Practice long distance shooting

I sure hope you aren't shooting coyotes at 500 yards. That is unethical hunting. You can't hit them consistently at that distance and make a clean kill. It is just cruel. Learn to hunt better. That means bringing the animal or you closer.

All the hunters or shooters I know that are obsessed with "long distance" are basically lazy ego driven shooters who need to make long hits to tell themselves how bitchen they are. Pretty pathetic.
 
Dave, Im not aware of who you know personally on this forum, so you may be correct in this specific case. However i very strongly disagree with some of what youve brought to this (very old) conversation.
dave3006 said:
I sure hope you aren't shooting coyotes at 500 yards. That is unethical hunting. You can't hit them consistently at that distance and make a clean kill. It is just cruel. Learn to hunt better. That means bringing the animal or you closer.
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500 yards is not unethical hunting due to the distance. Given an inexperienced shooter with a rifle they are not familiar with, i agree with you. The most skilled shooter making a 500 yard shot on a coyote with a 17 hmr, i agree with you. Both instances i feel are unethical practices. A hunter who trains at a given distance, shooting an accurate rifle chambered in a caliber sufficient for their intended game, is completely ethical. I just recently got a 22 creedmoor and have had it out shooting one time to zero. I would not take a 500 yard shot on a coyote right now, simply due to my lack of familiarity with that rifle. After some more time behind it, i wouldnt even hesitate on a coyote hung up at 500. I watched my uncle and one of his friends, both retired army sniper instructors, consistently hit a 6” steel target at 1000 yards with 308 and 300 wm rifles. Point being, everyone’s skill level varies. Hitting your target is all about training, and killing your target is about using the right equipment for the job.
dave3006 said:
All the hunters or shooters I know that are obsessed with "long distance" are basically lazy ego driven shooters who need to make long hits to tell themselves how bitchen they are. Pretty pathetic.
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Spend more time with a wider variety of shooters man. All the long distance obsessed, lazy, ego driven shooters that need to tell themselves how bitchen they are (ya man, i do know some of them also!) ALL shoot steel to serve that purpose. As soon as deer, elk, coyotes, hell even prairie dogs are in the crosshairs, their first consideration is the rifle that is in their hands and distance of shot.

Fwiw, only reason i took the 10 mins to post this is because i have, and still do, a lot of online homework on forums like this. Theres tons of good info from great hunters on here, and id hate for anyone new to get fixated on narrow minded advice. Happy hunting all!
 
I’ve killed a bunch at and around 500. Big red fox on my wall I shot in the back of the head at 460. Big buck I just killed last week was 715. Ive put 20 plus years into reloading, custom rifles and shooting. Never posted a pic of anything on the internet, my ego must be missing something there I guess
 
I call B.S. that you can make consistent 500 yard shots on coyotes. Yep. I am narrow minded when it comes to stupid crap that is just going to wound the thing and have it die hours later.

Get closer. Learn to be a better hunter.
 
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I don’t like the idea of zeroing at 250. It’s better to zero at 100 where wind and environmentals is easier to control to make sure you have a good solid zero, then dial up. Even if you left your dial for a 250 yard “zero” atleast you have a good confirmed 100 yard start.
 
dave3006 said:
I call B.S. that you can make consistent 500 yard shots on coyotes.
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Your welcome to make the call. Basic training teaches soldiers to shoot 300 yards with a rifle that approx 4moa accuracy is acceptable and open sights. 500 with quality equipment and experience is not out of the question. Never will i be an equal marksman to the one that trained me, but he taught me very well. When i have the confidence in my own ability and equipment to make a 500 yard shot consistently, i will be successful. Anyone that does not have the confidence in their ability or equipment should absolutely not attempt the shot.
dave3006 said:
Get closer. Learn to be a better hunter.
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Agreed, however getting closer is rarely possible when hunting coyotes. Better option is try to call them closer, and bring them to you. If you try and close ground on them, they will spook and simply run off with their new education. They arent at all like deer or elk where you can spot and stalk. This has at least been my first hand experience. Ymmv.
 
dave3006 said:
I call B.S. that you can make consistent 500 yard shots on coyotes. Yep. I am narrow minded when it comes to stupid crap that is just going to wound the thing and have it die hours later.

Get closer. Learn to be a better hunter.
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I get where you're coming from, and you're probably right about (some) hunters being lazy and taking unethical shots, but making a blanket statement that a 500 yard shot on a coyote is "unethical", seems a bit much. It very much depends on the equipment and the shooter.

A couple weeks ago, I was prone, locked into a tripod with my 22 Creedmoor flinging the 75 ELDM at 3700 FPS. With a slight crosswind, my wind hold was only about 3/4 MOA for a 526 yard shot on a coyote that wouldn't cooperate with the call. I had no doubt in my mind when I squeezed the trigger that coyote was dead. Now, given different equipment or a different wind, I may not have tried a shot, but I've shot enough steel well past 500 to know my limitations.

Oh, and I did get closer. I belly crawled about 100 yards up a hill in the wide-open prairie to cut the distance to 526.
 
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