aintnopilgrim

Dumb joker? You must be right, I couldn't be very intellegent for suggesting that people think about what they say and the impact that it can have on the animals we hunt. I may have only been hunting since I was old enough to safely wingshoot with my 410 but I have seen changes to hunting that make me ill. I wasn't tying to start a fight with anyone. I was however curious to see how some of you might react to what I had to say. Lark was it? It seems like we have more in common than we have in difference. I was raised by someone who could shoot. He taught me how to shoot and when to shoot but not all of us have had that advatage. Where do you think someone without those advantages might try to get information? Hey, I want to start another FIGHT! How many of you think it is a good idea to have a shell in the chamber while your walking around in the field? I can't even imagine how anyone can think this is a good idea.

Ok so I typed this out to fast and made a critical error. If you miss the vitals you loose your equipment. Reading the responses was more fun than I thought it would be. So many people get defensive over their choices to behave as they see fit. As I said before the average hunter has no business sooting at those distances. How many hunters of the thousands that go as often as they can get drawn have spent the time and money to be shooting well enough to take animals cleanly at long range? I once again say agian few! As for all you experts. I never said that nobody should shoot that far but I venture to guess that not many of you would risk all your time and money for the one shot challenge I proposed. I wouldn't and I do have the equipment and the skill to back it up. My main point was that you should be careful what you adovcate because most people aren't very good at realizing their limitations. All you have to do is go to a gun range in October and casually observe the average guy, listen to his stories, look at his equipment and see his groups to know what I'm talking about. Whoever suggested I might carry the target, I'd be pretty comfortable doing that, knowing what I know about most hunters and their true abilities.

I have been reading posts on this site periodically for a number of years now, sometimes with the greatest of chuckles. The topics that really get me going are the ones where the bragging starts with how long the shot were. I don't just read posts that make these claims, it has become big in magazines, just anything by Craig Boddington, it has also become more common to talk about shooting long range with the average hunter. Lets face it, the majority of hunters in the field today have no business shooting at the ranges commonly refferenced in the hunt stories posted on this site, found in popular magazines and the stories told by all to many hunters today. The flatest shooting rifles drop around least 15" at 400 yards and drop off considerably more by 450. Most rifles shooting factory ammunition would be hard pressed to shoot better than an 4" group at that distance, even with the best of shooters behind the trigger. And lastly, most rifles with the exception of some of the larger calibers, do not deliver enough energy at 400 yards to kill cleanly if the bullet strikes bone. Maybe I only end up reading posts and articles from the best of the best or end up listening to stories from guys that get everything to go just right or maybe I'm just not reading carefully but how many people can pull off shots at 400+ without missing often enough to call taking those kind of shots in the field unethical? I would venture to say not many. So now I went and did it. I said it. Those of you with inflated egos will respond by saying I don't know what I'm talking about and those of you who know better might not bother to comment but the truth is most hunters have no business shooting at an animal the size of a coues deer at distances greater than 300 yards, that is, if they should even be shooting that far. When stories like these get repeated enough the prevailing wisdom says, if they can do ti so can I. We should be careful what we promote when we discuss our hunting adventures as we may just be promoting unethical behavior. With all that said, I think a reality check is in order for all you long range advocates. I think that someone should promote a low cost shooting competition that would test anybodys ability. Here is my big idea. You get one shot. You can use any equipment you can carry to your shooting location after walking a mile in steep terrain and sitting quiet and still for at least an hour. The target will represent the actual live weight and size of an average coues buck. The shot oportunity will be random by placing the target in different locations at varied yardages from 400 to 500 yards. The target will move, stop, and turn at different angles but do so within a limited time frame. The target may at any time be moved out of site at running speed to represent being sppoked by another hunter. And last but not least any shooter making a hit in an area no larger than the vitals on an average coues buck will then have to walk all the way home, no it wouldn't matter how far they drove, leaving all their equiptment behind for the eventual winner because they wounded an animal that had little chance of of being recovered. Shooters would advance to the next round by single elimination until the last shooter had the best record. If the last two shooters miss, all on the equipment would be sold and the proceeds would go to building a monument to all the braggers that thought they should shoot passed their ability. Sounds like fun to me. It would really be put up or shut up time then.