Smokepole,
I do not care if you shoot deer out of towers or at long range. I am not ranting against it, saying it should be outlawed, or it is a crime against humanity.
Thank you for that but I don’t partake in either. The longest shot I’ve taken at a big game animal was 400 yards, and every elk I’ve killed has been with a muzzleloader or bow. The difference between you and me is, I don’t denigrate the way others choose to hunt by saying they’re “not hunting."
You seem to care an awful lot that I consider shooting animals at long range a tremendous display of marksmanship, not hunting prowess.
No, I really don’t care what you think. I just care what you post on a public forum about hunting, and if you post something I disagree with I’ll comment on it. I hope you don’t mind.
What demonstrates more shooting skill, shooting an animal at 1000 yards or 50?
What demonstrates more hunting skill, getting within 1000 yards of an animal, or 50?
Do you realize that you could substitute “200 yards” for “1,000 yards” here and what you’re saying would be just as true? So tell me, is a 200 yard shot “not hunting?” I’m sure you (and lots of others who say long range is not hunting) think a 200 yard shot is hunting, because it’s something within your capabilities, and something you’ve probably done. But it’s still hypocrisy.
I say it takes zero hunting skill to get within 1000 yards. If that hurts your feelings, tough sh!+, not BS
No, it doesn’t hurt my feelings, it’s just wrong, so I commented on it. And I see that you're now qualifying your remarks by saying 1,000 yards, where you previously used the broad brush of "long range," which is what I commented on.
The thing is, the distance at which an animal can detect you and react depends entirely on the animal and the situation. I’ve been on late-season pronghorn hunts where they’ve been chased around for a month or two. In those situations, if they see you at 600 yards, they’re moving. In some situations, it’s probably more “ethical” and shows more “respect” for the animal to have practiced your shooting enough so that you can make that shot on undisturbed animals, rather than risk sneaking in closer, spooking the animals, and getting a closer shot on alerted animals, which don't tend to stand around broadside. The best hunter is the most versatile hunter.
And by the way, this past August I hunted animals that could spot hunters at over a mile, and would spook at that distance. We spent a lot of time belly crawling at over a mile away.
Now, if you want to say "sneaking in to 50 yards is more difficult, and more of a challenge than taking a 500-yard shot," I'd agree with that under most conditions. That doesn't mean the 500-yard shot is "not hunting."
Once again, I am done responding to you.
LOL, talk about oxymorons!
Have a nice day.
