Do you take a poke at the long range birds ?

M

McFarmer

Well-known member
I’m not the best wing shooter I will readily admit. I restrict my shots to those which I have a really good chance at a clean kill, maybe out to 30-40 yards. I’m also not the best judge of distances. My primary shotguns have full or modified fixed chokes, I use 2.75 inch lead 4s mostly. Pretty much kill or miss cleanly.

I have hunted with folks who will take a poke at any bird they can identify as a rooster, yardage be damned, empty the gun at them. I only imagine they had success at one point and figure lightening will strike again. Sometimes they will even be using pretty open chokes.

Another factor might be the location. Public and you figure if you don’t shoot it will fall to someone else tomorrow. I don’t hunt a ton, and mostly my own or nearby ground, I figure if it slips away today, it will be there tomorrow. Others might have only a day or two to hunt a location and aren’t worried about tomorrow. You miss all the shots you don’t take as they say.

Worst case is a 50-60 yard shot and the bird obviously flinches but doesn’t even slow down. “He sure felt that.” Is the usual response.

I guess folks shooting 3” hevi-shot probably have more range but still that pattern is getting pretty sparse out there.

What range do you folks limit yourselves to ?
 
as some one once said on here "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

occasionally pace out my shot-- sometimes closer and sometimes further than i think it was
you have a split sec to make the decision. Only past experience and muscle memory will tell you if it is a makable shot
I think long going away shots don't turn out well very often , even with big shot. I try to limit those shots
High over head - I'm on it
long crossing --ill try , but often miss
long quartering away --usually try and some times surprise myself
its all about exposed vital areas
 
wildcat said:
as some one once said on here "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

occasionally pace out my shot-- sometimes closer and sometimes further than i think it was
you have a split sec to make the decision. Only past experience and muscle memory will tell you if it is a makable shot
I think long going away shots don't turn out well very often , even with big shot. I try to limit those shots
High over head - I'm on it
long crossing --ill try , but often miss
long quartering away --usually try and some times surprise myself
its all about exposed vital areas
Click to expand...

So, do you miss or just not get enough shot into them to make a kill ?
 
50 is about my max, a slong as it's a bird I think I can put a decent hit on & is recoverable by an awfully good spaniel. Otherwise I commonly limit myself to about 45. 35 on straight-aways. If a bird is hit but continues flying, I'll shoot again, occasionally even a 3rd time (never more than 3; just not time for that) until he's crossed the 60+ threshold. Then it's time to quit wasting expensive shells.

Once in a blue moon, though, I'll half-heartedly lob one out toward a bird past that, just as no more than a ballistic cuss word. Like if I haven't pulled the trigger all day & THAT'S the best they give me??? What a crock. F.U. pheasant.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
50 is about my max, a slong as it's a bird I think I can put a decent hit on & is recoverable by an awfully good spaniel. Otherwise I commonly limit myself to about 45. 35 on straight-aways. If a bird is hit but continues flying, I'll shoot again, occasionally even a 3rd time (never more than 3; just not time for that) until he's crossed the 60+ threshold. Then it's time to quit wasting expensive shells.

Once in a blue moon, though, I'll half-heartedly lob one out toward a bird past that, just as no more than a ballistic cuss word. Like if I haven't pulled the trigger all day & THAT'S the best they give me??? What a crock. F.U. pheasant.
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Yeah, that’s the stuff I have an issue with. I guess some might say I have an excessively strong respect for the resource.
 
I try to shoot an appropriate range gleaned from my experience in the field. Many approximate yardage, but my question is how often is that estimate anywhere near correct. My guess is depending on the person it's wrong more than right. And ever notice in a story the yardage is always in increments of 5? "Yeah my buddy stoned him at 40 yards over old man Bedell's slough!" Sure it wasn't 43, or was it 36? I've never heard or read that in my life. Find me a post on here with a yardage not in dividend of 5 and I'll buy you a box of high-brass magnums and a case of schell's.

Back to topic. Yes, a few times a year I pop off on a bird too far. It's an incorrect decision made in the time frame of .87 seconds. What I do more often is pass on a shot that I think is too far, then realize it really wasn't, and wish I had shot. As the uncle says in Braveheart, "Well that's something we shall have to remedy, isn't it?"
 
It depends . I feel pretty comfortable taking a 38 yd shot if I’m somewhat fresh. If I’m dragging my feet and and it catches me with my guard down I usually won’t take it. I don’t think I’ve ever killed anything over 44 so I rarefy shoot at anything that far.
 
McFarmer said:
Yeah, that’s the stuff I have an issue with. I guess some might say I have an excessively strong respect for the resource.
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I hunted a couple times with a guy that never met a bird he wouldn’t shoot at. Sometimes up to 5 times. Through the law of averages he would get a long one on occasion. I limit myself to about 40 yards ( I think) . As Bob stated above, without a range finder I’m really not sure
 
McFarmer said:
Yeah, that’s the stuff I have an issue with. I guess some might say I have an excessively strong respect for the resource.
Click to expand...

Or something. But OK, sure, you have more respect for pheasants and similar resources than I do. Way more. 🙄 I've never drawn a feather on a ballistic cuss word & never will. That's not the intent. But it's obviously your prerogative to take issue with it if that's what floats your boat.🐕
 
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Much of my shoot or no shoot decision is based on the cover I am in. Cattails (especially if wet or flooded) - I refrain from taking shots beyond 30 yards. Open prairie - I suppose 45 yards. I (we) lose very few (if any) birds most years.
 
BRITTMAN said:
Much of my shoot or no shoot decision is based on the cover I am in. Cattails (especially if wet or flooded) - I refrain from taking shots beyond 30 yards. Open prairie - I suppose 45 yards. I (we) lose very few (if any) birds most years.
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Yes to that…the cover being a factor, that is…
 
My longest shot was a crossing (left to right) rooster. Folded it dead at 75 yards in awe of a couple guys I was with. Distance paced off by two of us.

I took the shot because I knew the area. We were along the shoreline of Lake Sakakawea. I knew if I hit the bird he would land in the lake or on the barren section of the shoreline. Stone dead on the beach!
 
I try my best to remember that a shotgun is a SHORT RANGE shooter. If I'm using my 725 12 gauge I might take a 40 yard crossing or quartering shot, but I don't do that often. I've read Larry Brown and Steve Grooms and they say most birds are killed at 25-30 yards. In my experience that sounds about right. I don't shoot parting shots just for the hell of it; it makes me sick to lose a rooster. I'm usually using a 16 gauge and 1 1/8 oz. #6 loads. I try to stay away from the straightaway rear end shots, they can tend to wound and not kill birds.
 
I TRY to only shoot somewhat close range birds. If one has some shot in it, by myself, or my party, I’ll shoot at longer ranges than I like to try and finish it. Drives me nuts when some in our party start shooting at those super long ranges birds. They rarely drop one, and then it’s usually got both sets of running gear still in good shape, and it’s in cattails or similar, and they just stand there like it’s going to retrieve itself.
 
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