Monday, December 26, 2011

An open letter to hunters

Please, take your rifle to the range.
Learn how to shoot.  Practice shooting (this isn't just the once-a-year sighting in). 
Contrary to what I've heard people say, a "pie-plate" group at 100 yards is not good enough.  Practice until your groups are inside an inch, two at the most.  You owe it to the animals you are hunting.  If you can't cut it, don't go out.
Posted from the field where I have had to dispose of/put down a wounded deer for the second week in a row.

Unfortunately, the people reading this aren't my target audience.

8 comments:

  1. Hate to hear that. Always want to make a shot that will let the animal die quickly.

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  2. Yeah, it really bugs me (hence the irritated post). Not only does the animal suffer, but all meat ends up going to waste. You really don't want to eat something that has a severe infection. The one last week bothered me all this week. Now I have another one to bug me for another week.

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  3. You really shouldn't have to put out this advice. It's common sense, which is becoming more and more uncommon it seems.

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  4. that is just awful 45er! i am glad that around here people take hunting pretty seriously as it is for food and not for sport!

    your friend,
    kymber

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  5. UGH! I hate reading about people who half ass their hunting and make all the other hunters look bad. I can't believe you have to deal with TWO within a week apart. That's horrible.

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  6. It's a shame indeed. Here in the Ozarks there are plenty of deer I live in a vey rural area where everyone knows everyone. You see deer everywhere within the town limits everywhere. There are enough deer here for everyone, yet I can not tell the number of times in the past week that I have come across carcasses with the hind quarters and tender removed and the rest left laying.They were shot out of season. No reason what so ever for this. We have urban hunt here the first deer shot goes to the food shelter then you can shoot up to 5 more deer, Then archery two deer, then black powder tow deer, then rifle two deer. Lets see that means you can legal take 11 deer. I have hung asnd cleaned a dozen this year with no problem. not more than a few hours in the woods. It makes me mad that some people have to be greedy and take short cuts. and Yes I too have had to put down wounded animals as well. What can you be thinking to illegally take a animal when there are so many here that you can take legaly. Hunter safety courses should include a range test as well.

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  7. Tango Juliet - Yeah, I know. The problem is I see it all too often. People that pull out the rifle, dust it off and go to the field. Even shooting other rifles throughout the year (heck, even a .22) and stressing the fundamentals sure makes a huge difference come hunting season.

    Kymber - The guys and I take hunting very seriously. It puts meat on the table and this kind of thing means less for us, which makes you sick to see it go to waste.

    LB - I know and on top of that it costs deer tags. Very frustrating.

    justcook - I have family in the Ozarks and I know where you are coming from. I've seen the attitude that breeds those actions. You don't see the out-of-season hunting much around here. We did have to run poachers off of our lease which is how we ended up getting it in the first place. Not using all of the meat is inexcusable to me. The shoulders are where we get most of the meat we use for making sausage. I should be almost finished with taking deer for the season, but I haven't been able to put much in the freezer.

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  8. couldn't agree more - and even if you DON'T hunt you should still shoot your weapons on a regular basis - not much point in having a weapon you can't shoot accurately (imho)...

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