Thread: Nice 12Stag at 744y 6.5 - so am I unethical now guys?

Nailed it, good stuff. Ive seen, experienced and heard about plenty of stuff ups at ranges of sub 100. So long as you know what you are doing and the conditions match your abilities then good as gold!

You practice at those sort of ranges,go for.

Under the same conditions yes. Most of my deer kills have been long range in last 12 months as I’ve been staying out in the open, settling some health issues. But doing that has given me much more confidence and also range time has been key also.

We were asked to cull ten hinds per stag on the trip

Originally Posted by Scott Cowan

Under the same conditions yes. Most of my deer kills have been long range in last 12 months as I’ve been staying out in the open, settling some health issues. But doing that has given me much more confidence and also range time has been key also.

If the answer is yes, then you obviously have no ethical problem with taking that shot. If you are asking yourself "Hmmm. Should I have taken that? Did I just get lucky?" then there may be reason to question it.

Looks and sounds good from my perspective.

This has nothing to do with ethics in my opinion (it's a by-product of the end result), but more to do with skill level and shooting technique of the shooter.

you used a 6.5/06 .....which is just about a 6.8/06 which is nearly a 7mm/06 or a 7.62/06 lol and its a bit more than a 6.25/06

youve been shooting tiny wee groups at that range..so you knew you could do it..good on you..well outside my abilities using current gear.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

@Nathan F - really. There are too many things that you can't control at that distance. Flight time alone is enough that a step by the deer could have resulted in a wound.

A second shooter on hand, ready with an instant follow up shot is commonplace - albeit to keep the hunter safe - when hunting things that can bite back. Also, if the area is accessible to drive to where the animal last stood to track it... I'm sure you get the idea.

If it was me, I'd make sure there was a plan to dispatch the animal cleanly. A great trophy to be sure, and one Scott can be proud of!

Have you shot a few at that sort of Range ?

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

you used a 6.5/06 .....which is just about a 6.8/06 which is nearly a 7mm/06 or a 7.62/06 lol and its a bit more than a 6.25/06

youve been shooting tiny wee groups at that range..so you knew you could do it..good on you..well outside my abilities using current gear.

now just incase there is anyone who didnt follow...6.8/06= the mighty .270win 7mm/06 = 280remington 7.62/06= the parent of them all the mighty .30/06 and the other one is a bit of a weirdo its a quarterbore 6.25/06= 25/06 all of them have been used at ranges further than I will comfortably shoot since they were first dreamt up by wildcatters nearly a hundy years ago..well actually over hundy years in some cases

Nice one Micky Duck. Except the non ai version is just another 6.5x284 or dare I say it, hardly better than the new kid on the block the 6.5prc. Having said that my old uncle would shoot 600y with his 3006, but he couldn’t care less if he winged an animal or missed it, lead in the air got him excited. Even tho I did some culling up there I still care loads more than he did if my kills were clean or not. I’ll post some 900ish kills if the weather is right on the next trip. Won’t be aiming for the neck on those tho lol��

So part 3: as I said in the part 1, I’ve been after a thumper stag in the back up deep bush from where I was doing the long shots. Anyway 2 mates from our hunting party got bored of their section and asked seeing I wasn’t confident going back in the bush just yet, could they go take a look up the back in our zone, I figured with 10/80 on its way my mates may as well have a go… so when they finally emerged from the bush after I had herd 3 shots, 1 first, then 2 in quick succession later on, I was supprised to see them both looking glum with no deer in tow… reluctantly I got the story out of them… they had roared up the thumper to 50y ish and let him have it with the 708 in the chest… it bolted before they could get another shot off… found a few specks of blood but soon lost any traceable tracking evidence… wandered around a fair bit looking and hoping but no luck. On the way out they roared up another stag, heavy timber but only an 8 this time, 708 Boom in the chest they say, then boom 270 in the chest too they say… animal bolted, minimal blood again… then I shot an animal on the bush edge and my over the top nervous mate made the call to abandon the search and come out as he thought they had unwelcome company somewhere near them in the bush. (I was 800y from them at that point so the gps said)… so yup I wasn’t impressed, cause man that stag had fence posts on his head if he was anything like the last sighting I had of him… my 708 mate confirmed he was a thumper.. 12 or more he said sheepishly. Oh we’ll mates a better than antlers so moving on… but all that to say I’ve lost more animals up close than the long shots. 13 of my last deer were shot at an average of about 580y one was shot at 180y and I was so amped I was worried I’d miss😆 and for your info a few years ago I recovered a 147 from the offside of a stag I shot at 801y and it held 88% of its weight and mushroomed perfectly. At closer ranges/ higher velocities they can blow up and you’ll be picking lead and copper from the rump steaks when you shot it in the shoulder. But they die real dead all the same.

I'm curious about the load details, mainly powder choice if you don't want to share charge weight. Always interesting hearing what is working for others in similar clambering

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Have you shot a few at that sort of Range ?

Not a chance. I am not practiced enough, and my shaky hands would guarantee a miss. I shoot within a much narrower envelope, mainly because I have no desire to leave a wounded animal in the hills.

I'm curious to know what recipe the 7mm08 was loaded with, although at that range you have to suspect shot placement first.

Originally Posted by Scott Cowan

Under the same conditions yes. Most of my deer kills have been long range in last 12 months as I’ve been staying out in the open, settling some health issues. But doing that has given me much more confidence and also range time has been key also.

The stag had more profound health issues.LOL. You knew what you were doing. The rest is PC nonsense.