How far is an ethical shot

[GHairgunner]

If I can ask....you find it disturbing as in the place the competition is isn't really safe or you more mean you can't see where your lead is hitting down range, or you just preferred the shorter distances? I have short and long range air rifles, and with the onslaught of technology the distances are definitely going out. I still plan to map out my Ghost to 100Yards and stop (for hunting anyways). It can go further but I see no real value in it. Most hunting scenarios around here I can get within 50 Yards of my quarry without chasing them off. For any paper punching or plinking I would think a nice solid backstop should do the trick. And a slug should slow down much quicker than a pellet with that expansion going on!

Its not where we are shooting it is the fact we are shooting that far. Nobody has scored a prefect 250 even at 75 yards. I'm very close 249 at 50 (in competition), but many have done 250 in N50. When someone that doesn't shoot hears about 100 yards they relate it to a football field, but don't have an idea how far that is. To shoot 200 yards they have no concept, luckily. In war terms unless your the house at the top of the hill you likely can't see something a 100 yards away, let alone 200yards

 

[Danman]

Ultimately when the summer grinds on I get 'bored' of 30/40/50 yards. I was down to shooting 9mm (empty) shells we filled em with water and with the S510 it's hardly challenging @ 40Y. We stretched it out to 60 yards last week and with the ghost and S510 no pop can was safe. But yeah 200 yards is not for me either! Ethical hunting shots equals being able to grab a second shot if the situation calls for it. At 200 yards that's unlikely to happen. Animal may be long gone by the time you get there to look for it.

 

[Danman]

Testing the theory! So I took out a bird @ 98 Yards 2 weeks back (FL22 is probably sick of hearing this?) and wanted to retry that this weekend with my two .22 pcps. 55 and 30FPE @ muzzle, almost no wind. For a pest bird anyways I will keep taking these shots. If you look the BRK Ghost on the right, AA S510 on the left, all shots we're lethal or grazes/outright misses. The 1/2 inch plywood scrap was fully penetrated by all shots. (something I always test besides accuracy for hunting ranges) Coolest thing was S510 first shot, absolutely murdered the bird. Beat out the Ghost and I didn't know the holdover! Ultimately what matters now is....I need someone to gift me a range finder clearly

 

[FL22]

Testing the theory! So I took out a bird @ 98 Yards 2 weeks back (FL22 is probably sick of hearing this?) and wanted to retry that this weekend with my two .22 pcps. 55 and 30FPE @ muzzle, almost no wind. For a pest bird anyways I will keep taking these shots. If you look the BRK Ghost on the right, AA S510 on the left, all shots were lethal or grazes/outright misses. The 1/2 inch plywood scrap was fully penetrated by all shots. (something I always test besides accuracy for hunting ranges) Coolest thing was S510 first shot, absolutely murdered the bird. Beat out the Ghost and I didn't know the holdover! Ultimately what matters now is....I need someone to gift me a range finder clearly

Dan, Bro, I’m Not going to pick on you about your awesome shot at 98 yards. But I might about your target because I swear it looks like you photo enlarged some of these 10,000%

 

[Danman]

Dan, Bro, I’m Not going to pick on you about your awesome shot at 98 yards. But I might about your target because I swear it looks like you photo enlarged some of these 10,000%View attachment 5635

It's dove shape/sized. Was gonna do a side profile but in reality it was a frontal shot, tried to replicate as close as possible. Accounting for feathers/tail the shots were pretty clean. Pulled both guns out and shot at the targets, no test fires. I love Swedish berries these are the....meat eater version? I need to get out more

 

[Luis Leon]

I would say it would depend on the shooter and the conditions at the moment. Who hasn’t sent a shot they shouldn’t have? Not me certainly… Ethical is always the goal, for me personally, 25-40 yards with my 17 fpe pesting machines.

 

[Danman]

I would say it would depend on the shooter and the conditions at the moment. Who hasn’t sent a shot they shouldn’t have? Not me certainly… Ethical is always the goal, for me personally, 25-40 yards with my 17 fpe pesting machines.

Absolutely, would not even think about this with my springers, on cans/plinking/ for fun perhaps. We were shooting cans @ 60Y with them and it was super fun/challenging but they just don't carry the energy needed that far. TX is doing 13.5ish FPE right now. And as always when pesting if I can get closer I will.

 

[Luis Leon]

Absolutely, would not even think about this with my springers, on cans/plinking/ for fun perhaps. We were shooting cans @ 60Y with them and it was super fun/challenging but they just don't carry the energy needed that far. TX is doing 13.5ish FPE right now. And as always when pesting if I can get closer I will.

I plink successfully with my Atomic XRs and Pathfinder XR out to 102 yards consistently in my backyard. So what? That’s just for fun, on live, legit, pest critters? Sub 40 yards with “high confidence”. 99% of the time DRT…

 

[Bethjohnson]

An ethical shot distance in hunting largely depends on your personal shooting skills rather than solely on the equipment used. While your rifle and ammunition may be capable of making long-distance shots, factors like your stance, stability, and environmental conditions, such as wind, play a significant role in your accuracy.

To determine your effective range, practice shooting in realistic hunting scenarios—whether offhand, using shooting sticks, or bracing against a tree—so you can understand your own limitations. By assessing your ability in these conditions, you can set a responsible maximum range for yourself; for some, it might be 100 yards, while for others, it could be much closer. Ultimately, knowing your proficiency and being honest about it is key to ensuring an ethical and humane hunt.

 

[Woogie_man]

34 grain 22 caliber slug going 850 fps has enough power to punch through pigeons at 100 yards with ease.

Honestly it comes down to what your comfortable with, and right now I am at the 100 yard range. I am looking at pushing it further as I know my rifle will keep small groups out to 150 yards if I do my part.

Power level
Ammo selection
Caliber
And RELIABLE shot placement!!!

FAR to many people THINK they can shoot longer distances on animals, only to miss or wound animals. Get some 1:1 targets and practice as much as you can. Start off closer and then start to push out the ranges. People get over confident when shooting animals, and typically don't understand how their body handles the stress. Yes even when shooting pest animals your body will undergo stress and it can cause you to miss an easy target animal that you would normally hit. I have seen it tons of times and people typically don't understand what happened. Deer hunters call it "buck fever" and yes it happens to us all.


I have to brag a little bit as well......

My son a few days ago spotted a rabbit in the back yard. So we grabbed his Krait and walked outside. While he was looking through the scope he noticed the tent behind the rabbit and looked at me and said he doesn't want to shoot the rabbit and put a pellet through the tent. So he passed on a 12 yard shot, which he can EASILLY make, to avoid damage down range.

So sometimes it isn't IF YOU CAN'T SHOOT.... it should be SHOULD YOU SHOOT. If you are comfortable with a 50 yard kill shot, then be proud of that. But don't bad mouth or think down on people that are able to shoot further. We all have different levels and it is fine, and don't be ashamed of that!

 

[Woogie_man]

Testing the theory! So I took out a bird @ 98 Yards 2 weeks back (FL22 is probably sick of hearing this?) and wanted to retry that this weekend with my two .22 pcps. 55 and 30FPE @ muzzle, almost no wind. For a pest bird anyways I will keep taking these shots. If you look the BRK Ghost on the right, AA S510 on the left, all shots we're lethal or grazes/outright misses. The 1/2 inch plywood scrap was fully penetrated by all shots. (something I always test besides accuracy for hunting ranges) Coolest thing was S510 first shot, absolutely murdered the bird. Beat out the Ghost and I didn't know the holdover! Ultimately what matters now is....I need someone to gift me a range finder clearly

Look at Atlas Target Works.... he makes a 1:1 pigeon and starling target out of AR500 steel. Great to practice on and know if you are hitting or not.

 

[jlowe]

I think hunting for so many years with R-1's and RX-1's, I still hunt squirrels the same way, even thought my FX's are way more powerful. Being in East TN, the thick forrest often limits me as well. I guess I could do a 100 yards, but most of the time, actually almost all of the time, I do 75 yards at max.

 

[Grunt64]

I wouldn't hesitate taking a shot at a coyote at 145-150 yards, with an AEA 357 142gr. I go for the lungs. Here is today's zero in at 100. and then at 82 yards. give it takes 50 fpe to take out a coyote and I'm pushing 280 fpe at the muzzle.

 

[MountainSportAirguns]

Does it take skill to kill at 150 yards? Yes, it also takes serious skill to stalk in close to 30. What's ethical is up to the individual hunter, I can't judge others.

 

[Grunt64]

Does it take skill to kill at 150 yards? Yes, it also takes serious skill to stalk in close to 30. What's ethical is up to the individual hunter, I can't judge others.

I hunt in a renowned area known for its coyote population, where I've established a 3-4 person blind that stays up year-round. It contains a rotating shooting table that offers a 360-degree range, ensuring that wherever I position the caller, it's within reach. Three out of four sides are constructed for one-way visibility. I use a FoxPro caller and an infrared scope to ensure precision. I take every precaution to accurately hit my targets. I now own a 240-yard shooting range, and regularly practice at various distances. The only time I judge others is when not having the fpe to do it right.

Does it take skill to kill at 150 yards? Yes, it also takes serious skill to stalk in close to 30. What's ethical is up to the individual hunter, I can't judge

 

[Alan]

This is one of the age-old questions which pops up from time to time. As has been alluded to, it depends a lot on the shooter's ability as much as it has on the terminal energy expended. However, when we start quoting limits based on ethics, the whole idea becomes suspect for many reasons.

In prolong warfare, ethics doesn't count one iota, as the idea is to kill or wound the enemy. The same can be said about game or pest animals. In the former ethics perhaps has its place. In the latter, I'm my opinion, it doesn't! After all, downing the maximum numbers of pests is the whole idea and has nothing to do with ethics!

 

[Grunt64]

This is one of the age-old questions which pops up from time to time. As has been alluded to, it depends a lot on the shooter's ability as much as it has on the terminal energy expended. However, when we start quoting limits based on ethics, the whole idea becomes suspect for many reasons.

In prolong warfare, ethics doesn't count one iota, as the idea is to kill or wound the enemy. The same can be said about game or pest animals. In the former ethics perhaps has its place. In the latter, I'm my opinion, it doesn't! After all, downing the maximum numbers of pests is the whole idea and has nothing to do with ethics!

I prefer to kill it without suffering as much as possible. Watching any animal suffer isn't my thing.