Thread: The dinner plate challenge

My understanding of this "dinner plate challenge" with its intention of demonstrating the ability to achieve a first-shot ethical kill, is that the methods and criteria used are entirely up to the individual, but they must be nominated ahead of taking the shot.

It’s a test based entirely on honest self-evaluation, and as such looks like it is hugely flexible in being able to cater for any game species, all views on what an ethical kill zone might be, and both the hunter’s ability and with the limitations of the equipment used for that type of hunting accounted for. It’s a well thought-out challenge.

For myself with my hunting rifle, and standing unsupported, I would go with a 6" plate (always small deer for me so I would make that a fixed parameter) but go with a distance of 25 metres. Beyond that I’ll let the deer go unless I can find a tree trunk to rest up against to stabilise things, and with this the challenge distance can increase to 50 metres. Prone and off a pack, matching a slip shooting scenario; 250 metres for me, and this is my overall maximum distance - to a large extent set by my low-magnification scope.

Accepting that most hunters shoot a lot better than me, and hunt with rifles better set up for longer distances, I will also be interested to see the "plates" for 100 metres unsupported and 200 metres sitting.