Before the internet I used a Bushnell Banner and corelokts to kill a bunch of deer with my 7 mag. I didn't realize the scope was a piece of crap until it fell apart on a local hunt.
I also didn't look up how to do a million useful things on YouTube or price compare in an instant or sell the stuff gathering dust in my garage or buy other folks dust gathering stuff at a bargain or learn all kinds of things from people all over with much different experience levels.
I appreciate learning here without having to make my own expensive mistakes - members here are happy to share.
If you hunt a nice patch of private ground where you have a great idea of where the animals are and your shot opportunities are pretty steady and at close range you don't really need most of the advantages available to hunters. No rangefinder because the trail you hunt is 75 yards from your downed log where you almost always kill something. No fancy scope or bullets or binoculars or any of the expensive toys hunters drag around these days. If you drive your truck or 4 wheeler up to it so much the better.
If you only get one opportunity on public land after a quick 2 day scout and a 5 mile hike up and own steep terrain at 350 yards quartering to you - those advantages are nice to have.
Most every bullet works fine on deer and in my opinion a premium bullet is worth loading up for elk, and I believe the benefits are most apparent out of a sub 30 caliber rifle.
