site in rifles!

[ivorytip]

don't take long shots unless you are able to, sight in rifles every year and most certainly before hunt. if you bump scope, re sight. ive been following 2 real big bucks this last week. I had them patterned out but they were always one move ahead of me! I tried catching them on there route back up one day, being set up by 0500 and when light came they were already above me. so next day I was much higher, I bumped them at 0400 on my way in. so I hiked up at 0300 to be in bedding area as they showed up. moon was bright and I could see pretty good, got set up and could see there were a ton of deer already hanging out in this high saddle. so I waited and prayed wind would keep. light came in time for me to watch the two big guys walk over the top. 200 away, no shot! was my last day to hunt so was watching rest of deer looking for anything with head gear. I see this little guy walking funny and noticed he only had one antler. figured hed be great eats and easy pack out so took him. he had hole through his lower front leg and in his ear along with a blown off antler. no, I did not do this I'm glad I took him and ended his pain, irritated me a bit though that he was hit twic in 2 very bad places.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Great advice. I'll take it a bit further....shoot all year. I shoot something every week, pistol, rifle or shotgun. It's more than just shooting, it's trigger control, concentration, muscle memory and hand eye coordination (and probably more I don't know about). If you can't afford all the ammo, buy some cheap .22 ammo and take your kids or wife out and shoot.

I have shot less this year then any time I can remember and I can tell. I have impending shoulder surgery, but I still shoot a BB gun and pellet rifle almost every day.

 

[Wyoming Hart]

Great advice guys. You made a great decision in taking him ivorytip. Kudos to you for being an upstanding sportsman. Makes me wonder if someone shot at him on the move as well. It is sad what I see and hear about around here. You can't believe how many people wait until the day before the deer rifle opener, to shoot in their guns, if they do at all. Lots of deer eventually get harvested with the types of wounds on that buck, make your wonder about the ones that don't die right away and don't get harvested, but slowly die.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Glad you got some meat. I'll usually shoot a small one at the end of the season too depending on my freezer situation. Small bucks eat so much better!

That stinks he was all shot up & still walking around. Who knows the situation in which it happened though. Buck fever comes to mind. I found a cow elk this year with an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. She was bedded down in the sun and in the open at noon. The blow flies around the wound were disgusting. She was so busy trying to lick them off that she didn't even realize I had walked up to 20 yards from her. I'm not sure if she could even walk? I dispatched her, took some pics and called it in. Archery season was already 3 weeks old, hopefully she hadn't been suffering too long.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

About 12 years ago I drew a Ranching for Wildlife tag for elk. Hunted hard for several days without seeing any elk. I was sitting overlooking a water tank in a canyon when a raghorn bull limped up and started to drink. His right front leg was broken and dangling by some hide. I just couldn't see him suffering and die during winter, so I shot him and tagged him. Not what I wanted but couldn't see he limp off. Sometimes you just have to do what your heart tells you to do. He did fill my freezer.

 

[hoshour]

Nice work, guys! I know someone that gets buck fever really bad and in his stores, it takes several shots for him to bring down a deer. I won't hunt with him anymore, and he's a close relative that is a great guy in other respects, but he has no business being in the woods if he cannot get enough control to be a more humane hunter.

 

[Slugz]

All great points. It also highlight the downright great people that are on the forum. Not to rant but I don't like the latest craze and advertising in social media, TV, magazines....etc on long range shooting due to the fact no one/most people don't practice enough. There is a fine line of responsibility we have and I think we have hopped over it. I'm fine with the guys who shoot far but the message needs to always include the practicing part.

 

[badgerbob]

When I was a youth (1965) my brother and I drew doe tags for mule deer in Northern Calif. Modoc County close to the Ore. border. I got my doe opening weekend so the last weekend I was tagging along with my brother carrying a 20 ga. shotgun, due to the fact there were cotton tail rabbits everywhere. I was walking up a juniper covered ridge when I heard shooting from a good distance away. I spotted a herd of deer running toward me several ridges over, perhaps 500 yards out. They ran straight at me crossing at about 100 feet. The last one was one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen. His left rear leg was dangling by a stretch of hide, but he was keeping up with the herd. He saw me and froze, the hair on his back stood up like a dog and he had hate is his eye. I didn't feel comfortable trying to finish him off with a load of #6 shot, so I let him walk. For a minute there I thought he was coming for me. Big guy, I would have proudly hung his head on my wall. Several cheaters and close to 30". Later I found out there were 10 buck tags given for this area, along with the doe tags. Don't know what happened to this guy, but I hope one of the buck hunters was able to finish him.

 

[sheephunter]

Something I also do when sighting in (every year)--get that rifle off the bench!! After you're sighted in it don't matter if you can shoot a <1" group, what matters is where you can put that first shot off an improvised rest. I take my shooting sticks to the range and practice off 'em, and I'll lean up against the poles for the shade at range to simulate resting on a tree. I'll also practice shooting from a sitting position and shooting off my knees. If there's nobody around I'll eve run around a little bit and then try to get off a quick/accurate shot from standing position or off sticks while I'm breathing hard. I don't know about where anyone else hunts, but there are no benchrests where I go.

 

[lucky guy]

Something I also do when sighting in (every year)--get that rifle off the bench!!

A 10" paper plate at 100 yds makes a great offhand target, and is a source of humility in most cases.