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High Powered Scopes
Uploaded on November 16, 2009When I first started hunting, everyone was offering me the use of a .243 or .270 with a bolt and a scope. I already had a rifle that must have been no less than 50 years old, a Sears and Roebuck 30-30 Winchester Model 100 (Similar to the Winchester '94) with open sights. No scopes, no "accutriggers", no SUPERSTOKK 2000s or any of that stuff. Just a fusion of wood and steel that makes a bang when fed a bullet.
Well, I knocked down my first deer with that old rifle a few weeks ago, and it made me realize that fancy names and scopes that can see a match burn on the other side of the world aren't needed. If ancient man could do it with a bow, string, and arrow, then I, a kid, can do it with an old brush rifle.
I'm not badmouthing or bragging (because I killed a spike, lol), and I'm not against scopes at all, but where do you draw the line between using scopes to ensure a clean kill at a long distance on something skittish like an antelope, and cheating yourself out of the fun of seeing the animal up close? I mean, these guys were hunting at 70 yards, and using these high powered sniper rifles! My stand (Too many hunters to "stalk" deer on my land) is about 50 yards from the feeder, and I have shot 2 deer. (One with open sights, another with a scope... I like the open sights much better)
I think getting close to the animal is about 75 percent of the fun, making the shot is .000001 percent, and cleaning and eating the deer is the rest. And I believe these high powered scopes are taking the HUNT away from hunting and making it just SHOOTING.
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I completely agree with you. I normally hunt with my 7mm-08 with a 3x-9x scope, but that is because i hunt in areas where there are runways crossing narrow draws at 200-300 yards, and there is no cover in between. I also got my grandfathers, winchester 94 in 30-30, and hunted with it a couple times. i would really like to get a deer with it, but every time i see a deer when i am using it, it is always past 100 yards. I love that 30-30 and cant wait to get a deer with it. I have shot a ton of deer with my 7mm-08 and i need a bit more of a challenge, thats why im going to use it this season, but after i safely bag something for the freezer, just dont want to miss my only chance at a deer, because i missed with irons, dont get me wrong, i can shoot the hell out of that gun, putting fist sized patterns in at 50 yards.
Well if you are going to sit in a stand 50 yards from a deer feeder, you don't need a scope at all. I don't think a scope takes the hunt out of hunting. Sitting in a stand over a deer baiting machine isn't my definition of getting close and surely would take the HUNT out of hunting for me.
I know there are millions of whitetail hunters who employ your method. I have no beef with how you hunt, it just isn't my cup of tea. In my opinion, you are SHOOTING, not hunting.
Standing by for all the minus 1's and flak from all you box hunters.
i agree with WA Mnthunter to a point. i will hunt over bait in bow season for does, dont get me wrong if a monster walks out and starts eating it ill shoot him. but when it comes rifle season i dont bait or hunt over bait. i use a scope on 2 of my 3 deer rifles, i use a scope to ensure a clean quick kill. all my guns have see-thru rings on them so i can use open sighs if i need to or want to.
Like I said, Mtnhunter, my lease is simply too small and crowded, and my parents don't like the idea of me venturing into the woods by myself. Sure, my dad could go with me, but between you and me, hes a bit of a lightweight.
I envy you, quite alot. I want to learn to stalk and track these animals. I do hunt rabbits by still hunting, and I hunt pigs by mass trapping. I just do what works for now.
When I'm 21, I can do what I want, but today, I do my best to be fair to deer. But I stick next to my decision that "box" hunting is more "hunting" than what you see on T.V... Driving around in a pickup with a high power telescope, spotting an animal at a mile, and picking him off.
When the family goes out to fill a tag and get meat, it doesn't matter whether you use a scope or not. I'll bet many of our ancestors would have had better-fed families if they had access to the technology of hunting today. The object there is to fill the larder.
People who don't have to hunt for their meat can have many reasons for hunting. I agree with most of them. I like to get out into the quiet once in a while. I like the hills and forests. If I don't get a deer my family won't starve, though.
My father told me stories of granddad, and how the family budget had to come up with the price of a box of shells every fall. Not getting game was bad for the whole family. If he could have had a high-powered scope, I'll bet he would have used it.
Us modern hunters, especially ones who are well-off enough to use a computer and be here, can afford to make it more of a challenge. So almost any reason is good.
It isn't crucial for us anymore much. If I don't see a deer I can still hit the drive-thru at McDonalds for coffee and a sausage bisquit.
And with my eyes not working quite as well now as when I was younger, I do use a scope more. The old "When the clear tip of the front side post is halfway up, and centered from left to right, in the fuzzy rear-sight aperture." doesn't work as well when you don't see the blasted target.
GWB
Road hunting from a pickup is a popular method employed by the lazy, too. Except for the handicapped and mobility impaired, it is not really hunting to me. That is not my cup of tea either.
I'm not trying to be critical of your stand hunting on your small parcel. There is a good reason for what you are doing. Some places the only way to get a shot is to sit over bait. I understand that is about the only way you can hunt on those guided hunts in Canada. I might be wrong on that one, however.
Jeff- Im not saying scopes are the enemy here. I'll call it "abuse" of scopes. I saw a show last week on the pursuit channel (This is the whole reason I started this thread) where a guy took a deer at 600 yards, from a truck, in the mountains. It walked into a clearing on another mountain, and BOOM. Dead. Now I would have had my butt in the forest, embracing the challenge of getting at least, say, 100 yards away. I understand completely that ancient man would have loved scopes, but like you said, we don't NEED deer meat, so we should really only be in this for the challenge, or sport. I just don't see the FUN, or the reason, to pay God knows how much to get into the woods, just to take a deer from where he coudnt see or smell you. I mean, you don't even get that rush and those words in your head that say, "DONT MOVE A MUSCLE, SPARKY". Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you here, lol?
Mtnhunter: Im glad you understand. Stalking rabbits is good fun though, and a chase through the brush is all I need to get the blood pumping.
I agree with WaMtnhunter.. It's hard to justify shooting with open sights as more fun and "hunting" and forget the fact of the bait 50 yds. away. In Va. it's illegal to feed game in any way other than a food plot starting in Sept.,well before bow season starts.
I applaud your thinking about the stalk and lack of need for scopes at short range, I use both depending on conditions, but step back and look at the big picture concerning baiting, etc. One other thing to consider, when you get older, sometimes you just can't see the game, and front sight at the same time! Scopes are mandatory then.
If you're in a box, open sights don't make it a challenge. If you're not in a box and you used your high powered scope to drop the unaware animal from 350 yards, that wasn't a challenge either. Now if you track the deer and shoot it with open sights, that was a challenge.
You guys would be surprised to find that I have an open mind. How do you track a deer? I mean, when you go to the woods, what do you immediately look for? Do you go to a watering hole first? I mean, I'm open to suggestions. Baiting is just how I was tought to get deer, just like I was tought to kick bushes and pop the running rabbits with my .22, or how I figured out that flushing treed doves into the open for a good shot is better than sitting there in some field. I mean, are deer the same way? Tell me your methods, and I will listen.
To make a long story short, I like to park my outfit in a safe spot, and hike the ridges glassing for animals along the way. I sit and glass more than I move. I try to get close for a shot or make the shot from where I sit. Some places, I hike in to a stand spot and sit most of the day watching trails or travel corridors. I try to stay in the field from daylight to dark when possible. We do have a stand in a couple of spots where we hunt, but seldom use them unless conditions are right.
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Jeff- Im not saying scopes are the enemy here. I'll call it "abuse" of scopes. I saw a show last week on the pursuit channel (This is the whole reason I started this thread) where a guy took a deer at 600 yards, from a truck, in the mountains. It walked into a clearing on another mountain, and BOOM. Dead. Now I would have had my butt in the forest, embracing the challenge of getting at least, say, 100 yards away. I understand completely that ancient man would have loved scopes, but like you said, we don't NEED deer meat, so we should really only be in this for the challenge, or sport. I just don't see the FUN, or the reason, to pay God knows how much to get into the woods, just to take a deer from where he coudnt see or smell you. I mean, you don't even get that rush and those words in your head that say, "DONT MOVE A MUSCLE, SPARKY". Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you here, lol?
Mtnhunter: Im glad you understand. Stalking rabbits is good fun though, and a chase through the brush is all I need to get the blood pumping.
Well if you are going to sit in a stand 50 yards from a deer feeder, you don't need a scope at all. I don't think a scope takes the hunt out of hunting. Sitting in a stand over a deer baiting machine isn't my definition of getting close and surely would take the HUNT out of hunting for me.
I know there are millions of whitetail hunters who employ your method. I have no beef with how you hunt, it just isn't my cup of tea. In my opinion, you are SHOOTING, not hunting.
Standing by for all the minus 1's and flak from all you box hunters.
i agree with WA Mnthunter to a point. i will hunt over bait in bow season for does, dont get me wrong if a monster walks out and starts eating it ill shoot him. but when it comes rifle season i dont bait or hunt over bait. i use a scope on 2 of my 3 deer rifles, i use a scope to ensure a clean quick kill. all my guns have see-thru rings on them so i can use open sighs if i need to or want to.
Like I said, Mtnhunter, my lease is simply too small and crowded, and my parents don't like the idea of me venturing into the woods by myself. Sure, my dad could go with me, but between you and me, hes a bit of a lightweight.
I envy you, quite alot. I want to learn to stalk and track these animals. I do hunt rabbits by still hunting, and I hunt pigs by mass trapping. I just do what works for now.
When I'm 21, I can do what I want, but today, I do my best to be fair to deer. But I stick next to my decision that "box" hunting is more "hunting" than what you see on T.V... Driving around in a pickup with a high power telescope, spotting an animal at a mile, and picking him off.
I completely agree with you. I normally hunt with my 7mm-08 with a 3x-9x scope, but that is because i hunt in areas where there are runways crossing narrow draws at 200-300 yards, and there is no cover in between. I also got my grandfathers, winchester 94 in 30-30, and hunted with it a couple times. i would really like to get a deer with it, but every time i see a deer when i am using it, it is always past 100 yards. I love that 30-30 and cant wait to get a deer with it. I have shot a ton of deer with my 7mm-08 and i need a bit more of a challenge, thats why im going to use it this season, but after i safely bag something for the freezer, just dont want to miss my only chance at a deer, because i missed with irons, dont get me wrong, i can shoot the hell out of that gun, putting fist sized patterns in at 50 yards.
When the family goes out to fill a tag and get meat, it doesn't matter whether you use a scope or not. I'll bet many of our ancestors would have had better-fed families if they had access to the technology of hunting today. The object there is to fill the larder.
People who don't have to hunt for their meat can have many reasons for hunting. I agree with most of them. I like to get out into the quiet once in a while. I like the hills and forests. If I don't get a deer my family won't starve, though.
My father told me stories of granddad, and how the family budget had to come up with the price of a box of shells every fall. Not getting game was bad for the whole family. If he could have had a high-powered scope, I'll bet he would have used it.
Us modern hunters, especially ones who are well-off enough to use a computer and be here, can afford to make it more of a challenge. So almost any reason is good.
It isn't crucial for us anymore much. If I don't see a deer I can still hit the drive-thru at McDonalds for coffee and a sausage bisquit.
And with my eyes not working quite as well now as when I was younger, I do use a scope more. The old "When the clear tip of the front side post is halfway up, and centered from left to right, in the fuzzy rear-sight aperture." doesn't work as well when you don't see the blasted target.
GWB
Road hunting from a pickup is a popular method employed by the lazy, too. Except for the handicapped and mobility impaired, it is not really hunting to me. That is not my cup of tea either.
I'm not trying to be critical of your stand hunting on your small parcel. There is a good reason for what you are doing. Some places the only way to get a shot is to sit over bait. I understand that is about the only way you can hunt on those guided hunts in Canada. I might be wrong on that one, however.
I agree with WaMtnhunter.. It's hard to justify shooting with open sights as more fun and "hunting" and forget the fact of the bait 50 yds. away. In Va. it's illegal to feed game in any way other than a food plot starting in Sept.,well before bow season starts.
I applaud your thinking about the stalk and lack of need for scopes at short range, I use both depending on conditions, but step back and look at the big picture concerning baiting, etc. One other thing to consider, when you get older, sometimes you just can't see the game, and front sight at the same time! Scopes are mandatory then.
If you're in a box, open sights don't make it a challenge. If you're not in a box and you used your high powered scope to drop the unaware animal from 350 yards, that wasn't a challenge either. Now if you track the deer and shoot it with open sights, that was a challenge.
You guys would be surprised to find that I have an open mind. How do you track a deer? I mean, when you go to the woods, what do you immediately look for? Do you go to a watering hole first? I mean, I'm open to suggestions. Baiting is just how I was tought to get deer, just like I was tought to kick bushes and pop the running rabbits with my .22, or how I figured out that flushing treed doves into the open for a good shot is better than sitting there in some field. I mean, are deer the same way? Tell me your methods, and I will listen.
To make a long story short, I like to park my outfit in a safe spot, and hike the ridges glassing for animals along the way. I sit and glass more than I move. I try to get close for a shot or make the shot from where I sit. Some places, I hike in to a stand spot and sit most of the day watching trails or travel corridors. I try to stay in the field from daylight to dark when possible. We do have a stand in a couple of spots where we hunt, but seldom use them unless conditions are right.
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