Well since you can' t shoot straight with the 30 30 better go with the scatter gun at 30 yards.
I know... I know... [:' (]
I shot only one time before with my buddy' s Marlin 30-30, at that doe in Powhatan WMA here in VA. I never shot a lever action 30-30 before and I know... it was foolish to try shooting an untested gun. And, while I did get a round off at the doe in the WMA, I ended up shooting high over her back. The part that really bothered me and made my heart sink, was immediately after I fired, the doe took off running up over the ridge and came down the other side to an ambush of about 18 other public hunters, because their guns going off sounded like a warzone. [
][:' (] My buddy at work (owner of the Marlin 30-30), asked me, " why didn' t you go after her?" I told him I went to the point where I shot at her, and saw her tracks tearing off up over the ridgetop. I looked at him point blank and said, " there was no way in h*ll, I was going up over that ridge with all those other hunters out there! Blaze orange or not... NO WAY! [
] "
Anyway, I like Cumberland State Forest here in VA. It' s big, it' s out-of-the-way, and there' s tons of places to go and find your special secret little spot. On a public WMA, everybody who' s anybody, has been there too and all the game is constantly spooked 24/7.
Butch