They aren't hunting when they are long range shooting - all they are doing is using the deer as moving targets to justify their shooting abilities and their long range rifles accuracy.H&H makes great points in his OP. Thankfully I haven't been exposed to much of that - although I do get pretty ornery about muzzle direction.
I hunt by myself almost exclusively now. It's for many small reasons and one big one. The small ones aren't really worth getting into. The big one is the awful obsession with "long range" shooting. I have lost count of the hunters I've seen in the field with the latest specialty cartridges and 14x, 16x, or 18x scopes. Almost to the man they are braggarts and liars, and almost to the man they are utterly incapable of hitting anything much beyond 200 yards. I don't mind the misses, but the gut shots and dangling legs - at distances far too great to allow follow-up - sicken me.
I was in Grice Gun shop one day and a fellow came in and bought a new rifle on the day after Thanksgiving and told the gunsmith to just bore sight it and it will be good enough.muzzle discipline will get me hot in a hurry, but thankfully ive only had to really let loose on one person. he was a younger guy, mid-teens, but in no way at all new to hunting. i guess he didnt really consider a loaded and capped muzzle loader "dangerous" enough to bother keeping it pointed away from my face. i figured the 4 previous polite requests/safety warnings were being WAY to friendly. he eventually realized the stupidity of his actions and has made some major improvements towards becoming a decent hunter i still hunt with him every deer season.
i think he secretly refers to me as a hard @$$ but he is soon to be family-in-law and hunting is a big part of all the guys in the family i will soon be joining. im really hoping that with a little bit of guidance he will grow up to be a safe and responsible hunter.
every year i find myself giving a few of the guys a hard time (not too bad. we know who our buddies are) because every year someone shows up with a gun that isnt sighted in even close, or that hasnt been shot since last season. one guy this year actually showed up with a borrowed gun and asked us how to load it! as a group we convinced him that if he couldnt load it, he was going to have a hard time killing a deer with it (duh!) so he opted for a more framiliar weapon.
and i swear if i have to explain to one more person why a factory mounted scope or a bore-sighted gun is not "sighted in" i might just lose it!
They aren't hunting when they are long range shooting - all they are doing is using the deer as moving targets to justify their shooting abilities and their long range rifles accuracy.
...prudently, with thoughtful discretion.2. Share your harvest.
My rant above doesn't quite fit because that type of a guy isn't really a 'buddy'. I agree otherwise. Do unto others...If you hunt as a group and you score and your buddy did not. Send them home some of your meat.
My name is cottswald, and I endorse this message.Years ago when I was hunting a lot, I usually had plenty of offers to hunt with other folks. I made myself useful, I did my best to help out, and people "usually" appreciate it and want you around. When hunting with older or younger hunters I would volunteer to help field dress their deer, taking a turn helping to drag out the kill is always welcome (many hands make light work). Further more being pleasant, happy, and positive about things whether you got anything or not is always a good choice.
Conversely, being a jerk, complaining about everything, being a general kill-joy, is a pain in the tail and never welcome. If hunting with your "buddies" act like one, hunting is supposed to be fun and IMHO the most annoying people are those who don't understand the difference between taking what you do seriously, vs taking yourself to seriously.
Don't bring more crap than you can pack and carry all by yourself. I'm not going to ask you to carry something of mine, don't ask me to carry something of yours. Don't lack anything that you are going to need.
EatBugs, you need a better quality of hunting companion. Preferably one that is not a poacher and would pat you on the back rather than run you down for your accomplishments. Most men do have that competitive streak but any REAL man knows how to control himself in those matters. My suggestion would be to never call, acknowledge, speak to, look at, or even think about contacting that "person" (and I use that term loosely considering your description) again.
EatBugs, you need a better quality of hunting companion.
Ooooooo! Must a been a hell of a stud for you to be hangin with him!I've got some doozies...
1... putting loaded shotgun in my vehicle
2... shooting multiple big bucks in one year and acting like they are dinks and moaning about not being able to get a big one... seriously?! if they are not big enuff for you don't shoot, leave it for someone who would appreciate it... I shot a 20+ point buck and ever since he was been acting like a spoiled child and shooting everything that moves... just to prove he can shoot big bucks too...
... I find a good spot and tell about the deer I see and let walk and he is out there shooting at all the deer the second he finds out I'm are not going to be in the area...
... being told I'm just lucky whenever I shoot a deer
... telling people he told me where to set up after I shoot the biggest deer of my life(you know cause I'm just lucky)-this from the same guy who likes to steal my spots... and no he didn't tell me where to sit...
...I hunt with the guys and hang with the guys but I'm still a woman ... if you're green with jealousy over my buck don't act like a jerk to me and do and say nasty things to me and about me... I will cry.... and wish I never laid eyes on the animal... and pointing out every buck that is bigger is really getting old...
... upon pointing out that he is unethical and at best a poacher... becomes irate and and goes on a 4 hour long diatribe about how he is ethical for shooting every deer he sees at any time regardless of legality because it cutting down on the population and saving lives and feeding the hungry and various other sugar coating examples of his superiority... and tells me I'm selfish and greedy for letting spikes walk...
... I was nice and lent my climber and sat in a blind... another hunter was in his spot so he came back and set up 30 yards from me because the sun was comming up and didn't want to be caught on the ground... told me to wake him up with the sound of me shooting a deer... I was ok with this... yeah he was on top of me but he was going to be courteous and not shoot on top of me... wrong.... the story about what happened that day will make you want to puke...
... giving my deer away without my permission.
... inviting me to hunt .... along with 10 other people in a small woodpatch
... setting up stands while I'm at work and telling me what a lazy horrible person I am for not helping even though I'm always there to help when not at work or previously engaged... then denies he is trying to act the martyr
... borrowing my climber without my knowledge and then breaking it and then fixing it as my christmas present...my only christmas present...lucky me
... chastising this other hunter for only lazer sighting gun when he is knowingly hunting with gun that is "off"
... bragging about what an awesome hunter he is and comparing an illegally shot buck to other legally shot bucks... just don't point that out to him... he will go on a tirade about every bad thing you ever done... as if speeding is comparable to poaching...
...Not taking the time to properly aim
...TEXTING me about stupid crap while I'm trying to hunt ....dont text me unless its important info like you got one or a heads up or warning... I really hate constantly texting me... specially in the last hour of daylight then getting irate when I don't answer back....this from another hunter!... I hate hate hate when someone texts me: see anything? or if they can see me and start texting and telling me to "shoot the deer" its annoying and distracting... yeah some will say turn phone off but its a safety thing for me... I will always check every text(but not always answer) I get cause you never know when you are going to get the bad text from your hunting buddy and need to move quick to save a life...