Is it just me?

[dotman]

I see more and more you tube type videos that are fun to watch. I see a theme of family traditions and values in some that I enjoy watching but...... Is it just me or are poor lessons being taught for video time? I'm seeing more and more videos of people using their rifles as a glassing optic. To me this is a dangerous habit to teach the next generation and my dad would of kicked my butt had I done it. I see tons of expensive gear but why no binos?

Example in point, great video but a few bad lessons taught IMO. Maybe I'm just old school and it ok to glass with a rifle scope, I've also see this on TV shows of late like in Alaska the Last Frontier.

http://youtu.be/RxMoDS-zTDI

 

[Ross]

Today's technology makes it simple for lasting memories to be captured in video and many are great and I enjoyed this one, but yes using scope to glass is not a good thing for sure.

 

[MuleyFever]

Poor lessons have always been taught. Now you just get to see it on video.

 

[Whaledriver]

Yep just now everything is documented. Just watched a good one today. Great video. Had a least a half dozen muzzle sweeps that I saw. Maybe why I do not hunting in groups of any type.

 

[IdyllwildArcher]

I'm a bowhunter. I've been "glassed" twice by guys through their scopes. It's an uneasy thing to have a rifle trained on you. I don't think it's too much to ask to fellow hunters to not point a gun at me. I'd never draw on them.

 

[COlineman78]

I see your point and agree slightly, but at the same time I think there are way too many safety and ethics police out there. This day in age people judge other's actions without considering that the action in the context of the other person. For example, the people that criticize a tournament archer who can shoot the wings off a fly at 100+ yards for taking the same shot on an elk. Just because you can't make the shot doesn't make it wrong. While I agree that muzzle sweeps and breaking other basic firearms safety principals are inexcusable, there are some other situations in which might make something you consider unsafe okay. Take for example the use of a scope as it was in the video; well for all you know this could've been private land where they knew they'd never be pointing it in an unsafe direction because there won't be any other people around. That being said, a descent pair of 10x42s is cheap and every hunter should have them. After having someone that I wasn't a fan of in the first place do something stupid that caused a dangerous situation, I would never hunt with someone I didn't trust again. He had gotten to camp and didn't remember if his muzzy was still loaded from the year before so he had decided that he would fire a cap through it to make sure. Well, rather than pointing it into a backstop he shot it blindly across the valley while one of the other guys in our group was in a treestand over there and heard the .50 cal bullet busting through the trees not all that far from him. Needless to say he was a little steamed when he got back to camp.

 

[dotman]

I don't think comparing capabilities to safe firearm handling is the same issue. If you practice a ton and can shoot an animal at 1500 yards I think that is amazing and am jealous but if you can shoot 1500 yards and sit there with your rifle just scoping out various mountain sides then that is just stupid. As far a if it was private land, hey we don't throw out our basics just because they are not always required. That leads to forgetting.

I guess my main point is, if your going to make a video the basics should be covered, we all make mistakes but the above video was planned out and purely made for a reason and hunting wasn't 100% that reason.

 

[RallySquirrel]

Sorry to put this bluntly but political correctness has no place in gun safety. I don't think this is a topic responsible hunters tippy toe around. Treat every gun like its loaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction, know what is beyond your target, never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

No where in those rules does it say, point your muzzle in a safe direction unless you are on private land. No where does it say point your muzzle in a safe direction unless you are too poor to buy binoculars.

Accidents happen because people bend the rules. I'd be willing to bet there is more than just me who has seen someone trespass, by accident or otherwise. I'd also be willing to bet that I'm not the only one who has seen a couple of close calls that ruined their day. I know I have made mistakes and luckily no harm came to pass. Those are not lessons I took lightly.

I put carelessness with a gun in the same category as drinking and driving. I will now step down off my soapbox, rant finished... serenity now!

 

[elkguide]

You can't call a bullet back. A safety is a mechanical thing and mechanical things break.

I don't like to pull up my binoculars to check unusual movement on Private Land,

only to see someone "scoping me" out!

NO EXCUSES!!!!! There isn't a gray area between safe or not safe.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

As far a if it was private land, hey we don't throw out our basics just because they are not always required. That leads to forgetting.

+1 a bad habit is a bad habit anywhere.

 

[Bubblehide]

It's a habit that could get you killed. For example, point a gun at a cop and see what happens. It's no different in the field, it's a behavior that is threatening someone else's life if your pointing it at a person. I was hunting in Utah years back, when I saw some bozo looking through his scope in my direction. From my perspective, it looked like he was looking at me. In reality he was likely looking at a group of deer above me on the ridge. I waved at him, and waved at him to no avail. I then yelled at him, over and over. Frankly the though crossed my mind that I should look at him through my scope, with my safety off; but I took the high road, and just moved on and far away from the guy. Nope, it's not a bad habit, it's down right dangerous.

 

[Lindley]

So I'm going to take a different spin on this one…

First off, having 2 young daughters myself, I found the video inspiring overall. Any father who watches the video can certainly appreciate a father's pride in raising a daughter like her.

With regards to the scenes where they are glassing using their rifles, I think this was partially an intended message of the video. I think they were trying to express some anticipation of a possible shot on any of those animals, but if you listen to the spoken script during those scenes there appears to be an intention to portray a message that only deliberate and purposeful shots are taken, despite the opportunity. I think someone who knows very little about hunting that was watching this video would fully expect that she would fire her rifle the moment she brought the scope to her eye. That same person would probably be surprised by what she had to say as she lowered her rifle and slung it back over her shoulder.

There was a message there. I think that's the bigger picture anyway.

 

[bigmoose]

There is no question about glassing with your rifle. You don't point your gun at something you are not going to shoot. Period. You guys take hunter safety classes? There is nothing worse than glassing a hillside and finding a hunter with his (her) rifle pointed at you. Yeah, maybe I'm old school but I don't believe in "toy" guns either.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I'm a bowhunter. I've been "glassed" twice by guys through their scopes. It's an uneasy thing to have a rifle trained on you. I don't think it's too much to ask to fellow hunters to not point a gun at me. I'd never draw on them.

Me too. I give em the finger and point to my binos or spotter. Nobody's pulled the trigger on me yet.