Seems like most of the time a shot is far enough to warrant rangefinder use my rangefinder wont range on a small critter.I have to pick out a tree or rock to range in the general area and guesstimate to the varmint.I have to admit even with a rangefinder past 400 yards I do a sight more missing than hitting.I believe if I had a mil dot or other multiple aiming point scope my percentages would get better.

I am truely embarrassed. I really am (If they believe this crap... ). Most of my shots are under 50 yards. And most of those are under 35 yards. The longest shot with a deer taken was an estimated 250 yards through an opening in the trees and buck brush. I just never get a long shot to brag about. I hunt the western mountains. The western sides of the Cascades and the Sierras. No long shots to speak of...Guess I'll just have to humble myself to a short shooter. Oh. Forgot. Most of my shots are running shots of deer and elk that I have jumped...

No reason to feel embarassed, prairie dogs sometimes just give you long opportinuties. before I moved to SD. I would say I had never shot anything past 30 yards. With fewer trees here the critters can just see farther.

longwalker

Bushmaster,once you get to Missouri you are going to have to give groundhog hunting a try. Then youll get to try some long shots. As far as big game goes 95 percent of my shots have been under 75 yards in the thick brush of the Appalacians. I have only killed three deer over 100 yards,2 in PA farmland and 1 in CO.

Bushmaster, Groundhoggin should be perty good down in them Hills. Deer are plentiful, Quail should be decent, fishing is good in the small rivers and creeks and farm ponds hold some dandies. Still not many long shots. Hot in the summer, not as hot in the winter.
I grew up about 70 miles west just across the Kansas line and my sister lives just north of Springfield.

Enjoy

We may all hunt in different places under different circumstances. I hunt and shoot a lot out on the plains......pool table flat, you couldnt hide a golfball inside of 400 yds., getting closer only works for snakes. So for deer, antelope and coyotes you have two options....
1. learn to shoot well and learn to shoot far.........my 12 year old son shot his first antelope last year at 246 yds. ....first deer 120 yds. (we do figure out ways to occcasionally get closer)

2. don't hunt there

We also shoot prairie dogs....lots of prairie dogs..often. There are places that would allow for shots at any distance you could concieve. Early summer the shots will be closer 30-300 yds as the year wears on in some places the shots start out at 200 and by days end you will be shooting twice that easily.

PS my sister farms the dryland plains of CO....12000 acres.....two trees....average folage height less than 20 inches just prior to harvest....post harvest ...half that.

If anybody has the last VHA magazine, # 58. I'm on page 199, right side of the page, middle picture. My farthest is 1005 yds., Groundhog, took 2 shots from the prone position.
BSSS

Scan and post man!

BSSS,more info on rifle, cartridge,optics and and load please!

Sorry guys, no scanner! That picture was from 2003 and it was a Groundhog at 901 yds.. It was last year I got the Groundhog at 1005 yds., it should be in one of the coming issues of VHA. The rifle I used is a 257 Weatherby Mag., Mark v, factory. It has a 26" barrel, topped off with a 6x24 Sightron W/target knobs. I use IMR 4350, CCI 250 Mag. primers, Weatherby brass, 100 gr. Nosler BT. The last time I used the chronograph the velocity was 3450 fps.. The only thing that has been done to the rifle is the barrel was floated.
BSSS

When hunting it´s 80m on a running moose 1 shoot (lucky shoot)

Crackshot wrote:

437 paces, (dont have range finder) w/ 25/06 Savage BVSS, took 2 shots though But he did not survive the second shot Most of my shots are taken useing the "WAG" system of range estimation.

Hi Crackshot. I usd to use the WAG system, I have stepped up now and use the SWAG....same as the WAG only Scientific.

Cheers, Vince

Ok! Does the scientific part help any?

Crackshot wrote:

Ok! Does the scientific part help any?

G'Day Crackshot. If the WAG system is the same as the one I used (Wild Assed Guess) then the step up is the SWAG (Scientific Wild Assed Guess).

Does it help....not really, but it does sound more impressive, eh.


Cheers, Vince

Yes indeed, I thought so.