Hunter X Report post Posted February 16, 2011 I know this is probably not going to go over too well with some but I'm going to take one for the team as some might say. I've been hunting for as long as I can remember. I have seen and done my fair share of misses on game probably more then most. If there was ever an expert on missed shots I'd definitely be in the running. From experiencing all these missed shots ranging from 100 yards all the way up to 700. I've come to one important conclusion but before I tell what that is I want to ask a question. If a picture is worth a 1000 words then what's a video worth? I invite each and everyone of you to please watch this video I put together. Here's the hard part I want you to just watch the deer and how they react to the shots in relation to the distance they are being shot at. I know there where a lot of hunter mistakes made but that's not what I want you to look for. I want everyone to see if they notice a difference in the deers behavior in correlation to the distance of the shots being taken? Then ask yourself one question...Is shooting game at long rang really fair to the animals being shot at? Please watch and then decide for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBEHuDuvCWI Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted February 16, 2011 Is shooting game at long rang really fair to the animals being shot at? Didn't watch all the video, just a little bit. In my experience, the closer the shot, the further they will run or more they will react. The longer the shot the less they will react. If you want to start another longrange argument, well that dead horse was beat a long time ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azgutpile Report post Posted February 16, 2011 If you were to actually hit the deer with a vital shot on the first try, the reactions would be the same as if you shot the deer at a much shorter range. We all miss our shots from time to time; however, you shouldn't take a shot at a deer unless you are very confident and capable of hitting the deer in the vitals with your first shot. This isn't the time to bracket your shots for a hit, your first shot should hit and if it didn't, it should be a total surprise to you. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of rifle, scope, rangefinder are you using? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rclouse79 Report post Posted February 16, 2011 It is not fair to say that nobody should shoot over 500yds, but it is safe to say the people in the video should stick to 100yds or closer. You would think some of them would have gotten a clue that they were launching hail maries after missing 5 or 6 times in a row. It was almost comical to see how low that one guy was consistently hitting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lobo Report post Posted February 16, 2011 No. Unless the shooter is an expert at long range. There are experts here. I doubt they would attempt a shot they are uncertain of. How many animals are wounded and lost that way. When a buck is aware of the hunter in his own home it becomes a one on one thing. That's hunting. I've gone 'round and 'round with a buck only to find out it was a small one. Sometimes in the brush it's only a glimpse at a time, or even a sound of him moving. They can get pretty darn sneaky. I saw a buck lay down flat when dad was chasing him. That's hunting - for me. That's fair - for me. Shooting a deer so far away that he doesn't even know I'm there is not fair - to me/for for the deer. But then again a deer will get killed by a lion it didn't know was there. Obviously we're not lions. We're people and we have the intelligence to really put the odds in our favor. Trail cams for instance. It's like shopping now. "Shoppers" will know what they want because they saw it and "set up" on the deer. Or baiting. Using bait to attract a deer and get it accustomed to go to a specific place for snacks. Waiting by a waterhole. None of these is fair - to me. I'm a STILL HUNTER. There are things that are unfair to a LR hunter. Only a LR guy would know what that is. There may be things that are unfair to a poacher. Only a poacher would know I guess. But the worst thing is taking wildlife for granted - not making clean kills. That means being responsible enough to pass up a bad shot or one we're not sure of. Some of the experts on this forum put in as much time or more perfecting their skills as I do chasing a buck, to get to be expert enough to know when to pass up a shot. What's the wind doing here - and on the way - and there? What's the bullet going to do? Is there anyone in between? Some people shouldn't be carrying a weapon let alone shooting at long distance. The guy(s) in the video were just hoping to hit the deer. They were shooting beyond their skill level. IMO. Anyone besides me ever had a "long range hunter" shoot over their head? I think we're too far along with the technology to consider "fair" as it was years ago. It's not fair to the animal to take a chance on wounding and losing it with a "I think I can" shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pwrguy Report post Posted February 16, 2011 If the extent of your practice is going to the range and shooting paper at 100 yards, you should ethically limit yourself to 100 yards....period. Like the previous poster said "some people should not be allowed to carry a rifle". It really boils down to personal resposibility, I for one do not advocate trying to legislate ethics,,, there is no way prove anything, one persons long shot is anothers close shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted February 16, 2011 That was a very interesting (and entertaining) video. Thanks for posting it. As for the long-range shooting, as others have said, that horse has been beaten enough, but it was really cool to see the different reactions from the deer. Man, that last one, was crazy. You must have been a lot closer to the deer than the shooter. Seemed the impact and sound were virtually simultaneous. Did he even realize how far low he was hitting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gotcoues Report post Posted February 17, 2011 This video has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with ethics. Not only is the shooting skills some of the worst I've seen on video. It also seems that which way the animals are facing isn't even the slightest concern to the hunter. The video is a shameful reminder of what some people do in the field. Fairness is something the anti's talk about IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Millhouse Report post Posted February 17, 2011 Okay, so I didn't watch the video. I would say from my past experiences, that animals that run after the shot (missed or the by-standers) is more due to the noise created than anything else. You can be close, but from an elevated position, and the animals may not be able to tell where the threat came from...Just a thought that it may have more to do with them being able to pick up where the noise came from rather than just the distance of the shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernesto C Report post Posted February 17, 2011 Fair? I dont understand exactly the point of the question. Are you saying we should hunt deer just with a knife in hand so we can have to get really close to the deer? On or about the video: Yes it is fair "if" you can make the shot. Unfortunally these people are not hunters. A responsibble hunter knows his/her limitations. A responsible hunters spend countless hours at the range shooting from different positions and angles there fore gets to know his/her gun and gets to know how far he/her can shoot accuratly. Etc etc etc. If this people were trying to show the "what not to do or how not to hunt deer" then I congratulate them! Ernesto C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted February 17, 2011 That was tough to watch, although those would have made some awesome kill shots. I can see your argument in that deer react differently depending on how close/far the shot is. Thanks for putting the video together and sharing it. It got the blood pumping although I would have loved for these to be successful shots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Jonathan Report post Posted February 17, 2011 This video and thread are detrimental to hunting in general. No one who hunts stands to win anything from this kind of "fairness" rhetoric. The animals, believe it or not, could care less about our ideals of fairness, a dead animal is a dead animal regardless of how far or with what kind of weapon it was killed. It makes no difference to them. The real questions should be asked about our conduct, why we make the choices that we do, because unlike animals, we can sit and reflect on those choices and their consequences and hopefully become not just better hunters but better people. That is the difference between this discussion and the other thread on "standards." This video does nothing to demonstrate fairness, but rather an exceptional lack of consideration for our conduct in the field. Just listen to the conversation on the radios. Funny how that isn't mentioned in the fairness slant. Is the disservice to hunting that this video does justified by trying to promote a highly subjective stance on what is fair? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted February 17, 2011 What's unfair is the fact I watched that video and didn't get to see one deer hit the dirt.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Jonathan Report post Posted February 17, 2011 What's unfair is the fact I watched that video and didn't get to see one deer hit the dirt.. +1 All 9 plus minutes of it! I was really offended watching that first Coues walk off. He was gorgeous. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shylopolito Report post Posted February 17, 2011 What's unfair is the fact I watched that video and didn't get to see one deer hit the dirt.. +1 All 9 plus minutes of it! I was really offended watching that first Coues walk off. He was gorgeous. + 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
