This is the problem, most can't and like long range archery, we never hear about the wounding loss.
You want to hear about the "wounding loss"? Here it is from my experience this year.
Headed out a ridge in the dark this year that I have killed deer before. Usually have it to myself. As headed out, it becomes obvious there are a few sets of boots ahead of me. I keep pushing, and eventually catch up closer to three guys that beat me to the alarm clock.
No big deal. I just slow my pace, knowing that this ridge is always productive. You go out the ridge, glass the finger canyons both directions, find a buck, and bale off the main ridge toward where the deer you want is.
It starts getting daylight. I glass the guys ahead of me. Turns out is 3 guys. One guy is just carrying a big-ass spotting scope on a tripod, plus a daypack. Another guy is carrying a larger pack, with a rifle strapped down on the pack. The 3rd guy is carrying a cannon, and a small daypack.
This country is steep, but not outrageous. But, you will burn calories and feel it the next day.
I find a pace that doesn't push those guys, I stop and glass, then move along. I can hear them talking, frequently.
Eventually, about 10am, I am glassing, and spot a fork-horn, about 300 yards to my East, kind of back behind where I came from. The three guys are likely 400-500 yards to my west. I can see them.
I glass the forkie, and his does. Thinking the guys are going to keep going. Eventually, I look ABOVE the little buck, and another hunter has came up the finger ridge from the bottom, and is sitting 50 yards above the little buck.
So, to recap, I have a deer 300 yards to my left, I have 3 hunters 500 yards to my right. Above the deer is another hunter, sitting, glassing, eating lunch.
A shot rings out. The buck looks up. My buddy and I hunker down, we now have lead flying over the top of us. The guy on the hill above the deer is oblivious.
A second shot rings out. The buck looks behind him.
A 3rd shot rings out, the forkie humps up.
A 4th shot rings out, and the forkie spins in his track and moves down 5 yards behind some brush.
The 5 does just stand there, completely visible, don't move. The buck is now out of sight.
I glass the "long range hunters", they are just standing there. Eventually they move another 50 yards away, and start glassing other directions.
After about an hour, we kept the glass on the does, and where the buck was last seen, still no "long range hunters". We decide to give it 30 more minutes, and then go deal with their deer. Another guy and a younger kid come up from behind us, we tell them the story.
We now have 4 sets of glasses on the deer, 300 yards away.
Finally, 30 minutes later, we hear the loud talking of the "long range hunters" as they come back along the ridge.
They get close to us, so we make ourselves known, ask how they are doing.
They ask if we saw the buck (forkie), we said "yes".
"Cannon carrier", aka "long range hunter" says "Yeah, I guess I misjudged the wind".....
I replied, dryly, "yes, that was a hell of a shot".....
He gets a puzzled look on his face. My buddy tells him where the buck is. (The does are still standing there, 90 minutes later, it is easy to point the location out.)
They can't believe their good fortune that they were able to shoot a forked horn at 800 yards, after all!!!
It take them another 30 minutes to close the last 300 yards, carrying their cannon, their packs, their big-ass scope on tripod.
The does run off. The buck stays out of sight.
The "long range hunters" look for 20 minutes, 20 yards away, and can't find the buck.
Eventually the kid that came up the ridge behind us walks over to show them the spot. The "long range hunters" argue with the kid, as that is not where they think the deer was when they were shooting.
Yes, after all the discussion, the buck stands up about 15 yards above them, and drags his back leg/hip and makes his escape, around the knob of the hill.
The "long range hunters" spent another 5 minutes working to the end of the knob, then gave up and hiked back out to the road.
Last I saw the buck, he was doing his best 3-legged escape.
Yeah, I am going to pass judgement on the unethical practice of "long range shooting" at game.
These guys left the truck in the morning with the full intention of shooting long range at deer, with no intention of actually "hunting".
