzle]

I can't believe how many wounded deer I have seen this year! I have personally seen three big bucks wounded by long range shots and have talked to a couple of other hunters who took long range shots with apparent hits and never found their deer. I wonder if by some small measure that more hunters are talking longer range shots and wounding more deer since long range shots seem to be the rage. I can't help but think many of these deer do not make it through the winter or are killed by predators. If this is happening a lot, which I suspect it does, how much do you think it has to do with the the number of bucks declining? I know most hunters just can't help taking that long range shot at a big buck, I know I have been guilty of it myself in the past but seeing what I saw on this hunt, I am shrinking my distance so I am not part of that game. At 350 + unless you hit it in the vitals where it is obviously hit hard, its hard to know if you got a hit or not. Many deer just run off with less than immediately lethal wounds and the hunter just asumes it was a miss and continues hunting. It's possible given this scenario that a single hunter may be the cause of several killed bucks in a year. Multiply this by who knows how many and the numbers add up fast. Just wanted to know what others think about long range shooting.

 

[alp75]

Those kind of long range shots with a bow are just flat out of line and unethical. You must be talking about a bow right? From most posts on here seems to me archers are the only ones wounding deer. (If I could roll my eyes now I would)

I personally believe that year in and year out a common thing happens on the rifle hunt. You get huge numbers of people who only hunt one hunt a year and that is the opener of the rifle deer. Many of those huge numbers of "hunters" only get out once to shoot their rifle before the hunt to make sure it is still "on". Still many don't even do that and just grab the gun and hunt. A lot of these guys don't know their effective range simply because they don't practice and get to know their gun. Many have no clue how much their bullet drops at 300, 400 or 500 yards. These guys go out and find a deer out there and start flinging lead at it. I have heard at times 6-7 shots! Then they see the deer run over a ridge or out of sight and never see the deer go down and just assume that they missed. In reality they hit the deer and wounded or killed it and they never follow up on the shot(s). I am not saying this is the norm, but I do know it happens and it happens a lot. Or I have even heard guys bragging about how many deer they "shot" before they killed one. IMO this is abuse and unethical.

Now before I start getting railed on by the rifle hunting crowd, let me say that I spend a great deal of time rifle hunting as well as archery and muzzle loader. I practice with each...a lot.

 

[mathewsman]

+1 alp75

Only bow hunters wound and don't find deer right??

 

[mmwb]

I think far too many riflemen and bow hunters are shooting beyond their scope of proficiency.

 

[gemstatejake]

Don't take long shots.....................

I dont give a $hit what you saw on the outdoor channel.

 

[alp75]

Gem, what's a long shot? Personally I think it is different for each individual.

 

[deadibob]

I've said for a long time there needs to be a proficiency test before being able to get a tag. Shooting is like any other excercise. You may have been able to bench 300 10 years ago, it doesn't mean you can now. It takes constant practice to be able to consistently shoot. Self-control would help but many don't have it.

Another good thing would be if you draw blood you're done. But that also has to be self-regulated.

 

[gemstatejake]

>Gem, what's a long shot?
> Personally I think it
>is different for each individual.
>


Yes, I agree. I'm mostly refferring to those shows who's sole purpose is to sell "long range" rifles. 1000 yds plus, etc. Guys buy these and assume just cuz they shelled out the cash they can make any shot.

For me a long shot is anything beyond 250 or so. I've taken and made longer shots but only if the right opportunity presents itself and I know I'm likely to get another shot if things go poorly. I ALWAYS follow up on any shot I take and never assume I just missed.

Fact is that anyone who hunts long enough is gonna eventually run into a situation where you've done all you could and the critter still gets away. It's happened to me. Any good hunter will do what he can to minimize the chances of this happening. Too many inexperienced dudes out there who think they "can make the shot" with whatever weapon, rifle,bow, etc. Unless your a veteran big game hunter, knock at least 25% off whatever distance you think is your maximum. You start getting out past 300-400 yards and tons of variables come into play. Point blank 90% of guys in the field cant make those kind of shots with any consistancy.

 

[muzzle]

GEM, I completely agree with you. 10 or so years ago when I was doing a lot of shooting, a 300 yard shot was relatively easy shot on deer sized game. Now that I don't shoot as much as I should, I won't shoot over 250 because I am not as good as I used to be. There are just too many variables that come into play past 300 for me to be confident. I hear guys say anything inside of 500 is dead, I don't buy it. I know some guys can do it on the range, (I can do it on the range..sometimes) but in the feild when the rest is less than solid, the angles are unknown, the target moves and the wind shifts..just asking for trouble IMO.

 

[one_dryboot]

How about the Close Shots& Wounded Deer??????????????????????


Cuz its always the long shot guys


Ill bet 90% of the animals wounded come from the guys that pull there gun out of the closet the night before the hunt and dust it off. And I will bet most are 300 yards or less.

 

[GHOSTINTHEWOODS]

I'd have to agree both ways here. I know guys that can kill just about anything they shoot at at longer ranges. Provided the condidtions are right if not, they don't take the shot. It's part of being a good long range shooter is Knowing your capabilities. And on the other hand I know people that have went out, bought a rifle, had it bore sighted, and went hunting.
Shi** happens I guess.

 

[Silentstalker]

I think all you guy's are right. It matters not what weapon we carry. We MUST be proficient with it. We owe it to the animals we shoot at to do so with lethal accuracy. The distance we are willing to shoot should not be stretched due to the size of the critter.

Onedryboot,

I think your more accurate too. Most animals wounded are probably closer than 300 with a rifle or 60 with a bow. Sometimes things just go bad at the moment of truth. It seems this year there has been a rash of it though. I am grateful for the sportsmen who follow up on there shots regardless of weapon type or indication of a hit.

 

[ICHABOD]

>How about the Close Shots& Wounded
>Deer??????????????????????
>
>
>Cuz its always the long shot
>guys
>
>
>Ill bet 90% of the animals
>wounded come from the guys
>that pull there gun out
>of the closet the night
>before the hunt and dust
>it off. And I
>will bet most are 300
>yards or less.


+1 Dryboot

If I can shoot better at 500 yards than someone else can at 200 yds, then which one of us is taking a "long shot"?

There are always idiots out there, and anyone who fires a shot at a deer, and doesnt go properly search for blood is an idiot...at 500 yds, or 200 yds.

------------------------------------------------------
"Yeah, I'll shoot him"

 

[peakfreak]

Hey ICHY, Not everybody can shoot their buck @590yds is right. How far did you have to track that bruiser anyway?

 

[never_catch]

+2!! I've seen just as many if not more flat out misses vs wounded game this year and most shots have been under 300 yards...people not sighting thier hunting weapons in!! Which makes absolutely zero sense unless they're just plain stupid, then they have an excuse...

~Z~

 

[muleybull]

I've seen much more wounded animals with close shots. 100 yards or less. Take a guy from back east, if you ask him to shoot 150 - 200 yards they look at you like your crazy.

A long shot means different things to different people. Shots 200 yards or more usually cause the shooter to concentrate more....thats my experience. So they usually dont rush.

If you cant shoot......then dont. If you cant drive......then dont. If you cant talk........the shut the hell up. But most people continue on.

Is that ethical?