My piece last Friday regarding long distance shooting spoke in very general terms about the many challenges of long range shooting: calculating bullet drop, wind drift, and figuring holds and such are all important factors. 

What it didn’t address is a question that’s caused no small amount of controversy inside the hunting world: long-distance shooting versus ethical hunting.

For me, the two are similar- but fundamentally different.

When I’m shooting, my goal is very simple: to hit targets. 

Hunting triggers a distinctly different mindset. 

When I’m hunting I’m focused on first-shot kills. And that means hitting precisely in the location that will down an animal as quickly and humanely as possible. Some of you will be turned off by that differentiation. That’s OK. Not everyone hunts.

But a hunter should have a different mindset set than a shooter. 

Granted, much of the recreational and competitive shooting today has a decidedly military or law enforcement flavor. But the goal is to win a shooting game, not kill. For me, that’s a very important distinction.

If I’m shooting in competition, my goal is to keep my mind uncluttered and maintain a relaxed attitude. I don’t want to think about what I’m doing; I just want to focus on good shots and moving to the next target/stage. And I must leave what happened on the last shot behind - especially if it was less than optimal.

That doesn’t mean I’m careless, it does mean I’m concentrating on being carefree. 

The rules of gun handling don’t ever change. They’re all loaded. They’re all dangerous. They’re never handled outside of strictly controlled areas.

Hunting, at least to me, is the exact opposite. 

My demeanor changes and I become considerably more subdued and focused. That’s because my gun is always at-hand and I’m not looking at a controlled circumstance. I’m in a fluid situation where the target may come from any direction, and at any time. I have to pay close attention.

Why? 

Because I am going to me making a life-or-death decision. That’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly.

And that’s my point today. 

Hunting isn’t just shooting at live targets, it’s a life or death matter. 

That’s why I was so impressed with the lessons I was taught at two distinctly different classes in Texas. 

In dangerous game hunting, every move needs to be studied to enable you to quickly get in position to make that first shot count- and be ready with follow-ups. Here, we’re being shown one of the ways to quickly get in position using shooting sticks. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photos.

Long-range shooting class was all about learning the techniques necessary to shoot prodigious distances. The dangerous game classes - with the same instructors- had a different guiding principle: the hunter’s obligation to make a one-shot kill.

We worked on the mechanics of successfully mounting and managing a heavy-caliber rifle, from the general presentation to the subtleties of using shooting sticks, slings, trees, rocks and backpacks to build solid shooting bases. 

But all for a single purpose: to get us into the position to make our first shot the killing shot. 

With large, dangerous animals like Cape Buffalo, follow up shots will likely be necessary -and we worked on how to quickly make them. But we were reminded those shots should be to assure the safety of the hunting party, not recover from a poor initial shot. To them, the first shot should always be the killing shot.

Poor first shots, we were reminded, were the anathema of ethical hunting. We were also reminded that the majority of “evidence” used against hunting usually centered on incidents where hunters either lacked the experience or knowledge necessary to make their first shot count.

That was brought home when we were told- in no uncertain terms- that once we mounted our shooting sticks, the decision to shoot-or not- was no longer in the hands of the professional hunter/guide. The decision rested solely with the hunter.

Practicing shots on moving targets brings you closer to the realities of dangerous game hunting- and requires you to quickly reload, get back on target and shoot again.

Not being confident you could make the shot meant you couldn’t shoot.

In training, that makes perfect sense. 

But it requires a different mindset when you’re on an expensive hunting trip and the animal you’ve tracked is about to talk away. When hunting dangerous game you might not have the option- you’ll have to shoot. A charging Cape Buffalo presents a whole different set of variables- you shoot -or rely on your PH to defend the hunting party. That’s why it’s called dangerous game hunting.

It’s also why you need to train- rigorously- before going after dangerous game. Not just to get your body into condition, but to get your mind right and learn your shooting capabilities under stress. If you’ve not planned ahead, you’re opening yourself up to serious injury-or worse.

The two mindsets are why my shooting at a metal target a mile away doesn’t make me nervous, but the thought of wounding an animal at 75 yards keeps me awake at night.  

A flexible definition of long-distance works for me. 

If I’m target shooting, I have no problem trying to make 150 yard shots with a 9mm pistol or a pistol-caliber carbine. Those are fun tests of my shooting abilities and my equipment. One mile shots with a heavier-caliber rifle are also skill tests that make my shooting mechanics more solid. They also make me a more capable hunter.

On Friday, I received a copy of the Boone & Crockett Club’s position on “long-range hunting”. B&C has spent a long time considering the whole idea -and they’ve done a great job in explaining the distinction between “hunting” and “long range shooting at animals”.

“ The Boone and Crockett Club maintains that hunting, at its most fundamental level, is defined by a tenuous and unpredictable relationship between predator and prey.  This is an intrinsic, irrefutable and intimate connection that cannot be compromised if the hunter is to maintain the sanctity of this relationship and any credible claim that hunting is challenging, rewarding, respectful of wild creatures, and in service to wildlife conservation.  This connection is built upon many complex components that differentiate hunting from simply shooting or killing.  

The Club finds that long-range shooting takes unfair advantage of the game animal, effectively eliminates the natural capacity of an animal to use its senses and instincts to detect danger, and demeans the hunter/prey relationship in a way that diminishes the importance and relevance of the animal and the hunt.  The Club urges all hunters to think carefully of the consequences of long-range shooting, whether hunting with a rifle, bow, muzzleloader, crossbow, or handgun, and not confuse the purposes and intent of long-range shooting with fair chase hunting. “

So what constitutes a long-range shot -especially if you’re shooting at an animal? It’s a question each hunter needs to consider-carefully- before making that life-or-death decision regarding any animal. 

If it’s an inanimate target-and you’re certain of what’s behind it…breathe…squeeze and go for it.

—Jim Shepherd