The Mental Game and Secrets Behind Making Long-Range Shots

After a week of grinding sunup to sundown and few elk sightings to show for it, I finally glassed up a mature 5X6 bull wallowing in the meadow 650 yards below me. Frantically gathering my gear, I dipped out of sight from the bull and hustled several hundred yards down the ridge to get within shooting distance before daylight faded. Eventually, the ridge dropped away leaving nothing but a steep hillside scattered with shin-high sagebrush between me and the bull. Now exposed, there was no way I was getting any closer. Crawling over the crest of the ridge, my rangefinder read 380 yards. That distance was pushing the envelope of what I considered my effective range, but I knew that with a good rest, the shot was doable. I situated myself in a comfortable prone position, rested the rifle on my pack, settled the crosshairs just a mouse hair over the bull’s back and squeezed the trigger. The bullet found its mark and I was elated to finally hang a tag on my first six-point bull. That was 15 years ago, but feels like yesterday. Boy, how things have changed since then.

With modern rifles and turreted riflescopes, 380 yards is now what most would consider a “chip shot” and many hunters wouldn’t even think twice of shooting that bull where I originally saw him at 650 yards. However, there seems to be a blurred line between hunting and shooting that is often tiptoed around. The leaps and bounds made in technological advancements have also fostered a disconnect between our equipment’s abilities and our own. More often than not, our rifles are far more capable than we are.

I consider myself a fair shot, but by no means am I a long-range guru. I know my limitations and stick to them. With that said, my limitations reach much farther than they did 15 years ago. Given a good rest, I will not hesitate to take a 400-yard shot and given the right scenario, I will stretch it out more when necessary. The key to that last phrase being “given the right scenario.”

There are so many factors to consider when attempting a long-range shot on an animal. Below is a mental checklist of questions that I personally ask myself—and you probably should, too—anytime I am faced with taking a long shot in the field.

CAN I GET CLOSER?

This sounds simple enough, yet I have both seen and heard stories of hunters backing up or intentionally wanting to shoot an animal from an extreme distance. My question is, why? This is one instance that I believe hunters shade that line between hunting and simply shooting.

I fully understand that we all hunt for different reasons, but getting as close as we can to our quarry has a twofold benefit. First, getting close taps into our innate primal instincts and tests our hunting skills. Second, getting close decreases many shooting variables and increases the likelihood of executing a precise shot. Time of day and topography both also play a role in answering this question. For example, if a spring bruin steps into a small clearing 475 yards away in the waning minutes of shooting light, the topography may allow you to get closer, but the lack of daylight simply won’t allow it. In that instance, you are as close as you will get. If the rest of my checklist checks out, I would not hesitate to take that shot.

HOW’S MY REST?

The number one variable in executing a precise shot is having a rock-solid rest. Without a decent rest, even a 150-yard shot will prove challenging. The further your shot, the better your rest absolutely has to be to ensure precision.

Shots taken beyond that 400-yard mark should only be attempted when your crosshairs are void of even a wiggle. Any little movement at extreme distances will result in a big miss or worse, a nonfatal hit wounding the animal. Long shots are best attempted from the prone position with the aid of a bipod as well as some sort of rear support. Rifle saddles fixed to the top of a tripod have also become popular shooting aids for long-range hunting. While these apparatuses lock in the rifle, your minimal body movement when tucked into the stock will still cause the crosshairs to dance, necessitating a pack or something similar tucked under your arm to solidify the crosshairs on your intended target.

WHAT’S THE WIND DOING?

Wind, and the ability to precisely read it, is what I consider to be the x-factor for long-range shooting. I would also argue that only a very small percentage of shooters are qualified to make precise wind calls in high winds at extreme distances. To be perfectly honest, I know that I do not fall into that small group of shooters. Keep in mind that the effect that the wind has on your bullet’s point of impact has a direct correlation to the distance of your shot. A 10-mph wind may only push your bullet five inches at 400 yards, but that same wind can push your bullet double or triple that distance at 700 yards.

Using tools such as a Kestrel paired with a modern ballistics app, such as Hornady’s 4DOF, can get you close for the correct wind hold. Even using those aids, there is still a small degree of uncertainty when making a wind call. Off the end of your barrel, you may have a right to left wind while across the canyon the wind is going the exact opposite direction at a different speed. Because of this uncertainty, if there is much more than a 10-mph wind, I flat out will not attempt a shot beyond 400 yards. There are obviously many shooters far more capable than I who can accurately make these calls, but it comes back to knowing your limitations and sticking to them. Do not underestimate the effect wind has on bullet travel, especially on long shots, and be honest about your limitations.

HOW MUCH ENERGY?

Shooting steel at extreme ranges is great practice and undoubtedly gives you confidence in the field, but it also can instill a false sense of the cartridge's terminal capabilities. The further the shot, the slower the bullet travels and subsequently the less energy on impact. Depending on your cartridge and bullet design, you may have no business taking a shot beyond 400 yards on an animal, no matter how perfect the scenario is.

There are a lot of variables that go into terminal performance, but the generally accepted threshold for energy needed to kill an elk is 1,500 ft-lbs. Obviously not quite as much is needed for smaller deer and antelope, but you get the gist. If you are using factory ammo, chances are a ballistics chart is printed on the back of your box which will give you a rough idea of the bullets down-range energy. If not, a multitude of ballistics apps can supply that information to you. Always be cognizant of your bullet’s capabilities and limitations at extended ranges.

IS THERE ROOM FOR A FOLLOW-UP?

Ideally, your first shot hits home and no follow-up shots are necessary. The reality is, even when we have done everything that we can do, our bullets do not always hit exactly where we aimed no matter the distance. Sometimes additional shots are required even when the first shot impacts the vitals. Always take into consideration the surrounding vegetation and topography and assess the likelihood of getting another bullet in the animal if necessary.

Depending on where an animal is standing when we shoot, dense vegetation or the roll of a ridge can allow for quick escapes after the shot. While this is often not a deal breaker, it should be considered, especially when shooting at longer ranges. Doing so gives you a buffer when needed, and gives you the best chance at putting that animal down as quickly as possible.

REAL WORLD

After a blistering 1.5-mile death march, I had cut the distance to 530 yards from a trophy-class pronghorn. He was farther away than I like to shoot, but we were positioned directly across the canyon from him, out of cover with no way of getting any closer. I slowly sprawled out prone across a large slab of sandstone, steadying the front of my custom 30 Nosler with a Spartan Javelin Pro bipod and tucked my pack under the butt of the stock for rear support. The wind was nominal and my rest was dead solid. Shooting a 190-grain Berger Hybrid bullet, I knew that I had plenty of energy to ethically kill this buck and dialed my turret. The beating heat from the mid-September sun and increasing tightness in my neck began to take its toll as I impatiently waited for the unsuspecting buck to offer me a shot. Finally, after what felt like an hour but was probably more like 10 or 15 minutes, the buck fed out of the sage-choked draw and stopped broadside, quartering ever so slightly towards me. A long exhale was followed with a squeeze of the trigger, sending a single, precisely placed bullet across the canyon that struck the pronghorn squarely through both shoulders and dropped the Boone and Crockett buck in his tracks. Before I pulled the trigger, I had no doubt of what the outcome would be. If you can’t confidently do so, then you shouldn’t be pulling the trigger.

Our ability as hunters to execute precision shots at extreme distances has undoubtedly changed the game. But taking these longer shots should never involve any guesswork. Next time you are faced with a long shot, take a deep breath and rattle through these five questions. Your answers will either instill confidence or doubt. If the latter is the outcome, do what you have to do to put yourself in a position to send that shot down range with absolute confidence.

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