Where to begin...
I have faced many skeptics over the years, but I’ve made my arguments in print. I’ve read the letters and emails by the critics and I can say without sarcasm that in general they are simply ill informed.
Their erroneous arguments are often based on muzzle energy as a measure of lethality. It’s a good thing it’s a number that is pretty much meaningless, as I have killed many large (by large I mean 1,000 lbs up) animals with “inadequate” firearms that don’t meet these experts’ so-called minimum requirements (assuming good placement, it’s all about the bullet).
Where I have on more than a few occasions met with skepticism is from outfitters. They’ve either experienced some bad happening with a previous client or they’re simply ignorant from a lack of exposure to handgun hunting. My outfitter in South Africa last year had a heart to heart with me on the third day of my hunt showing real concern about my choice in caliber and bullets for Cape buffalo. That evening he ate a sizable helping of crow but was man enough to admit he was wrong. I like to leave camps with an outfitter being sold on the effectiveness of handguns and feel duty bound (not only for the animals sake) to perform well.
So, I take my hunt preparation very seriously and choose my equipment carefully.
I have faced many skeptics over the years, but I’ve made my arguments in print. I’ve read the letters and emails by the critics and I can say without sarcasm that in general they are simply ill informed.
Their erroneous arguments are often based on muzzle energy as a measure of lethality. It’s a good thing it’s a number that is pretty much meaningless, as I have killed many large (by large I mean 1,000 lbs up) animals with “inadequate” firearms that don’t meet these experts’ so-called minimum requirements (assuming good placement, it’s all about the bullet).
Where I have on more than a few occasions met with skepticism is from outfitters. They’ve either experienced some bad happening with a previous client or they’re simply ignorant from a lack of exposure to handgun hunting. My outfitter in South Africa last year had a heart to heart with me on the third day of my hunt showing real concern about my choice in caliber and bullets for Cape buffalo. That evening he ate a sizable helping of crow but was man enough to admit he was wrong. I like to leave camps with an outfitter being sold on the effectiveness of handguns and feel duty bound (not only for the animals sake) to perform well.
So, I take my hunt preparation very seriously and choose my equipment carefully.