Jaenak,
JustSayMo was refering to my statement that a rifle hunter can shoot out to 500 yards. That was just a number I threw out there to represent a long distance shot. It was also said that the gun may be able to shoot that far but most hunters can't make the shot count at that range.
Thanks for that explaination. Yep, its a very fair statement to say that most people are not comfortable making a 500 yard shot in hunting conditions. I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable with it either. Then again, our terrain doesn't permit such shots regularly enough to get comfortable. In other regions, it would not be as big a deal.
At the same time, 500 yards isn't the best arguement for rifle hunting-- kinda as your father mentioned. There is a HUGE gap between the effective range of a bow and 500 yards.
Here is the way I see it: I bring enough weapon for the outside range of my hunt. In our field stands, I know the statistical probablility of my shot will be somewhere between 70 and 90 yards. Pretty much anything I have will make a kill at that range. However, it is entirely possible to make a 150 yard shot from those same stands. And then I have one stand that can potentially have a 400 yard shot.
On most of my stands, I want something that can make a kill out to around 200 yards minimum. On that one particular stand, I want something capable of 400 yards minimum.
Since I don't bowhunt, I am not as familar with maximum effective ranges for bows. But I can imagine that beyond 75 yards or so, it gets real iffy. So that doesn't work well for 90% of my hunting since it falls comfortablely in my statistical range, but not my outliner range.
Now, I do trail hunt as well using a portable stand. I tend to do this when I've already killed the number I wanted for the year. On trails, my maximum distance will be under 60 yards TOPS. I often bring a 7.62x39 on those hunts-- just to give it some "earn your keep" time. The 7.62x39-- as I am comfortable with-- falls basically in the range of a bow. I wouldn't take a shot with it that a proficient bowhunter would not take with a bow.
In my experience, bowhunters take most of their enjoyment from the hunt itself, whereas rifle hunters seem to take most of their enjoyment from actually bringing something home, not necessarily the hunt. Is that statement true for most rifle hunters?
It's a tough question since there are so many individuals with their own motivations involved. I know plenty of rifle hunters who absolutely love "the hunt." My father-in-law is one of them. I know plenty of rifle hunters that are trophy hunters-- meaning they are out there for a head to put on the wall more than meet in the freezer. And then I know a lot like me: I enjoy being out there, but it is just something that I do.
Generalizations are hard to make of any group.
Take me for instance....
I am a sucker for animals. Varmits is my yard are more likely to get fed than shot. I love to be in the woods more for watching the wildlife than I do killing it. I take absolutely no joy from the kill-- in fact, I often get melancholy after a kill.
At the same time, I love the meat. And I am not such a hypocrite as those who derail hunting as being barbaric, join PETA, and protest-- but then go get a Big Mac on the way to the protest. (My wife's first cousin went to Berkely and I visited a couple times-- it was an eyeopener.)
I grew up in a hunting community, and a hunting family. Around here, it is not uncommon for women to enjoy hunting every bit as much as men. My mother has hunted my entire life. My wife often goes hunting with me. One reason I tend to hunt food plots lately is because my stands on food plots are large enough for two to sit in comfortably. Jen is too soft-hearted to make the shot herself, but has sat beside me as I have a few times.
Now that said...
I really can't say that I don't enjoy the hunt. I have often said to my father that "the big ones GOT big because they are smart enough NOT to go in food plots during the day." For that reason, I enjoy hunting on trails using a portable stand when I can. On those hunts, you are likely to see nothing at all-- but if you see something, it is likely the trophy deer. I have a nice one shot on a trail mounted on my wall now.
And that kinda killed me for trophy hunting. I won't mount a deer unless it is bigger than the one that I mounted on my wall (or rather the wall of my hunting camp). Around here, we have people with literally dozens of mounted deer on their walls. Between my mother and father, they have about 10 in their house. Many people around here have FAR more mounted.
The one I mounted was worth mounting. But my wife's head exploded when I mentioned hanging it in our house-- hence it residing at our hunting camp. So, I have to have a pretty good reason to mount more. At the same time, I won't deny that my heart misses a beat when the big one comes walking up.
For me, "the big one" is a target of opportunity-- not something to craft my hunt around. Every season, I know that between the hunters in my family, we need about 4 deer a year to account for the amount of venison we eat every year. As my recipes are becoming more elaborate, I anticipate that need increasing. Typically, when we hit that number my hunting tends to become less important than other daily needs.
Now, like I alluded to earlier, I think that hunting is a different thing around here than in many parts of the country. It isn't a thing that occurs just on weekends, and it isn't a "once or twice a season" event. It is essentially an every day thing. During the season, anyone that can be in the woods during hunting hours is in the woods.
When I was in high school, it was common to see guys wearing camoflage coveralls coming to school. They got up and went hunting before school. Considering that most had their rifles stowed away behind the seat of their truck when they got to school, I find myself pondering just how far our society has gone away from those days. Back then, the principle KNEW that practically every high school boy had a rifle in thier vehicle in the school parking lot during hunting season. The principle himself likely had one behind his seat as well. Oddly, no one ever got shot. Now, we would have SWAT teams swoop down on the school and FoxNews helicopters circling overhead.
But I am veering away from topic. The frequency and routine nature of hunting tends to take the "thrill" out of it. Those days where the wind is really picking up from the north, or the rain is blowing, or it is simply cold are not things that you just grin and bear as you would if you paid for the trip and have been looking forward to it for 6 months.
It the wind is picking up too much, I am looking to go hunt in our of our field stands that has walls and windows. If it is cold enough, I find myself thinking about which ones I have propane heaters in. If it is just TOO cold, I go home and make a cup of hot tea and read a book by the fire.
On the surface, I would say that I am a "comfortable" hunter. But that's not the case. When you are out there 50 days a year, there is always tomorrow. When it becomes more of a way of life rather than an experience, it is sometimes better to just be out there doing the "job" than not being there at all. And as mentioned earlier, because it is something that is integrated into your life it is necessary to do what works.
If you have a job, but hunt 6 days a week during the season, you have a very limited amount of time in that day that you can hunt. It is unlikely that you can hunt the mornings or middle of the day. It is illegal and unethical to hunt at night. That leaves dusk. That means you have about 2-2.5 hours per day at BEST. That makes more elaborate hunting methods problematic during the week. Now, weekends are another story. Those are the times that you really have choices. On weekends, I am more likely to hunt trails or during nontypical hours. I think on weekends I tend to hunt more for the enjoyment than for the "job."
So to answer your question.. I don't know that there is a generalization available. While I know a LOT of hunters like me, I also know plenty that are very different from me-- even in this small community. I would not put myself out there as an example of the "typical" rifle or stand hunter-- even though I don't think I am all that odd in my perspective.
I hope this helps-- and sorry for writing you a book. I should have added chapters!
-- John