875 yard .308 Elk kill

[JDHasty]

Overall this thread is like reading a bunch of high school quarterbacks talk about how NFL quarterbacks shouldn't make long passes because of how hard it is to do it accurately.

Actually it impresses me as more like a bunch of high school "street racers" who think that they possess the skills, and not to mention the reflexes, of a guy like Mario Andretti. 

The really sad part of it is that a lot of the nonsense on television / internet gives the impression that all it takes is to buy the right equipment (scope, rifle in the flavor of the day chambering) and you are "in like Flynn."  I saw a show at a friend's house the other day and what kept being said was "range it, eliminate it,"  and left out the effect of wind and or an animal taking a step at the moment the trigger is pulled.   

[Jonathan_S]

BTW, you're flattering yourself if you think you can be SURE everytime. I don't care what distance, weapon or animal is involved. A hell of a lot animals are gut shot at 100 yards. The difference is, those ones sprint away and leave little to no blood, a gut shot animal at distance isn't going anywhere and gives much better opportunity for a follow up shot. No I'm not advocating taking riskier shots and hold your volley fire comments to yourself.

[Harbor_hunter]

How about shoot the cow and not the calf?  More meat!!

[Jonathan_S]

How about shoot the cow and not the calf?  More meat!!

 

[dontgetcrabs]

How about shoot the cow and not the calf?  More meat!!

Veal.   

[Redbeard]

You will never be sure about any shot but you can eliminate variables which can decide a good shot from a poor shot. And yes there are bad shooters in rifle /archery hunting.

I hear of guys who every year want to make farther and farther shots. Just never understood it.

[blackveltbowhunter]

   
I see multiple discussion points that have been brought up throughout this thread.....

  1) CAN a 308 kill an elk at 875? Yes. At least a calf.  I assume it would kill a larger elk as well, although bullet placement becomes even more crucial. As bone, muscle, and hide densities will all increase.

  2) Was the shooter CAPABLE of making the shot? I hate making judgements from video, because its only a short clip into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sure he could have edited footage after hitting the wrong elk. He could have edited multiple poor hits and misses prior to the kill, he could have exaggerated the range. He also could have left out that he is a highly trained shooter, who spends alot of time behind the gun and has extensive experience in long range shooting. I dont know. My opinion leans one way, however if being objective it is impossible to know.

  3) WHY would any hunter CHOOSE to shoot an animal at that range? This is one that seems strange to even ponder for me. Why hunt private property? Why hunt the rut? Why take vacation time to hunt? To INCREASE the odds of being successful!! I had an aquaintance once who was always bragging about how he was raised to hunt "the right way"  and he would run down long range guys, and guys that shot smaller animals. He was pretty successful and I always gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was entitled to his opinion. Then one day he revealed nearly ALL his hunting was done on large blocks of private land either through permission or leases. I am gonna be honest his opinion didn't meant much after that. I am not against private property hunting, but to compare game dense private acreage and very limited pressure, with the majority of public land is lunacy. Running down another hunter for choosing to take a smaller deer when its the only buck they have seen in a week of hunting, or for practicing all year long to be able to take a shot at last light on a bull that is not in range of your grandpa's trusty AUGHT 6. Is not a reasonable comparison. We ALL use the gifts we have been given/developed.

  4) The VARIABLES are why its unethical. I will be honest I was in this camp for many years. It took an extra large slice of humble pie, to realize EVERY shot has variables potentially outside your control, or that you haven't prepared for.  Be honest with yourself and prepare to the level it will take to make the shots you will encounter.

[Jonathan_S]

   
I see multiple discussion points that have been brought up throughout this thread.....

  1) CAN a 308 kill an elk at 875? Yes. At least a calf.  I assume it would kill a larger elk as well, although bullet placement becomes even more crucial. As bone, muscle, and hide densities will all increase.

  2) Was the shooter CAPABLE of making the shot? I hate making judgements from video, because its only a short clip into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sure he could have edited footage after hitting the wrong elk. He could have edited multiple poor hits and misses prior to the kill, he could have exaggerated the range. He also could have left out that he is a highly trained shooter, who spends alot of time behind the gun and has extensive experience in long range shooting. I dont know. My opinion leans one way, however if being objective it is impossible to know.

  3) WHY would any hunter CHOOSE to shoot an animal at that range? This is one that seems strange to even ponder for me. Why hunt private property? Why hunt the rut? Why take vacation time to hunt? To INCREASE the odds of being successful!! I had an aquaintance once who was always bragging about how he was raised to hunt "the right way"  and he would run down long range guys, and guys that shot smaller animals. He was pretty successful and I always gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was entitled to his opinion. Then one day he revealed nearly ALL his hunting was done on large blocks of private land either through permission or leases. I am gonna be honest his opinion didn't meant much after that. I am not against private property hunting, but to compare game dense private acreage and very limited pressure, with the majority of public land is lunacy. Running down another hunter for choosing to take a smaller deer when its the only buck they have seen in a week of hunting, or for practicing all year long to be able to take a shot at last light on a bull that is not in range of your grandpa's trusty AUGHT 6. Is not a reasonable comparison. We ALL use the gifts we have been given/developed.

  4) The VARIABLES are why its unethical. I will be honest I was in this camp for many years. It took an extra large slice of humble pie, to realize EVERY shot has variables potentially outside your control, or that you haven't prepared for.  Be honest with yourself and prepare to the level it will take to make the shots you will encounter.

Excellent post

[jasnt]

He took a shot he was confident in, killed the elk he was after. We don't know any of the variables. Maybe he took the smaller one due to a freezer full of meat and was already exhausted from the hunt. It was a successful hunt. Many of us would not have taken that shot, with that gun, at that elk, but this guy did.  Yes plenty of game have been wounded with people taking shots past their skill level or due to millions of other variables at all ranges from very close to very far.  Everyone's idea of success is different. 

[Bob33]

I understand the appeal and satisfaction of successfully doing something that is challenging and takes exceptional skill. For some that might be stalking to within 20 yards of a game animal; for others it might be taking a shot at extreme distances with the equipment, skills, and experience to do so with a high probability of success. Doesn’t a golfer get more satisfaction out of sinking a 30 foot putt than a 3 foot putt?

I don’t have the skill to make 875 yard shots, but I do tend to get a bit more satisfaction out of shooting an antelope at 400 yards than 200 yards.

[Karl Blanchard]

   
I see multiple discussion points that have been brought up throughout this thread.....

  1) CAN a 308 kill an elk at 875? Yes. At least a calf.  I assume it would kill a larger elk as well, although bullet placement becomes even more crucial. As bone, muscle, and hide densities will all increase.

  2) Was the shooter CAPABLE of making the shot? I hate making judgements from video, because its only a short clip into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sure he could have edited footage after hitting the wrong elk. He could have edited multiple poor hits and misses prior to the kill, he could have exaggerated the range. He also could have left out that he is a highly trained shooter, who spends alot of time behind the gun and has extensive experience in long range shooting. I dont know. My opinion leans one way, however if being objective it is impossible to know.

  3) WHY would any hunter CHOOSE to shoot an animal at that range? This is one that seems strange to even ponder for me. Why hunt private property? Why hunt the rut? Why take vacation time to hunt? To INCREASE the odds of being successful!! I had an aquaintance once who was always bragging about how he was raised to hunt "the right way"  and he would run down long range guys, and guys that shot smaller animals. He was pretty successful and I always gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was entitled to his opinion. Then one day he revealed nearly ALL his hunting was done on large blocks of private land either through permission or leases. I am gonna be honest his opinion didn't meant much after that. I am not against private property hunting, but to compare game dense private acreage and very limited pressure, with the majority of public land is lunacy. Running down another hunter for choosing to take a smaller deer when its the only buck they have seen in a week of hunting, or for practicing all year long to be able to take a shot at last light on a bull that is not in range of your grandpa's trusty AUGHT 6. Is not a reasonable comparison. We ALL use the gifts we have been given/developed.

  4) The VARIABLES are why its unethical. I will be honest I was in this camp for many years. It took an extra large slice of humble pie, to realize EVERY shot has variables potentially outside your control, or that you haven't prepared for.  Be honest with yourself and prepare to the level it will take to make the shots you will encounter.

Excellent post

I agree with The Jon, outstanding post.

[Rainier10]

   
I see multiple discussion points that have been brought up throughout this thread.....

  1) CAN a 308 kill an elk at 875? Yes. At least a calf.  I assume it would kill a larger elk as well, although bullet placement becomes even more crucial. As bone, muscle, and hide densities will all increase.

  2) Was the shooter CAPABLE of making the shot? I hate making judgements from video, because its only a short clip into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sure he could have edited footage after hitting the wrong elk. He could have edited multiple poor hits and misses prior to the kill, he could have exaggerated the range. He also could have left out that he is a highly trained shooter, who spends alot of time behind the gun and has extensive experience in long range shooting. I dont know. My opinion leans one way, however if being objective it is impossible to know.

  3) WHY would any hunter CHOOSE to shoot an animal at that range? This is one that seems strange to even ponder for me. Why hunt private property? Why hunt the rut? Why take vacation time to hunt? To INCREASE the odds of being successful!! I had an aquaintance once who was always bragging about how he was raised to hunt "the right way"  and he would run down long range guys, and guys that shot smaller animals. He was pretty successful and I always gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was entitled to his opinion. Then one day he revealed nearly ALL his hunting was done on large blocks of private land either through permission or leases. I am gonna be honest his opinion didn't meant much after that. I am not against private property hunting, but to compare game dense private acreage and very limited pressure, with the majority of public land is lunacy. Running down another hunter for choosing to take a smaller deer when its the only buck they have seen in a week of hunting, or for practicing all year long to be able to take a shot at last light on a bull that is not in range of your grandpa's trusty AUGHT 6. Is not a reasonable comparison. We ALL use the gifts we have been given/developed.

  4) The VARIABLES are why its unethical. I will be honest I was in this camp for many years. It took an extra large slice of humble pie, to realize EVERY shot has variables potentially outside your control, or that you haven't prepared for.  Be honest with yourself and prepare to the level it will take to make the shots you will encounter.

Kaboom and mic drop.

[Okanagan]

Why would anybody want to get to 20 yards when rifle hunting?

Because I couldn't get to 10 yards.

Closer range increases the odds of a hit by any shooter-- and vice versa.  This is mere reality.

Every shot at any range has variables, but the closer to the target, the more the shooter can control or compensate for variables, and the less influence the variables have on a vital hit. 

[Bob33]

Why would anybody want to get to 20 yards when rifle hunting?

Because I couldn't get to 10 yards.

Closer range increases the odds of a hit by any shooter-- and vice versa.  This is mere reality.

Every shot at any range has variables, but the closer to the target, the more the shooter can control or compensate for variables, and the less influence the variables have on a vital hit.

I tend to think somewhat differently in many instances. At 10 yards the odds of an animal detecting my presence as I'm about to shoot is much higher than if I'm several hundred yards away. A vast majority of the big game animals I've shot were not aware of my presence, and I consider that to be of significant value in not having to rush a shot in fear of the animal spooking.

[yakimanoob]

I think you miss the point noob

What was the point that I'm missing?