Can New Hunters/Shooters Effectively Hunt At Long Range?

Can New Hunters/Shooters Effectively Hunt At Long Range?

1040 Yard Elk

The bitter 10-degree air tried to suck the life out of us as Carson, Justin, and I slowly broke through the crusty snow on our way up the steep mountain face.  Tiny ice crystals began to form on our faces with each heavy breath as we labored to reach the saddle above us.  As we slowly crested into the saddle, we spotted a group of elk working up the opposite ridgeline.  They seemed to stretch on forever as they walked single file towards the peak.

“How far away are they?” Carson asked as I pulled out my rangefinder.

“They’re in range. The elk in the back are at about 950 yards,” I answered.

“950?!?” Carson and Justin both asked with a little urgency in their voices.

“Yes, and getting further away,” I answered.  “Let’s get set up right here and try to get a shot”

The gradual slope of the saddle allowed for a perfect prone position as we set the rifle up and got Carson behind the gun.  Justin and I both set up our spotting scopes and fixated our views near the back of the herd.  I dialed in the shooting solution into the turrets and double checked the wind.  With Carson solid behind the rifle I had him dry fire a few times.  The first trigger pull showed a bit of a flinch, but he quickly shook it off as he executed a few more dry fires and now felt ready to shoot.

Figure 1. Carson’s shooting position

Since the elk had continued moving up the ridge, I took one more range, made a slight adjustment to the turrets, triple checked the wind and then settled in behind my spotting scope as Carson chambered a round.  When the cow stood still, the 7 SAUM barked and sent the 180 grain ELDM on its lonely 1040-yard journey across the deep canyon.  I lost the bullet trace in the spotter right before the impact, but the landing gear pulled up and the cow hit the snow hard.  She kicked a few times and tobogganed down the snowy hillside to her final resting place. Carson had just taken his first elk with a rifle and at a range further than he had ever previously shot.  Does that make it unethical or even lucky?  Absolutely not.  Let’s discuss why I believe that newer shooters, when set up properly, can ethically and effectively take game at long range.

The Equipment

Shooting long range requires a certain level of equipment.  While Grandpa’s old 30-06 with a 3×9 scope was good enough to fill the freezer for decades, it simply isn’t the right tool for the job when long range hunting.  Long range rifles and the associated equipment are now more affordable than ever, but it’s still a larger investment than many people can justify.  Relying on the gear of a hunting partner or guide can greatly extend the lethal range of many shooters.

A rifle that is properly sighted in and will maintain groups of less than 1 MOA (smaller is obviously better) is the minimum starting point for a long-range rig.  Combine that rifle with a scope that allows for easy elevation and windage adjustments, either through the reticle or the turrets, and you have the basic shooting platform needed to consider hunting long range.

Next, you’ll need a way to calculate an accurate shooting solution. At a minimum you’ll need a rangefinder and a ballistics calculator.  Without a proper range and corresponding shooting solution, you’re just wasting bullets and risking wounding animals.  With an accurate rifle and a solid shooting solution you have the bare necessities necessary to start shooting long range. In addition, it is extremely nice to have a wind meter as well as a tripod mounted optic for an observer to watch the shot and call out any needed corrections if a follow up shot is required.

The Coach

Assuming you have the minimum gear mentioned above, the coach is the most important component to help beginner shooters be effective at long range.  It is the coach’s job to ensure everything is properly set up before the shooter ever even considers touching a round off.  The coach must find a proper shooting position, get the shooter comfortable behind the rifle and make sure they can find the target in the scope, determine the range, compute the shooting solution and then dial that solution into the turrets.

Figure 2. Shooting solution for the 1040 yard elk

It is also the coach’s job to determine if the shooter appears confident and relaxed enough to take the shot.  One of the beautiful things about long range hunting is that the animals are often oblivious to your presence, this means you can talk to each other and take a minute to calm your nerves down before taking the shot.  It also allows the shooter the opportunity to dry fire on the animal.  Just like the in the introduction to this article, dry firing showed the shooter they were anticipating the shot and had jerked the trigger.  A few more dry fires allowed him to watch the reticle stay on target and gave him the confidence he needed to make a good shot.  Conversely, if the shooter does not feel comfortable with the shot after a few dry fires, it is very easy to abort the shooting sequence without worrying about wounding an animal.

I cannot stress enough the importance of the coach.  My close group of hunting friends have now helped newer shooters take 11 animals at long range (all over 400 yards).  We have yet to wound or lose an animal at long range when coaching a new shooter.  This success rate is directly attributed to knowing our gear and making good judgement calls of when, or when not, to let the new shooters take the shot in each situation.

The Shooter

Even though a shooter may be inexperienced, they need to have displayed a proper level of competency to attempt long range shots.  I have found that most shooters will have no problem holding sub MOA groups if you allow them to get prone behind a rifle that is properly supported with a nice bipod and a rear support.  One trip to the range can quickly show you if the shooter can properly squeeze a trigger or if they’re going to need some practice before you can let the shoot at long range animals.

The shooter also needs to be humble enough to follow directions.  They’re in uncharted territory and need to rely on the expertise of their coach.  If the shooter isn’t coachable, it simply won’t work like it should.

The Shot

As mentioned previously a coach must set the shooter up for success.  The shot cannot be rushed, and the shooting position needs to be comfortable and solid.  The wind also needs to be relatively consistent so the correction can be dialed in the turrets and the shooter can just put the crosshairs where they want the bullet to impact.  While experienced shooters can make wind corrections on the fly, new shooters might not know what to do or may even misunderstand what you’re asking if you ask them to change the wind hold.  It’s better for the coach to make any changes to the turrets or to just wait until the conditions return to the original solution.

Finally, the coach gets behind their observation optics (spotter or binos) and verbally coaches the shooter through the final trigger squeeze.  Ensure that the wind hasn’t changed and make sure the animal is in a proper position for a shot before giving the shooter the final green light. Watch the bullet flight and impact and make any corrections necessary to the turrets if a follow up shot is required.  It is the coach’s job to stay calm and keep the shooter calm as well until the animal has expired.

The Sun Buck

Figure 3.  The Sun Buck in late summer

“I’ve got a buck” Mikk said quietly.  “He’s a good one too.”

“Where?” I asked.  Mikk gave me some quick directions and I soon had the deer located in my 15x binoculars.  He was bedded down in some Aspens and was almost completely hidden until he turned his head to gaze our direction.  One look was all I needed to know this was a shooter buck and we were going to kill him.

“You wanna shoot him?” Mikk asked.  I just looked at him dumbfounded. There was no way I was letting him pass up this beautiful buck he had spotted it in his bed!  The deer was on the opposite side of the canyon and was further away than Mikk would normally be able to shoot, but I knew the deer was about to take its eternal dirt nap.  He would be shooting my 6.5 Creedmoor and had already shown proficiency with it earlier in the summer when he busted up some small rocks near 1k yards.

We tried to set up for a shot from our glassing position but realized the terrain and vegetation would not allow us to shoot from prone.  We decided to move a little way down the ridge to a spot that appeared to offer a better shooting platform.  We crawled over the ridge to get out of sight of the buck, moved down to the predetermined location and then belly crawled out to the vantage point.  Again, we were faced with the same dilemma and could not get in a good shooting position.  There appeared to be one more spot we could try that was between where we had been glassing from and where we now sat.

Once again, we belly crawled over the ridge and out of sight, ran up the ridge a little way, and slithered out into position.  Upon arrival we found exactly what we were hoping for and began looking for the buck again.  Brian soon found the buck in the scope and was ready to make the shot.  The only problem was I couldn’t find the buck in my rifle scope and I needed a clear visual of his shot.  Like an idiot I had left my binos and tripod up at the original glassing point and needed to go retrieve them.

I crawled off the backside of the ridge and began to run up the hill.  My emotions got the best of me and I doubled over and dry heaved.  I felt like a high school boy who running onto the field for his first varsity football game and could hardly keep my stomach settled.  I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down.  I snuck back over the ridge, grabbed my binos and tripod and returned down the hill to Mikk.

Figure 4.  Mikk’s shooting position

Once back at the shooting spot, I still couldn’t find the deer in my 15x binos.  Finally, I gave up and let Mikk put the binos on him for me.  I have no idea how many times I had glassed over him, but he was so well hidden it took movement before I realized I was even looking at him.  I double checked the range at 402 yards, double checked the data in my Shooter App and dialed up the scope correctly; then I checked everything one more time.  With everything in place Mikk flipped off the safety and told me he was ready.

“Kill that *#&$! Deer!” I hissed.  Boom!  The 140 grain Berger launched out of the barrel at a brisk 2850 fps and made its beautiful arc across the small draw and landed right in the boiler room.  Whop!  The sound of the hit echoed back as the buck’s front legs stuck straight out in front of him. He kicked a few times and rolled about 5 yards down the hill before he gave up the ghost.

Figure 5. The final resting place of the Sun Buck

We both watched the deer for a few moments to make sure he was dead and to soak in the moment.  We had finally done it!  Our 13-year quest to kill a buck together had finally come to a close and with a perfect 402 yard shot.  After taking care of the buck, we loaded him in our packs for the 1 mile back to the truck in the peace, quiet, and darkness of the mountain night.  It was the perfect ending to a story book hunt and a memory we will both enjoy for the rest of our lives.

Conclusion:

When the proper steps are followed, I firmly believe that a newer hunter/shooter is capable of hunting at distances far exceeding what they ever dreamed possible. While I won’t purposely set up a new shooter on a long shot, having the capability can really increase the odds of getting your tag filled.

 

Written By: Justin Hyer- POI SR Reviewer