Bush/Wyo
Allow me, if I may, to jump in here. I've got a spear, a few bows, and a few long shots to say the least under my belt....
The deal here with some folks is that they insist they are holier than others in the definition of the word hunting and that at XYZ yards its no longer hunting. Thats fine with me. A bit anal IMHO but still ok.
What I insist on though, is that the skill level to each "extreme" end is the same, with the skill of the long shot, again IMHO being harder to come by.
I say this and have no spear kill yet, haven't really tried it more than 2 times. But I say it having a recurve kill at 3 yards on the ground, not in a tree... The years it took to get that kill were fewer than the years it took me to learn longer shots and the conditions that go with that skill. I've put in a LOT more time shooting, than "learning" to hunt. I've got much more success hunting much quicker than it took me to understand 600 yard shots to the point that they became chip shots. 1000 is still not totall perfect but getting there.
I'll also add that I can quit shooting at times, and when I come back I'm rusty but ok generally. When I quit hunting for 10 months waiting on th next season, I fall right back into the groove as good as the last season. Of course there are, IMHO, many more things one has to know to shoot vs the few things one needs to know to "hunt"
Call er what you feel best with, black rifle, hunting rifle, assault weapon or whatever, skill is still required. Hunting or shooting is just a word.
Jeff
