[ed dixon]

Did you ever have to tell a friend that his/her shooting skills weren't respectable enough for a clean kill? If so what was the reaction and what were the consequences? Lessons and practice, I'd hope. End of friendship, I'd worry.

[Sunray]

Never had the occasion pop up. The guys I hunt with are all excellent shots. We're all avid shooters, Army firearms instructors, at one time or another, and shoot because it's fun. If it ever did come up, he and I would be spending a whole bunch of time, on a range, shooting off hand at pie plates before he went hunting again.
One guy only had one rifle. A .22 Nylon 66 sans scope. Shot with him for years and rarely saw him miss. He saw me miss a lot though and I shot far more often than he did(he died several years ago). One time, ground hogging, I couldn't do anything right. Shot at 10 ground hogs with my old .22 semi. Missed every time. Finally, I was standing literally on top of a chuck peeking out of his den. Aimed, click. Mag had run dry and the rifle had no indicator of anything. Apparently I couldn't count that day either. We laughed until we cried. Geez, we were young then.

[thumbtack]

I did many times until he got better. I just had to watch how I told him. It was not really his fault completely, he was raised by a "just let the lead fly until it is dead" dad.

[dakotasin]

i've been forced to. reaction was disappointment. i encouraged much more practice, but what actually happened is he shot more infrequently. he still hunts deer, but hasn't hit one in a couple of years.

[Sisco]

Took an Uncle to the range to sight in his .243 before deer season. Fired a couple of rounds that were 8" low and 6" to the right. He figured that was good enough. Nothing to do with his shooting skills, the scope was that far off. He would't listen to reason so I said "Oh well".
Come hunting season he didn't get a deer, got a couple of shots at one but missed, thought maybe he "winged" another one. :fire:
I told him if he wasn't going to take the time to properly zero his weapon before going into the field maybe he better stay home. Kinda pissed him off but the other day he asked if I could take him to the range again. Told him it was not a problem.

[Art Eatman]

Have had friends with strange notions of what cartridges could or could not do, but they all were adequately skilled at hitting their deer...

After explaining to one buddy that the ONLY target on a broadside javelina is the eye, I had to cure him of not listening. With a 7mm Rem Mag, he center-punched a piggie. The cure? I made him field-dress it. Ever watch a grown man :barf:?

:D, Art

[H&Hhunter]

Last year during Elk season I had a good friend of mine out who is a fairly new to hunting. He had an oportunity at a real nice bull at about 350yds cross canyon. I encouraged him to wait for a better shot as I thought that was to far for his ability.

He didn't take the shot and he didn't get an elk either. But I believe we made the right choice and I hope he doesn't hold it against me. Were hunting again this year so I guess he's ok with it.

[zahc]

Constantly, only in the form of encouraging them to pass shots beyond there abilitys. They don't always listen.

[4v50 Gary]

Yeah, they do it to me all the time. :( My first deer took two bullets and the second was cleaner (but probably suffered more since it was with an arrow).

[RandyB]

Offer to take your friend shooting. (If your like me you always need an excuse for the wife:evil: ) I have a 16 y.o. boy who likes to hunt and has adopted me since his dad is a P.O.S. He's a good kid, but has not been raised around guns, but likes to shoot and hunt. Since IN. requires a hunter ed. class for him, I took him and sat in on it also (took one earlier with an aunt). He did well, and studied and was excited when he made the same score as I. I'm always offering a new gun to sight in, pattern, etc. and I just tell him stories about what me and my dad used to do. i.e. "My dad always told me to align the sights, take a deep breath, exhale half.......Squeeze the trigger" or "Gotta get close to a deer, a single branch can deflect so you need a clear lane, Aim for the deers shoulder, not aim at the deer, etc." He thinks I'm just telling stories, but the point is he remembers them and is a better hunter/shooter as a result. Sometimes though you do have to hurt someones feelings, did the same last year during deer season, was walking up a steep embankment and looked back to see a 20 ga. shotgun with the barrel pointing at my thigh. I explained "You just killed me." and explained what the effects a 20 ga. slug would have done to me. The boy cried and I let him for a while. We then talked about all the safety measures he had done and how to learn from it.

[Newt]

Most of my friends are, in general, pretty fair shooters. For the most part, they hit what they shoot at. Like RandyB's friend, they tend to forget they're safety rules sometimes. I'm not shy about reminding them either. I don't go ballistic like a range officer or anything like that, but I can let a person know when I don't want a high-powered rifle pointed at my head.

Newt

[grampster]

A couple years ago my group was hunting pheasants near Platte, SD and I could not hit the broad side of the barn for some reason. I took a good deal of good natured grief about that......including being accused of missing a large rooster that (allegedly) was so close to me that they claimed it had its leg caught up in the frontsite of my new Browning Gold 12 Ga. :D

In my camp being a lousy shot only caused you to be the butt of a few good natured jokes. On the other side of the story, one hunting pal shot a rabbit on the hoof, going away, full speed, at about 30 paces, right between the ears with an old .22 wheel gun. That happened 35 years ago and I still have to listen to that braggart tell the story. I had the misfortune to witness that act of cruelty, so I am always forced to acknowledge that it isn't another one of his self agrandizing fabrications of the manly arts. (He's a Lawyer)
grampster

[rajaniblue]

Gut shooting a deer in which the blood trail became pieces of viscera, and then arriving to find the deer still alive and looking at me, was what cured me of going into the field with my shooting ability unprepared for the task at hand.

However, this technique only works on someone with a conscience, and even then, I wouldn't recommend it.