ORIGINAL: Todd1700
My reference to silhouette shooting is just to point out that I know rifles and what little things like a 10 mph cross wind somewhere between the shooter and the target can mean a complete miss.
Exactly, and it is that fact that obviously the defenders of these guys are blissfully ignorant of. It's not a matter of James B or myself not being as good a shot as these guys and therefore thinking them unethical. There is no such thing as being so good that you can make a sure first shot to a deers vitals at distances of that length. Those who believe otherwise need to cut back on the Rambo movies for a while until the fantasy fog of long range shooting myths starts to clear from their minds.
Yes deer are shot at and lost at much shorter distances. You bet. The difference is that it's very possible to consistently score good first shot hits at the shorter distances if you practice a bit. The fact that some people screw up at shorter distances is a reflection on them not the task at hand.
And no one addressed what I said earlier that proves to me that what these guys are doing isn't hunting, it's target shooting. A hunter wants to get as close as possible to his prey. I'd love to kill every buck I take at 50 yards if it were possible. No
hunter wants to have tomake a long shot. Backing out to 800, 900 or a 1000 yards on purpose just to see if you can still make the shot is not hunting. It's target shooting.
I am not "blissfully ignorant" to the fact that accurate shooting involves countless variables and being aware of them all and how they will influence any given shot. I am no expert but I am more than proficient at killing deer with every weapon I choose to hunt with. I know my weapons and my maximum ranges, you don't know that information just like you don't know any info on the guys in the clips. As far as addressing what you said earlier, theydidn't appear to be breaking any laws and as long as they arehunting legal game with a legal weaponthat is their right.They took successful shots in both clips, some looked like they could have probably got closer and some looked like they took long shots because of terrain issues. Their shot, their choice.
Do an experiment on this site. Start a thread that says: What is the farthest shot you will take with you rifle, bow, muzzleloader, any weapon for that matter under ideal conditions? How many different distances and responses are you going to get? Where do you draw the line?(rifle)300yds, 400 yds, 500 yds.(bow) 20 yds, 30yds, 50yds
Where is the line and who draws it?
A hunter wants to get as close as possible. Who says you have to? When I rifle hunt, while I don't set up 800 yds away, I don't mind setting up 100-200 yds off of where I am hunting. I call it low impact. I don't get right up in there all the time. And you can ask any deer in my freezer how it turned out for them. I would love 100 yd shot or a 10 yd shot for that matter but that doesn't mean I won't knock a deers' d*ck in the dirt at 350yds if the events of the hunt unfold that way. I understand what some ofyou guysare saying and respect you guys and your input but Idon't believe in telling another man how to run his showecspecially if he is within the law and his rights.But that is just my opinion and it is subject to change and opento comment.
P.S. I don't know how politics and PETA got involved in this thread but it
definitely wasn't me as I am not too fond of either.