Longest Shot on a game animal

[Europe]

We had this discussion locally here and it turned out to be very interesting. I ask another member to do a search of the forum for me to see if this topic had already been discussed recently and they said it had not--but if it has, my apologizes.

What has been the longest shot you have made successfully on a game animal and what rifle, scope and bullet were you using--as well as --- what game animal and was only one shot needed ? Did you have to track it or did it expire where it was hit ?

Maybe even a bit of a story to go with your "longest shot on a game animal " would be a nice diversion from politics and the virus

 

[jabber]

Hunting in the Kaibab for mule deer, setting in an old burn took this buck at 441 yards with my Winchester .300 WM with a Leupold scope using Barnes VOR_TX 165 Grain ammo. Dropped in his tracks.

 

[Huntnut60]

Bighorn sheep hunt in WY Area 3 (18 yrs to draw the tag). Spotted 2 rams at 0800 but could not tell how big, they were a couple miles away. After eating lunch my guide decided we should try to find those rams since we had not seem any rams the last few days. We did not have any food left, very little water and we were going to have to leave the horses hobbled, overnight, on the wrong side of a 12,000 mountain from where the rams were (with a really BIG grizzly not far away). We only had daypacks: no tents or sleeping bags. I thought he was out of his mind but thought it would be great story to tell if we got one. 3 hours and a couple miles later, just before dark, I got a different ram than we were chasing. 370yds, 30degrees downhill, 7mag and he dropped at the shot and rolled off a cliff into a shithole of place. Slept on the mountain ledge where the sheep was standing when I shot. Getting everything back to camp is a whole different story.

 

[deer_shooter]

A couple years ago I shot an antelope doe at 375 and that is my longest. Conditions were perfect, little wind (unusual for Wyoming!), broadside animal, prone with bi-pods. I shoot a 7Mag with 6-18x40 VX2 and 120gr Barnes handloads. At the range I get sub MOA groups so I have a lot of confidence with it. I usually try to limit my shots to around 300 yards even though I'm comfortable beyond that, but that year the pickings were slim so I took the shot. First shot was right on but she didn't go down right away so I sent another and watched her go down in the scope.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

My longest shot was 342 meters (374 yds) on an antelope. That record was quickly beat, when I took a second shot (didn't range) after it ran 30-40 yards.
Both were good hits but I had not properly accounted for the crazy Wyoming winds, dead antelope regardless. 25-06 Rem 110gr ELD-X.

 

[44hunter45]

463 yards
October, Early 2000's
Mule Deer Doe depredation hunt
Salmon River, Unit 18, Idaho
Ruger M77 .30-06, 180 Speer Boat Tail
Leupold Vx-1 3x9

My son (who is very good with a rifle) had shot and this doe and she took off. She seemed to stumble, so we thought he had wounded her. I took a rest on my pack and when she stopped, I put my bottom duplex post on her neck, facing straight away.
The bullet took her at the base of the skull. She was dead right there.

We paced it off as we went to "gut and gill" her. 463 paces. She did not have another scratch on her. My son's shot had been a clean miss.

We were on a depredation tag and could not shoot bucks. This ranch has since sold to a Texas based corporation. The landowner at the time was charge significant access fees for bucks.

While we were gutting out the doe, there were massive bucks, 190 B&C or better that would not leave us alone. They circled us more and more aggressively until I had my son covering me with his rifle while worked.

Strange day and wonderful memory.

 

[thusby]

Last 2 years were 299, 348, 312, 352. Not sure why they were all such long shots. Over 400 I am not real confident unless conditions were ideal.

 

[Brian in Montana]

About 375 on a cow elk with a 7mm-08.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I know this is not what the thread is about, but one of my best shots was on a mule deer buck, 210 yards, sharply quartering away, braced with my elbow on a knee. The buck bounding away from me as I tracked him through my scope. I shouted, "hey!". He pulled up just long enough for my crosshair to settle and I squeezed off the shot. Hit the last rib on his right side and the (.308) 165gn Interlock excited beneath his left shoulder. He went straight down.

 

[Gerald Martin]

My personal longest shot attempt was on an antelope buck at 420. I consider that long range for me and my skills.

One shot and down. 270 Win. 130 Barnes TSX

 

[Doublecluck]

We saw a group of 3 bulls come down a drainage out of the Madison range on to the flats after a snow storm. I wasn’t really hunting, I was just trying to help my elderly uncle get a bull. We set up on some blm they were about to cross. Got set up just as they jump the fence, bulls are walking right toward us. All of a sudden here comes a pickup off trail right thru the field, guys drive right past us and stop 100 yards closer. Two guys jump out and proceed to shoot 10-15 rds while they are still 600 out. kill one wound two.. one takes off back toward the mountain other one crosses the road. We go up and tell the guys “thank you” They say they are going after the bull going toward the mountain (bigger bull) and they didn’t think they hit the other. Lol..ok..we follow the bull that crossed the road, watched it limp across 3 sections before making it back on to some blm, after a 1/2 mile sprint I was able to get in position just as it was about to cross the Madison and surely go become wolf bait in the gravelly range.

975, 7 rm, 168 vld, nightforce nxs

 

[Lige]

2012 - Wyoming Antelope buck broadside at 375 yds with a .270 and 130 grain Hornady off of shooting sticks, lung shot. Perfect evening, no wind, sun on the horizon and at my back.

 

[rwc101]

210 yards on a whitetail. 270 WSM shooting 130 gr. Ballistic Silvertips.

 

[Dave N]

Whitetail doe, roughly 250 yards, 12 gauge slug, scope held WAY over her back. First shot missed but she stood still. 2nd shot dead in her tracks.

 

[longbow51]

410 Yards, Caribou. .300 WinMag 180 gr Barnes Federal Premium. DRT. Ching Sling, Shooting Sticks, Sitting Position. About the longest shot I would take, and I shot at lunch 3x/week for 4 weeks in preparation, 20 rounds/day at 400 yard gong, all from sitting with sticks and Ching.

 

[EYJONAS!]

I've taken 2 deer one at 786 and the other at 772. Both one shot kills, one with a 7mm and the other a 300wm. After the second one I have zero desire to do it again. Not much of a hunt at all in it. However I do agree that LR shooting is almost a form of art with the amount of work and effort it takes to get things right. If people want to do it that's fine with me, it's not my cup of tea though.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Right about 300 yards on a buck antelope. Used a 270. Can't remember the bullet. One shot kill.

I've attempted a couple longer shots that resulted in misses. Its good to know your limits.

 

[D4570]

487 yards, very calm winds for Montana.
Very nice 4 point mule deer laying down, watching the area, two coulees away.
Huge canyons in between, but we knew there was a road and trail on the other side for retrieval.
I had JUST been practicing at 400 yards with my 6mm rem the week before.
Layed down and used my pack to shoot off of, felt very good.
I leveled the crosshairs at the top of its head just to the side of the ear to allow for some wind.
Shooting 6mm rem 80gr Barnes ttsx 3600 fps 26" barrel, squeezed the trigger. Bullet went through the onside shoulder blade, lung, heart, the other lung then out the offside shoulder, and into the hillside. The buck did not move its head laid down, DRT!
Dang, a lot of luck there, and my boy and his wife got to see it too.

 

[Panda Bear]

370 meters, 275 H & H, Leupold, 160 gr Woodleigh, Stone sheep

we flew in and set up camp, just a spike camp, as we did not intend to be there that long. 5 days later .

Although it took forever to get in range of him, especially since I do not consider myself a long range shooter and 370 meters was approx 300 meters further than my normal shots with the 348, the hunting Gods guided my shot perfectly and he went down with the one shot.

I am watching this thread to see if anyone has used a 257 Weatherby as I have an opportunity to obtain one and am researching that caliber/rifle and the ability to obtain ammo for it

 

[44hunter45]

Whitetail doe, roughly 250 yards, 12 gauge slug, scope held WAY over her back. First shot missed but she stood still. 2nd shot dead in her tracks.

Being a child of the west, shotgun slugs are a mystery to me. I've only had them for defense.