Long Range Hunting......Your Stories & Pictures

[STOMP442]

I just finished reading the long range Bear thread and it got me to thinking we don't really have a spot on the forum for this kind of thing. I want this to be similar to the show me your kills thread but with a little more discussion about the equipment used and the hunt story. This is not the place to discuss the personal opinions of ethics. If long range hunting is not your thing just keep on clicking through the interwebs.

Long range hunting is the norm here in Southeast Arizona. I have been shooting this way since I was a young man. Anything under 400 yards is considered a walk in the park for most serious hunters around here. We still have some that will hunt more traditionally by walking the mountains and spot and stalk but for the most part almost everyone owns at least one long range hunting rifle and will hike to a point and set up to glass large canyons and mountain ranges to spot game.

So tell your story, give us the details on the rifle used, what caliber, what load, shooting position and other equipment you like to use to make you successful at long range. Most important please be respectful of each other and enjoy the stories.

 

[wjm1000]

I just finished reading the long range Bear thread and it got me to thinking we don't really have a spot on the forum for this kind of thing. I want this to be similar to the show me your kills thread but with a little more discussion about the equipment used and the hunt story. This is not the place to discuss the personal opinions of ethics. If long range hunting is not your thing just keep on clicking through the interwebs.

Long range hunting is the norm here in Southeast Arizona. I have been shooting this way since I was a young man. Anything under 400 yards is considered a walk in the park for most serious hunters around here. We still have some that will hunt more traditionally by walking the mountains and spot and stalk but for the most part almost everyone owns at least one long range hunting rifle and will hike to a point and set up to glass large canyons and mountain ranges to spot game.

So tell your story, give us the details on the rifle used, what caliber, what load, shooting position and other equipment you like to use to make you successful at long range. Most important please be respectful of each other and enjoy the stories.

That would really be great. I hunted area 10 a few years ago and both myself and my hunting partner each shot nice bucks and coyotes at just over 1000 yards. The down side was the biggest bucks we seen were the first morning we hunted and foolishly passed on them. We hunted out of Williams. It was the most hunter friendly state I ever hunted.

 

[STOMP442]

That would really be great. I hunted area 10 a few years ago and both myself and my hunting partner each shot nice bucks and coyotes at just over 1000 yards. The down side was the biggest bucks we seen were the first morning we hunted and foolishly passed on them. We hunted out of Williams. It was the most hunter friendly state I ever hunted.

There is a saying for that but I am sure you know what it is. Arizona is an awesome place for hunting and the outdoors in general. If only we could stop the influx of the liberal Californian and illegal's from the Southern Border.

 

[boltfluter]

I just finished reading the long range Bear thread and it got me to thinking we don't really have a spot on the forum for this kind of thing. I want this to be similar to the show me your kills thread but with a little more discussion about the equipment used and the hunt story. This is not the place to discuss the personal opinions of ethics. If long range hunting is not your thing just keep on clicking through the interwebs.

Long range hunting is the norm here in Southeast Arizona. I have been shooting this way since I was a young man. Anything under 400 yards is considered a walk in the park for most serious hunters around here. We still have some that will hunt more traditionally by walking the mountains and spot and stalk but for the most part almost everyone owns at least one long range hunting rifle and will hike to a point and set up to glass large canyons and mountain ranges to spot game.

So tell your story, give us the details on the rifle used, what caliber, what load, shooting position and other equipment you like to use to make you successful at long range. Most important please be respectful of each other and enjoy the stories.

Stomp,
Thanks for starting this thread, this is going to be awesome! Need to round up a few pics.
Paul

 

[STS]

It's not a bear or a deer, but here's a coyote I thumped with a .22 Creedmoor at 730 yards in January.

 

[wjm1000]

Stomp,
Thanks for starting this thread, this is going to be awesome! Need to round up a few pics.
Paul

These are some of the deer taken long-ranging the closest was 900 yards the farthest was 1350 yards. these are the guys I hunt with and our setup. The bear was this year, one shot cold bore at 1035 yards.

 

[65swede]

Took this AZ Coues buck at 740 yards on a solo hunt a few years ago. Suppressed Tikka 7mag 160gr Accubond Harris bipod and a home brew lightweight squeeze bag for rear rest.. Still my longest kill but felt like I was pushing the limits back then. I had been practicing regularly to 500 and occasionally out to 800, so I had confidence in my abilities. Now 700 seems like a chip shot with a 338 edge setup for a mile+. I glassed him up about 25 min before dark on the last evening I had to hunt. I was contemplating getting closer by sneaking down a ridge that ran south of the cone he was on. Just one problem, there were two muley does bedded on that ridge. I reasoned Murphy would have his way if I tried to stalk in. Of course by the time I decided to make the shot, the buck bedded back down in the yellow grass. He finally decided to get up at last light. I was on the gun waiting for him to present a shot. One shot quartering away and he limped toward his original bed a few yards away and disappeared into a mesquite bush. I heard the impact but did not recover from the recoil to see the hit. I left him overnight and retrieved him the next day.



Pics of the bedded buck while I was waiting for him to present a shot.

 

[ryanjay11]

I shot the bull in my avatar picture in Southern Colorado in 2017 at 780 yards using a 300 WSM and a 200 grain ELD-X. This is a short video of the hunt.

 

[STOMP442]

Took this AZ Coues buck at 740 yards on a solo hunt a few years ago. Suppressed Tikka 7mag 160gr Accubond Harris bipod and a home brew lightweight squeeze bag for rear rest.. Still my longest kill but felt like I was pushing the limits back then. I had been practicing regularly to 500 and occasionally out to 800, so I had confidence in my abilities. Now 700 seems like a chip shot with a 338 edge setup for a mile+. I glassed him up about 25 min before dark on the last evening I had to hunt. I was contemplating getting closer by sneaking down a ridge that ran south of the cone he was on. Just one problem, there were two muley does bedded on that ridge. I reasoned Murphy would have his way if I tried to stalk in. Of course by the time I decided to make the shot, the buck bedded back down in the yellow grass. He finally decided to get up at last light. I was on the gun waiting for him to present a shot. One shot quartering away and he limped toward his original bed a few yards away and disappeared into a mesquite bush. I heard the impact but did not recover from the recoil to see the hit. I left him overnight and retrieved him the next day.

View attachment 1414292

Pics of the bedded buck while I was waiting for him to present a shot.
View attachment 1414330



View attachment 1414325

Sounds like a Coues hunt for sure. I love hunting them little things.

 

[65swede]

Sounds like a Coues hunt for sure. I love hunting them little things.

Amen! It always get a little western

 

[STOMP442]

I cant seem to pull a tag the last few years so I will share the story of a hunt my nephew had back in 2020. This was his first, he was 16 and super excited to go. My wife and I spent the summer scouting and found a handful of decent bucks that would be perfect for a first timer and one really nice 3 point that was going to be our target buck for him. The evening before the opener my wife and I were set up on a small knob to see if we could locate the buck for the next day. Sure enough just before the sun went down we turned him up clear to the top of the mountain.



The next day we decided we were going to hike into that canyon to cut the distance for a shot and sit and glass until we picked him up. We glassed all morning and found one other small two point and a couple of does but not the buck we were looking for. Colter was in it to win it and and he stayed in the glass most of the day.



We were starting to get pretty discouraged about 4:30 in the afternoon when I finally caught movement behind a patch of prickly pear. I could see the tips of his antlers and an ear twitch now and again. I told Colter I think I spotted him and he's going to be standing up here in a little bit and that he needed to find a comfortable spot to shoot from. My wife helped him get set up as comfortably as she could on that rock pile we were set up on and a few minutes later the buck we were after stood up. Colter said he watched him stand and had him in the scope. I ranged him at 660 yards and my wife dialed the correct dope on the scope for him. I told him it was going to be just like we practiced, wind was calm and all he needed to do was hold the cross hair on the shoulder and squeeze. A few seconds later the the suppressor hissed and the deer dropped where he stood. Colter had made a perfect shot. Cheers and hugs all around and then the work began.

 

[65swede]

I cant seem to pull a tag the last few years so I will share the story of a hunt my nephew had back in 2020. This was his first, he was 16 and super excited to go. My wife and I spent the summer scouting and found a handful of decent bucks that would be perfect for a first timer and one really nice 3 point that was going to be our target buck for him. The evening before the opener my wife and I were set up on a small knob to see if we could locate the buck for the next day. Sure enough just before the sun went down we turned him up clear to the top of the mountain.

View attachment 1414361

The next day we decided we were going to hike into that canyon to cut the distance for a shot and sit and glass until we picked him up. We glassed all morning and found one other small two point and a couple of does but not the buck we were looking for. Colter was in it to win it and and he stayed in the glass most of the day.

View attachment 1414362

We were starting to get pretty discouraged about 4:30 in the afternoon when I finally caught movement behind a patch of prickly pear. I could see the tips of his antlers and an ear twitch now and again. I told Colter I think I spotted him and he's going to be standing up here in a little bit and that he needed to find a comfortable spot to shoot from. My wife helped him get set up as comfortably as she could on that rock pile we were set up on and a few minutes later the buck we were after stood up. Colter said he watched him stand and had him in the scope. I ranged him at 660 yards and my wife dialed the correct dope on the scope for him. I told him it was going to be just like we practiced, wind was calm and all he needed to do was hold the cross hair on the shoulder and squeeze. A few seconds later the the suppressor hissed and the deer dropped where he stood. Colter had made a perfect shot. Cheers and hugs all around and then the work began.


View attachment 1414368

nice buck!

 

[6MMsteve]

I shot at a groundhog at 1.5 miles with a 264 win mag in the early 90's I thought it was 2 miles but after hc came along and google earth I was able to figure out the distance. I didn't kill him but my aimpoint was a tree limb, I figured i was holding bout 100 ft over him with a 20 mph wind, a friend was spotting and I hit right under his rear, on shot no. 20 I guess it was fun, had a 30x unertl 2 in target and it was bottomed out and couldn't see the hog in the scope,my longest kill on a groundhog was1450yds by google earth

 

[boltfluter]

It's not a bear or a deer, but here's a coyote I thumped with a .22 Creedmoor at 730 yards in January.

That's a great shot on a very small vital zone! Well done.
Paul

 

[drags]

We were hunting groundhogs in Clearfield Co. Pa. I live in Beaver Co. Pa. A groundhog came out at 615 yards and I missed him, we went back the next weekend and I left the 615 yard clicks in my scope and The groundhog came out again and I got him this time. The rife was a 6.5x06 with 140 gr. SMK bullets.
Drags
P.S. The rifle was a Rem. 700 Action Hart barrel 30" Rem/ Varmint contour, smithed by the late Howard Wolfe, It is a 22x47 now.

 

[1K6BRA]

My longest kill to date is 881 yards on a ground hog. First shot cold bore,also the barrel had been cleaned a few days before. I ranged the tree right behind him at 885 yards. He was just out into the field a couple of yards. There was approximately a 5 mile an hour wind so I held two chuck lengths into the wind. The landowner was with me, and just about s$#t his pants while watching through binoculars. I was using my Cooper model 22 in 6.5 x 284 shooting 140 Bergers. 8.5x25 Leupold. I have killed a lot of hogs in the 600 to 800 plus range. I have shot at them past 1000 but never have connected. It’s hard to find a field where I live that is safe to shoot that far. Hopefully someday.

 

[wjm1000]

We were hunting groundhogs in Clearfield Co. Pa. I live in Beaver Co. Pa. A groundhog came out at 615 yards and I missed him, we went back the next weekend and I left the 615 yard clicks in my scope and The groundhog came out again and I got him this time. The rife was a 6.5x06 with 140 gr. SMK bullets.
Drags
P.S. The rifle was a Rem. 700 Action Hart barrel 30" Rem/ Varmint contour, smithed by the late Howard Wolfe, It is a 22x47 now.

Great shooting. Howard Wolf was a fine gentleman, I had the pleasure of knowing him and his son Bobby for several years shooting at Williamsport. I have a 25/284 for groundhogs, deadly accurate.

 

[drags]

Thanks WJM, I have another story on a Howard Wolfe rifle. We were at Rockton Pa. shooting some rocks in a old strip mine we ranged a rock with a Barr and Stroud range finder at about 1500 yards (This was before the range finders of today) the rock was square shaped and a little smaller than a dryer . The rifle was a 30-378 WBY Hall action 36" Obermeir barrel smithed by Howard his son Bob did the stock work the scope was a baush & lomb target scope and we were shooting 200 gr. SMK . It was a calm morning and we were hitting the rock quite a bit, through the course of the morning we were shooting and hitting the rock. At the base of the rock a groundhog came out and we had only one round left and it was my turn to shoot (The groundhog must have thought what was hitting the rock above his hole). Anyhow I shot the last round at the groundhog and the bullet hit about 10" to the right the elevation was perfect, It would have been great if I would have hit it but I came close and no cigar. I miss those days.
Drags

 

[wjm1000]

I have a spot where we can shoot out to 1100 yards Have steel targets at various ranges. I didn'T put them there but did meet the young that did, very nice guy. when we happened to meet there one day and he seen what I was shooting, he said now he knows who has been putting holes in his 850 yard steel plate. I was shooting .338/.408 (.338 Big Baer) 300 grain Elite Hunter bullets at 3135 FPS.

 

[drags]

I was hunting groundhogs by myself and one came out at a little over 500 yards, I was shooting a 22x47 Lapua with 80 gr. Hornady bullets. The groundhog stood up and I shot and thought I got him as I did not see him run but I couldn't see him laying there I thought I made a pretty good shot but I wasn't looking forward walking over there to check but I knew I would have to go. A little wile later a hawk flew down and started feeding on the groundhog and saved me a long walk.
Drags