why is most uk stalking carried under 150 yeards ?

[midnight 657]

just went stalking 2 weeks back and was shocked that 100-150 yards was my average and max range , with a 308 , i did some reading and it seems this is the norm ...

these rifles are capable of alot more so it has to be a good reason for this ?

i asume this is a based on safety , marksman ship and bullet drop .

its werd because i have shot all my life but not full bore . but with everything else you learn to squeeze everything you can from smaller rounds and equipment . iv shot with high end scopes all my life and was very uncomfortable with the fix zoom non iluminated reticule of the zeiss scope also .

im used to dialing in for bullet drop compensation and image clarity . when i asked i was told re the optics that as a client gun the less that moves the better an i agree with that , when i asked if the guides gun was differant the answer was no its fixed to (thats a personal preferance though)

i would want minimum of variable mag illuminated ret and some BDC turrets . even at the 100 -150 ranges as the muntjack does looked very small at 150 yards (was not able to shoot does just bucks !!) and as big a forward lens as possible maybe a big 60 to grab the last of the light !!

im looking forward to hearing from you guys and expect some of you will see my point and others tell me im not qualified to coment .

all the best , matt.

[matt_hooks 188]

For everything that's not full bore, in this country I assume you mean .22LR, possibly .17HMR and air rifle? With these you are shooting smaller quarry, but the sensible ranges are still a necessary part of shooting them. A .22LR carries enough energy to kill a rabbit for several hundred yards. Does that mean it should be used at these ranges? Of course not. Some very good shooters can use it effectively out past 100 yards, for most 60 to 70 is the limit.

 

Deer "STALKING" is the term used to describe what most people here do. That's not "Deer long range shooting". The skill, and the thrill, is to get as close as possible to the beast. Any fool can point a rifle in the right direction and pull the trigger, but it takes real skill to get within 100 yards of an alert red hind on the hill unseen.

 

Another reason might be the enclosed nature of our countryside. We just don't have the vast expanses of open land that you might find in other places in the world. The highlands are about the biggest area you'll get in the UK. As most shots are taken at 200 yards or less due to the nature of the land, that's what most people are comfortable doing and it results in the greatest possible number of humane kills. Of course if we had huge ranges where we could practice out to 300, 400 yards then people might be more confident to take the shot, but we don't.

[midnight 657]

it was shooting from a high seat and they where clearly shootable in the 200 yard range with safe back stop .

i understand stalking iv done that all my life to , to me there is no seperation with stalking any animal and have on loads of occasions been less than 20 feet from deer that i have stalked up , ok i had no rifle but its all been preperation for the day when i do ......

i follow you and admire your purist attitude .

its just that fox shooting is carried out at longer ranges with similar rifles all the time .

i have alot to learn i spose to "fit in" with the deer stalking crowd , i was hopeing it was not one of those sports that assumed because you have not shot deer you know nothing of the the country side , feild craft , and marksmanship ..

il remember to button it .

the comparisons i wanted to draw on here 17hmr on rabbit out to 150+ yards is seen as the norm . but its alomost the max with deer i was surprised to find that .

thanks for the responce .

[tegater 789]

Skill and respect for the quarry. The brain is a very small target on a deer, which is why most people shoot for the heart and lungs.

A .17hmr bullet is quite a large projectile on a rabbit, in comparrison to a .308 on a deer. A rabbit hit centre chest with a .17hmr will nearly always suffer catastrophic damage, where as the bullet on a chest shot with a deer has to be pretty accurate to drop that deer instantaneously, and even many accuratly placed hits will cause the deer to run before dropping. Many shooters will tell you about the long range hits, with .17hmr/.223/.308 etc but fail to tell you about the long range misses and injuries, as not many people like to advertise that. At 200 metres a 10mph crosswind is pushing that .308 7-10cm off course, enough to miss the brain, on a deer.

[Richie10 345]

Shooting deer from long distances is basically target practice. There are many do's and don'ts in stalking that most talk about but practising is a different matter.

Stalking cast deer in a different light to foxes and they believe they should have a greater respect placed on them, even though they should no more or less than any other quarry.

[midnight 657]

thanks again guys . how do pro stalkers cope then they have large numbers to cull and lots of land to cover .

if you are perfitiant and practiced and you can see safly out to 300 you should not take the shot ? also why not use balistic tips i know its an attempt to limet meat damage but it could help with not wounding ?

there must be if not there will be call for a medium blaistic effect bullet ? maybe limeting damage but erupting heart and lungs ?

or neck shot with proper balistic tips so the meat damage is not on prime cuts (butcher in me thinking here )

[matt_hooks 188]

Midnight, please don't construe anything I say as having a go, or discouraging the asking of questions. Stalking in the UK is based largely on tradition. In the past rifles weren't generally as accurate as they are today, and so shorter ranges were the norm. Yes, it's possible to shoot them at much longer ranges, just look at what some of the Americans do, but for me the thrill is getting in close, and I think most stalkers feel the same.

 

I make no assumptions about your level of knowledge, or history.

 

As for ballistic tips, some do, some don't. There's not so much of an advantage with them really. A good soft point or hollow point will drop a deer as well as anything. Most of the BT bullets are designed as varmint rounds, so expansion is explosive. Having said that I've got some 87gr Hornady BT's to try out on the deer at work (park deer so it's all head shots)

 

Your input is appreciated and asking of questions is encouraged!