Bud Tugly
Member
IMO the bottom line is this - every weapon has an effective range, and taking shots beyond that range is unethical. A 12 gauge or 30-.06 is not automatically a more ethical hunting weapon than a .410 or bow if the shooter takes ridiculous shots that have a high probability of wounding rather than killing.
Every hunter needs to know that range and also needs to know their own skill level well enough to understand when it is better to pass on taking questionable shots.
Many people seem to think that giving beginners the most powerful weapon they can possibly handle is more ethical than starting them on less powerful ones, but I disagree. IMO it's far more important to learn to shoot with confidence and accuracy and also know your limitations with the weapon you have.
There's definitely more margin for error with more powerful weapons, but that can lead to thinking that there is no need to learn hunting discipline as a part of the process, and IMO that's a major mistake. If you first learn to hunt successfully with a less powerful weapon the transition to more powerful ones will be much easier than going the other way.
Every hunter needs to know that range and also needs to know their own skill level well enough to understand when it is better to pass on taking questionable shots.
Many people seem to think that giving beginners the most powerful weapon they can possibly handle is more ethical than starting them on less powerful ones, but I disagree. IMO it's far more important to learn to shoot with confidence and accuracy and also know your limitations with the weapon you have.
There's definitely more margin for error with more powerful weapons, but that can lead to thinking that there is no need to learn hunting discipline as a part of the process, and IMO that's a major mistake. If you first learn to hunt successfully with a less powerful weapon the transition to more powerful ones will be much easier than going the other way.