Deer hunting with no scope.
04-13-2007, 10:38 PM
#12
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3,145
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
I never used to like scopes, I felt like they added weight and bulk to the weapon. Lately however, I have found my vision has changed. I have 20/20 vision but when I look thru those sights, my eyes don't like changing focus to get my sight picture. I still shoot well with open sights at the range, it just takes longer to make the shot. My target acquisition time has gone way up, so I have been putting scopes on some rifles that previously had none. I feel like I can make a good shot faster with one than without one.
04-13-2007, 11:52 PM
#13
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 13,220
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
I use iron sights and optics depending on the terrain and range of likely shots. When shootinga muzzleloader or smoothbore slug gun, I go with irons since I generally would feel a little uncomfortable shootingpast 100 yards. When I'm in rifle country, though, a 200-300 yard shot wouldn't be all that rare, and I prefer the optics (4x). I got a rifled cantilever barrel for my 870, but haven't taken it into the field yet. Based on my experience with friends' guns, with practice I could probably push good sabot slugs out to 150 yards or more.
I think the preference can change from person to person, and as long asthe hunterknows his/her weapon, he/she can do well regardless of the choice.
I think the preference can change from person to person, and as long asthe hunterknows his/her weapon, he/she can do well regardless of the choice.
04-14-2007, 08:19 AM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 1,309
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
When I was young the scopes that were available were few and high in expence so we had no choice but to hunt with the irons. As I have gotten older I have to admit it would be much more difficult to hunt those early hours of dusky morning or the waining moments just after sun down. I would not be able to see. Using a quality scope has allowed me to hunt those times with much more success. I in no way believe that it is cheating. Would you accept a bow hunter saying that you are cheating when using a rifle? You can not say it's not the same thing for it has to do with the development of technology. Perhaps everyone one should shoot with a bow and get rid of all the rifles. I don't believe that you would accept that either but I'm sure some one out there could make an arguement for it. Scopes are simply atechnology that assists the hunter in obtaining their harvest. They are not the defining factor on how good the hunter is. Some of my rifles aren't scoped due to the hunting conditions that I will be using them in. One shoe does not fit all.
04-14-2007, 08:34 AM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Spring Grove, Pa. USA
Posts: 2,120
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
ORIGINAL: The Rifleman
One time in Pennsylvania, they had a special season on a red tag farm and you could hunt small game and deer at the same time.
I still had a deer tag and so I took my rifle.
All morning long, all I saw was pheasants.
So I took my rifle home and brought my Remington Model 1100 12 Ga.
The very first thing that I ran into - and you guessed it was a deer.
There was no time to change shells so I let it have it with all 3 shells of birdshot and it stopped the deer in its tracks.
I finished it off at close range and field dressed it and put it into my truck.
I then went back out and shot two fine looking pheasants.
All with the same gun and the same shells.
I tried hunting several times before that with a Model 94 Winchester 30 / 30 and a Model 99 Savage - 300 Savage and all I got was cold, tired and hungry.
I'm sure that if I had - to hunt with open sights that sooner or later I would have gotten one that was deaf, dumb and blind. But I could not get them if they were running like a bat out of hates, even if I had a machine gun.
I did get one doe that was gut shot and laying under a apple tree with that Model 94, but in my mind that doesn't count.
One time in Pennsylvania, they had a special season on a red tag farm and you could hunt small game and deer at the same time.
I still had a deer tag and so I took my rifle.
All morning long, all I saw was pheasants.
So I took my rifle home and brought my Remington Model 1100 12 Ga.
The very first thing that I ran into - and you guessed it was a deer.
There was no time to change shells so I let it have it with all 3 shells of birdshot and it stopped the deer in its tracks.
I finished it off at close range and field dressed it and put it into my truck.
I then went back out and shot two fine looking pheasants.
All with the same gun and the same shells.
I tried hunting several times before that with a Model 94 Winchester 30 / 30 and a Model 99 Savage - 300 Savage and all I got was cold, tired and hungry.
I'm sure that if I had - to hunt with open sights that sooner or later I would have gotten one that was deaf, dumb and blind. But I could not get them if they were running like a bat out of hates, even if I had a machine gun.
I did get one doe that was gut shot and laying under a apple tree with that Model 94, but in my mind that doesn't count.
04-14-2007, 08:39 AM
#17
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
ORIGINAL: retrieverman
Open sights is the only ethical way to hunt. Scopes are cheating.
Open sights is the only ethical way to hunt. Scopes are cheating.
My daughter actually said that to me once! (see, she now owns my old childhood Marlin model 60 .22 rifle. I had a cheesy old Tasco 4X scope on it, but she said to take it off, because it was cheating to target shoot with it on. I pulled the scope off, and she commenced to obliterate the bullseye rings at 50 yards with it! [&:])As far as hunting.... Yup... I totally agree with retrieverman. I hunt in the heavy woods and thickets of the George Washington Natl Forest in Virginia with my beloved old Marlin 30AS .30-30 with plain iron sights.
Butch A.
04-14-2007, 10:06 AM
#18
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 321
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
On a RED TAG FARM, there is no rules.
You can hunt over bait, hunt at night with a spot light, use decoys,
Semi Automatic guns, what ever.
All the PGC is concerned about is getting rid of the deer.
They are now selling DMAP permits where you can shoot 20 deer a year if you want.
If my grandpa was still alive he would be rolling over in his grave if he saw that.
There was a time when deer hunting in Pennsylvania ment something, it was a time of the year for people to get together and swap stories and visit with relatives and hunt for deer.
Now it is nothing more than sitting in a treestand with all your bait around you with a high power rifle and cammo clothing and shooting deer. The hunting part is gone.
I was a fair to middle'n shot with open sights when I was a kid and that was all that I had. But once you use a scope - you wouldn't want to go back.
You can hunt over bait, hunt at night with a spot light, use decoys,
Semi Automatic guns, what ever.
All the PGC is concerned about is getting rid of the deer.
They are now selling DMAP permits where you can shoot 20 deer a year if you want.
If my grandpa was still alive he would be rolling over in his grave if he saw that.
There was a time when deer hunting in Pennsylvania ment something, it was a time of the year for people to get together and swap stories and visit with relatives and hunt for deer.
Now it is nothing more than sitting in a treestand with all your bait around you with a high power rifle and cammo clothing and shooting deer. The hunting part is gone.
I was a fair to middle'n shot with open sights when I was a kid and that was all that I had. But once you use a scope - you wouldn't want to go back.
04-14-2007, 10:07 AM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 1,785
RE: Deer hunting with no scope.
ORIGINAL: retrieverman
Open sights is the only ethical way to hunt. Scopes are cheating.
Open sights is the only ethical way to hunt. Scopes are cheating.
In truth, I do hunt hogs with a open sighted Blaser R-93 in 308, but I can't see well enough to shoot accurately past 50-60 yards.