Whitetail Deer Hunting Gain a better understanding of the World's most popular big game animal and the techniques that will help you become a better deer hunter.

question for all members

Old 11-24-2015, 03:22 AM
  #71  
Nontypical Buck
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Japan
Posts: 3,431
Default

Well, you guys can talk all you want. But when I hunt, I go out naked and I kill my prey using only my bare hands and my teeth.

Of course I don't really do that, but it would be a real challenge. Right?

I've always hunted with a 50 caliber muzzleloader or a .30-30, so a thousand yard shot would be waaay out of the question. But if a guy has the equipment and the skills to do that, hey, go for it. Sounds like fun once you've mastered the skills.

Hunting presents lots of different kinds of challenges and different ways to have fun. My wife is very small, so she uses a 30 pound pull, youth bow. This means we have to get within 10-12 yards. We still hunt, so this involves crawling along on hands and knees, and sometimes on our bellies, for maybe an hour or two, to get a shot. At a thousand yards or better, the challenge is making the shot. You can't really miss at 10-12 yards, so the challenge is getting close enough to make the shot without spooking your target. Loads of fun. We hunt the same way with the muzzleloader. We don't have to get as close, but we have to get to a spot where she can shoot from the prone position, because the rifle is too heavy for her to use without support.(I carry it until we get to where we might have a shot.)

I sounds to me like RR has his technique down solid. So I'm giving him a thumbs-up.
cr422 is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 04:09 AM
  #72  
Dominant Buck
 
Champlain Islander's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,438
Default

Can't miss at 10 to 12 yds.......beg to differ. Had one memorable miss on a buck with my bow years ago that I wish I could get back. Not really sure what happened but he was right under the tree stand. Shot right over his back. Certainly operator error but I was looking for a reason to blame the bow...the weather...or a mystery bird flying down to divert the arrow. Clean miss etched in my memory which is sitting along with a lifetime of should have got hims.
Champlain Islander is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 04:53 AM
  #73  
Nontypical Buck
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,358
Default

Originally Posted by Exophysical
IMO To me the act of big game hunting involves the reading of sign, the consideration of wind, the use of stealth. For me taking an animal involves immersing myself in the world of that animal, almost living the life of that animal for a period of time. When these things are not present, for me, it wasn't a good hunt. Shooting at extreme distances may take more shooting skill than it does to shoot a deer out of a pickup truck, but IMO it doesn't take a whole lot more hunting skill.

In your case RR, you seem to be one of those hunters that puts more effort into making extremely long shots happen than you do into closing the distance, or any of the other skills that I consider to be the mark of a good hunter. I wont call you a slob, or unethical, or wrong in any way, but from where I stand I feel that hunters like you are completely missing what I feel is "the point". Great shooting, poor hunting, I'd rather hear stories about 5 pin bowling than look at your cardboard score cards, if you shot them from 10 miles I still wouldn't care.
Let's be honest. Hunting is about killing an animal within the laws set by the state. Period. EVERYTHING after that is personal choice to make it more enjoyable to the individual. Anyone who says else, is fooling themselves, if they were right, you'd hunt with a camera or just go without the gun/bow. Killing it the goal, period. There are MANY things along the way that make it a good hunt.

I bolded the above parts to highlight what your PERSONAL choices and preferences are. Personally I agree with you, the closer the better, I get more "freaked out" shooting one inside 20 yards with my bow than with my gun, but I enjoy both.

Would I like to try RR's way? Sure, I'm up for trying anything, but I don't have the skills or the tools to get the skills! Heck I can't find a gun range over 100 yards to shoot on!

I'd rather see RR's stories about his LONG shots, than the stories about "need help tracking" or the infamous "I must have hit void cause I couldn't find him" stories. The guy has a skill that allows him to hunt, and humanely kill deer in a way he chooses within the laws. My hats off to him!

My hat is also off to you for hunting as you enjoy!
Bob H in NH is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 05:05 AM
  #74  
Nontypical Buck
 
rockport's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
Default

Anybody ever question your methods in real life or just on the internet?
rockport is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 05:12 AM
  #75  
Nontypical Buck
 
gjersy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: WI
Posts: 1,089
Default

Some guys have the desire/skill, set up to hunt long range some guys at 10 yards with a bow, i can appreciate both. As a logger and hunter i find wasted deer in the woods from time to time and i check them out. Some are bad shots while some are good heart/lung shots lost to terrible tracking skills. To answer the OP's question on ethics, i think a good question we hunters should ask, is how many deer have you wounded/missed? It's easy to fondly remember that remarkable shot you made, but also easy to forget the deer you wounded or missed(maybe wounded?).
gjersy is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 05:16 AM
  #76  
Typical Buck
 
grinder67's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: IN.
Posts: 530
Default

As long as its legal and the shooter is safe and within there abilities than ok but it would sure suck to be getting close to position for a shot with say a muzzle loader and have someone kill the elk/deer or what ever from 1000 yards away! I wouldn't get mad over it but would be frustrated. LOL!
grinder67 is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 06:39 AM
  #77  
Boone & Crockett
 
Oldtimr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,377
Default

"Originally Posted by Exophysical View Post
IMO To me the act of big game hunting involves the reading of sign, the consideration of wind, the use of stealth. For me taking an animal involves immersing myself in the world of that animal, almost living the life of that animal for a period of time. When these things are not present, for me, it wasn't a good hunt. Shooting at extreme distances may take more shooting skill than it does to shoot a deer out of a pickup truck, but IMO it doesn't take a whole lot more hunting skill.

In your case RR, you seem to be one of those hunters that puts more effort into making extremely long shots happen than you do into closing the distance, or any of the other skills that I consider to be the mark of a good hunter. I wont call you a slob, or unethical, or wrong in any way, but from where I stand I feel that hunters like you are completely missing what I feel is "the point". Great shooting, poor hunting, I'd rather hear stories about 5 pin bowling than look at your cardboard score cards, if you shot them from 10 miles I still wouldn't care".

By God gents, we seem to have picked up a perfect person along the way! If he disapproves of our hunting methods, we have no hunting skills. We should be truly humbled to be in the presence of such perfection! I do suspect though he doesn't continue with this fantasy wen the bullet comes crashing through the boiler room:"For me taking an animal involves immersing myself in the world of that animal, almost living the life of that animal for a period of time". I suggest he put down the books with all the flowery descriptions and definitions of what hunting is and refrain from trying to make himself feel better about taking an animals life. I am all for developing skills and have railed at times about electronic gadgets taking the place of skills leaving a person in trouble if the gadget fails and they have no skills to fall back on. However, the above isn't about skills, it is about idealistic snobbery and I recommend he gives up hunting if he doesn't enjoy it if all his requirements do not come together, because most times in hunting, if you are not flexible, you will fail, that and what he "feels" is his problem not ours. Then there is the question, is this guy real or just playing?

Last edited by Oldtimr; 11-24-2015 at 06:43 AM.
Oldtimr is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 07:22 AM
  #78  
Nontypical Buck
 
redgreen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Alberta Canada
Posts: 1,081
Default

He who squawks loudest is jealous of the ability of us who can and do make the long shots with surgical precision. Back in the day, a sergeant buddy of mine would get real pissed at the 1000 yard range when I would outshoot him. I enjoy seeing the amazement in their faces when I crack a deer or elk at 600 to 800 yards. James has the skillset and knowledge to make these shots with ease. I have seen too many that figure if they hang an 8 1/2 x11 piece of paper at 100 yards and can hit it, they are good to go. That don't fly with me. I can hold 1.5" at 300 yards. My drop is 6.5" at 400 yards, 21" at 500 yards. The wind has to be perfect before I will shoot past 650. Ridge doesn't take shots that are a maybe. He connects, and has his winter meat supply. Where I live, the stubble fields are fenced sections. Each is a square mile or better. There is no cover, the critters are educated, and if you want to eat regularly, you had better be prepared and be able to make the long shots with no room for error. I get really annoyed at those that flame us for being unethical for doing what they can not. Those that hunt the wooded areas where they have never shot more than 150 yards cannot fathom a shot at half a mile or greater. 40 years ago, I did all of my hunting with my silhouette rifles, and shot extreme ranges all of the time. It still gives me a sense of pride that I can still do what I did 40 plus years ago. I am getting gimped up really bad now, and walking is pretty much a thing of the past. Now, if I see it, want it, the wind conditions are right, there is nothing behind the animal that I have to worry about, it is 700 yards out, I can get to it with the truck, it is on the ground. Saying that it is not ethical is a biased and hypocritical statement. Remember, those that can, do, and those that can't, teach, or PREACH.
redgreen is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 08:12 AM
  #79  
Dominant Buck
 
Champlain Islander's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,438
Default

It has gone on close to 9 pages with a vast majority of members showing support to RR for his accomplishments. As always there are some members with a dissenting view but I feel up to this point the forum has shown both sides without some of the emotional pitfalls often experienced in the past. Nice job on both sides.
Champlain Islander is offline  
Old 11-24-2015, 08:29 AM
  #80  
Spike
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 32
Default

Originally Posted by Oldtimr
"Originally Posted by Exophysical View Post
IMO To me the act of big game hunting involves the reading of sign, the consideration of wind, the use of stealth. For me taking an animal involves immersing myself in the world of that animal, almost living the life of that animal for a period of time. When these things are not present, for me, it wasn't a good hunt. Shooting at extreme distances may take more shooting skill than it does to shoot a deer out of a pickup truck, but IMO it doesn't take a whole lot more hunting skill.

In your case RR, you seem to be one of those hunters that puts more effort into making extremely long shots happen than you do into closing the distance, or any of the other skills that I consider to be the mark of a good hunter. I wont call you a slob, or unethical, or wrong in any way, but from where I stand I feel that hunters like you are completely missing what I feel is "the point". Great shooting, poor hunting, I'd rather hear stories about 5 pin bowling than look at your cardboard score cards, if you shot them from 10 miles I still wouldn't care".

By God gents, we seem to have picked up a perfect person along the way! If he disapproves of our hunting methods, we have no hunting skills. We should be truly humbled to be in the presence of such perfection! I do suspect though he doesn't continue with this fantasy wen the bullet comes crashing through the boiler room:"For me taking an animal involves immersing myself in the world of that animal, almost living the life of that animal for a period of time". I suggest he put down the books with all the flowery descriptions and definitions of what hunting is and refrain from trying to make himself feel better about taking an animals life. I am all for developing skills and have railed at times about electronic gadgets taking the place of skills leaving a person in trouble if the gadget fails and they have no skills to fall back on. However, the above isn't about skills, it is about idealistic snobbery and I recommend he gives up hunting if he doesn't enjoy it if all his requirements do not come together, because most times in hunting, if you are not flexible, you will fail, that and what he "feels" is his problem not ours. Then there is the question, is this guy real or just playing?
I suggest you do a search of my posts, pretty easy since there isn't that many of them... its all there, in the posts and the links, once you have seen how I hunt then come back and call me a keyboard jockey if you still feel like it. Call me wrong if you want, do not blindly call me a hypocrite, I very much take offence to that.

RR asked for our opinions on what he does, I gave him mine. Seeing as he is hunting within the law all I can give him is MY reasons and MY OPINION... which is pretty much what everyone else here has done. I never told him he was wrong, I never told him to stop, I just told him why I disagree with it which is what he asked for. Pretty much for me it boils down to the obsession with distance, setting up specifically to shoot deer at extreme range rather than hunt them, if the long shots happened incidentally I would better understand it.

I still stand by my statement, hunting skill is in reading the sign, using stealth, playing the wind. When these things are being circumnavigated to any great degree, IMO one is not displaying the traits of a good hunter. There are plenty of ways for this to happen, and long range shooting is one of them.

Last edited by Exophysical; 11-24-2015 at 08:49 AM.
Exophysical is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.