BrentM
Well-Known Member
I shot elr targets and they were literally life size deer, elk, moose, bear. A hit was a hit. Plates were 36x36 and some were 40x40How big were those targets?
I shot elr targets and they were literally life size deer, elk, moose, bear. A hit was a hit. Plates were 36x36 and some were 40x40How big were those targets?
It's why mountain shooters look at prevailing wind. Often when shooting across ridges you'll be 1000 plus feet above the ground.I don't think that many people think about the trajectory of their bullet. Use a loading program with your bullet and velocity and look at how high the bullet has to go before it comes down to zero at 1000 yards. I'd wild guess that most are in the 20'+ from line of sight. Makes you wonder what the wind is doing 20 feet up as opposed to what it is doing at line of sight.
So do I. I'm not talking out of my ***.I'm shooting NRL/PRS competition. The best indication of conditions is your last shot. In order to do that you must spot that shot. At least in NRL, all of the top shooters will say you must see your shots. Those top shooters are even able to see trace in their scope. I'd argue that if you're not spotting your hits/misses then you aren't going to be competitive.
I don't want to derail this thread any more than I unfortunately already have. I was bringing up the competition to show that having shot a lot of steel in the 900-1800 yard range in all sorts of conditions gives me the experience to understand that environmentals are not always easy to discern and shooting at an animal requires a little more pause.
I think you two are saying similar things and both have valid points that are being lost in the context. Honestly I think if we were all hunting together our thoughts would be aligned. I think the spotter shot idea is valid from a what if perspective. For example, if you just can't seem to get that validation on your wind call you have choices: wing it, walk away, get closer, or spotter shot. Each of those has a unique set of circumstances in which we have to triage in the field and decide best course of action. I personally think all of the main members here would skip "wing it" and make a different choice. In the classes I help instruct I am a huge proponent of the students identifying their limits and ensuring winging it is not on the table of thought. I have a friend who is a FG officer who had a recent encounter with a LR hunter who took 29 shots at a deer at 1200 and there people on the hill side with the deer. He spoke at our last class and shared that story. I don't think that is any of us, hope so any way.…and I'm saying, I don't like to miss initially. In competition or in anything real life. Corrective fire is EASY.
You shouldn't either. You could be 10y from a __insert game animal__with a bow and make a bad shot in zero wind. It can always happen.
If one is to scurrd to make a shot…I would question that person as a hunter. There's a difference being a blatant idiot lobbing shots at a animal, and making a bad call you were 100% sure would work. Terminal ballistics aside.
Why are we here on LRH hunter if we don't want to be long range hunters? Wind is a part of shooting. For me, I worked hard to understand the varying conditions and terrain…so that it wouldn't be weird.
Yeah, that's what I mean at lobbing shots. That's not cool. But, if you know in your heart you can make a single shot, and it ends up being a miss…that's it. You missed. You're done. Take notes..figure it out. If the animal is still there…get closer, finish the hunt.I think you two are saying similar things and both have valid points that are being lost in the context. Honestly I think if we were all hunting together our thoughts would be aligned. I think the spotter shot idea is valid from a what if perspective. For example, if you just can't seem to get that validation on your wind call you have choices: wing it, walk away, get closer, or spotter shot. Each of those has a unique set of circumstances in which we have to triage in the field and decide best course of action. I personally think all of the main members here would skip "wing it" and make a different choice. In the classes I help instruct I am a huge proponent of the students identifying their limits and ensuring winging it is not on the table of thought. I have a friend who is a FG officer who had a recent encounter with a LR hunter who took 29 shots at a deer at 1200 and there people on the hill side with the deer. He spoke at our last class and shared that story. I don't think that is any of us, hope so any way.
True enough, but I would think most everyone on this thread who misses are going to miss because of a bad wind call, which 50% of the time means a gut shot (the other 50% perhaps grazing the brisket or missing). Compare that to taking a shot at a running deer...my guess is most people are going to cleanly miss a deer they kick up in the woods and have but a second or two to take a shot. Sure, they might gut shoot it, but more likely it is an air ball. Not sure if that makes sense, but I gotta go paint gongs.Yeah, that's what I mean at lobbing shots. That's not cool. But, if you know in your heart you can make a single shot, and it ends up being a miss…that's it. You missed. You're done. Take notes..figure it out. If the animal is still there…get closer, finish the hunt.
We are agreeing that corrective fire is easy. We aren't agreeing that wind is a deciding factor to hunt.
People should want to be better imo, and I feel that some other opinions from various members over the years have an UNINTENTIONAL message that scares other shooters to thinking that shooting in wind is reserved for flat range shooting (civilian shooting range) only. It's not.
Being better is a choice.