Yup. On a firing line, shooting at inanimate steel. Been there too. Note what you quoted: “hunting” is the operative word.
It’s too easy to find better support in the field, rather than hobble yourself with unsupported shots.
I love it when people deliberately miss the point of a post. My post was not critical of you not taking an offhand shot at a critter. Just to keep it simple: Hitting a 10" paper plate, or the kill zone of a critter offhand AT ANY DISTANCE CONSITENTLY or ALWAYS is not an easy thing to do. And those that CAN do it CONSISTENTLY or ALWAYS (as in a NRA Master Class shooter) ARE EXTREMELY FAR AND FEW BETWEEN. Master Class shooting takes oodles and oodles and
oodles of practice. Much more practice than most of us can possibly do, and is completely out of the realm of this mere mortal.
Now, have I taken game shooting offhand? As a mater of fact, yes. Over the years, I would guess about 50-50 have been taken offhand. Most at less than 100 yards and many at 50-75 with a very few of them at less than 50 yards. My favorite field position, when time allows, is kneeling, because as a youngster (ages 14-16.... before I discovered girls and cars), I used to regularly shoot Master Class scores at indoor NRA 50ft smallbore in prone, sitting and kneeling positions. Offhand was, and is, a rifle position I cannot seem to master, though, and A-Class is as good as I seem to be able to get. (I'm now 63)
The reason I take so many offhand shots at game is that when I see most of my game is while I am slow-walking a still-hunt. Nine times out of ten deer "magically" appear directly in front of me. Usually within 75 yards. Last year's doe was only 40 yards away when she stood up out of her bed, perfectly in front of me staring directly at me, just a few seconds after I had stopped moving. That's when they usually perform their magic on me. Mostly I am looking in a different direction and when my eyes return to their previous sight line, poof! A deer has magically appeared where I was just looking! Time to find a rest? I wish. It is then "Take the shot or not. You decide. And be darn quick about it!" Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. At 200 meters? Not very often. 300 meters? Rarely. 400 meteres? No. A 500 meter offhand shot? Never. Not ever. In my book, under no circumstances could that be considered an ethical choice by an ethical hunter. Even for a Master Class IMSA competitor. But then again, that's just my opinion, and we all know about opinions.