Scary Pre-Hunting Story

[Hokkmike]

I was driving north from York County, PA to Tioga County, PA to spend Friday night with my friend before going out on Saturday for the first day of PA buck/doe season.

On the way, just for fun, I stopped at a gun store along Route 11/15. The place was packed. At least 4 people were filling out forms to purchase rifles (presumably) for deer hunting.

A scary thought to think that they have zero practice with their weapon(s) of choice.

 

[22250Rem]

I've heard of that stuff from a LGS owner/ gunsmith. Along with the guys who wait until the week before opening day to get work done on their firearms or a new scope mounted or something. He used to put up a sign stating that if you want the work done by hunting season then it had to be in the shop by a certain date. I was in the shop in the mid 1990's when guy came in who had just booked an elk hunt and had no idea what rifle he should use. I learned later that the shop owner sold him a nice 338 Win. magnum that was on the rack in the shop.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Don't forget the guys who take a rifle out on opening day that hasn't shot it since last hunting season. Its always "should still be good, because its been in the safe untouched all year"

 

[Seedy Character]

Happens every year.

1993, Stopped by to pick up my buddy (gunsmith), headed out to deer camp for opening morning, the next day. 15 minutes before he closed, the guy it the counter was needing a firing pin in his rifle and wanted the stock glass bedded, TODAY.
A truck pulls into parking lot, guy rushes in with a rifle and scope, he had just bought. Wanted scope mounted and sighted in. Said he would be back in and hour, he was going home to pick for deer camp.

They were not happy that I was laughing. Buddy asked 1st guy, "when did you break firing pin?" In Jan, last day of deer season.

He told them, he was about to close, he was going deer hunting and their guns would be ready in 3 weeks.

 

[buck460XVR]

A scary thought to think that they have zero practice with their weapon(s) of choice.

Yes, it is, but just because they are buying a gun the day before opening day, does not mean they aren't going to practice with it first. Always amazes me the amount of times I hear of folks "borrowing" a gun at the last minute. Have had friends and relatives of my own calling me the day before season and asking if I have a gun their son/daughter or they can use. I well know they aren't going to practice first, they just assume I have the gun sighted in and their familiarity with guns will be enough. No different than they guy who hasn't touched his rifle since putting it away last season. Kinda why you hear so many shots in the woods on opening day and so few deer in the backs of vehicles. Safety with a new different/firearm in the hands of a experienced shooter is not an issue to me, but accuracy and ethics is.

 

[troy fairweather]

Shoot you won't believe how many buy rimfires thinking they can use them. I used to help out when I was a kid at the shop dad worked, I would mount and bore sight scopes for customers. Made some good spending money then even tho I don't change, a lot would say after season they didn't even get shoot the gun or sight it in. I was pretty good at getting a gun close with the old Bushnell truscope, but there just to get you on paper.

 

[Rubone]

I've bought several really nice almost never fired rifles from some of those guys. Draw a tag, buy a rifle, mount a scope, try a couple rounds, go hunting, no luck, return home, wife is pissed, gun for sale at a big discount....

 

[Bazoo]

If you're already familiar with guns, you don't have to practice all that much when buying a new gun for hunting, especially if the range is short.

I have a savage 110 in 30-06, I could buy any bolt action rifle off the shelf, fire one shot, adjust scope to poi, fire another to confirm, and hunt with it no problem. Just familiarize myself with it a few minutes.

Maybe those guys are already proficient and just want something new.

 

[earlthegoat2]

My dad hasnt shot his gun at a paper target in a decade. Kills a deer or two every year.

Granted, this is just an isolated anecdote but if you have a quality scope and use the same ammo, it is unlikely the gun will lose hunting accuracy.

Sure it is a little scary thought. Just not that scary.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Yeah my dad never shoots his 760 during the off season. Scope been on that rifle since i was young. He shoots a couple deer every year. You don't really need to check accuracy between seasons. Unless the gun feel and the scope got jarred. I myself like shooting my hunting guns and range toys all year around.

 

[Thomasss]

20 years ago I was at a public range just burning some muzzleloading powder a few days before deer hunting. About mid-day a frontal system started to move through the area with light rain but with gusty winds blowing 20 mph gusting to near 40 mph crossing the shooting lanes. There were a dozen or so people trying to site in their rifles and I just sat back and smiled. I packed up and started to leave thinking you crazy fools, how do you think your to zero your guns in this wind.

 

[wombat13]

On the other hand, you have the guys that wait to the last minute, but get their practice in. Sounds like World War III the night before opening day. And then they wonder why they don’t see any deer.

 

[Captcurt]

Went to Missouri to hunt with a friend who owns several hundred acres only to find that his dad had invited two employees to hunt with us. Neither had hunted deer before and one, we will call Fuzz, had a new 94 Winchester. We had to show him how to load it and Bob showed him how fire it and work the action. All was fine until we crossed the fence. Bobby took Fuzz's gun and it was fully cocked. He told him not to cock it until he was ready to shoot. I was getting a little spooked, but what sealed the deal was when we stopped to cross the second fence and the 94 was cocked again. I told Bob that I would check out Possum Hollow and left the trio. Spent the entire day alone and as far away from the idiot as could get. Bob said that he put the deadly duo on stands and hunted a the far end of the farm.

 

[wombat13]

My dad hasnt shot his gun at a paper target in a decade. Kills a deer or two every year.

Granted, this is just an isolated anecdote but if you have a quality scope and use the same ammo, it is unlikely the gun will lose hunting accuracy.

Sure it is a little scary thought. Just not that scary.

Same with my FIL. I always shoot my rifles before hunting season. Partly just to make sure, partly as an excuse to go to the range. This year I shot my main hunting rifle several times because I was zeroing with a new hand load. I fired just one round with my backup rifle. One shot about 1” high at 100. No need to burn ammunition.

 

[dh1633pm]

I buy a new hunting rifle each year for the season. Sight them in? Why bother, its just going back into the safe, and who wants to mess up the nice finish. You only have to sight them in if your planning on shooting something.

 

[Atavar]

My last deer rifle was a Tikka in .300wm with a Leupold scope.
The “sighting in” process for five years running was one cold bore shot each year from the original box of Winchester Silvertip ammo. It never needed adjusting.
Two or three shots each year brought home two or three deer each year.
The fourth and fifth years I felt a little silly for not trusting it.

 

[Hokkmike]

Thanks for the replies guys. One of my "joys" of hunting is that each year when I go to "sight-in" it only takes one shot, sometimes two, to confirm the accuracy of the gun. A good feeling.

 

[daniel craig]

I was driving north from York County, PA to Tioga County, PA to spend Friday night with my friend before going out on Saturday for the first day of PA buck/doe season.

On the way, just for fun, I stopped at a gun store along Route 11/15. The place was packed. At least 4 people were filling out forms to purchase rifles (presumably) for deer hunting.

A scary thought to think that they have zero practice with their weapon(s) of choice.

When I worked gun retail this was common EVERY deer season.

 

[Axis II]

Join the Ohio hunting groups on Facebook. Opener was today and last night guys are asking where to buy slugs, ammo, and even guns and scopes. Probably the worst one was which ammo should I take tomorrow? When told take the one that you sighted in with he deleted the post. Another yahoo then says it no one’s business what anyone else does and proceeds to rant about people minding our own and who care if someone else wounds deer.

 

[Speedo66]

To be honest, a box of my hunting rounds would last me several years.

Usually one or two rounds to confirm scope was still correctly sighted in, and mostly one shot for a deer.

Hunting was pretty much the only time I shot that particular rifle, a Browning lever action in.308.

 

[Howland937]

I've bought several really nice almost never fired rifles from some of those guys. Draw a tag, buy a rifle, mount a scope, try a couple rounds, go hunting, no luck, return home, wife is pissed, gun for sale at a big discount....

I'd bought several shotguns and muzzleloaders after the first of the year, when hunting seasons wind down and Christmas bills are coming in.

My brother bought a Marlin 45-70 the first year straightwall cartridges were legal in Ohio. Mounted a scope, sighted it in. Deer season comes in, he kills the biggest buck of his life but gets a severe case of scope eye. Frustrated, sells it to our dad.

Dad shoots it once to check, finds POI the same for him as with my brother.
Dad has killed 6 deer with this rifle, still has 7 rounds left in the only box of ammo my brother got when he bought the rifle new. My brother fired a total of 6 rounds, dad has fired 7.

13 rounds fired, 5 sighting it in, one more verifying zero. Other 7 rounds all killed deer.

I have no reason to expect that the zeroes have moved on any of my rifles that haven't been dropped or fell over.

Eyesight, OTOH, is probably more likely to change over the course of the year for some of us.

 

[Rubone]

I must admit that one of the rifles (Ruger 77 MKII 300WM) I sort of referred to in my previous post has killed 4 Elk over the last 6 years (some years there just isn't an opportunity) with no checking or changes. When it works right, leave it alone. I believe in the "If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it mantra". Oh, and over that time period I have only expended 5 rounds!!

 

[Lo-Profile]

When I lived in PA my deer rifle was a M38 Mosin Nagant. Open sights, with soft point hunting ammo. Only time I ever shot it was at deer. Usually under 100y

 

[twarr1]

Nobody else has to check their rifle to make sure you haven’t shot out the barrel over the year?

 

[Atavar]

Don’t you have to shoot the rifle to shoot out the barrel?