I believe we do need to carefully contemplate the likely result when taking long-range shots.”
Shooter 4:“ I believe extralong-range shooting does have ethical problems owing to windage difficulties because this is not something that can be measured in the flight of the bullet. This can lead to wounding the animal and a long time to get to the animal to put it out of its misery.
“ While it is an extension to the usual hunting style, long-range shooting isn’ t deerstalking, because no stalk is undertaken.
“ If hunters as marksmen spend the money for today’ s super-long-range rifles, I give them my blessing but I do not support shooting game at 800- 1000 metres with ordinary rifles.
“ I recall shooting at a rifle range where there were flags every 100 metres to monitor the wind speed. Sometimes the flags changed direction and ran both ways at the same time.... this cannot be gauged in the wild, thus increasing the likelihood of wounding animals.”
Shooter 5:“ Until now, I have slid sideways on this one, indicating my preference for‘ close is good, closer is better’ but concede that for finishing a wounded animal, the ability, gained from prior use of longer ranges, to hit targets at up to 400 metres is handy. But that’ s as far as I go. I also concede that for some people, hitting animals at far longer ranges may be within their abilities, but it lies way beyond mine.
“ That said, we must ask, how did these exponents go when developing their skills? Were they as conscientious as I believe we would be in seeking and finding an animal that although hit from afar, was not felled? Have they the skills and persistence to seek cut hairs, the odd drop of blood, or do they have a dog to find the wounded animal?
“ I’ ve looked with awe at these dudes who show they can hit animals at longer ranges, but my acquaintance with target shooting out to 700 metres tells me much can go wrong between muzzle and target. Like unforeseen wind changes that affect both elevation and windage dispersion, unexpected differences in ballistic coefficient( more downrange drop and greater
Long-range shooting lacks the hunting skill of a stalk. This young stag was bagged at a range of 80 metres after a well-executed stalk.
wind dispersal than expected), slower muzzle velocity( more drop downrange than expected). And the simple goof-ups we all can make like winding the elevation adjustment the wrong way, too much or not enough, or incorrectly estimating the range( though this is to some extent addressed by the advent of electronic rangefinders).
“ I reckon few are gifted with the willingness to acquire the skills for humane killing at extended range – which for me means beyond 250 metres.
“ Ethically, I think it requires much experience and practice. Practically, with very few ranges beyond 600 metres available, it’ s difficult to gain the marksmanship experience I feel that is needed for humane killing.”
Shooter 6:“ As a 16-year-old in the US, I once took a shot at a big mule deer buck that was 400, perhaps 500 metres away. I was very practised on the range, I took a good rest, my 30.06 was totally accurate – but I gut-shot it. I was mortified. I spent the rest of the day looking for the animal but never found him. It was sickening. I never tackled a long-range shot again after that.
“ I was gutted and realised how much can go wrong at that distance.“ Personally I find long-range shooting disgusting – it’ s not hunting. The human error factor is there. Practice at long distances on the range is all very well but the physics around a thousand-metre shot throws in unknown variables.
“ The maximum range I would tackle in the field on a deer would be 400 metres, with the strict conditions of a good rest, my own carefully hand-loaded ammunition, and lots of practice on the range beforehand.”
In summary, all six of these hunters have grave misgivings about long-range shooting because any semblance of stalking was eliminated, and because of the unacceptably high risk of wounding. They didn’ t regard it as sporting or humane. One even suggested that the Youtube clips were likely to have been“ censored” so there were sure to have been some woundings that had been deleted as well as all the clean kills shown.
Some of them also felt that longrange shooting of true pests such as goats might be justified despite the wounding risk, but added that every animal was a living creature that deserved respect and therefore humane treatment.
Of course, as Aldo Leopold has famously said in different words, the hunter rarely has spectators to watch and pass judgement on his actions, so ultimately it’ s up to his own conscience.
20 NZ Hunting & Wildlife 196- Autumn 2017