It's the moment most hunters dream about. There he is, the buck of a lifetime...but he's 400 yards out. Do you have the confidence you can make that shot, for a clean kill? Before I went to see Steele Monategue with the North American Long Range Shooting Association, my answer would have been no!
Steele founded the organization about 3 years ago. Ever since then, the membership has grown. It's not a hunting organization, it's long range shooting competitions. And, long range means targets out to 1200 yards!
I felt comfortable with his rifle, a .300 Winchester Magnum. I shoot a Weatherby .300 Magnum. The difference is, mine is a standard, off-the-shelf Vanguard hunting rifle with a Prostaff 7 4 1/2X 16 power scope, which, by the way, kicks like an angry mule!
Steele's is a custom-made bull barrel with a muzzle break, 50-power scope, and built-on tripod. You need it; even with the composite stock, the rifle still weighs in at 22 pounds.
You don't have to have a large caliber weapon to be competitive though. And, the sport is not limited to men. There are women's and youth categories. In fact, this day my competition was 13-year-old Coldyn Cloud, who shoots a 6.5 Creedmoor.
The targets are electronic, and scoring runs through an on-site wi-fi system. The scoring is done automatically and shows up in real time on monitors that are stationed, so all competitors can see how others are shooting.
Cloud, by the way, kicked my butt. My first round was a 67. The 13-year-old sharpshooter shot a 75. Our second round was much better I scored in the 80s...but after the first round, I didn't want to know what Coldyn did.