Friends:
I recently had an interesting experience while hunting with a guy who had never hunted deer or big game.
We agreed to meet early in the morning to hunt deer. After we drove out to the Nebraska boonies, we met at another friend's house before going out into the field.
This guy started showing us the gear he had purchased for the hunt, and he also mentioned how much it cost:
1. Weatherby .460 magnum rifle, I think he said a couple of grand;
2. Leupold VX III scope w/B&C reticle, $600.00;
3. Special hunting camo w/ charcoal lining (can't remember price);
4. Laser range-finder, about $450.00;
5. Image-stablizing binocs, about $600.00; and
6. hand-made hunting knife (can't remember who makes it), about $1,200.00.
Like everyone else, I admired this stuff; the rifle and the knife were especially beautiful. I had to help him load the rifle, because he was having trouble with it. The rounds were HUGE, and it seemed that the rifle only held 2 rounds total; I sure as heck was not going to try to force more ammo in there. I also made sure he understood how the safety worked.
It was a hot day (60 degrees in January is hot for Nebraska), and the deer were bedding down and were not coming out from the timber onto the fields, so we were not going to be able to use the deer stands. Instead, we were going to have to go into the timber and either still hunt, or push the deer.
When we got out of the truck at the edge of the timber, this guy kind of hesitated for a moment, and I realized his problem: In addition to the heavy rifle, extra coat, and the standard stuff most hunters carry (water, a little food, extra ammo), he was looking at having to also carry the binocs and range finder. I told him to leave the rangefinder and binocs in the truck (the timber is too dense to use them anyway). The special jacket also ended up in the truck; it was too hot to wear.
At the end of the day, my plain-jane Remington took one doe. Another guy and his simple Howa took three does. The guy with the expensive gear took nothing; although he had two opportunities to shoot two does, he never took a shot (probably just due to inexperience, and I'm not blaming him for that). But I can't help but wonder whether he was also a little afraid of the .460 magnum's recoil. When we were driving home, he admitted that he had never shot the rifle; the chain store that sold him the rifle, scope, and the rest of the stuff had also mounted and bore-sighted the new scope. They assured him that the bore-sighting "would be close enough."
I'm not trying to slam this guy, because he is a nice guy who I like. The point of this thread is that expensive hunting gear is nice to have, but it won't guarantee a successful hunt. With the exception of the nice scope, most of his gear was unnecessary and just ended up being extra stuff to lug around (or leave in the truck).
I recently had an interesting experience while hunting with a guy who had never hunted deer or big game.
We agreed to meet early in the morning to hunt deer. After we drove out to the Nebraska boonies, we met at another friend's house before going out into the field.
This guy started showing us the gear he had purchased for the hunt, and he also mentioned how much it cost:
1. Weatherby .460 magnum rifle, I think he said a couple of grand;
2. Leupold VX III scope w/B&C reticle, $600.00;
3. Special hunting camo w/ charcoal lining (can't remember price);
4. Laser range-finder, about $450.00;
5. Image-stablizing binocs, about $600.00; and
6. hand-made hunting knife (can't remember who makes it), about $1,200.00.
Like everyone else, I admired this stuff; the rifle and the knife were especially beautiful. I had to help him load the rifle, because he was having trouble with it. The rounds were HUGE, and it seemed that the rifle only held 2 rounds total; I sure as heck was not going to try to force more ammo in there. I also made sure he understood how the safety worked.
It was a hot day (60 degrees in January is hot for Nebraska), and the deer were bedding down and were not coming out from the timber onto the fields, so we were not going to be able to use the deer stands. Instead, we were going to have to go into the timber and either still hunt, or push the deer.
When we got out of the truck at the edge of the timber, this guy kind of hesitated for a moment, and I realized his problem: In addition to the heavy rifle, extra coat, and the standard stuff most hunters carry (water, a little food, extra ammo), he was looking at having to also carry the binocs and range finder. I told him to leave the rangefinder and binocs in the truck (the timber is too dense to use them anyway). The special jacket also ended up in the truck; it was too hot to wear.
At the end of the day, my plain-jane Remington took one doe. Another guy and his simple Howa took three does. The guy with the expensive gear took nothing; although he had two opportunities to shoot two does, he never took a shot (probably just due to inexperience, and I'm not blaming him for that). But I can't help but wonder whether he was also a little afraid of the .460 magnum's recoil. When we were driving home, he admitted that he had never shot the rifle; the chain store that sold him the rifle, scope, and the rest of the stuff had also mounted and bore-sighted the new scope. They assured him that the bore-sighting "would be close enough."
I'm not trying to slam this guy, because he is a nice guy who I like. The point of this thread is that expensive hunting gear is nice to have, but it won't guarantee a successful hunt. With the exception of the nice scope, most of his gear was unnecessary and just ended up being extra stuff to lug around (or leave in the truck).
)
I believe he needs to shoot that in a prone position 20 rounds, for a well deserved lesson LOL.