Long-range hunting: violation of fair chase ethics or effective wildlife management tool?

Advances in rifles, optics, and ammunition now allow hunters to take accurate shots at distances that were rare only a few decades ago. Long-range hunting, often involving shots 300–400 m or farther, remains contentious within the hunting community because it departs from traditional fair-chase principles, which aim to maintain a balance between hunter and quarry. Critics argue that when an animal cannot detect a distant hunter, the hunt loses elements of pursuit and animal agency that are essential to ethical hunting. At the same time, improved accuracy and effectiveness at longer distances may help wildlife managers and landowners control overabundant ungulate populations that reduce agricultural production and alter ecological communities. In this perspective, we examine these ethical and ecological trade-offs and consider when, if ever, long-range hunting may be an appropriate tool for population management.