This. - dan
Hunters who do not practice their marksmanship
- Thread starter Tompullings
- Start date
This. - dan
I've found the part that is the "perishable skill" isn't the shooting ability, it's the patience, calmness, steady breathing, not flinching or anticipating the recoil.
If i hit the range a few times before the season i find i get a lot of those first shot jitters out of the way so that when i get to where i am lining up on an animal it's one less thing to think about and control. I'm better able to take the deep breath, wait until my heart stops racing so much, be calm and wait for your perfect shot.
Some of us pre-date synthetic stocked hunting rifles by a few years. When I was starting to hunt the only non-wood-stocked rifle was the Remington Nylon 66 .22 introduced in 1959.
Somehow people have successfully hunted with wood and steel guns since at least the 1400s.
I was talking to an Alberta outfitter friend today, out of six American hunters, two took deer, two missed deer, and one wounded a deer that wasn't found. Two also missed wolves. All shots were 150 yards or less, out of heated blinds, and the hunters used rests. If American hunters that spend thousands for a guided hunt, and travel expenses as well ,shoot so poorly, why would our expectations be any higher for local hunters, that don't invest that kind of money?
Money doesn't make you better. It means that you have more money to blow. And they doe have money to blow.
"Can we pay to get a lodge built for the next time we come up?" This is their world oftentimes...
These people don't live in the same world as us, eh. My world is time or money...pick one. I ain't wasting money, got folks in Ottawa depending on me to hep them keep taxes under control in QC lol... better get reloading I suppose.
Thats probably about average; sad to say. With my rifle moose clients this year, I had seven shots fired and 3 hits. Its sad.
My experience as well. The only way those dudes are gonna get an animal on the ground is for the guide to bat cleanup. GREAT SHOT!! Right in the head.
I don't practice my shooting. Get a handload built, ensure I'm happy with that and how the rifle is sighted in.
Skip all the bs and go to 22:15 and you can decide if my shooting suffered from lack of practice.
If you are really bored, lol.
To me the most important thing is understanding proper shooting positions, and how to get a solid rest, in whatever situation/moment comes up.
In this case I used an available tree, that had a nice angle to it. Perfect for a quick, solid rest.
Skip all the bs and go to 22:15 and you can decide if my shooting suffered from lack of practice.
If you are really bored, lol.
To me the most important thing is understanding proper shooting positions, and how to get a solid rest, in whatever situation/moment comes up.
In this case I used an available tree, that had a nice angle to it. Perfect for a quick, solid rest.
To be fair, I don’t think a video that shows you shooting through a lot of brush, at an animal at an unknown distance, “this is pretty far. Farther than it looked” or whatever you said, and where you state “I don’t know if I hit him or not” multiple times, can be considered a testament to your shooting “skill” and whether or not your shooting suffers from no practice….
I mean, don’t get me wrong, you definitely killed a buck, and it’s the one you pointed your rifle at, but maybe you just got lucky. Definitely don’t see any blood on the front half of the buck in the video…
Just sayin’.
You are exactly right, a lucky shot. More likely 75 yards. Obviously I exaggerated. The deer died from the shockwave of the bullet blowing by a good 6' left...
The video is likely a fake.
So in the video, ya when I shot I didn't know whether I had hit the deer. But that's only because of the Leica 900 verfied range of 253 yards... I guessed 250.
And the fact that the buck collapsed in his tracks. DRT as the internet experts like to claim.
Trust me there was no blood trail.
And why no blood evident on the buck? Maybe a 180gr bullet from the .30-06 didn't blow a huge hole in him?
Fwiw, I shot a timber wolf with a 400gr bullet from my .416RemMag one time and there was zero blood. You would have swore that wolf died of shock (too).
Anyway here's a couple of pics, since the video is inconclusive...
Left shoulder
Right shoulder
Left scapula
Right scapula
So the fact is I aimed right behind his left shoulder, bullet caught his left scapula, exited out in front of his right scapula. Pretty darn big entrance hole due to the bullet impacting on that shoulder bone, but not a big hole exiting.
But both shoulders kinda messed up, some meat loss for sure.
Note in the pic (if you care too), the entrance point of the bullet was the edge of the scapula, so I missed by about 2"? But it blew the scapula up. The shattered piece in the middle is not the entrance hole.
But since the video has been debunked, these pics won't prove anything. And you are correct. It's my word against the internet experts, as I hunt solo 100% of the time, there's nobody to back me up.
Have a nice day mates.
Jim
And the fact that the buck collapsed in his tracks. DRT as the internet experts like to claim.
Trust me there was no blood trail.
And why no blood evident on the buck? Maybe a 180gr bullet from the .30-06 didn't blow a huge hole in him?
Fwiw, I shot a timber wolf with a 400gr bullet from my .416RemMag one time and there was zero blood. You would have swore that wolf died of shock (too).
Anyway here's a couple of pics, since the video is inconclusive...
Left shoulder
Right shoulder
Left scapula
Right scapula
So the fact is I aimed right behind his left shoulder, bullet caught his left scapula, exited out in front of his right scapula. Pretty darn big entrance hole due to the bullet impacting on that shoulder bone, but not a big hole exiting.
But both shoulders kinda messed up, some meat loss for sure.
Note in the pic (if you care too), the entrance point of the bullet was the edge of the scapula, so I missed by about 2"? But it blew the scapula up. The shattered piece in the middle is not the entrance hole.
But since the video has been debunked, these pics won't prove anything. And you are correct. It's my word against the internet experts, as I hunt solo 100% of the time, there's nobody to back me up.
Have a nice day mates.
Jim
And understand, I am not trying to claim to be some modern day KodiakHntr or tokguy or anything like those legendary marksmen.
I'm just saying, in the field I have learned, how to get a solid rest, in the situation.
Drop to one knee and take a rest off the other knee, get to a tree and hold off of it, sitting on my hiking stool many times, take a rest off my knee again.
And if you want to say it was a lucky shot, on my whitetail, I won't argue with you.
Jim
I'm just saying, in the field I have learned, how to get a solid rest, in the situation.
Drop to one knee and take a rest off the other knee, get to a tree and hold off of it, sitting on my hiking stool many times, take a rest off my knee again.
And if you want to say it was a lucky shot, on my whitetail, I won't argue with you.
Jim
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Brassman66
CGN frequent flyer
As a British Columbia Guide Outfitter for 45 years It seems to me there are e 2 kinds of Hunters. The ones which practice a lot, hunt a lot and are generally good shots (especially eastern Whitetail Hunters) unfortunately the other kind (often the Guys with the most expensive Rifles) hardly ever practice for whatever reason and definitely depend on a follow up shot from there Guide to finish what the have started.
Sad but true !
Cheers
Cheers
Sad but true !
Cheers
Cheers
One of my brothers lives in Ontario and his gang hunts up in the French R country, Powasson/Restoule area.
Last week he came upon 2 different deer that were hobbling on broken legs, shot by so-called "generally good shots (especially eastern Whitetail Hunters)".
He killed both deer, which he was very happy that he was able to end their suffering.
All in all, I would put my money on the deer and sheep hunters of the prairies and BC, over dudes that bang away at running deer in Ontario.
There should never be blanket statements on groups.
Uhhhhmmmmm…..
Like I said before, you definitely killed a buck, and it was the one you were pointing your rifle at. However, YOU put it up as a testament to your non perishing shooting skills. Had you had a running commentary in the moment of something like “Ok, I have a window between the aspen whips and rose canes of about 2” by 5”, and I’m going to crush the back edge of his scapula and lose a little meat but I’m good with that because thats where I can thread the bullet” THEN it would have absolutely been a great video that illustrated what you were trying to indicate. As it stands though, you took a rest (do you want an attaboy for using a rest immediately in front of you that was the logical choice?) and shot at a deer and killed him (nice work) but you yourself sound surprised in your video that he is laying dead where he stood, and surprised you even hit him, and you use that to say you are a great shot even though you never practice…
I mean, nice buck, good on you, you killed him immediately. Good job. I’m just saying that crowing about how good a shot you are and putting that video up as evidence doesn’t say what you think it says about your shooting abilities. And I’m not saying you aren’t a spectacular shot, maybe you can buckle down with your trusty ‘06 and bust a rock over a field position at 800 yards while betting your buddies a dollar and still keeping 18 rounds in the box for next fall.
I certainly see you have your panties in a wad though, so I might as well give ‘em a tug for you: from what I’ve seen, guys who brag about not practicing have never been as good of a shot as they *think* they are when it comes time to bear down and call a shot.
And the reason it’s funny to me that you are bent out of shape (as indicated by multiple replies that you make and jabs thrown) is this:
You literally asked for someone to critique your shot… lolDemonical said:
Even you have to admit that it is funny that as soon as I did, you got pouty about it.
I will acknowledge that maybe all that is exactly how it transpired in the moment, in your head. Just that it doesn’t come across that way in your video. Maybe that WAS a fantastic shot, but only you are going to know that, because you were the only one looking through your scope threading the needle.
Any rate, I’m only saying that your video (and great video, regardless) doesn’t exactly illustrate what you are trying to say.
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Today I was making jerky. While slicing a cut, I hit, what I initially thought, was a chunk of bone.
Turns out it was my bullet, in a cut from the right shoulder.
I was quite surprised as I had been sure that the bullet had exited through the right shoulder. Obviously I was wrong about that.
My bullet was a 180gr Hornady BTSP, initial muzzle velocity approx 2895fps (.30-06). Impact into the back edge of the left scapula. Range 253 yds.
Bullet busted up that scapula pretty good.
Retained weight 85.9grs, from 180grs. That's approx 48% weight retention. Segments of the copper jacket lost, half(?) of the lead front lost? Another surprise for sure. I would not have expected that 180gr bullet to have lost over half it's weight, on a whitetail buck.
Just posting for the interest of the forensic experts lurking out there.
Bullet hole is visible edge of the scapula.
Turns out it was my bullet, in a cut from the right shoulder.
I was quite surprised as I had been sure that the bullet had exited through the right shoulder. Obviously I was wrong about that.
My bullet was a 180gr Hornady BTSP, initial muzzle velocity approx 2895fps (.30-06). Impact into the back edge of the left scapula. Range 253 yds.
Bullet busted up that scapula pretty good.
Retained weight 85.9grs, from 180grs. That's approx 48% weight retention. Segments of the copper jacket lost, half(?) of the lead front lost? Another surprise for sure. I would not have expected that 180gr bullet to have lost over half it's weight, on a whitetail buck.
Just posting for the interest of the forensic experts lurking out there.
Bullet hole is visible edge of the scapula.
I shot a white tail last week, hard quartering shot ( almost straight away in fact)
I am not in the habit of taking running shots, but this one was purely instinctual and worked for some reason.
Swung up past the tail and gave about 1 1/2 foot lead from my intended impact area ( high shoulder area) and the rest is history.
The buck slid more than 30 feet, dead before he hit the ground.
The interesting thing is , I have killed deer at twice that far, and never found a Barnes .311 TSX 150 grainer .
This one stopped on the far side , low on the neck.
Expanded to over twice its original diameter, and basically destroyed most of the neck.
retained 100% mass
Cat
I am not in the habit of taking running shots, but this one was purely instinctual and worked for some reason.
Swung up past the tail and gave about 1 1/2 foot lead from my intended impact area ( high shoulder area) and the rest is history.
The buck slid more than 30 feet, dead before he hit the ground.
The interesting thing is , I have killed deer at twice that far, and never found a Barnes .311 TSX 150 grainer .
This one stopped on the far side , low on the neck.
Expanded to over twice its original diameter, and basically destroyed most of the neck.
retained 100% mass
Cat
