Longest Shot on a game animal

[Dave N]

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

The ballistics are horrible. Didn't even have a rifled barrel for sabots at that point. Last day to hunt and it was a Hail Mary shot.

 

[EastTNHunter]

235 yards. Buck dropped like a rock.

I’ve had opportunity to take a 400yd broadside standing shot at a doe while I was sitting and anchored on a bipod, but I passed because I did not feel confident in the shot.

 

[Sytes]

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 ?

Approx 325-350 yards. 30.06 w/ 180g Nosler partition. Leupold VX3i. Cow elk.

Close to sundown. Caught it moving along edge of clearing. She ran into the thick with little snow. 20* outside. Waited about 15 minutes (likely to little time and bumped it). Too dark to continue, returned next day found it about 200 yards from our last spot.

Farthest shot. I've avoided such since.

 

[Letthemgrow]

I killed an antelope buck at 561 yards. Only reason I shot that far was because I flubbed the first shot at 225 yards and wounded him. Should have waited for him to stop but he was walking and I led him too much and put the first bullet in front of his shoulders. Missed the second shot between 300-400 yards before getting a good yardage reading for the third shot. Hope to never have that kind of rodeo again.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Didn't have a range finder for a long time. But most of my shots are 200-250 yards for deer and antelope.

Never had one go very far, multiple bullets over the years.

 

[buck23]

I have a few memorable ones. Around 2004 a pronghorn at 445 yds in Montana. Turk mauser I put a free used remington 270 barrel on and leupold scope. Heck of a cheap 19 dollar surplus rifle that really shot 130 grain Noslers good. A whitetail doe in NC in early 90's at 360 yards in a beanfield that I like to never found cause I couldn't tell exactly where she ran. Never found any blood just finally found the deer. And a big muley buck last year in Wyoming at 495 yards with a Remington 700 in 300wm and 190 grain Noslers. Truly a great buck for me in the upper 180's but the country in that region made it a heck of a hunt for this ole country boy.

 

[Mallardsx2]

I shot a woodchuck at ~1100 yards once with a 22-250. It was before rangefinders and until google earth came out I wasn't actually very sure how far it was.

Furthest deer kill was 400 yards. I actually had to shoot the deer three times so it didnt jump a fence back ont o private.. All kill shots.

 

[Randi]

Coues Deer, 404 yards, 270 Win, Kahles, nosler

My dad took me and I was using my grandfather rifle and scope. I was concerned about the distance and my dad said, you have been practicing 400 yard shots for a month for crying out loud, relax, focus, --shoot him!

Best meal I ever had

 

[VAspeedgoat]

360 at a groundhog, but my record on big game is a tie. I hit a whitetail buck which was my first on our farm 20 years ago. I had seen him out chasing does and took a guess where he'd go. Ran back to the house and then ran up on the hill. Approximately a mile total. I was panting pretty bad when I saw him. Measured it at 270 off one knee.

A close second is my one and only mule deer. I had spooked him out of a deep draw and he and the rest of the herd were looking around for me and I was fussing because I had figured they were out of range. Sat long enough to ponder a long shot which for me would be over 300. Almost laughed out loud when they ranged 260. Made the shot seem almost easy after I got all worked up.

 

[Bigjay73]

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.

Very interesting perspective

 

[SFC B]

Mine was a pronghorn doe on the first RFW tag I drew. It was on Blue Sage Ranch north of Maybell, CO. I had never been PH hunting before and had little idea what I was doing. I was lucky enough to hook up with 2 guys at the ranch briefing who had been there several times and took me under their wing. Welcomed me to a sweet little campsite very close to the hunting area we were assigned and offered to take me out caravan style (both our trucks) the next day. We moved, parked, stalked all day in very warm (80s) weather for late SEP. Finally, about 1500hrs we saw a buck with about 7-8 does on a hill side +- .75 mile off the road. There were some rolling hills/terrain features that allowed us a decent sneak. We popped our heads up over a hill and ranged the group at 390. Given the help these fellas offered I gave the shooter among them the first shot. He was a bit handicapped as he had forgotten his ammo at home and was using rounds he was not zero'd for. There was a doe standing perfectly broadside, he shot but was not even close. At that point he acquiesced and told me to go for it.

This was the first time I used my current rifle. Due to malfunctions less than 2 weeks prior to the hunt I was forced to purchase a whole new set up. I got a nice, used Savage 110 in 30-06 and put a Vortex Viper HS 4-16-44 on it. I zero'd it with the same rounds I was using in the previous rig, Federals with 180gr Nosler Partitions (I currently use the Federal TBTs). I also had a bipod on the rifle at that point.

Surprisingly, none of the PHs took off after his shot. With the doe still standing perfectly I settled in, cycled my breath, squeezed it off and she fell instantly. Due to the heat we hustled out to get her cleaned, quartered and back to the cooler I had waiting with milk jugs in the truck. Didn't get any grip and grins, but here are pics from the hunt.....NOTICE the spiffy sticker on the old Taco

 

[VikingsGuy]

Antelope buck at 290 yards for me (25-06 100gn TTSX), 405y antelope buck for my son(7mm08 131gn Hammers) - both dead right there. We have an approx. 400y self-imposed limit - don't care what others do, but even though we shoot to 1000y at the range, we place a high value on no wounded animals in the field.

 

[406dn]

14 miles.


No not really. The longest shot I've taken that killed a big game animal was the bull caribou I got in NW British Columbia. Not that proud of my performance thou. There was a breeze that I did not factor in very well on some of my shots.

The shot that killed him,, I held at the top outer edge of his left antler as he stood facing me. The bullet hit him in the lower neck, going into the heart lungs from the front. My .270Win was loaded pretty hot with 130 grain Nosler bullets and sighted in to be 3 inches high at a hundred yards. The bullet drop was about 40 inches below the line of sight, by measuring it as he hangs on the wall. I'd think he was a little past 500 yards. I do know I would never do it again.

 

[WildWill]

312 yards with a 165gr 30-06 on a Wyoming antelope she dropped with one shot. I have no business shooting past 400 yards and try to keep it inside 300.

 

[Nick87]

312 yards with a 165gr 30-06 on a Wyoming antelope she dropped with one shot. I have no business shooting past 400 yards and try to keep it inside 300.

Same here.

 

[Jburr]

Whitetail doe 676 yards.
6mm AI shooting 103gr eldx at 3450fps.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Longest verified shot for me was 401 yards on my last cow elk using a 7RM with 175 grain bullets.
It was only that far because I wouldn't take a 160ish yard running shot and I had no clear shot when it stopped at 340ish.
My son took his bull elk at a verified 408 yards with a .270 using 150 grain Nosler Partitions.
For me at least 400 yards is a long shot. I believe the majority of my shots have been well under 300 yards.

 

[Sask hunter]

389 on a whitetail dropped him instantly with my 300 mag and 165 interloks.

back in the day i shot a running Coyote at 475 yards with my 22-250. I had missed him the previous 3 or 4 shots lol. I actually have shot a lot of running coyote and other animals. A handful of running coyotes over 400

 

[Zach]

175 yards on a pronghorn buck in high 20mph winds, 7mm-08 hand loads. A buddy took video with his cell, crappy video but the buck dropped where he stood.

 

[Nick87]

389 on a whitetail dropped him instantly with my 300 mag and 165 interloks.

back in the day i shot a running Coyote at 475 yards with my 22-250. I had missed him the previous 3 or 4 shots lol. I actually have shot a lot of running coyote and other animals. A handful of running coyotes over 400

That's good shooting I can't hit a coyote on the run to save my ass. I think I'm usually shooting out in front if them idk. I always carry the 22-250 and my 10 gauge. If I call in a pair I shoot the far one first with rifle then work on the close one on the run with the shotgun. Works out pretty good MOST of the time.