Just got back in and tried getting caught up on this thread and have a few comments:
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<br>1. It doesn't matter how far from the road a long range hunter gets, any hunter I know shoots game where legal, if I could hunt off the side of the road, see game and enjoy it I would!!! The little patch of woods I deer hunt in is only 400 yds from the road, but that's where the deer live!! Should I walk farther and not see deer so I can say I wasn't near a road??
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<br>2. It is clear to me which side is loosing their temper on this thread and I commend Darryl/Boyd/and sealsniper for their patience with it.
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<br>3. Nobody is saying new hunters should take long range pokes without the proper equipment and training! If they read a thread like this and it interests them maybe in their youthful enthusiasm they'll hook up with someone who knows what they are doing and will learn some real marksmanship skills.
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<br>4. As far as anti's reading this and getting a bad idea of hunting....I'm convinced we(board members) are the elite...I normally believe in equality in most issues but when it comes to hunting and shooting we are not all created equal and most of the dimwits and yahoo's I encounter in gunstores and deer lockers scare the crap out of me and I often wish they weren't allowed access to sharp sticks let alone rifles!!
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<br>5. We underestimate the potential of our equipment and ourselves sometimes! I watched badger's daughter shoot a 4-5" group at 250 yds with a Mod 7 while using a bipod for the first time!! This was with a 5 second countdown not even taking the amount of time normally associated with this type of shot.....
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<br>6. The guys who are posting on this subject who have done it are willing to wait as long as it takes to ensure success they aren't driven by the need for a trophy as many other hunters out beating the brush are.
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<br>7. I try to respect those who put the time and money into doing something right and cannot fault them for doing something differently!
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<br>I also don't believe in irresponsible hunters taking hail Mary shots at game I understand fully Sonnie's position and others, but these guys are not the average bears!!
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<br>8. The kind of slobs who don't follow up on shots at game or leave them to die slow and painful deaths are the problem not the methods some choose to use for hunting. Just like the anti's blame guns for violence it is the person/human that is the problem not the instrument.
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<br>Mike
