Hunting 2013

[sotc]

Bobcat was like chewing on a block of rubber and tasted very fishy. Cougar is just a rich meat. Has light and dark meat but they taste the same to me

 

[thattreeguy]

I've eaten lots of cougar and tried bobcat. Cougar is great, bobcat, no so much

i ate a cougar once as well, now she wont stop calling, saying how much she loves me....ha..had to be done willy

 

[Husabud]

I was waiting for that!

 

[woodworkingboy]

It's good not to have to wonder about it, at least.

 

[thattreeguy]

I was waiting for that!

couldnt hold back, had to said

 

[vharrison]

Guess what John had for dinner? Blackend Yellow Tail Snapper, caught on hook and line.

 

[woodworkingboy]

V, I get the wanting to be eaten raw vibe from those. I bet they are delicate tasting good!

 

[vharrison]

Not his favorite fish, but fresh is good.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Are you still hunting lobster this time of year?

 

[MasterBlaster]

I can't believe you don't partake of the catch, Virginia. Fish is only super-healthy!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Or maybe catch Swordfish, because it doesn't taste like fish.

 

[woodworkingboy]

New gun technology.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YBC8IFWC1P0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Limbrat]

Pretty wild technology Jay. Hunting rifles and scopes really haven't changed a whole lot in the last 50+ years so I guess it was inevitable. I don't see the average guy having one any time soon, I'm sure the price will be prohibitive, but the military should jump all over it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Ray, you being an avid hunter, what do you think of that type of gun being used for hunting? Some people were saying it isn't sporting, but the guys in the vid were missing some shots, albeit long range. Just curious for an experienced opinion, I don't really know what to think

 

[FireFighterZero]

While not directed to me I would like to share my opinion. I personally find the long range shooting of un-wounded game to be unethical. Technology of today aids hunters in shooting at longer ranges, however we are still shooting at a live animal. If shooting at a steel target at 800 yards and we miss, no big deal. For me the problem lies in the fact that the time of flight for the bullet is so great at long range, a perfectly placed shot can still land in the guts or blow off a leg simply because the animal has enough time to move from the the time of the shot to the bullet landing. Now that we have wounded the animal, we have no time for a follow up shot, and with the great distance involved it will be extremely difficult to find the spot to start tracking. I personally believe in a quick death of a game animal, and long range shooting can not guarantee that. Of course neither does short range shooting, but there are fewer variables involved and more time for a follow up shot or shots.

 

[stig]

The whole fascination with long range shots seem to be an American thing.
Here they are discouraged, both for the above mentioned reasons and for being "poor sportsmanship".
That meaning that there supposedly is more of a challenge in sneaking up on the prey.

 

[Al Smith]

I myself am not an advocate for long range hunting either .FWIW the average shot on a deer is less then 80 yards.Now granted during the wholesale slaughter of the American bison they took 1/4 mile shots with Sharps 50/95's but that wasn't hunting .More like shooting fish in a rain barrel .

 

[Husabud]

One possible good thing about getting fused and losing some arm strength, is that I will be cleared for a crossbow. Here you have to be"handicapped" to get that. I think I'll go for Handicapable.
I disagree with shots over 200 yds. Even when I'm in Elk country and the land is plenty, it is a skilled hunter who can sneak up on his quarry. Longs hits are for snipers.

 

[Limbrat]

Ray, you being an avid hunter, what do you think of that type of gun being used for hunting? Some people were saying it isn't sporting, but the guys in the vid were missing some shots, albeit long range. Just curious for an experienced opinion, I don't really know what to think

Yeah Jay, not something I would want to do, but to each his own. I hunted pretty much archery only for years but I wouldn't try to tell someone else how they should hunt or shoot. Ethics and sportsmanship will have to enter the picture somewhere, however. I suspect most states in America will draw the line here and say no to this technology. Many already outlaw electronic sighting devices, some have made rifles illegal for big game, etc. I'll be curious to see how it goes.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Guns designed for military application haven't much filtered down for hunting use? Two distinct categories of firearms? I sort of get the impression that the people that are putting out the high tech weapons, really want to be selling to the military, but playing the hunting card gets them a lot of exposure. Just a hunch....

 

[FireFighterZero]

Yeah, you would not recognize a single rifle in today's deer blind as looking like your father's or grandfather's rifle. The current rage is AR-15's and heavy barreled bolt rifles. People seem to like them for hunting. Not my cup o' tea, but who am I to say anything.

 

[treebogan]

Guns designed for military application haven't much filtered down for hunting use? Two distinct categories of firearms? I sort of get the impression that the people that are putting out the high tech weapons, really want to be selling to the military, but playing the hunting card gets them a lot of exposure. Just a hunch....

Most if not all Rifles used for hunting have their origins in the Military.The Mauser bolt action Rifle was developed as a Military item in 1898 and now almost all bolt action Hunting Rifles can trace their heritage back to that.

I also do not agree with long range "Hunting",however at the same time I wager more game is wounded and lost at normal distances by a combination of incompetance/bad luck than at longer ranges.

 

[stig]

That probably depends on your definition of "Game".
The Americans love to shoot small critters like prairie dogs at extreme distances, it is referred to as " Varminting".
Since those "Varmints" are not considered game, wounding them doesn't seem to matter much.
At least that was my impression when I tried my hand at it in Idaho, and the reason I stopped quickly.
I like guns, but I don't need to use something that has a life for target practise.

 

[Tucker943]

Im into long range shooting and am all about long range hunting, IF, you have invested the time and resources into becoming skilled at it. I believe slapping a big scope on an accurate rifle and taking a rip at a mule deer 650 yards out is unethical. UNLESS, long range shooting is a skill you have mastered and you have invested yourself into making those kinds of shots. Now, not all long range shots are ethical even in the hands of a pro long range shooter. Pockets of varying air temperature will wreak havoc on your long distance shot for instance. But, you can figure that out before taking the shot. Personally, on a game animal, I love close shots. But, I myself have no issues with a 600 yard shot if the conditions are right for me. I know my guns, I know the ammo I load for them, and their trajectory and wind dope. Ive worn out barrels on rifles with constant practice, and that particular shot doesn't daunt me. I wont do it in any kind of wind. Trajectory is trajectory. Wind isn't my strong suit.

High power silhouette shooting is my gig. I love it. Ive even started getting the itch for the lever gun silhouette matches. They are less intense and more relaxed. And a LOT cheaper.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hey hunters, what's the story behind this rifle?