Bipod for a 308 win?
#21
Two things that stick out for me when guys criticize long distance hunters is this:
When is the last time you saw a deer 1,000yrds from any cover?
How many shot opportunities REALLY exist for 600yrds+ in your terrain?
Adding range to your shot doesn't really always add acres of huntable kill-zone. It's not like a guy can draw a 1,000yrd circle around their position and expect game to ever cross 90% of it. It can give you the ability to access multiple spots where game might travel at once, but by and large, all of the space between is wasted. I have a few hunting spots where I can pick my range and take a shot anywhere from 50yrds to 500-700yrds, but moving back doesn't actually add any more huntable kill zone. The deer will still only travel the same ravines and feed in the same small patch.
Go find a spot where you really think you'd have a 600yrd shot in the field on game. Sure, I can go out to the ONE HILL in western Kansas and see for miles and miles, but the reality is that game won't be traveling in the flats. 250lb muleys out there manage to hide themselves in the low-lines, and entire herds of antelope can conceal themselves behind a gentle crown.
Stand hunting for big game is ambush hunting. You wait in an advantageous position for your target animal to enter a desired kill zone. It doesn't matter if you're 20ft away or 2 miles, you're still relying upon the game entering your predetermined kill-zone to offer you a shot.
Terrain is also a big hurdle. I've hunted in several states and across various terrain, and whether you're in the mountains or in Flatlandia, finding shots where you have real visibility that far is incredibly rare. Ridge's pictures illustrate how little the actual kill zone really is, even if you're a LONG ways away. In the picture behind his rifle, the entire hillside in front of him is obscured by trees, with very little ground visibility, meaning his visibility and opportunity for shots on deer are very limited. In the picture of the valley with the small grassy opening, you're looking at several acres in the picture, with less than about 10% of the hillside open for a shot on game.
Long range hunting is NOT the same thing as painting a 1,000yrd circle around yourself and killing anything that crosses into that circle. If you want to kill a deer as it walks down a rub-line to a watering hole, it doesn't matter if you're 10yrds away or 1,000yrds away - you simply need a spot where you have a clear line of sight to THAT kill zone.
When is the last time you saw a deer 1,000yrds from any cover?
How many shot opportunities REALLY exist for 600yrds+ in your terrain?
Adding range to your shot doesn't really always add acres of huntable kill-zone. It's not like a guy can draw a 1,000yrd circle around their position and expect game to ever cross 90% of it. It can give you the ability to access multiple spots where game might travel at once, but by and large, all of the space between is wasted. I have a few hunting spots where I can pick my range and take a shot anywhere from 50yrds to 500-700yrds, but moving back doesn't actually add any more huntable kill zone. The deer will still only travel the same ravines and feed in the same small patch.
Go find a spot where you really think you'd have a 600yrd shot in the field on game. Sure, I can go out to the ONE HILL in western Kansas and see for miles and miles, but the reality is that game won't be traveling in the flats. 250lb muleys out there manage to hide themselves in the low-lines, and entire herds of antelope can conceal themselves behind a gentle crown.
Stand hunting for big game is ambush hunting. You wait in an advantageous position for your target animal to enter a desired kill zone. It doesn't matter if you're 20ft away or 2 miles, you're still relying upon the game entering your predetermined kill-zone to offer you a shot.
Terrain is also a big hurdle. I've hunted in several states and across various terrain, and whether you're in the mountains or in Flatlandia, finding shots where you have real visibility that far is incredibly rare. Ridge's pictures illustrate how little the actual kill zone really is, even if you're a LONG ways away. In the picture behind his rifle, the entire hillside in front of him is obscured by trees, with very little ground visibility, meaning his visibility and opportunity for shots on deer are very limited. In the picture of the valley with the small grassy opening, you're looking at several acres in the picture, with less than about 10% of the hillside open for a shot on game.
Long range hunting is NOT the same thing as painting a 1,000yrd circle around yourself and killing anything that crosses into that circle. If you want to kill a deer as it walks down a rub-line to a watering hole, it doesn't matter if you're 10yrds away or 1,000yrds away - you simply need a spot where you have a clear line of sight to THAT kill zone.
#22
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern wv
Posts: 3,648
Ridge's pictures illustrate how little the actual kill zone really is, even if you're a LONG ways away. In the picture behind his rifle, the entire hillside in front of him is obscured by trees, with very little ground visibility, meaning his visibility and opportunity for shots on deer are very limited.
In the picture of the valley with the small grassy opening, you're looking at several acres in the picture, with less than about 10% of the hillside open for a shot on game.
RR
#27
Not sure if they still make them but I got a Vers-a-pod many years ago and I really like it. The base installs on you front sling stud and you can still attach your sling. the bipod itself can be removed and carried in your pack until you need it. And you can get two lengths, one for lying and and another for sitting-kneeling and they are interchangeable. Plus you can buy additional bases for your other rifles.
Last edited by bronko22000; 12-15-2017 at 07:00 PM.