Long Range Elk

If you're going west to hunt big game this year, you need to be capable of making a long shot, say 300 yards or more. Outdoor writer Jim Zumbo says it's not uncommon to get a shot this far at a bull elk or a buck mule deer. Most rifles are capable of performing well at this distance, but Zumbo says many hunters are not.

elk To be prepared, Zumbo always shooting sticks in the field. He stresses the importance of having a solid rest to take any shots, and especially those longer than a couple of hundred yards.

Zumbo stresses that it's crucial for hunters to have some experience at shooting at long ranges. It's a confidence thing, and there's only one way to gain the confidence you need to be accurate at three hundred yards and beyond.

"A lot of folks go to the range prior to hunting season, and sight in at 100 yards, and have their placement just where they want it," he observes. "Maybe 3 inches high at 100 yards, they don't know where the bullet is going. They don't know where that bullet is going at 300 yards. They may know the ballistics table, but with that rifle, they don't have the confidence."

He says, "My suggestion is if you don't have the 300-yard range, which a lot of urban areas don't, get a fairly steady rest, and see what's going on at 300 yards. Now I don't advocate real long-range shots but trust me, when you see a big-bull elk out there at 300 yards, almost everybody's going to shoot it because the guns will have the capability to take out that elk. Whether or not you know where that bullets going is a question."