Distance?

[bigmo101]

Sorry to bring up old stuff, but one thing that I think is very important for taking a long range shot or not is the demeanor of the animal. I have personally killed a couple of animals further than 80 yds with my bow. Last year I had an elk tag that I didn't fill because I was wanting something big. I had the herd bull at 85 yds a couple of times but something was not right, either the cows were moving all around him or one time I felt that I might hit some branches on the way up. For a long shot you have to feel the situation is perfect along with the conditions. If the situation would have presented itself, I am sure I could have dotted him, but I felt the situation never presented itself.

 

I definitely think that shooting long range whether you have the equipment or not, is not for everyone. Who ever wants to shoot long range need to be very familiar with that weapon. Those Best of the West guys do a lot of practice to include windy days or better said especially on windy days. These guys also advocate a high shoulder shot, which gives you a large margin of error and also shooting Berger bullets. They put down a lot of animals.

[ruffcountry]

What do you think the ethical range of an atlatl is ?

[coueschaser3]

On a side note......i hunted a 3 legged buck in 20b back a few years ago. Saw him multiple times over 2 years and a buddy was on him the year before that. Three legs didnt slow him down one bit. would have been nice to pack out in thirds though

[NRS]

What do you think the ethical range of an atlatl is ?

About 80 yards on a mammoth.

[AzTrapper]

I had an incident once in AZ on a deer hunt with my cousin. We kept hearing a strange noise up ahead, grunting and them a metallic chain sound. We followed the sound and found a javelina with it's rear leg in a leg-hold trap. We tried for a couple of minutes to figure out a way to free it without the very upset javelina getting the best of us. When the javie almost tusked my cousin and told him to back off and I shot the javelina. We debated whether to take it or to report it. Finally we decided to leave it for the trapper to deal with. I never felt bad about it. I figured I would have faced the consequences if need be, but I couldn't see any problem with putting the animal out of its misery.

 

Well for one the trapper would of released the pig as they carry the equipment for doing just that. Second the onle real misery that pig was in was from you and you cousin. How do I know this well I am a trapper and I have caught and released pigs in the past, many of the pigs had ear tags put in them before we released them. Yes the Game and Fish dept. had provided us with the tools to do the ear tagging.

 

[AzTrapper]

I had an incident once in AZ on a deer hunt with my cousin. We kept hearing a strange noise up ahead, grunting and them a metallic chain sound. We followed the sound and found a javelina with it's rear leg in a leg-hold trap. We tried for a couple of minutes to figure out a way to free it without the very upset javelina getting the best of us. When the javie almost tusked my cousin and told him to back off and I shot the javelina. We debated whether to take it or to report it. Finally we decided to leave it for the trapper to deal with. I never felt bad about it. I figured I would have faced the consequences if need be, but I couldn't see any problem with putting the animal out of its misery.

 

 

Please, don't take this personal..... but I HATED people that could not leave my traps alone!!! That piggy would have lived if it was in my trap, because I always carried a "pig stick"..... a 5' pole with a cable noose for releasing animals that you don't want to dispatch. Just like the one the dog catchers use. All safe and humane! I am 110% in support of situations like Tony was in and of vehicle injured animals, but this thing gets out of hand when you start almost dispatching a wounded animal running accross a hill infront of you or shooting something in someone's trap.... Nothing worse than walking up on a $450.+ bobcat that has a 30-06 hole ripped through both sides of it. Seems that I had a friend come up to one of his sets one time and had a dead critter hangin' in the tree branches where nothing could molest it.... obviously a conscientious outdoorsman had cleanly dispatched the critter and secured it for the trapper. That was cool.... IMO.

 

H4L, Well said and I do agree that there are many variables. That is why I always say when ideal conditions allow for a longer shot. Example: Any antelope further than 35yds. that is looking at you when you shoot an arrow at it will probable jump the string or walk right out of the kill zone.... I had a walking antelope buck jump to a run at 52 yds and I missed him by 3 feet!! Very few critters will stand still for the approaching arrow if they hear the shot & can see the arrow.... And in rifle shooting the wind is a factor, again there are guidelines or rules you the hunter must be aware of, and research that can counter the the wind issue to some degree. However, it all falls on us as the hunter to say those words to ourselves.... "Shoot.... or Don't Shoot".... we have to know, in part by experiance, education, ethics, and common sense whether or not we can truely make this happen or if we are hoping for a "Wing and a Prayer" to get us through it. Perfect practice makes practice prefect..... It is our responsibility.

 

LOL I feel and felt the same as you!

 

[NativeRat]

I find two quotes from Clint Eastwood films sum it all up:

 

1. A man's gotta know his limitations.

 

2. You gonna pull them pistols or whistle Dixie?

 

(You get a star if you can name the movies)

 

 

 

[azpackhorse]

Magnum Force

 

Outlaw Losey Wales

[ruffcountry]

You gotta ask yourself one question ; Do I feel lucky ?..... ..... Well , do ya ?

[fatfootdoc]

What do you think the ethical range of an atlatl is ?

 

 

That is easy, for me, about 1 foot!! ag

[m gardner]

I shot tons of prarie dogs at hideous distances when I lived in Colorado. During that experience I learned that things start to get iffy much past 300 yards. The wind is your worst problem. It can blow several directions during the flight of the bullet. I've shot some bedded big game animals out to 500 yards, but had all the time in the world to do it and waited for the wind to die. Standing or feeding animals can move and cause you greif. One muley buck I shot in the head at nearly 400 yards across a canyon. That's all I could see. Trying to find the animal or find sign of a hit is your next problem. Walk a quarter mile or more, across rough terrain without someone guiding you to the spot and see how you do. I like to keep it under 300 yards if at all possible. That's a real long ways for most of us. As for ethics. Ethics are something people make up and subject to change.

Mark