HooCairs' Guide to Long Range Shooting

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HooCairs
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HooCairs' Guide to Long Range Shooting

Post by HooCairs »


Edit History
2011-11-10: first version
2011-11-25: moved "luring areas" (pic with yellow circles) from later post to first post and rearranged
2011-11-29: added tip about treestand; added "combination of highest and lowest spot"
2011-12-02: added "independent of your skill levels" to notes
2011-12-03: added History and Intro
2011-12-07: changed thread title; added my final secret: "How to shoot +265m..."
2012-03-29: updated location for Cireme's image
2012-08-09: added note about rain; updated pictures for Moose Brothers and Mule Deer Long Shot competitions to reflect the latest places
2012-09-17: added videos from Kitaito and Vitalxx81 (Black Bear, Whitetail and Mule Deer)
2013-04-28: added another video from Juagarzo (Mule Deer)
2013-06-15: adjusted links to referenced players because the MP release changed the URLs
2013-06-19: moved pictures to Wiki storage due to too many page calls and exceeded bandwidth limits on the old provider
2014-03-05: added chapter "Competitions"; added guide for Straight Iron competition from AVC2013; minor text edits
2014-03-12: added guide for 276m shots from AVC2013
2014-03-24: added proof that rendering limit is officially 220m.
2014-03-27: added link at the bottom to a new post about how long range shooting has changed over time.
2014-09-28: added link to developer post stating why the rendering distance cannot easily be increased
2014-10-09: added link to guides from AVC2013

Introduction
This question keeps coming back so I decided to make a post that can be referred to in the future. I was not the first player to specialize on long range shooting, but currently I am one of very few. Also, there are other players that can achieve the same distances.

Basics
TheHunter has a distance limit at which animals can be seen. In a flat area, animals disappear from your view at a distance of 220m (~722 ft).
This distance was officially stated by EW here.
Read here why the rendering distance cannot easily be increased.

:!: Note that the rendering distance is
  • the same for all graphic settings
  • the same for all computers and their performance
  • the same for all animals
  • th-e same for all hunting maps
  • independent of your skill levels
There are competitions for the longest shot on one or more animals, such as Whitetail Marksman. The trick is that you increase the viewing distance by adding elevation. Cireme is one of our early day players and has always greatly supported both the developers as well as the players. He has made a nice drawing explaining how elevation increases your viewing distance. Thanks Cireme! :D

Image

As you can see in the drawing, adding height between you and the animals allows for longer shots.

The following table shows how viewing distance increases with height:

Image

Shooting uphill or downhill has the same effect, however it is much easier to shoot downhill, as you can see the animals behavior in the valley much better than on top of a hill.

Competitions
There are a number of competitions in the game where the longest shot wins. There are also some missions that require long shots, but they can all be done within the rendering distance and do not need any of these techniques. If in a competition an animal is hit multiple times, the shortest of all the shots will count as the competition entry.

Here are some specific guides, however they can be outdated due to players having found better spots in the meantime. Always look a the score sheet of a killed animal and open the map in there to see where the longest shot of a current competition was done.

Whitetail Marksman Competition
Whitetails appear on all maps. At the time of writing this (Nov 2011) the greatest elevations in the game are at Redfeather Falls, near the waterfalls in the east (in my opinion). However the greatest elevation does not help if there are no animals, i.e. Whitetail Deer in this case. The canyons at Settler Creeks or Logger's Point are much better. Here is a video from Phoenix45 showing a long range shot at the LP canyon. Really well done, helped me a lot. Thanks Phoenix45! :D

Settler Creeks is the preferred place for Whitetail (as well as Hogs and Roosevelt Elk for that matter) for these reasons:
  • It provides greater elevation.
  • It has more animals near the canyon.
  • Going to the top is muuuuch easier.
What is also important is that the bottom of the hill is rather free of trees, and this is essential. It is really difficult if you do not see the animal walk into the target area. The same is true for the LP canyon though.

Here is a good place for long shots for the competition:

Image

A picture from the bottom of this hill:

Image

If you are interested in long range shooting in general or this competition in particular, here are some tips:
  • If you set out for this and it looks like a rainy day, restart. There is nothing more nerve racking in long range shooting than when you have just prepared everything perfectly and are ready to shoot, and then rain sets in. You will not see the animal in the target area when it rains.
  • Expect 30-60 minutes per animal. Depends on how far you have to lure them from.
  • The best time (for all canyons) is around noon. Not because of the animal spawning, but because of the light. You want that prey in the spot light!
  • I use urine spray in the target area. The spray lasts quite long (10-12 ingame minutes), and when it stops luring the animal will still come, as if you called for a last time. So you have about 15-20 ingame minutes to get in position.
  • When the deer is 100-150m away, place the spray and start going up. This way it won't hear you, and you have enough time.
  • Lure females, they rarely spook.
  • Lure them from north-east or north-west. Not good from south, as they will be outside the rendering distance and you don't see them come in.
  • Wind in the canyon is from south-west. You might consider scent eliminator if the deer comes in from north-east.
  • You can walk up on both sides of the canyon. Go up the east side if possible, it is much shorter.
  • Lay down for the shot if you can. I have shot them kneeling, but this way I have missed more often than I hit. Since the introduction of multiplayer it is no longer possible to shoot down from trees while prone.
  • They will walk in, stop, walk, stop. Make sure to shoot when they stand still.
  • Aim at the middle of the lungs, slightly high. Bullet drop is minor.
  • There are often elk cows or turkeys in the canyon. They call all the time and you can't get deer calls. Just chase them away or shoot some of them.
  • Use the treestand in the shooting area to gain even more elevation. It also helps you to go even further up the hill without losing sight to the target area.
Before you do the final luring to the target area, make sure the deer is in either of the yellow circles. So call them there first, then walk down and call them to the target spot. This way it is rather easy and you can see them come in.

Image


In order to achieve the longest shot, you must find the best combination of
  • the highest spot or tree with sight to the bottom
  • the lowest spot in the valley, where you can still see the animal
In summary, the one that finds the best combination of these two factors gets the longest shot.

How to shoot +265m...
Go here. Good luck!

Other Competitions
Just briefly, go here for these competitions:

Mule Deer Long Shot
Lure a herd of mule deer does (easier) or bucks to bottom of the canyon. Run up on the west side and climb your tree stand.

Image

Moose Brothers
Lure moose to bottom of this hill. Run up and climb your tree stand.

Image


Long Range Videos
Black Bear (using bear bait barrel; from Kitaito): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUjv1bOqTUw
Whitetail (place for longest shots in the game; from Vitalxx81): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1id57KkRo#
Mule Deer (Logger's Point canyon; from Vitalxx81): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hX3sSrvCcU
Mule Deer (Logger's Point canyon; from Juagarzo): http://youtu.be/Fn75XcKD-lY


AVC2013 Competiton Guides & Videos
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=59570


How Long Range Shooting has changed over time
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.ph ... 35#p543435


Hope this all helps. :)
Last edited by HooCairs on October 9th, 2014, 4:57 am, edited 38 times in total.
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Lextor667
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by Lextor667 »

Not long ago I found one of your posts on this subject and decided to take part in WT marksman competition.
I bought scent lure and the tent, which I placed near the site of shooting over the canyon.

I don't remember how long it took me to lure first deer to the point of shooting, but not very long.
As a result, I shot from 254m prone. The deer was in my sight, and nothing has blocked the line of fire,
but the bullet hit the ground in front of my face, and deer ran away.

Second deer I waited a long time, it came down to the target point from the right side of canyon.
It walked slowly, frequently stopping and standing still. Because of trees, I occasionally lose sight of it.
At some point the deer went behind a tree and didn't appear very long in the direction where I had expected.
It turned out that it went in another direction... Apparently, the scent lure weathered.

That was enough for me to send to hell those long shot comps. :lol:
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HooCairs
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by HooCairs »

Lextor667 wrote:... the bullet hit the ground in front of my face, and deer ran away.
:lol: Been there, done that! In both canyons this has happened to me too. ;)
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Welsch
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by Welsch »

Very nice explanation :D

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Kiwi007
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by Kiwi007 »

Bravo Hoocairs,

I have tried using these tactics a few times but have yet be able to lure any deer to the target zone.
I will keep trying though.
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HooCairs
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by HooCairs »

Kiwi007 wrote:Bravo Hoocairs,

I have tried using these tactics a few times but have yet be able to lure any deer to the target zone.
I will keep trying though.
The information on how to "prepare" the animal for its final walk to the target zone has been added to the original post.
Last edited by HooCairs on November 29th, 2011, 6:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kutte
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by Kutte »

Hoocairs, ours Longrange Spezialist. Thanks for your instructions. Image
chez2099
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by chez2099 »

great,nice information
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whalewrangler
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by whalewrangler »

Tried it today and best I could do was half of what the leaders were doing. In real life I wouldn't try this shooting freehand without a bi-pod! My question, being fairly new to Thehunter, does your skill level in the particular weapon reduce the zigzagging while looking through the scope?
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MonacoSteve
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Re: Long Range Shooting (and Whitetail Marksman comp)

Post by MonacoSteve »

whalewrangler wrote:... My question, being fairly new to Thehunter, does your skill level in the particular weapon reduce the zigzagging while looking through the scope?
Yes. The higher your skill for that weapon, the lower the wobbling. It never stops totally, though.
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