Quote:
Originally Posted by aigel
You guys crack me up. Guy asks which scope to buy, and you are telling how you shoot from the hip at 500 yards.  |
Only if the critter's running...
Quote:
Originally Posted by aigel
Of course it is great to go iron sights and round ball etc., but some of us do hunt for the meat and want to get there quickly and use flat shooting scoped bolt action rifles. Some just cannot spend a lot of time in the field and still want to get an animal. An antelope hunt for me is a meat hunt. I show up, get my two does and leave the next day. There are more antelope in WY than people, so it is a real management activity. There is other hunting where I take my time (birds) and go all out "classic".
I do like the fact that we all appear agree that less is more in terms of magnification for the OP's new scope.
G
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Come on, none of us "meat hunters" (I'm no trophy hunter) really hunts for meat. It would be far, far cheaper to buy a side of beef and have it butchered. No, we hunt for recreation, pure and simple.
Hunting has taken a strange turn in this modern age, in my humble opinion. I think we've beaten the scope issue to death, so I'm going to keep going on this little tangent, and comment on this idea.
Hunting is not something that can (or should) be rushed, yet modern man has found a way to do so. He fully expects to take a day or two, maybe three, out of his busy life, heigh off to the field somewhere, and tag a big game animal. Happens all the time. I find that somewhat distressing. Way too casual of an approach, like going to play golf or something. Maybe it wouldn't rub me so wrong if at least they had the honesty to admit they are not hunting.
We have made this as convenient as possible. Air conditioned pickups and SUV's flocking to the field, filled with "hunters" toting the latest optics, laser range finders, two way radios, and the most modern flat shooting rifle available, with the biggest scope they can afford. Every advantage possible, every advantage they can purchase at Cabella's to ensure their "success".
The real problem is, they have no idea how to measure that "success". To them, it's all about getting an animal, filling a tag. Their egos will allow no less. They could never face their buddies if they came home emptyhanded. They are way too competetive for that, and "scoring" is a part of that competition. They have to prove, both to themselves and everyone else they think might care, that they are a
hunter. Their manhood is a stake.
They are nothing of the kind. They have not
hunted a god damn thing. They've driven out and shot something alrighty, but they certainly have not hunted. They will never know what "success" really is. How sad. How utterly disrespectful of the animals that give their lives for no more than feeding these guys' egos. Sigh...
This is, again IMHO, what has driven so much of the modern technology we see in the field. It's all meant to help this kind of guy get an animal quicker, more certainly, than ever before. Many are now willing to spend the money, rather than the time, to be successful. This has also spawned what Ilike to call the "range rifle".
The "range rifle" suits this kind of "hunter" beautifully. He never really hunts with it (although he does shoot animals with it), so its size and weight are not all that important. He'll never be carrying it on foot, into his tenth mile of the day, in rough country. That's not how he rolls. That huge scope on top will never begin to seem even bigger, becaue it never goes far from the truck. It will, however, allow him to out-shoot his buddies at the range, which is also important. It will make him look like he can take that 500 yard shot which is, again, of vital importance. Never mind that if he actually carried this rig all day, on foot, then had to drag (or quarter and pack) out an animal with it over his shoulder, he would probably throw it off the next cliff. It doesn't matter because he will never do that. He'll just drive the truck, or the quad, right up to that animal that was dropped in sight of the vehicle (and likely from the vehicle). No fuss, no muss. And the handiness of his equipment will simply never matter. Sigh... rant over...