When I first started hunting, I simply took my rifle or bow for long walks in the woods. With time and experience, I learned more effective ways of hunting that increased my odds of getting a clean shot on an animal (while a hunt can be defined as successful without a kill, we would be kidding ourselves if we say killing is not the intended outcome.) I gradually adopted a blend of still hunting into an area where I could take a stand on the ground and watch an area, thereby letting the animal come into the kill zone. I've killed a lot of deer and bears under 50 yards using this method. When I started taking my daughter (who was 4 at the time) with me deer hunting, I found stands where I could walk with her undetected and watch an area 200-300 yards away, so she could fidget and ask questions, while still getting to see animals. I killed a few more animals like that. Now I've extended that distance to stands where I can shoot at the distances people are bitching about and calling it "not hunting".
The funny thing is, I'm hunting exactly the same way, but I've placed a bigger burden on myself to kill the animal once I spot it. Killing at those shorter distances is easier...much easier!
I would admit that I have seen more animals since I've taken up the long range rifle, simply because I set up in areas where I can see more, but it certainly hasn't increased my kill ratio! The difference between shooting an animal at 50-100 yards and taking the shot at 600-1200 is so profound, it would take an article to explain why and how. Killing up close is easy, killing at distance is the challenge...not the other way around.
All the gadgets and technology in the world won't replace experience, persistence, and skill. I don't watch any of these TV shows that keep getting mentioned, but I'm starting to get the impression they are selling long range hunting as simply buy this rifle, drive up, put down your sammich, and kill that elk a mile away. There are members on this forum who have hunted with us who can set that straight.
As far as jumping up, yelling, and doing jumping jacks, who the hell would do that?I've stopped animals with my voice at 800 yards and watched elk watch me at 1200 yards.
Colorado isn't out west...it's barely out of the middle!
Seriously though, our perception of things is formed through our experiences. I think if you came to north Idaho and looked at the canyon I'm hunting in now, you would better understand my position. For every blade of grass in CO, north Idaho has a tree
Seriously though, our perception of things is formed through our experiences. I think if you came to north Idaho and looked at the canyon I'm hunting in now, you would better understand my position. For every blade of grass in CO, north Idaho has a tree
Great video! I've seen it before and it was good to watch again. I'll go to bat for the long range guys if it comes down to it but I stand by that limits need to be drawn. An example is poison tipped arrows, most of us would consider them wrong and so they have in turn been made illegal almost everywhere. There are various arguments for both sides but a line was drawn. Another example is mechanical broad heads, Alaska went back and forth on them and still may be I'm not sure. Technology advances and methods change but we can join together as a community and choose the future of hunting for ourselves by being realistic about where lines should be drawn by having healthy discussions about new things or we can get defensive over whatever new thing is up in the forefront and divide ranks and then have no real voice and the antis can decide for us. Make no mistake about it, if influential groups like B&C and Eastman's are posturing like this, conservation agencies will start following with regulations. I am not for regulating LRH but it surely will be if they are feeling public pressure. We can start attempting to form a unified definition of where to draw the line and make preemptive cases to our conservation agencies or at very least have a response WHEN it does come up, if not we're just letting the cards fall where they may and hoping for the best.
