We should make our shots assuming the animal will move.....
Sorry, maybe I'm nissing your point but but I can't agree with either the logic behind this assumption or the practicality of assuming a stationary animal will move at the shot.
As dogshooter said, a long-range shooter has time to observe the animal, see what it's doing, and wait for the right moment when it's not moving (and not likely to move) to take the shot. If he's been doing that and has decided the moment is right for the animal to stay still, why would he assume that the moment he pulls the trigger, the animal will move? I don't see the logic. I think what's missing is giving the long-range shooter credit for knowing when not to shoot.
As far as practical applications, if I'm going to shoot at a moving animal I'll be doing something to compensate for the movement----either swinging with the animal and following through for a close-in shot from offhand, or leading the animal some distance for a longer shot from a rest. If it's a long shot I'll be shooting from a rest and swinging just isn't in the cards for me so I'd have to hold a lead. I've done the former with good results but never the latter, if I have to lead an animal at long range I'm not taking that shot because I'm not that good. And there's always the chance that the animal will slow down or stop.
Maybe I'm mis-reading your post but are you saying we should assume a stationary animal will move at the shot and compensate for movement? In other words, on a short shot, swing with the animal and follow through even though it's stationary?
If a close-in animal is moving steadily it's fairly easy to get a feel for how fast it's moving, swing with it, and follow through at the same rate the animal is moving. How woudd you judge how fast to swing on an animal that's not moving? You could say the same about figuring out a lead for longer shots---if the animal is moving steadily you can observe and estimate how far the animal will move in the T.O.F. and then hold for that lead. But how would you judge that distance for an animal that's not moving?
