You won't be smoked by me stillbeeman but I will say that I find nothing wrong with the use of a high end power scope. I use a 4-14 a lot, and I practice with it a lot as well. I like to be able to pick the spot I am gonna hit at long range instead of hitting the animal in the vitals at long range. 4 me it works best to have some power to crank up to.
Practice and discipline is the key to this, not many x's one's scope has. Practice tells you when you can and can't make a first shot one round kill and discipline tells you when you should or shouldn't shoot.
Many times I've taken shots in the 400-600+ zone and I knew wihtout any doubt that when I dropped the hammer that things were gonna be one and done.
I've also passed on shots of sub 100 or sub 200 cause I didn't know I could do it right. Practice and discipline once again taught me when to shoot and when not to.
As far as you not carrying a range finder I find that a bit odd but it's your choice. I feel it's a poor choice if the country you hunt affords you opportunities to shoot past 300 yds but the choice is yours.
Dober
