With due respect to your Grandfather, I think a 900 yd. shot comes under the heading of urban ledgend. If true, the energy produced by a bullet at that range would do nothing but cause a lingering death to the animal. You have the right idea about killing humanely. Keep it up.

 

Here is what I posted the the Perfect deer rifle thread.

He shoots then at 900 yards he knows his gun he put it together him self( He is A gun smith on the side) He knows his shells loads then him self he has an awesome scope He practises hot cold rainy snowy any kind of weather and he kills then in one hit.

Also if you miss A deer at the distance they usually don't run Becca's they don't know where the shot is coming from.

And if you guys don't shoot deer at over 200 yards you either have open sites or are A bad shot I mean come on there is no reason not to be able to shoot A deer at over 200 yards I mean I do it and I ain't that great my uncle shoots his deer from far A way with A 300 mag also but it he is in A free stand he uses A 30-06 open sites and still shoots over 100yards.

Also he doesn't brag about it I do.

 

If we could, let's please lay off 85Ford's grandfather. My question wasn't really about whether the shot or kill is possible at that distance. Rather is a shot at that distance a normally acceptable practice. Who knows, if the condition's are right and you feel confident enough at that range, you might take the shot as well.

 

as a deer hunter myself. I never take a shot over 300yrd. I rather it die quickly so i dont haft to walk seo far to get it.

My hunting saftey instructor.(hes with the fishry and wildlife deparmtne) he went out and got a dear at about 600 yards with a 7mm i believe. He said he would never try that shot again.. He followed the blood trail for a mile or so. And we got upon the dear it was still flopping around.

So the question is. how far do you wanna walk? of course you can hit it at that range. Will it die withing a couple hundred feet..no
by the time you hit a 800+ it looses so much velocity. that it would be as affective as shooting a deer with cbs at 50 yards...(basically a pellet (bb gun) shot from a .22 with a small charge.)

Just my opinion. Im not attacking anybody. Not trying to anyways. IM sorry for my typing i got saw dust in my eyes earlier and my eye got scratched and it watering bad..

 

85Ford:

If you wish for your comments to be taken seriously then you need to write in clear and concise sentences. You need to spell words correctly and use punctuation. The style in which you write takes away credibility from what you are saying. Even if what you are saying about your grandfather is true, I don't know the man so I won't say that he is not capable of what you are saying, the way in which you write comes across as complete BS. Also, in attacking hunters for not taking certain shots you have completely missed my point. I don't take shots over 200 yards as I do not practice shots over 200 yards. This is because the area in which I hunt does not require a longer shot. Does this mean I am a "bad shot"? No. Does this mean I could not make a shot at 300 or 400 yards? No. It means I take ethical shots, shots that I have practiced and have high confidence in making consistently. I enjoy discussing/debating issues such as this, but not if the others involved cannot or will not use a little courtesey and make a logical arguement. That applies regardless of whether I agree or disagree with anothers postion.

Envirocon, once again, while that may be a shot that some hunters are capable of making it is definitely not a normally accepted practice.

 

I agree I don't have the best grammar but what did I spell wrong?

And I also agree if you never have A chance to shoot over 200 yards not A bad shot that was A stupid thing on my part to say so sorry to any one that tool that to heart.

 

hmmm...well i've seen it done and know guys who will attempt it and are successful at it...but you realize they are exceptional and practice what they do regularly and include various equipment along with their hunts.

there are people who live for that long shot, those who do (I know two) are the best shots I personally know...don't know if I'd let them shoot an apple off my head, but they are amazing. One shoots long distance targets 3-4times a week.

besides I just shot a running hog tonight at 310 yrds...unless my pacing and the range finder are both wrong.

 

Time for my 2¢.

While (personally) I don't find a 900 yd. shot acceptable (on wild game), it CAN be done. Is it ethical? That's up the individual that is doing the shooting, in my book. Ethics is personal. What is ethical for one, won't be for another.
Elmer Keith (rest his soul) made a name for himself by shooting a deer (and dropping it) at 600 yds. with a .44 magnum handgun! (What is not advertised, BTW, is the number of shots he needed to anchor that deer.) This is fact.
Would I try it. No. Not with a handgun. I have shot silhouette (steel) targets at 200 meters, (with a handgun) though.

Long shots CAN be done. They ARE done quite a bit.
To quote Dirty Harry, "Man must know his limitations." (I know, he's just a fictional character. The quote is appropriate, though!.)

As for paper targets. . . I have personally shot (numberous times) at paper targets in a 'game' called "Head Shots Only" at 300 yds., at NIGHT.
(Not to brag, but, I was kinda good at it. That's fact.)
I have shot "High Power Rifle" using open sights out to 600 yds. THAT is a kick in the pants! I was good at that, too. (Yes, that is a fact.)

To me, shooting at those distances is/are acceptable. I KNOW what the backstop is, and what MY bullet(s) will and will not do. I know MY firearm(s).
For me to say that it is acceptable for someone else to take a 900 yds. or more shot on game, that's for them to decide.
I wouldn't do it.

Thanks for listening.

Keith

 

I'd say it's most likely a bragging grandkid but..... alot can be said about one man and his one gun! Alot more can be said about one man, his gun and his knowledge of using it!


Not saying it couldn't happen, there are several snipers who took out a man at 1000 yards or well over with a .308. Military and police shaprshooters use a .308 at these distances or more.

Plus paper specs don't always match what can be done. Like a .30-.30 150 grain taking a deer out drop dead on the spot at 325 yards. If I hadn't seen it I would have a hard time believing it too!

 

True true I am A grand-kid bragging about my grandpas Abilities with his gun.

and as I stated Before to knows how to use it he has won numerous prizes for long range shooting..

 

There are numerous shooting competitions where the shooters use very expensively set up rifles to shoot at targets ( paper ) at a Thousand yards, so I have heard and read in a couple gun magazines. These rifles are set up, match grade guns, or super hi performance .50 caliber and with scopes that make the combo worth more than my truck. I don't doubt for a minute that someone would take a shot like that, but I personally don't consider it real ethical. We have hunters all the time taking shots at elk from ridge to ridge, needing to shoot more than once to get a kill. I consider that unethical too, but lots of people do it. Matter of fact.. an ex friend of mine shot the heck out of an elk, across a canyon..four shots at least... one hitting the NOSE and another the hoof. I'm actually surprised he found the dang thing to gut it out. We went there the next day to help him drag it out and man..what a chore, even with 6 of us dragging it down hill through snowbrush and over logging roads.

Bottom line, I loved to stalk my deer when I hunted. In those cases I never shot a deer beyond 50 yards. I zero my 30-30 at 80 yards and I seriously doubt I've ever had to shoot farther than that.

So..all in all, I'd say that the "average" 900 yard shot would be not too ethical, but it all depends on the hunter, his rifle, his load and caliber. Even if I were hunting antelope in eastern Montana, I'd never shoot that far.

 

900 yard shot at a 50 point buck, no doubt! Keith (00blueovalranger), I agree with you. John