How far were your shots?

[migrabill]

I have only taken one trip to Africa and it was last June. I was fortunate enough to take 10 animals. I remember when planning I was asking everybody on this forum how long could I expect the shots to be. I was reading my notes from the hunt this morning and found all my distances. For those planning to go for the first time, perhaps this helps(?)

Zebra 1 - 155 yards
Zebra 2 - 93 yards
Kudu - 70 yards
Blesbok - 181 yards
Blue Wildebeest - 184 yards
Impala - 40 yards
Red Hartebeest - 165 yards for the 1st shot (it ran and stopped) 250 yards for the 2nd.
Warthog - 43 yards (in a ground blind).
Golden WIldebeest 1 - 122 yards.
Golden Wildebeest 2 - 89 yards.

So basically as close as 40 and as far away as 250.

 

[BryceM]

Here's the ones I have records for, in yards. There are many dozens of cull animals I did not record. Most of those were between 100 and 200 yards. The majority of the PG here is in the Kalahari region of Namibia.

Kudu 200
Blesbok 300
Blue Wildebeest 140
Springbok 75
Springbok 100
Impala 100
Duiker 40
Gemsbok 120
Gemsbok 150 (wounded, recovered)
Kudu 200
Kudu 200
Red Hartebeest 175
Warthog 250
Kudu 200
Hartman Zebra 320
Impala 150
Eland 225
Springbok 75
Kudu 175
Impala 100
Warthog 50
Red Hartebeest 200
Waterbuck 220 (wounded, lost)
Black Wildebeest 200
Steenbok 100
Kudu 100
Kudu 200
Baboon 125
Springbok 200
Burchell Zebra 220
Gemsbok 150
Waterbuck 125
Giraffe 100
Warthog 150
Gemsbok 300
Gemsbok 250
Baboon 380
Gemsbok 250
Waterbuck 200
Cape Buffalo 25
Elephant 40
Kudu 50
Sable 180
Springbok 200
Klipspringer 230

 

[Hogpatrol]

Chip shots, all of them.

 

[Badjer]

My one trip, all in yards except one.
<edited to add shooting position>
gemsbok 200 -off quad sticks
springbok 190 -off top of bakkie
nyala 90 -off traditional PH wood tripod
bushbuck 300 meters -prone with gun mounted bipod
bushpig 80ish -offhand
duiker 70ish -off top of bakkie
blue wildebeest 250 -off quad sticks

 

[roverandbrew]

Last 4 trips were 50-150 yards. In the journal the average between Zambia and South Africa was a little under 100.

 

[Firebird]

Migrabill-which place were you in? Location changes distance in many areas.
One thing I did was record pertinent info on the spent case and kept it as a souvenir of sorts

 

[buffybr]

I haven't kept records of my shot distances, but I have remembered a few...
I shot my first elk on my 2nd big game hunt when I really didn't know what I was doing, and my 1st shot at that bull was when he was so far away that the bead of the front sight of my borrowed .30-40 Krag completely covered him up. That turned out to be a very long chase and luckily there was a few inches of fresh snow on the ground and no other hunters in that area.

Since then I have tried to get as close as I can to an animal before I shoot.

That elk hunt was almost 60 years ago, and since then the longest shot that I've taken on any animal was 352 yds with my .375 RUM for a one shot kill on a Gemsbok.

On another South African hunt I shot an old male baboon out of a tree at 310 yds and a Klipspringer at 290 yds with my .300 Wby.

I think that my closest shot at an African animal was about 40 yds with my .375 RUM on a Steenbok.

All of the other animals that I've shot here at home, in Africa, or any where else were at less than 350 yards.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just getting ready. They'll be along soon.

 

[coreydb]

All my kills were between 60 and 275 yards. Most were within 250.

 

[JimP]

The trouble with shots in South Africa as well as here in the western US is that at times you just need to take and make them when they are presented.

My first hunt in the Eastern Cape most of my shots were within 200 yards. A impala at 90 after a miss at 250 yards. Then we went to the open grassland where my spring bok was at 435 yards, unfortunately this was just a warm up for what was to come. After a couple of shots under 200 yards we found my kudu on the last day of the hunt in some very thick brush. We were sitting on a hill and due to circumstances we couldn't get any closer. The good thing was that we planned on taking another kudu that didn't present a shot, so I got a lot of practice while sitting down with my rifle on the sticks, looking at the distance and judging just where to place my shot. Well, as things happened another larger kudu came into view chasing some cows. Once he stopped my PH said 479 and the trigger was pulled. Another PH with us said to shoot again but as soon as I got the crosshairs onto him he was down. I watched through the scope for 10 minutes because if we moved we would not have another shot until we got on top of him and if he was just wounded he may of got away.

Once we got to him he was dead right there with a top of the heart shot.

This is where a person needs to know his rifle and the ammo that he is shooting. I had no doubt that I could make that shot and was confident in the shot.

I've taken a few elk with cross canyon shots here in Colorado and Utah that were even further. Once again it was take the shot or go home with the possibility of a unfilled tag.

 

[375Fox]

How far your shots will be really depends on the region and time of year. I’ve done a 16 day hunt in Zimbabwe took 11 animals and never shot past 75 yards. I’ve done hunts in Namibia where the majority of shots were over 200 and out to 350. The majority of my shots in Africa have likely been between 150 and 200. I expect to shoot anywhere from 25 to 350 yards on any hunt I go.

 

[Edster]

Last trip Red Hartebeest 240 yds, Eland 305yds Both with 375H&H

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Closest were my buffalo. Both were 40ish. Longest was my springbok; I don't have my notebook in front of me but it was something like 235/240. It was also in the open on a hellishly windy day. Most were 150 +/-20.

 

[Wiley64]

zebra 175
Kudu 260
Bushbuck 270
Sable 70
Springbok 160

All with a 375 HH Mag a few misses but all those hit ended up in the salt

 

[dogcat1]

I have taken over 100 animals in Africa. One shot was over 100 yds.
The closest was 1 yard on a bongo.
My sons the same with one over 100 yds.

 

[Elkeater]

We went to Limpopo (Waterburg mountains and surrounding areas) last June. Kids and I took 12 animals total. I didn’t get the exact distances on some but I wrote down round numbers in my journal at least. My son was 9 and my daughter was 10 (almost 11) years old at the time. No animals required any tracking though my warthog took two shots and my daughter had to shoot her zebra three times as it just stood there soaking up the hits. All three bullet holes could be covered by the palm of my hand.

Daughters Impala, 53 yards
My kudu, 90 yards
My impala, 75 yards
My warthog, 90 yards, 2nd shot 150 yards
Sons blue wildebeest, 72 yards
Daughters zebra, 201 yards (all 3 shots)
Daughters steenbok, 50 yards
daughters springbok, 216 yards
Sons warthog, 60 yards
Daughters blesbok, 197 yards
My Nyala, 75 yards
My porcupine, 80 yards.

 

[mdwest]

Every shot taken has been under two hundred with the exception of a three hundred and thirty shot on a black wildebeest, and about a two hundred and twenty five yard shot on a blesbok…

If I had to guess most shots have been about one twenty to one fifty… although there have certainly been several under one hundred as well

 

[Philip Glass]

I have only taken one trip to Africa and it was last June. I was fortunate enough to take 10 animals. I remember when planning I was asking everybody on this forum how long could I expect the shots to be. I was reading my notes from the hunt this morning and found all my distances. For those planning to go for the first time, perhaps this helps(?)

Zebra 1 - 155 yards
Zebra 2 - 93 yards
Kudu - 70 yards
Blesbok - 181 yards
Blue Wildebeest - 184 yards
Impala - 40 yards
Red Hartebeest - 165 yards for the 1st shot (it ran and stopped) 250 yards for the 2nd.
Warthog - 43 yards (in a ground blind).
Golden WIldebeest 1 - 122 yards.
Golden Wildebeest 2 - 89 yards.

So basically as close as 40 and as far away as 250.

Probably some good averages here and thanks for posting. It depends on where you are hunting. In the bushy north you will have closer shots whereas some parts of the Free State or EC they can be very long. Where I've hunted quite a bit in the EC I advise everyone to plan for 300 yard shots. Then if they are closer that's great.

 

[AZDAVE]

Well the longest was 292 Meters on my kudu and the shortest was 5 meters on warthog.
Dangerous game 22 yards on buffalo, leopard 72 yards, lion 28yards.

The average on all my PG was between 100-200. with a couple s bit over 200 and a couple under a 100.

3 hunts in the eastern cape, One in Namibia, one in Mozambique, 4 hunts that combined provinces of Limpopo, Mapalanga, Free state, North west, and Kalahari.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Here's the ones I have records for, in yards. There are many dozens of cull animals I did not record. Most of those were between 100 and 200 yards. The majority of the PG here is in the Kalahari region of Namibia.

Kudu 200
Blesbok 300
Blue Wildebeest 140
Springbok 75
Springbok 100
Impala 100
Duiker 40
Gemsbok 120
Gemsbok 150 (wounded, recovered)
Kudu 200
Kudu 200
Red Hartebeest 175
Warthog 250
Kudu 200
Hartman Zebra 320
Impala 150
Eland 225
Springbok 75
Kudu 175
Impala 100
Warthog 50
Red Hartebeest 200
Waterbuck 220 (wounded, lost)
Black Wildebeest 200
Steenbok 100
Kudu 100
Kudu 200
Baboon 125
Springbok 200
Burchell Zebra 220
Gemsbok 150
Waterbuck 125
Giraffe 100
Warthog 150
Gemsbok 300
Gemsbok 250
Baboon 380
Gemsbok 250
Waterbuck 200
Cape Buffalo 25
Elephant 40
Kudu 50
Sable 180
Springbok 200
Klipspringer 230

@BryceM
Like yourself my animals were in Namibia both the Kalahari region and Gobabis region
My kudu, zebra and gemsbok were at 120 yards.
Impala 275 yards and black wildebeest 180 yards.
All my sons shots in the same regions were from 50 to 180 yards.
It's not that the rifles ( 308 & 35 Whelen)we were using weren't capable of taking game at longer distances it's more to the fact that our PH and trackers enabled us to stalk closer and be more certain of the shot. To both my son and I we hunted our animals in their environment we didn't shoot them at longer ranges where stalking wasn't needed.
My impala at 275 was because there was no way we could have gotten any closer without the chance of spooking the animal.
To me that's what hunting is your skill against the game, sometimes game wins.
Bob