Damon: You, "sir", obviously lack reading and comprehension skills. But of course I expect such a response from an archery snot. And I don't categorize a bowhunter who will only hunt with a bow and can't imagine hunting any other way like that, just people like you respond to with your nose in the air and your head up your butt (not sure how that's possible, but you managed it) to someone who is interested in bowhunting.

The first thing I think about as a responsible gun hunter, with regard to my weapon and its use, is, "What is the most accurate bullet I can find for my particular weapon that has the best terminal performance on the game I will be hunting?" Whatever your reason for hunting is, the bottom line is that when that trigger is finally pulled, its going somewhere. I owe it to the game I am hunting to put that bullet right where it needs to go and have it perform as it should on that animal, every time. I do that even with squirrels, which is why I put that little .22LR right in the head, every time. I never said "explosion", and I'm not thinking about blowing deer up. Once the bullet selection has been made and the rifle zeroed where I want it, the only thing I think about once the crosshairs are on the deer is bullet placement. I have heard and read enough stories of lost deer due to poor bullet performance that, yeah, it's a consideration...and what it does to the animal is just the reality of thinking it all the way through.

"Anyone can shoot a deer from 300 yards out." Well, not anyone. But even if everyone could, is that why everyone who gun hunts does it? Am I gun hunting so that just in case I can't figure out where the deer are, I can just "explode one" (as you probably think I'm thinking) from 300 yards out? Or did you not know that people can impose limits on themselves? Maybe people can use the same instruments as others for different purposes in order to accomplish different goals. If you read my post, the last four deer I have killed have all been in bow range. Do you think I haven't seen more deer than those four within gun range? If so, you'd be wrong.

And, again, if you had actually read my post, you would understand that what I love about deer hunting is ruined by many of the tactics that are employed during the general firearms season. The man drives with all their hooting and hollering, trying to get the deer up. The dogs running and barking and disrupting the peace of the woods, running through that spot you worked so hard to find and so hard to get to undetected. The standers moseying in well after day break without any stealth whatsoever.

Your presumptions are all wrong.

And if I decided to take up the spear and loin cloth, would I then be "more" "all in" than you??