500 Nitro- I'm with you.
: Although I have been a competition shooter for many years and am quite comfortable with long range shots, I prefer to hunt more than shoot when after big game animals. I've shoot gophers and Rockchucks out to 454yd., yet I've not had to shoot more than 105 yards distance for moose, deer and elk, and generally less than 90yards. I prefer to hunt before I shoot.
: I fully believe that so much emphasis is placed on long range shooting & longe range rounds today, that hunters THINK it is normal to do such. The game suffers because of this. Game branches across North America survey the bush after the regular seasons and spot dead lost animals when they do. These are reflected in area permits and quotas the following year.
: There is barely a handful of hunters I've seen at the local range who are capable of hitting a big game animal in the boiler room offhand at 125yd. let alone the hundreds of hunters annually who try it out to 500 and beyond - because they read about it.