It was late morning when we spotted five bucks on a shaded, north-facing slope across from us. The Mexican sun was already hot, and the deer were feeding in and out of some thick oaks, maybe 800 yards away, and we had just figured out there were two good bucks among the group when they started to lie down.

We made the cover of some shady oaks without spooking the deer, and we could see just the head and antlers of the second-largest buck, bedded behind a thick screen of dark oak. The best buck would be there somewhere, but it was the end of the line for us. Our ridge dropped away steeply below us, then rose even more steeply to where the deer were bedded. Both hillsides were extremely thick, with no other vantage point in sight.

The deer were almost exactly 400 yards away, straight across. If you are one of many hunters who believe a 400-yard shot is unnecessary and unethical, then you would have had two choices: You could pass on the buck or try to get closer, almost certainly setting up a shot at a bouncing, bounding, running target--if you ever saw the deer again at all.

I lay behind the rifle for a long time, making sure the shooting position was absolutely steady as I studied the wind. I dry-fired the gun several times at one of the bucks we could see, making sure the trigger broke nice and clean. Then I got off the rifle and got comfortable.

We waited at least three hours, and eventually the deer got up. The big one stepped into view, and I had long since been ready. Zeroed for 300 yards, I knew I needed to put the horizontal crosswire right above his backline. There was about a 10 mph crosswind where we lay. I held a bit back on him to account for drift, about at the diaphragm, and that was where the bullet hit, just behind the heart.

He ran a few yards downhill and stopped, and I could see the red spot. The wind must have diminished just forward of our position. I kept the same elevation but moved the vertical wire to his shoulder and fired again. This bullet hit four inches forward of the first, flattening the buck.

Was that shot unethical? I don't think so. In that situation, it beat the heck out of any shot I was likely--or unlikely--to get at closer range.

POSSIBLE, PRACTICAL, ETHICAL
We all have our limits, and no one should attempt a shot he or she is the least bit uncomfortable with. But if conditions are right--and if the shooter is right--it can be possible, practical and perfectly ethical to take game at 400 yards and beyond.

No two situations are alike, so it's really a matter of meeting some key criteria. With practice you can extend your comfortable shooting distance; whether you wish to is up to you. Here are some things to think about.

The first consideration in taking long-range shots is steadiness, and the longer the range, the more "like a rock" you need to be.

At any range it is essential to get as steady as you possibly can, but as the range increases, the requirement for absolute steadiness increases exponentially. At genuine long range, which I reckon starts somewhere around 400 yards, even the best prone position really isn't good enough. A bipod from a prone or sitting position may do it. A natural rest such as a rock or log padded with a rolled-up jacket is even better. I like to shoot over a backpack, whether sitting behind a boulder or lying prone.

Remember that you're taking the shot because you have gotten as close as you can without disturbing the game--or you're in the last position from which you can set up a careful, steady, well-rested shot. Take your time and, if necessary, experiment with various options and positions.

Among .30 calibers, good long-range options include (l.-r.) .300 WSM, .300 Dakota Mag., .300 Rem. Ultra Mag, .308 Patriot and .308 Warbird. The standouts among belted .30s are the .300 Win. Mag. and .300 Wby. Mag.

We're going to look briefly at calibers and scopes, but don't misread this. Equipment helps, but you simply cannot purchase long-range shooting ability.

No matter what you're shooting, you will have to compensate for range by the time you get to 400 yards. It's just a matter of degree. For long-range shooting I like fast, flat-shooting cartridges: .270s, fast 7mms and .30 caliber magnums. Their flat trajectories make life simple out to maybe 350 yards, and you get dividends from fast cartridges in terms of energy; the more velocity the bullet retains, the more energy it will deliver to the target.

For example, at 500 yards a 180-grain spitzer boattail from a .308 (2,650 fps at the muzzle) retains 1,361 ft.-lbs.--okay for deer but not enough for larger game. A .300 Wby. Mag. with the same bullet retains well over 2,000 ft.-lbs. at 500. Plus, the more velocity you have, the more likely you are to get good bullet performance at longer ranges. Higher velocity also means less flight time, which means less wind drift.