Hunting

[LongWayToFall 0]

I have not shot a deer yet, but do understand a bit about how it all works. The reason it doesn't sound right to me, is that you said so yourself, it was a shot you normally wouldn't take. You were pressured into it, for whatever reason. I still think your standards in regards to reasonable shots (it sounds like you normally have no problem with clean shots) should not change with increased pressure to perform.

About your rifle, I also have a very old collector gun that my great grandfather bought, a model 55 winchester in 30-30. I would never consider bringing this into the field. If you have no attachment to your rifle, why don't you sell it and buy a gun with scope included for the $700? Savage makes some decent rifles with scopes in 30-06 for somewhere in this price range.

[skyrider 0]

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Somehow that doesn't sit right with me, and is a good reason why people dislike hunters. Darkness, an animal which is walking away or partly obscured, an excessively long shot, or the last day of a hunt and the eagerness to get a kill all contribute to shitty shooting. Taking a shit shot at an animal is what causes them to die slowly, and isn't the sign of a good hunter. Why not spend a few bucks on a nice scope, or just not take the shot?

The majority of deer are shot at sun up and sun down. In all of my years hunting deer, not counting this one, I have killed near every deer I shot at. Some were less than 20 feet some were near 300 yards. Sometimes you just miss. It happens to the best.
I take it you do not deer hunt? An instant drop would be nice, but it does not always happen that way.

Tracking a shot deer is just part hunting. I've seen deer go just into the tree line and lay down in brush to die. Other times they may run for over a mile through woods and farm land. Hope they leave a good blood trail. A gut shot deer will not bleed out. Best shot is behind its front leg. Take out lungs and heart. Even then, a deer can run more than 50yds. Enough to find a place to hide in the woods. If we don't find it, we don't worry ourselves over it. No one likes to lose a deer, but it happens to even the best hunters.

I do not hunt solely for enjoyment. My main purpose is meat. Hell yes, I'll take a long shot. If I hit it and it goes into the woods at sunset, I'll get him in the morning, if not that night. If we don't find it, oh well, coyotes have to eat, too.

I've been using this rifle since 1987. It is a Model of 1917 Winchester that someone sporterized after it was stolen from an Army base in New Jersey in 1920. I bought it at a gun shop in Indiana. There is a website that one can use to track a weapon's history using the serial numbers. It would ruin this rifle to mount a scope on it. The gunsmith at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield told me that my rifle was worth $750-1000.00 if not more. He recommended not mounting a scope. I have been thinking of getting a .270 with a dusk and dawn scope. I am very good with open sights, however. Besides, many a deer has been missed with a scope mounted rifle.

Two tidbits, when I was a pup, I lived in Springfield...If we shot a deer, and didn;t track it, we would be horse whipped by my uncle..

Second Tidbit...Me and my cousin built the walls in The Bass Pro Shop in Springfield Mo. ...That was the first time I had had a real job in winter ,Our Carnival wintered in Springfield, so that meant all winter on the street for the few of us that lived on the show!

[steve1 5]

In almost fifty years of hunting I've probably killed well over a hundred deer, maybe twenty elk, a few bear, one moose, three mountain goat, at least twenty antelope, and assorted other critters.

There's lot's of better hunters than me. I don't claim to be any expert, but I do have some strong beliefs on what a hunter should do or not do when afield. If we don't do the right thing, we are going to lose our right to hunt. Non-hunters have some legitimate gripes about hunting.

I think you should make every effort not to wound game. That means passing on "iffy" shots. There's a lot of responsibility that goes along with owning a gun and having the right to hunt. If you wound and lose an animal there is noone to blame but yourself.

I've wounded game over the years, and I always feel awful when that happens. It was a shot I shouldn't have taken.

Anymore, I don't shoot a lot of shells each fall. I try not to shoot unless I've got a very high probability of making that shot.

I hardly ever shoot off-hand unless the animal is very close. I take a rest, use shooting sticks, and sometimes a bipod.

I also need to get to the range more and shoot a lot of ammo. Practice is important. Picking a spot, and trigger control is needed to hit an animal in the right place.

I don't think it matters what you use for a weapon, as long as you stay well withing the limits of that weapon. You need to know your own ability and stay well within that limit too. In other words, don't shoot unless you are sure of your shot. If it doesn't feel right....DON'T SHOOT!

Many hunters are fascinated by long shots. Many people brag about the buck they killed running. Both of these are great ways to wound game.

I hardly ever take a running shot unless the animal is close. It's just too easy to wound something.

I killed an elk this past fall at around 350 yards. I don't like to shoot much further than that. I had a scope and had a rest on top of a small sage bush. My 270 took out both lungs and exited on the other side of the elk. It only took one shot.

A 270 is almost too light for elk hunting you have to be carefull. I'm a firm believer in using a big enough gun.

I didn't mean to get up on my soap box again, but this is how I see things, when it comes to hunting....