FrankenMauser
New member
(Quoting this as a reference to what stirred my thoughts, more than as a direct reply, FYI.)Growing up and hunting mostly in my home state of SC; I always felt that using glass, unless you're in one of the wide open states was kind of "overkill". (...)
Even out here where I hunt in some of the "wide open states" ... Most honest, realistic, ethical hunters will tell you that the average shot is under 200 yards for nearly any big game animal.
Even most antelope, in truly wide open prairies, are taken at 150 yards or less. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's almost easier to get close in the wide open flats, than it is in the rolling hills.
With a little practice, pretty much anything where I hunt (Wyoming, Idaho, Utah - from mountain to desert) can be taken with iron sights. Of course, there are certain areas and the occasional bad year where/when you just can't get close, or the only legal animal you see is at 400+ yards. But, overall, you can fill almost any big game tag inside of 200 yards. And, for me, that's iron sight range, as long as the cartridge is suitable and the shooter is adequately-practiced (as they should be no matter the situation).
I believe that "long range" cartridges and scopes are, all too often, used as a crutch by modern hunters that just aren't proficient with their tools.
And I will freely admit that I came to that conclusion after quite a bit of contemplation on my own skills, practice sessions, and usage of my hunting rifles; and saw that I had started leaning on the cartridge and scope more as my skill diminished (from lack of practice). I have plenty of "overkill" cartridges and more than my share of scopes mounted to hunting rifles, but won't be getting rid of anything.
Everything has its place.
Though I see my scopes, .30-06s, .270s, and even the .35 Whelen a little differently now than I did a few years ago (let alone other people's "magnums"), I still feel that they're useful and justifiable. I just need to keep my eye on the prize, so to speak, and make sure I keep trying to at least maintain my skill with iron sights and "limited" cartridges like .30-30 and .444 Marlin; handguns; and the black powder belchers. If possible, I hope to get back to the iron sight "crack shot" that everyone said I was as a kid.