BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[jman474]

I was wondering on average how long of a shot do you take on pronghorn? I'm use to hunting in northern wisconsin and hunting whitetails. Most shots are under 50 yards due to lots and lots of trees. I want to know how far to practice for when i got pronghorn hunting. Thanks

[SoCoKHntr]

Most common is 200 yards. Unless highly spooked, like after opening morning when they've been shot at 100 times, they usually have a 200 yard safe zone. They'll let you get that close before deciding to create some distance between you and them. But, anything can happen Last Saturday I saw several bucks and does after the lead was flying that calmly stared at us at less then a hundred. But again, most common I'd say is around the 200 yard mark for shots while hunting. And, if the shooter is skilled shots to 400 are to be had all the time.

[WesternHunter]

Agreed. 200 yrds is about average. I would practice out to 300 yards if you have a facility/range that offers such distance or your own property to be able to do so. Use the terrain and wind direction to conceal your approach and you can get closer. I've taken them at 75 yards before but that's the exception.

[NMBlackGold]

jman474 wrote: I was wondering on average how long of a shot do you take on pronghorn? I'm use to hunting in northern wisconsin and hunting whitetails. Most shots are under 50 yards due to lots and lots of trees. I want to know how far to practice for when i got pronghorn hunting. Thanks

140 to 150 yds, i hunt tighter cover though....

[jman474]

Would you guys use a decoy or silloutte to get close to them. I'm thinking i'll make one and hide behind it on a stalk. Do you think that would work? My dad owns 200 acres and my uncle (who's right next to us) has 150 acres so practice shooting long distances is no problem for me. My nearest neighbor is two miles away. Thanks for the advice!

[SoCoKHntr]

I've seen rifle hunters on TV do that, but I don't see the need. If you practice and get your shooting skills honed to consistent accuracy out to 300 yards you'll be good. Once there use terrain and stalking skills to close the distance to a comfortable range to shoot. Even on the prairie there are ways to use the terrain to stalk in close. For a riflemen this shouldn't even be a huge problem. Practice your shooting to keep groups in at least a six inch circle out to 300 yards and you're good.

[jman474]

What position do you guys usually shoot in, when i say position i mean standing up, crouching, etc. I should probably practice in all of them, just to be safe. I'm use to hunting deer out of a treestand or running drives, so i never really stalk game here in wisconsin.

[SoCoKHntr]

In the prairie there isn't much to take a rest on unless you're prone on your pack for instance and you can't always take a prone shot due to terrain or vegetation. Many times sitting on your butt resting your elbows on you knees. I recommend a pair of shooting sticks when in this environment which can get you fairly solid in a variety of situations.

[jman474]

I just bought a monopod so that should be pretty good

[WesternHunter]

jman474 wrote: What position do you guys usually shoot in, when i say position i mean standing up, crouching, etc. I should probably practice in all of them, just to be safe. I'm use to hunting deer out of a treestand or running drives, so i never really stalk game here in wisconsin.

When practicing off-hand I practice shooting in all the positions. I'm not talking about sight-in benchrest stuff, that's seperate.

However in the field your shooting position is often dictated by the situation, where you are in relation to the pronghorn, and what type of cover you may have if any. I find the prone position to be the best for concealing yourself, but often times the brush and vegitation is too high to block your line of sight. Anytime you pop your head up you are giving yourself away, so it's often nessesary to shoot sitting or kneeling.

Pronghorn have the eyesight of a human seeing through 7X binoculars and a field of view much broader than even the best optics on the planet can offer. But once hit they pretty much fold real fast. Not that difficult to kill, just difficult to get to that point.

[Ripstop]

They pretty well nailed. I practice to 600yds. This makes a 200 - 300yd shot seem like a chip shot. I had a 6", 8" and 10" circle of 1/2" AR500 plate made up. I hang the 6" at 400yds, the 8" at 500yds and the 10" at 600yds. It has really honed my long range skills. Plus you can see and hear the hits, unlike paper targets.

Most of my shoots have been from the sitting position. Watch out for the cactus!!! That's when you find out who your friends are.

I use to use shooting sticks but moved to a bi pod. The reason for me is I can get a steadier position with the bi pod being you dont have to hold on to it. Get in a tight position and load the pod ever so slightly and squeeze.

You need to practice from different positions like already posted. In many many years I have only had one hunt where the wind was not a factor. I have passed up many shots where the wind was howling. I try to keep it in my 1100 to 1300 quadrant. You will be surprised how much drift you will get even with the flatest shooting caliber.

Practice practice practice and goodluck

[Alamosa]

Long range marksmanship is definitly an advantage but another real important part is skill at identifying the animals at a distance.
For me, locking onto the correct animal is more difficult than the shot.

I hunt alone and use 40X binocs (pretty standard). Often in the short time it takes to shift from my binocs to my scope, animals have shifted and I no longer have a posititve ID.

Other factors add to the difficulty - antelope shift around a lot, and the does sometimes have horns - sometimes bigger horns than you would think. Dust, heat waves and shimmers, shadows, and poor light conditions play a part. I've even made the mistake of shooting a smaller animal when a larger one was there to be had. I'm pretty confident in my shot out to about 400yds but I find that the longer the shot, the longer time it takes for the setup.

Having a spotter helps a lot. I am sure that good magnification on a scope helps a lot, but I don't have that.

[WesternHunter]

40X binos, and you hunt alone?? Holy cow!!! I take it you don't get very far from your vehicle carrying those heavy optics around. I typically hunt with one other partner and only carry 10X40mm binos and even find those to be a bit cumbersome. Actually thinking of investing in a pair of 8X30mm binos myself.

[Alamosa]

The 40X was a mistake. My bad. Mine are just normal magnification.

[WesternHunter]

Ah, you were probably thinking 40 as in millimeters, the size of the objective lense eh?