The AZ One Shot Challenge

[.270]

there ya go, usin' that 2 dollar word again red, ethics. just because me, you, pilgrimboy, or whoever feel that folks have some sort of limitation on their shooting ability doesn't give anyone the right to limit them. all ethics are is your opinion of something. you (and i'm using 'you' to refer to everyone, not just redrabbit) feel that someone has done something "unethical". as long as it's legal, at least when it comes to hunting, it's ethical. you may not agree with it, but it's ethical. that's the way it has to be. can you imagine what would happen if all the sudden game wardens were also ethics cops? if there was a legal range you had to stay within? "sorry sir, the breeze was above the ethical limit when you made that shot, we're gonna take your license for "ethical" reasons" even tho ya guessed the wind right and hit it between the eyes. check out the baiting issue. it's legal, it's ok. but i can still tease folks about it. but it's ok. if we keep slingin' around this "ethics" deal, pretty soon someone is gonna try and legislate ethics. then you'll have someone interpreting ethics as their opinion. folks won't be able to hunt because they can't shoot good enough or they can't afford a scope or don't have the kind of bow someone feels they oughta, etc. i've read right here on this sight that folks felt it was "unethical" to hunt and not own a range finder. others say that anyone that shoots over 40 yards with a bow is "unethical". then others have a yardage limit that they feel is unethical to stretch with a rifle. if there is one thing that the Azgfd has done a good job on it is keeping hunting method rules simple. any centerfire rifle or handgun is legal for big game. any bow over 40 lbs and with a broadhead over 7/8" is legal. if it's too dark to see, don't shoot. that's about it. they leave the rest of it up to the hunters. they know that hunters are smart enough to use adequate weapons at reasonable distances. they know that after time and experience, hopefully experience handed down by someone who has some, most hunters will turn out ok. they know that hunters are smart enough to take the shell outta the chamber before they get in the truck. and smart enought to know when it's too dark to shoot. some states have so many rules and regulations concerning calibers, draw weight, legal shooting light, etc. that you can't hardly be legal if you want to. i say do what ya wanna do and let holier than thou, smug, stuck on theirselves psuedo-snipers take their little posts, that are aimed at starting a fight, somewhere else. i was raised by one of the greatest snipers and military marksmen that ever was. i can shoot. whoever pilgrimguy is, he would be in a world o' hurt if he was really serious about packin' a target and lettin' me fling lead at it. and i'm an old guy with an old rifle. some o' you kids with these hotrod rifles, range finders, bipods, dial in scopes, etc., would probly splatter this dumb joker all over the place. every peta member thinks everything we do as hunters unethical. we each owe it to ourselves to hunt hard and be good representative of what we feel a hunter should be. the guy that throws his junk in his truck the evening before the season and heads out with a .30/30 and only gets a buck every 7th year has just as much right to the woods as someone with a half million bucks invested in his outfit and hunts 300 days a year. lets hunt. Lark.

[aintnopilgrim]

Dumb joker? You must be right, I couldn't be very intellegent for suggesting that people think about what they say and the impact that it can have on the animals we hunt.

 

I may have only been hunting since I was old enough to safely wingshoot with my 410 but I have seen changes to hunting that make me ill. I wasn't tying to start a fight with anyone. I was however curious to see how some of you might react to what I had to say.

 

Lark was it? It seems like we have more in common than we have in difference. I was raised by someone who could shoot. He taught me how to shoot and when to shoot but not all of us have had that advatage. Where do you think someone without those advantages might try to get information?

 

Hey, I want to start another FIGHT! How many of you think it is a good idea to have a shell in the chamber while your walking around in the field? I can't even imagine how anyone can think this is a good idea.

[azpackhorse]

When I am hunting I have a round chambered in my rifle, when I have to crawl, cross a fence, or hand my rifle to someone else to do something similar to the mentioned tasks I will clear the rifle. I know people who do not agree with having a round chambered until time to shoot.......fine with me but I do have a round chambered while hunting. I am confident enough in my ability to be safe to do so, ya ya I know, there are accidents and things will happen that you can't control but such is life.

Anyone ever drive around without a seatbelt? I hear of allot more people being thrown from a vehicle because of not wearing a seatbelt than people being shot in the field because Billy-Bob tripped on a twig and shot himself cuz he had a round chambered................the point is that anyone that likes to argue, givin a crowd, will do just that.

I really don't give a crap if you shoot 500 yards, carry a loaded rifle, or wear a seatbelt.

[.270]

right on packhorse. walk around with one in the pipe and the safety off. if that's what ya wanna do. when i'm in a place where i think what i'm after might stand up, you bet i have one in the barrel. my thumb on the safety too. sometimes the safety is off. oh yeah, and i shoot at runnin' game too. straight away, straight on, quartering away and towards me, broadside. close, far, i take whatever shot i get. i also have one in the barrel when i hunt birds. if i have a double, i have one in both barrels. never shot anybody yet. i mean other than when i was tryin' to shoot em. if you use a gun right, it won't hurt anyone. and if it's legal, it's ethical. and don't ever put me in the same boat with ya pilgrim. we ain't anything alike. guaranteed. and i'm real glad about it. Lark.

[JohnFriddle]

EXACTLY!!!! If it's legal it's ethical!!! Nothing is worse than hearing someone whine about else someone doing what THEY think is unethical, or unsafe... I'm not responsible for what someone else does with THEIR firearm, anymore than THEY are responsible for mine... I don't walk in front of, or behind someone that is carrying a firearm in a manner that I think is unsafe, but, I'm sure not going to tell a grown-a** adult how they should act... If someone wants to bait go ahead, if someone wants to take a long-a** shot go ahead... If your comfortable with it I am too... What I do is my business and I'll afford you the same respect... Your breaking the law? Your wrong... But, thats not what we're talking about here...

[peloncillo]

I think maybe I've lost my mind but I'm agreeing with Lark. Lets all get out there and hunt and be responsible for our own actions. Don't give the anti's any more ammo then they already got. Hunt smart, hunt hard and hunt safe.

 

Keven

[Guest Ernesto C]

Dumb joker? You must be right, I couldn't be very intellegent for suggesting that people think about what they say and the impact that it can have on the animals we hunt.

 

I may have only been hunting since I was old enough to safely wingshoot with my 410 but I have seen changes to hunting that make me ill. I wasn't tying to start a fight with anyone. I was however curious to see how some of you might react to what I had to say.

 

Lark was it? It seems like we have more in common than we have in difference. I was raised by someone who could shoot. He taught me how to shoot and when to shoot but not all of us have had that advatage. Where do you think someone without those advantages might try to get information?

 

Hey, I want to start another FIGHT! How many of you think it is a good idea to have a shell in the chamber while your walking around in the field? I can't even imagine how anyone can think this is a good idea.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

See? a.n.pilgrim? Read very carefully again your very first post and read this one. I have always said that there are two ways to do things: the right one and the wrong one. On your very first post some of us got defensive because the way you posted sounded or feelt like an attack and I'm sure you are not different than any one of us and you will also get defensive if some one or something attacks you or the ones you care of.

But now your second issue you start it with a question"How many of you thing is a good idea to have a shell in the chamber while walking around in the field?" You are getting people involve or people will be more willing to give their input this way than if you come here judging and saying people have no bussines shooting at 400 yards when in fact plenty of people here can do it.

 

I'm sure we got a lot to learn from you,lets hear some of your experiences and adventures in the field. God bless.

 

Hey Doug Amen to that bro.

 

Ernesto C

 

Be sure of your target.......and beyond.

[Tines]

I don't have one chambered while walking. That's just a personal thing. I chamber one as soon as I sit down to glass and take it out after I've stood up and scanned the area before I leave. I never found it took too long to jack one in if I was in a pinch......... knock on wood! With that being said, I do have one chambered if walking through an area I know I'm about to jump an animal.

[mulie hunter]

Shot placement is the key. My 11 year old son has asked me in the past about a particular caliber, dad how far can this gun shoot? I tell him its not how far the gun can shoot, but if you can accurately place the shot in vitals shooting at a certain distances , each hunter will have his or her own personal effective shooting distance and wont take a shot beyond, thats good ethics!! Mine is 50 yards, I'm a bowhunter.

[az4life]

Safety first, and last is what I feel best with.

Basically if I am hunting, the round is ready to fire with a simple safety click.

Sitting, glassing, gun is nearby with chamber filled and safety on.

Walking, stalking, still hunting, ready to see game, I'm primed with safety on.

Hiking or climbing is another case. When I am focussing on where to step, and what to hold on to, I pull the round from the chamber but still put safety on.

[wklman]

I load one up from the time I leave my truck till the time I get back.these coues deer don't give you a second chance once there spooked.I've come over saddles and down cuts to find deer wired to me or getting out of dodge and the only difference in me getting them or not was having one in the chamber ready.when your fumbling with your rifle you make noise,take time and spook deer even more.how many hunting shows have you watched where the guy gets ready to take the shot takes the safety off,pulls the trigger and the gun goes click because they never chambered a round.I think this makes a situation even more dangerous because now the hunter gets excited,starts fumbling with the gun,the friend or guide thats with them starts telling them the animals leaving and all heck can break loose.

 

wade

[firstcoueswas80]

i also hike with a round in the chamber. if i am going to hand my gun off to my dad, i take the round out. i have seen a lot of shows, mostly hunting in mexico where they jack a round in right before they shoot, is it illegal in mexico to hunt with a round in the chamber?

[bowsniper]

Some of you guys are pretty quick to try to put all hunters into a single box, and then condemn them for their "unethical" actions when they hunt outside of your box.

 

Not to boast, but to make a point, I will tell you about a spike carp I killed at 565 yards. Before you condemn me as an unethical hunter because I killed a spike and took a long shot, maybe you should here more...

 

I had never harvested a deer before, and had been on 7 deer hunts without getting an "ethical" shot. So was it "ethical" that an adult killed a spike for his first deer?

 

I had my 300 WM ballistically mapped out to 1000 yards. I could get the range, check my field card, dial in the turrent knobs on the scope, and be 100% sure that the trajectory was perfect. I could consistently hit a vital sized area out to 700 yards. I also had a spotter who watched the animal drop and guided me to it after the shot.

 

Hunters who think that it's "unethical" to shoot over 400 yards should take a trip out to Ben Avery shooting range. There are guys out there that can drop a bullet into a 5" circle at 1000 yards all day.

 

Anyway, I took up archery and started hanging out at water holes. Is that "unethical" to hunt water holes because I don't have the skill to spot and stalk a coues for a 30 yard shot? What about rifle hunters hanging out at water holes? Are they unethical? Maybe they can't shoot accurately past 100 yards, so a water hole is their only option.

 

There was a thread a few weeks ago where several people condemned food baiting as "unethical". Why is food baiting more "unethical" than sitting a water hole? (water hole baiting) A deer in this state has alot more places to get food than it does for water.

 

All hunters skills and experience levels are different, so how can all hunters be accountable to the same "ethical" standards?

 

bowsniper

[recurveman]

I want to take one of these long range shots. The only problem is I'm to good of a hunter to get that far away from the animal. I was so excited last year when I finally got to shoot an animal at 250 yards. It was the first time I actually got to shoot past 80 yards at an animal. Though I have to say I was a little bummed. I spent days and days at the range and then in the field shooting in all types of positions, at all types of distances, and all types of wind conditions. I was really hoping to shoot a really long shot and see if all my practice payed off.

 

I could have shot the deer at 200 but I thought it would be fun to let it get out as far as possible.

 

BTW. The bart moon job was kind of cool.

 

Later,

 

recurveman--hoping for a 500 yard shot this year.....please no wind.

[firstcoueswas80]

see, this is why it takes me so many shots to harvest my game, you all dont understand how i work.

1st shot warning shot, get the buck excited, let him know im there

2nd shot, gets the running

3rd shot, stops them from running

4th shot, usually, if i havent hit yet, i hit with this one. this one is usually a pretty good shot, but that doesnt stop me

5th shot, if not deceased, they are a good 400-500 yards away, this is another warning shot

6th shot, this one is the doozy, this one finishes them off

7th shot, security shot, just to be sure

8th shot, i think it moved, better shoot again

9th shot, twitched when number 8 landed

 

 

this is how i always have long shots!