{"id":15431,"date":"2019-01-10T17:01:17","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T17:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/?p=15431"},"modified":"2020-02-17T21:17:15","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T21:17:15","slug":"finding-your-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/finding-your-range\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Range Hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"

More and more hunters are attempting to shoot animals at greater distances. However, it\u2019s not something new; hunters have been attempting to extend their effective range since, well, hunters started hunting. That\u2019s how we ended up with the compound bow and the 300 Winchester Magnum. The question is, is this custom ethical or even a good idea.<\/p>\n

Up front, let me say that I do not care how you hunt,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>as long as you do it legally. In fact, if a man is struggling to feed his family, I\u2019m not even going to get bent to far out of shape if he takes a few critters out of season to keep their bellies full. Hunting is a very personal thing and something that I believe is driven my genetics. I do however hope you enjoy\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>the hunting you do.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Having the skill to twist your way into a long-range shot is good. But, so is having the skill to sneak or walk your way to an easy shot.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I enjoy shooting at great distances. It\u2019s a test of skill and ballistic application. And, it\u2019s just damned fun. I also enjoy hunting. And, while I like to be prepared to take any shot that\u2019s necessary to complete or end the hunt, I much prefer if that shot is close. This is partly because the closer the shot, the easier it is to make, and partly because the closer I get to the animal, the more exhilarating the experience. My advice<\/strong><\/em> to all hunters would be to close the distance with their feet as opposed to feet per second. I believe those who do, will find greater fulfillment from the experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"
My son – at 15 years old – and his PH closed the distance on this kudu to 460 yards. He had a brief opportunity to make the shot, dialed-in the distance, and dropped him without a rest or bipod. That’s a combination of rifleman and sniper-like skills. Hunters can use – and may need – both.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, I also believe no one has any business telling you or anyone else how to hunt. Of course, from an ethical standpoint I think it reasonable that we expect hunters to,\u00a0not take shots they cannot make<\/em><\/strong>. What\u2019s unreasonable is setting arbitrary limits on that distance. I recently read where some dude wants to make it illegal\u00a0<\/strong>to shoot at an animal with a rifle at any distance greater than 300 yards. For bowhunters he wants the limit placed at 50 yards.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The distance you close with you feet will likely be more memorable than the distance you close with ballistics.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not only would this be an unenforceable law, it is blatantly arrogant for someone else to impose their hunting ethics on anyone else. In addition, it sort of assumes shooting a deer at 50 yards with a bow or at 300 yards with a rifle is within the boundaries of reasonableness, and within the skill set of the common woodsman. It\u2019s not.<\/strong><\/em> The number of hunters who can make vital zone hits on big game animals at those distances \u2013 9 out of 10 times \u2013 is probably close to 1 out of 10.<\/p>\n

The position against hunters taking long distance shots \u2013 whatever you think long distance is \u2013 mostly comes from those who do not have the knowledge\/skill to do it. (It takes a bullet from a 6.5 Creedmoor 1.5 seconds to travel 1000 yards.) As with human nature, it\u2019s common to oppose that which you do not understand or cannot accomplish. Here\u2019s the thing, a large percentage of hunters are not capable of delivering kill shots off-hand with a rifle at 100 yards, or with a bow at 35 yards, 90% of the time. But, when a hunter tells you he wounded a buck while taking a shot like that, most will simply say, \u201cShit happens. We all make bad shots sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Neal Emery is a fantastic rifle shot, capable of shooting with precision at distances in the field that were before unthinkable.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve shared the field with hunters \u2013 like Neal Emery with Hornady or former Marine sniper Caylen Wojcik \u2013 who can shoot better at 700 yards from a bipod than most can at 100 yards off-hand, and maybe even from a bench rest. I got no business telling them what their limits are, or how they should hunt. I\u2019ll happily share with them that I feel they might find\u00a0more\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>enjoyment by while getting closer, but it\u2019s their pleasure that\u2019s being sought, so \u2013 within the boundaries of law \u2013 they should do it as they see fit.<\/p>\n

\"\"
If you think shooting at an animal at 700 yards is always unethical, you’ve never seen someone like Caylen Wojcik shoot.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More importantly, I\u2019d offer that being a real\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>rifleman is about getting first round hits without the aid of tripods, bipods, twisty turrets, and calculators. A man who goes afield, armed with a sporter-weight rifle, and can get good hits without the aid of anything but his weapon, sight, and shooting sling, may not be a sniper or precision marksman, but he\u2019s damn sure a rifleman. The funny thing is, this skill is no longer really practiced or celebrated. The gun games focus on fast shooting at close distance, or slow supported shooting at, way the hell out there. And, gun writers and everyone else seem consumed with shooting little groups from the bench or bipod.<\/p>\n

\"\"
If you want to learn to be a precision – sniper-like – hunter, I encourage it. You may at some point seriously need that skill. However, if you become a rifleman first, the learning will be easier.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The real<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0rifleman is a dying breed because the requisite skill cannot be purchased over the counter with various tools of the trade. It\u2019s a skill that must be gained on your feet, knees, and butt, by spending countless hours on the range, and by suffering through a lot of failures in the field. When you can stand on your hind legs, mount your rifle, and hit an eight-inch steel plate at 100 yards, in less than two seconds, you have arrived. Few will ever get there.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s some advice from an aging hillbilly who happens to have pulled a lot of triggers in a lot of different places. If you honestly\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>think there\u2019s a 90% chance you can make the kill shot, then take it, regardless of the distance, and ignore anyone who tells you you\u2019re unethical. If you want to squeeze the most from your hunt, reduce that distance as much as possible before\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>you shoot. (If business revolves around paperwork, hunting revolves around footwork.)<\/strong><\/em><\/span> I\u2019d also offer that \u2013 at least for rifle hunters \u2013 develop your rifleman skills first, and your sniping skills second. It\u2019ll make learning the latter easier. And, true riflemen\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>are a dying breed; someday we just might need all we can muster.<\/p>\n

\"\"
I had several opportunities to take this oryx at extreme distance, and felt confident in my ability to do so. Ultimately, I shot him at about 50 yards. Because of that hunting<\/strong><\/em> experience, it was a much more thrilling endeavor.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I often say, it\u2019s all about the shot. That does not mean the shot has to be long, difficult, or even brag worthy. What it means is that the shot must be good. As a hunter it\u2019s your job, to find your\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>range, and work yourself into a situation, where you can, make the good shot<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I often say, it\u2019s all about the shot. That does not mean the shot has to be long, difficult, or even brag worthy. What it means is that the shot must be good. As a hunter it\u2019s your job, to find your\u00a0range, and work yourself into a situation, where you can, make the good shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2579,2821,2522,2820,2500],"tags":[99,2767,15,2850],"class_list":["post-15431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-empty-cases-exclusive","category-hunt","category-latest","category-shooting","tag-long-range-hunting","tag-marksmanship","tag-riflemen","tag-shooting-at-distance"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Range-10.jpg?fit=1000%2C461&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5hujZ-40T","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8423,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/long-range-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":0},"title":"Long Range Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"February 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"On his, The Gun Nut blog, my elder and esteemed colleague David Petzal, has presented an essay on long range shooting, specifically as it relates to hunting. It is an interesting and thought provoking read; Dave theorizes about the current trend and fascination with shooting animals at long range. Though\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Its harder to get close to a trophy than it is to shoot it from a long ways off.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/whitetail-300x256.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11335,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/the-truth-about-long-range-hunting\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":1},"title":"The Truth About Long Range Hunting","author":"gunwriter","date":"February 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There is a long standing correlation between hunters and snipers. There is also a divide among hunters when it comes to the distance that regulates an ethical shot. Ethics are always complicated and shooting has, is and always will be a skill based endeavor. Hunting, regardless of how you go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"LRH EC-9","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/LRH-EC-9.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7109,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/maximum-practical-range\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":2},"title":"Maximum Practical Range","author":"gunwriter","date":"June 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We here a lot of talk about maximum effective range but how effective are most shooters at the distant ranges where a rifle is capable of being effective? I've connected with very small targets at ranges beyond 1000 yards. I've also missed deer - given a shot I thought was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "HUNTING"","block_context":{"text":"HUNTING","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/hunt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/LW-1024x479.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/LW-1024x479.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/LW-1024x479.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/LW-1024x479.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14716,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/hunting-you-might-be-doing-it-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":3},"title":"HUNTING – You might be doing it wrong!","author":"gunwriter","date":"December 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"First, let me implicitly state that I don\u2019t care how you kill your meat. I don\u2019t care if you shoot it at 800 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor and I don\u2019t care if you poke it in the ass with a spear. Hell, I don\u2019t care if you club it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "EDITORIAL"","block_context":{"text":"EDITORIAL","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DR-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DR-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DR-10.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DR-10.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16338,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/you-might-be-doing-it-wrong-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":4},"title":"You Might be Doing it Wrong – PART II","author":"gunwriter","date":"November 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hunting is a very personal thing. It allows humans to express the programing within their DNA and we follow traditions that have been passed down for many years. As long as a hunter is within the law, other hunters have no business passing ethical judgement on their actions. I\u2019ve participated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Empty Cases Exclusive"","block_context":{"text":"Empty Cases Exclusive","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/empty-cases-exclusive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/stag.jpg?fit=800%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/stag.jpg?fit=800%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/stag.jpg?fit=800%2C472&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/stag.jpg?fit=800%2C472&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7205,"url":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/hunter-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":15431,"position":5},"title":"Hunter School","author":"gunwriter","date":"June 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Most hunters do not practice enough or receive proper training when it comes to shooting. On the other hand, shooting schools are full of students who want to learn how to shoot an AR 15 at imagined bad guy targets at close range or a precision rifle at long range.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DEFENSE"","block_context":{"text":"DEFENSE","link":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/category\/defense\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Magpul1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Magpul1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Magpul1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Magpul1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Magpul1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15431"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15929,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15431\/revisions\/15929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empty-cases.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}