Where I hunted elk in CO there was open areas and heavy cover. One of the heavy cover areas is a saddle where several ridges funnel game through a relatively small area. It's been discussed here how to properly still hunt. My Dad was very good at it. I'm not. But I am good at sitting quietly and motionless. Many close shots came to me there. The average being 20ft or less. Most of those close shots were with a iron sighted cap lock muzzleloader.
One year I had got a cow there and was camped out well the meat was getting processed in a nearby town. A man and his wife stopped at camp to chat. He asked if I could direct him to my gut pile as he had a bear tag and wanted to hunt it. I happily obliged. They headed in the bush with a 300 Weatherby with big glass. Just at dark I heard him discharge his artillery. One shot. Sometime later they came out dragging a bear. It was a yearling cub but legal. He felt a little embarrassed about it. I said you know it's pretty dark back in that thick timber. Hard to gauge size scope or no scope. It had a beautiful coat. I advised a having it skinned by the taxidermist after getting it checked by the Warden.
Was he over gunned or over scoped? I don't think so. He had planned a public land hunt in varied terrain. The rifle and big glass could have been a boon with a slight turn in fortune. And he was successful.
