should you shoot at a deer at 400 yards away?

Question

should you shoot a deer at 400 yards away?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

You are asking a very personalized question.
Could I make a 400 yard shot at a deer? ... yes
Would I make a 400 yard shot at a deer? ... it depends on the conditions
Should you make a 400 yard shot at a deer? ... it really depends upon your skills.
You must keep in mind, to the eastern or woods hunter, that 400 yard shot is a bit much, but to the western plains hunter, that 400 yard shot may be the norm!

When deer hunting with a rifle, there a many variables the hunter must overcome. First is "buck fever" and the urge to do everything fast right now! Second, is the ability to accurately judge your distance, compensate for the shot, and know when the shot is beyond your skill. And finally, trusting your ability and willingness to track wounded game until you find it!

Presuming you have the rifle, ammunition, and skill to keep all of your shots in no larger than a 6" circle, you need to be able to estimate the distance from you to your target. This is easier said than done, since hunting conditions usually do not offer enough visual references for judging distance. Also, when you go into the field, you want to go in light with the minimum amount of gear ... because when you are successful, you still need to "drag" your kill back to your vehicle, so you can't afford to pack-in loads of whiz-bang toys to make that shot scientifically accurate!

Once you have calculated your hold-over, you need to be able to read the wind to determine how much affect the wind will have on your shot placement.

In addition, you need to know how your rifle will shoot cold. Generally, a typical sporter weight rifle barrel will shift its bullet placement as the barrel heats up.

There is more to hunting than just throwing a couple of shells in your rifle and heading out into the woods. It takes woodcraft, shooting skills, and confidence in yourself. It also does not hurt to have some knowledge about the game you are hunting!

Good luck!

Answer 2

That would depend on your ability as well as the rifle you are using. If you are doubtful whether or not you could do it then I probably would not. You run the risk of making the deer suffer more than necassary and could potentially ruin the meat.

As for your rifle, I woould say that it needs to consitently shoot 1 MOA. A .20+ caliber bullet would probably not have the range or power to consistently hit the vital area. A .30 or bigger would probably be needed. Also, a scope, heavy free floated barrell, and smooth trigger wouldn't hurt either.

An experienced hunter with proper equipment will have no trouble hitting a deer at 400 yards.

Answer 3

Taking a shot at that range is a skill that requires a great many hours of practice. I passed up a 450+ yard shot on a deer this season, not because I couldn't have cleanly made the shot, but because the terrain I'd have had to travel to recover him would have been almost impossible to cross. For practice, we shoot rockchucks at 300-500 yards during the summer. And just for reference, out here, rifles are often "zeroed" or dead on at 300 yards.

Answer 4

To really answer your question should I shoot at a deer 400yards YES you NO! I agree with Marcus, bon b & boker_mag they all have good points. I to use a 308 myself but mine is 35 years old and has had some work done and my avg. shot is 325yrds. THAT IS AVERAGE SHOT. Have had no trouble tracking. Specialy when they hit the ground grave yard DEAD!

YOU MUST KNOW YOUR WEAPON 100%!

Answer 5

In addition to the above good comments from Marcus and boker, I'd have to say it depends on the terrain as well.

Out in the western US in the deserts, mountains and prairies, 400 yards is common. In forested areas, it's risky because you have an obligation to track and kill any animal you don't fatally wound the first time. Finding a wounded deer running through thick forest can be tough and you MUST do it. Also, you need to be absolutely sure what's behind your target.....which is impossible in forest.

That said, make sure your skills and firearm are PROVEN at that range. By that I mean you have practiced on targets at that range MANY TIMES and can consistently get a kill shot.

This is a skill that takes a lot of practice.....not something for the novice shooter to attempt. Practice on a paper target...not on wildlife.

Answer 6

should you ?
maybe
a trophy once in a lifetime rack?
last day of the season ?
people blow the heads off prarie dogs at longer ranges than that
question is, can the shooter in this situation ?
for the benefit of the deer i would not unless i had a bi-pod or at least a tree to lean on
will my rilfe do it ?
sure
will i do my job when my heart is pumping ? maybe
but for the deer i will be sure of my shot first
all thing considered ?
heck yes
shooting offhand and wobbling around ?
doubt it
depends on the shooter my friend
i am a good and proven shot as are many of the people here i would guess
but i would still weigh the situation and hopefully make a good judgement call at the moment
bad shots that make animals suffer happen to all of us sooner or later
i chose to do what i can to make it never

Answer 7

I could easily drop a deer at 400 yards with a typical remington 700 chambered in .308, with the right scope, a 400 yard shot is fairly standard.The rifle is only as accurate as the person behind the trigger, you could have a 1500 dollar sport accurised rifle and a novice behind the trigger that couldn't hit the ground if he aimed at it.

Answer 8

It depends on what gun you are shooting. I practice by shooting 1 gallon milk jugs at 500 yards with my .300 Ultra mag.
Killing a deer a 400 would be easy, with that gun.

Answer 9

Boker... gotta love that Remington 700. I have it in 7mm mag. Neck shot a doe with it once at around 400 yds.... no tracking needed.

Such a shot is not recommended, but obviously possible, like has been said, depends on you and your ability with your equipment.

Answer 10

If you have to ask.....NO!! The first rule of shooting a weapon is to know 100%, beyond a doubt what is behind what you're shooting. I don't believe you can tell that at that distance. I wouldn't do it. Also, you're going to have a real challenge tracking that animal at that distance. How are you going to see where it goes? Good Luck.