Food for Thought

[Zeke-BE]

Shoot far, shoot long, shoot from a blind, tree stand, spear, shooting hogs from a helicopter, hunting black bear on bait, or from a boat in Alaska, or high fences in texas! Who cares nobody is thinking about what other people think on how they hunt. Except a hand full of people on this forum. Just because you don't think much of it or what should be expected doesn't mean you need to knock on it for other. I have my ways day in and day out but Ill try any style of hunting just to say I did it.

[Zeke-BE]

 

Great kills and congratulations, but I think this proves what I am trying to say. A fourteen year old with the right firearm can kill a great buck at distance. Show me where a 14 year old has killed any buck at under 30. I hope the draw is tomorrow or I will get beaten up.

How about a javalina @ 18 yards by an 11 years old?

 

 

Lance you shouldn't of show the tripod in this picture because that is not hunting either

[firstcoueswas80]

How about a mountain lion shot spot stock style at a distance measured in feet not yards?

[firstcoueswas80]

Side note, the two game animals I've lost in my hunting career have both been shot at under 25 yards.

[MMACFIVE]

Please excuse my diatribe.

 

Sarcasm is hard to portray in print. For the record when I ask if anyone missed anymore over 500 yards I was being sarcastic. You hardly ever hear of anyone missing or crippling at long range. If they talk about it they eventually killed on the second, third, or forth shot after the spotter walked them in.

 

If I were to talk about my 30 plus traditional archery kills I never missed....except for maybe that one time, couple of times ....OK, maybe a few times or more.

 

There are many comments on this post about hunters not fighting within ourselves. I agree with this and it is the right thing to do. We need to respect each others differences. At the same time we have to be good ambassadors of the sport and hold each other accountable!

 

Here are a few of my observed examples of bad behavior:

 

There is a video online from a Flagstaff guide where he is helping newer hunters learn to shoot long range a the day before a Kaibab late hunt. He states that he believes it is much more ethical to shoot at long distances (500yds plus), at undisturbed animals, than at closer distances where the animal is wary. Both of the hunters got shots at the 550yds plus range. Both of the hunters gut shot their deer. But he did get to brag that a lesser qualified hunter would not have been able to track and find the wounded deer.

There was another camp near me in 36B one year. A newer hunter got a shot at 550 yds and gut shot his deer. He ran out of ammo trying to finish it off (15 or more shots) and had to have a stranger walk down and finish it off. But he learn from his experience...he was going to have a better scope the next year. I told him maybe he should practice a little more and not shoot outside his range.

I gave an Archery hunter a ride a long time ago. When I ask him how it was going he said he had missed 19 (nineteen!) shots that season. I thought about it for a while and although At the time I'd killed a dozen or so traditional animals I told him I hadn't taken 19 shots in my life.

Being good ambassadors and holding others accountable should also extend to other things, like littering and driving off road.

 

I think there is value in the dialog in this post. We have to be able to "agree to disagree" and respect each other.

[AZAV8ER]

I can hear another game and fish fair chase committee being formed already. I Wish people would quit wishing for more regulations because you might get your wish and then some.

Ohhhhh do you think. That would be awesome !!!! Lets see, only single shot rifles and lets say max 4X maybe 6X fixed power scopes sans turrets and duplex reticules at the most. Also only cartridges that were around before 1930.

[Roosevelt Mark]

Thats pretty amazing stuff.

 

With all the the new technology does anyone ever miss over 500 yds anymore?

 

 

 

I don't know about 500 but I can shoot right over them at 150.

[MMACFIVE]

Ya. When I was 16 I missed a 200 buck in traditional archery range, with my 7mm RM.

[lancetkenyon]

My son-in-law swears I missed a coyote @ 20 yards with my 7RM. Personally, I think the 168 Barnes went right on through. Watched him run and stumble once, but kept going. I followed him for about 500 yards in the 3" of fresh snow, and saw a couple more stumbles, but never found him. Not a drop of blood either.

 

I have missed more turkeys from 10-60 yards with my bow than all other game combined (except wingshooting and upland hunting).

 

Missed a great muley buck @ 50 yards with my bow, when he dropped down on his knees to get a drink right as I released. That one STILL haunts me, and that was 20 years ago. Yet I took a decent buck @ 82 the following day.

 

I have shot and not recovered plenty of doves. Stupid cotton fields....

[HuntHarder]

I have taken far more animals with my bow than I have with a rifle, but I still enjoy a gun hunt. Shooting long range does take away a pretty big part of the "hunting" aspect, but it does require a different skill. Being able to dope the wind, calculate the drop, wait for the perfect broadside shot are skills that many do not have and they take a while to get them. Sure I approach archery hunting different than I do when I long range hunt, where do you draw the line in the sand on what is ethical. I have killed multiple animals over water out of a blind. An animal has to drink, so was that unethical? In some people's eyes it is. I have knocked down a couple of coues at 500+ yards with a rifle, some think that is unethical. Stick to your ethics and quit worrying about everyone else's. We all draw the line at different places in the "ethics" book. Just do you and life will be much less stressful bud.

[muledeerarea33?]

I just like to shoot, hunt, and eat. I can shoot ok, hunt ok, and eat better than most! It shouldnt matter how you like to enjoy the tradition of hunting, if its legal then do it. Ethics are held individually.

[ThomC]

My new gun is a Bug-A-Salt 2.0. For the Pest Hunter. Fly facts, nobody pities the fly, but here comes the ethics, No Butterflies, or Praying Mantises, or the like are to be targeted. Adults only 18 and older. www.bugsalt.com SKELL INC. A killer company.

 

Is it ethical to shoot flies long range?, if the fly is winged and still alive do you need to stomp on it? Do we need a PETF?

[5guyshunting]

My new gun is a Bug-A-Salt 2.0. For the Pest Hunter. Fly facts, nobody pities the fly, but here comes the ethics, No Butterflies, or Praying Mantises, or the like are to be targeted. Adults only 18 and older. www.bugsalt.com SKELL INC. A killer company.

 

Is it ethical to shoot flies long range?, if the fly is winged and still alive do you need to stomp on it? Do we 7need a PETF?

 

I am the proud owner of 2 bugassalts. I think flys have to be wing shot and everything else is fair bugs.😏

[OpticNerd]

Im not gone. Just reading your posts. Some are not to bad and some idiotic. Shooting at long range has even been comented on by AZGF in the regs but I am sure you all don't read those other than to pick a unit.

 

Are you talking about the ethics section on page 10? B&C has also commented on long range hunting and they seem to be apposed to this trend. I wonder how long it will take the AZGF fair chase committee to state an opinion on this subject? I bet it's at the top of their to do list.

[lancetkenyon]

Long range varies person to person. I used to think 200 yards was long range, and passed a lot of shots when I was younger. I have my own personal limits for big game.

 

Coyotes are a different story. I will shoot them at any range. I have three over 1300.