What range for deer hunting?

[sdhunter]

this is my first year with a sidelock and i have my .54 gpr shooting prb's and 90 gr of 2fg sighted off a rest dead center at 100 yds, i feel comfortable off a rest at 100 yrds. In the area where i hunt there is alot of open spaces so i will be looking at longer shots but have set my personal limit at 100. I have been doing alot of practicing off hand at 50 and 75 yrds. I might be able to hit an elephant at 100 yrds offhand lol.

 

[Swede50]

I have shot deer with my MK85 out to 180yrds freestanding that was over 20 years ago and my vision was better. That said I have missed deer at fifty yards. It all depends on how bad I get the adrenaline shake (Buck Fever) sometimes it will hit me bad next time it is like shooting paper targets. Can't figure out why must be the fact that I don't see too many deer to shoot at and they can sure run off fast. My father put one down at 117yrds DRT resting this year. Last year he missed a doe at 75yrds but it was freestanding shot.

Sure proud of the shot Dad made this year.

I can put 5 shots in a paper plate at 50 yards freestanding with my GPR54 that is my comfort zone.
Haven’t tried it with my 50 TC Flint lock freestanding but at 25yrds I can put 5 in one ragged hole and at 100yrds about a 6” group is as good as I can do off a bench rest.

I just have to get me a deer with the Flint Lock this year.
Plenty of time to try during regular firearm season since I am taking all of it off Whoo Hoo. My friends will think I have lost my mind again but they are the one loosing out.

 

[wattlebuster]

Im limited by 2 things. #1 is the places I hunt, I cant get over a 40yrd shot cause its too thick an #2 My eyes is getting worse by the yr so those long 100 yrd shots is out for me anyway :thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

Another GREAT practice is to make a full-size cardboard silhouette of a deer and shoot at it from varying ranges. It teaches you to pick a spot and gets you used to threading a ball (or arrow) through cover.

I've had this crazy idea in my head for a couple years now. Originally started out as an idea for a bowhunter's novelty shoot. Plan was to put a light bulb on a foam deer's nose and have it wired to one of those motion detector on/off switches. Object would be to "stalk" the target and take your best shot without turning on the bulb in the course of stalking.

Never got around to it but, your cardboard silhouette idea would be completely workable to do it as an ml shoot. Most places it would need a generator.

Also like that pots and pans idea. :thumbsup:

 

[Io]

I practice at our range on pie plates. I practice sitting mostly on the ground and now with also with a tripod/bipod, preferably also sitting. My longest shot on a deer was 123 lasered yards where I missed the first time over its back from a fairly steep downhill.

My closest deer was 2 yards and a head shot as a string of does crossed into a trail I was sitting in a tree crotch right on the trail.... that was a one time deal... but fun... :grin:

I think that most all of my deer have been probably been in the 25-35 yards range with a few closer, rarely longer... but once or twice... my most notable, besides the 123 yarder was with my 58 on a doe at about 100 yards and the lyman conical went just about end through end and blew a big hole out the hip... 58's do a mission for sure... roundball or conical...

 

[Rifleman1776]

There is sumptin' jest not right with that picture. :hmm: Especially with two guys walking down the road behind them.
BTW, self imposed range limit is 100 yards with a .45 cal ml using 65 gr. bp. With my new fowler it will be 50 yards.
Longest I have killed one was 75 yards with the rifle.