Quote:
Originally Posted by jimjamuser
Yes for wolves, but they mainly get shot when they are stationary with the !st shot. If there is ANY cover nearby the wolf will disappear before a 2nd shot can happen.
.......Antelope are a lot easier to shoot because their usual habitat is the flat open plains. Their only defense is their keen eyesight, but ANY hunter that can hit them at 200 yards will be successful. Incidentally, I hunted antelope with a bow for 2 weeks. I did not cheat and make a blind at a water hole and wait for them like a terrorist like most hunters do . I actually gave them a sporting chance by stalking them. Stalking in that case meant CRAWLING for 150 yards through thorny cacti to get within 50 yards of them. It was virtually impossible, but it was the greatest hunt that I ever involved myself with. Most of the time the herd spooked. It was hard to wait to they ALL had their heads done and eating. I got lots of cuts and discomfort in those 2 weeks and I never got one with a bow. But, it was great outdoor activity and a lot of meditation thrown in. Most people think that hunters just open the car door and the game is right there to be shot. But, hunting is much MORE than that. It transports you back in time to a period when man's hunting skills determined if he or she ate or starved. Plus hunting helps a person to understand and appreciate the environment.
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Good points made.
Dad was a purist when it came to hunting. Early on, my brothers and I were taught three things: 1) Treat ALL guns as if they are loaded at all times, and NEVER point a gun at something you don't intend to shoot; 2) shooting happens at the END of the hunting. Being a good shot does not make one a good hunter; and 3) the most important shot is the first one; a bunch of following shots usually means that you botched the first one.
They were all points well-taken. My brothers and I grew up knowing woodcraft, and in Northern MN where depending on the direction you might be looking at 10 miles or more of unbroken forest, that knowledge was invaluable. We learned the habits of the game we were hunting, the type of land and cover where they might be found, how they'd act in certain situations, etc.
We also learned to navigate the woods; no GPS in those days. Of course we carried compasses but we learned to tell direction without a compass as well. I used to play a game with myself where I'd pick a known point in my mind, then walk 2-3 miles through unbroken woodland (much of it muskeg swamp) without using a compass, and see how close I could get to it. I was rarely more than 100 yards distant from it when I came out.
I also did some archery hunting (not too successfully, but...). One of my goals is to hunt feral pigs down here, either with a bow or rifle. Haven't done it yet, but...