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Oh, I've missed LR steel a million times due to poor wind calls but since this is a Hunting forum I figured I'd relate my Hunting experiences with wind calls.

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It's true.... I've seen a few of those misses.....

ACTUAL SHOOTING in the wind not only helps you make more first round hits. More importantly, it teaches YOU what shots YOU should NOT take.... whether you're humble enough to listen.... is another point entirely.

Every time I'm out when the wind is blowing 15+..... there ain't anybody else out. Seems most guys would rather jack-off with a keyboard and ballistic table, then ejaculate their wind drift "findings" all over the interweb... than go out in schitt conditions, "miss more than they hit", and actually learn something.

PS.... I missed a deer this year, and it wasn't cause of wind. It was because I'm a schitt off-hand shot at moving critters.... even inside 100 yards.

Poor dope is poor dope, critters, targets, whatever, Point remains the same.

I'm still unclear on what your point is JG...

This is the point.




When the wind cooperates it's relatively easy, even with my CDS dials.

What "conditions" are we talking about? 5mph.... 10mph.... 20mph... Hurricane force?

What are your limits JG?

How do you know what those limits are?

What about moving game.... what are the limits there?

Should everyone be held to your standard?

Not at all. It's no skin off my back how someone hunts or shoots. What I find amusing here is that the general consensus seems to be that you buy a 6.5 Creedmore, etc, a SS mil quad, good rangefinder, and then you commence SWAG'ing it long range at live animals. I find that laughable, especially considering the guys I've seen shoot.

Who said that..... and where?

That mentality is rampant here, and is the rage on various other forums, and TV for that matter. The hole in the horn aoudad hunt is the perfect example of an author (and I'm not picking on the guy whatsoever) being a self proclaimed expert and then, well, the rest is history.

That author has also shot thousands of rounds in all conditions, I've seen a couple hundred of them personally..... and on this very thread promoted shooting under stressful conditions to know your limits. He's fhugked-up more than one LR shot on critters too.... but at least he has the sack to put it on wax.... you can't even answer a couple simple questions.... and you're the one with the radar gun on everyone else here.

I've certainly never advocated launching rounds at critters.... when you haven't practiced and made that shot on something inanimate. I'd love to see you show me otherwise. In fact.... I posted a video of myself shooting in some nasty wind.... and my shooting was pretty average... but I wouldn't have missed one of your mule deer....

Again.... please.... pretty please..... with sugar on the top.... answer the questions I asked. Let us know how JG decides what's a good shot, and what ain't. You're full of generalizations.... so maybe you can be a bit more specific for us on this one....

So you've never missed?

No, no. You see when you're a "normal" hunter that shoots a whole box of ammo a year and you miss at 200 yards.... Well that's just hunting. Better luck next time.

But when you shoot and practice and you miss at 400... You're a sniper wannabe and just launching rounds.









Not counting depredation shoots, I've killed several hundred deer and bigger game. Not one has been over a good plot or out of a shoothouse. I've missed one shot due to a bad wind call, or more appropriately not making a wind call. It was at a whopping 374 yards (IIRC) at animal directly facing.


Just spent three weeks hunting 3 states and the least amount of shots heard was two (2). That happened twice. After that the least amount was 7 and one dude shot 34 rounds. Oddly, no hunter that we saw had a scope with a turret, LR rifle, spotting scope, or rangefinder....



I agree that there is a certain bent towards the "buy this" suggestion that are seen here everytime someone asks a question about long range shooting. Very, very rarely does anyone ask experience (granted if you're asking "what ______" to hunt at 700 yards, you ain't ready for LR hunting, nor close), or suggest a few thousand rounds of 223 long range practice....


Having said that, I'd be willing to bet that the batting average of the "LR experts" that some like to throw darts at for missing, far and away exceed those who are doing the throwing....

The only time I have ever missed a game an animal is when somebody else was with me.




Travis

People hunt with you?

Once a long time ago,when I was only vaguely aware of the effects of wind, I missed a pronghorn buck in Wyoming so badly that the bullet splashed well in front of him. This was at about 300 yards with a full value wind, blowing so badly that you could lean into it almost without falling over.

That was an eye opener, and even though I was shooting a lot back home,you never encountered conditions like that day in Wyoming. We just don't get that even, consistent gale here due to terrain and vegetation(trees),and the wind tends to swirl,so you don't get consistent practice in those conditions.

But that lesson made me spooky,and maybe the best "wind call" I ever made was on a giant Arizona bull elk at 550-600 yards. Same conditions as that Wyoming day,and while I felt I had distance pretty well determined, I "knew" by then that I could not take a chance on a bullet drifting 3 or more feet. I passed on the shot despite staying behind the rifle for 45 minutes or so.I simply could not be certain.

Another "best" wind call was a buck wounded by someone else. Despite a very hard wind, I figured the buck to be in the lee,and my position below it,so made no allowance at about 500 yards, and got him. Lucky day.

Asking an experienced rifleman/hunter to "describe" a shot he can make is not likely to bring an answer, because,if he has killed any amount of game, he will know pretty quickly what shots he can make, and those he can't. He knows conditions can vary far too much to generalize.

If he knows he can hit and kill he is almost certain to do it. If he has to think it over and ponder very long, in all likelihood he is not certain,so could just as easily blow it as not.

Animals don't read scripts, frequently showing unexpectedly,are often screened,stand at odd angles,frequently move, and generally do not offer set up situations,nor a lot of time for pondering. Mix in conditions (like a bad wind),and it's no small wonder anyone with any experience, is not going to tell you what shots he can,and can't make in a hypothetical situation.

But in the field he will pretty certainly "know" when the situation pops up.

Can't disagree with that, Bob.



If a person has hunted much and killed a lot (and I don't mean over a food plot, or while being "led") they've missed. Probably quite a few times. The more they hunt public land animals that are pressured, and the more they kill, the more likely they are to miss no matter the range. When I've missed it has almost universally been at close range and rushed shots.


The problem arises when misses are common, or the same type of shots are being missed frequently. That's when a dude needs to stop and reassess. .

Formid: Agree. Misses on BG animals happen to us all, but should not be common.

It's not worth arguing about any longer, but I decided this was a good shot for JG:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/10734585/Re:_Caught_a_Break_With_the_We#Post10734585

I've been hunting big game since 1971...what do you think?

I didn't miss today though!!!!

JG,

Fat slob of a buck. Good job.