Hunting is hunting wheather on stand or stalking using gun or bow, rifle or shotgun.

Yes....to clear up a misunderstanding.....what's your point??


Oh I get it (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA) because I hunt from a treestand SOMETIMES I am automatically completely unaware that other hunting styles exist and are used in different parts of the country on many different game animals.......therefore I will show up in NM with my summit strapped to my back(HA HA HA)..........maybe even toting a shotgun because I don't know that other guns exist either (HA HA HA)........in fact I won't even be able to identify and Elk since they don't have free roaming herds around here I obviously can't know anything about them (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA)

Man that was funny

What he said.


When you are talking about distances of miles there is no way you can say for sure what was the element that spooked them. At that range their field of vision could include entire hills, mountain sides, valleys, brush, woods and maybe even a road or two. They could have been distratcted by anything from a snake or coyote to a limb cracking in the wind or a glare of light in the eye.........hell, maybe one of the Elk farted

I still dont understand why this has become an east vs. west thread.

When I read atlasman`s original post, I pictured a guy in a TREESTAND or
clubhouse overlooking a big cornfield sighting in a deer at the far side at about
200 or 300 yds.
Not stalking over a mountain.

Did I miss the point?[&:]

I'm reminded of a quote I once heard. Everyone is entitled to say or think anything they want, but must except any consequences from people who do not agree.

Atlasman,

I hunt whitetails and wild boar in Georgia with bow and gun. Most of my shots are as you described and my bow shots are within 20 yds, my choice. However, I got the opportunity to go to Colorado in 2003 mule deer hunting and I'll assure you it ain't nothing to sneeze at. Antelope season was over with but after I got my mule deer I did't tote a gun, went with my buddy til he got his mule deer, so I did some scouting for him and in the process I couldn't resist the temptation to try and stalk some antelope and mule deer. I tried some that was over 400yds away and I got busted several times by both, but had a ball.

My two cents.

dog1

OK.....I'll bite........not sure how I am missing MY OWN point, but what the heck, the football games don't start for a few hours


My posts were not meant as a put down to anyone. If you can't be honest with yourself and realize that picking off an animal that is 350 yards away requires more shooting skill then hunting skill then it is something you are just not comfortable admitting because YOU see it as a "Put Down" I just see it as reality.

Any weapon you use that increases the range that you can kill game decreases the amount of hunting skill needed to take that animal. Taking an animal by hand would require the most hunting skill, then traditional archery, then compounds, then crossbows, then shotguns, then muzzleloaders, then rifles. As the list progresses you can rely more on the weapon (if used correctly) so you don't have to get up close and personal to kill one.......when ranges of 350 yards start being discussed then you are now in almost a pure "shooting" situation because the skills needed to take game up close are not necessary at 1,000 feet away........you better be a damn good shot though!!!

Just like I said before........if someone invents a rifle that shoots a mile accurately.....maybe 2 miles someday. would it require much hunting skill to kill a animal from that far away?? Hell no.........you could be doing literally anything and not effect game from that far.............just like 350 yards away........sure you can't stand up and yell at them or run around in a clown suit banging a drum........but pretty close At those ranges an animals field of vision is HUGE......if you just stay still or have minimal cover by the time they pick you out of the entire hillside it's already game over.


EXACTLY..........just some more then others. Shooting is not the toughest part of taking a deer with a bow. I can hit the vitals from 20 yards no problem.......it's getting the darn things in that close and hoping they stop in my shooting lane and turn broadside that's the problem.......then you have to get the bow drawn........the shot is a slam dunk......getting a shot is the hard part.

Shotgun is a little more shooting (then bow) because the deer are farther away and sometimes moving (sometimes running) and I have to deal with limbs and saplings that may effect my shot.........getting a deer within range is no longer the HARDEST thing I am doing (about equal I would say).

Muzzleloader is more shooting then shotgun. My range is now out to 150 yards so I can sit by open fields and just wait for something to catch my eye. It is perhaps MOST reliant on shooting skill because you only get one shot and can't cap off 4 more shells if you miss the first shot. At ranges of 150 yards I don't worry about scent, small motions or sounds like safety click for example......I worry more about making sure the gun is aimed and steady and I have my range accurate..........shooting skills, not hunting skills.

Rifle is even more shooting then any mentioned yet. With ranges out to 350 yards maybe even more your main focus is on making the shot........not whether or not the deer can see you breathing or blinking or move your finger over the trigger...........it's a deer not an eagle........and I think it's fair to say that getting within 400 yards of a deer isn't the hardest thing in the world to do.

I LOVE them all.........I just don't pretend they are something they are not.

You are right on the money dude............I don't know why they are getting all bent out of shape about the east west thing.

You read my post EXACTLY how I meant it.

All the sudden we are off on a wild Elk, Pronghorn, farting tangent???

Hi atlasman,

Now, your last argument was more cogent. You took the time to not only break down differences required with different weapons systems...but to logically support each of them.

I don't think you will find any one willing to attempt a "serious argument" with you that the shot itself doesn't require less skill with a centerfire rifle than say a long bow. Nor, would they argue that the hardest part of either of those is "setting yourself up" for the shot in the first place. I think where you will find argument is if you attempt to "portray" one as more "worthy" than the other. They all take varying degrees of differing skills. Some more dependent upon woodsmanship....and some more dependent upon marksmanship. But where people are willing to argue is if you attempt to say that one of those skills are somehow "better....or more ethical....or more worthy than the other skills". Each hunter decides for him or herself which form of the sport they enjoy. And that is the important distinction! If you take your chosen "form" of hunting and apply it in an ethical manner....that is what is most important. The rest is just minutia...trivial...non-important.....EXCEPT IN THE MIND OF SOME ONE ELSE!

As hunters we should be policing our ranks of "outlaws". We should not tolerate the slobs. We should shun the unethical. We should NOT argue amongst ourselves over the minutia! That is what is important!

You and I may be mature enough to sit here all day and argue vehemently for or against one another's position. But there may be less experienced, less mature, "less certain of the ethics of hunting", individuals sitting here reading these posts. And what "picture of our sport" do we want to present to them?

When it is done ethically....all forms of hunting are equally worthwhile! And therein lies the truth.

akbound, I agree we are all hunters and one mans way isnt any better than
somebody elses. Heck, if I knew I could shoot 150 yds. with my shotgun
there would be times that I would be sitting by the edge of a field.
In reality though, I have no choice but to get in the thick stuff and hope
that I can position myself for a shot within 70 yds. or so.

That doesnt make my way any better than someone elses, it just means I know
that I have to be extra careful with scent and movement, cause that biggun
will always sneak up on me.