ICMDEER
Well-Known Member
This is my 36th year as a big game outfitter in Wyoming. I guided before that. I've also guided a few other states. I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end. Most people can't shoot. Plain and simple, they can't shoot. Add that to the fact that most can't walk and couple it with the fact they can't see well and it creates a real problem. But everybody wants a 180 mule deer, a 350 bull elk, etc.
I have an 800+ yard range at home. I also build rifles and I shoot quite a bit. Not as much as LanceT but a lot. I bet most hunters don't shoot 20 rounds per year before they arrive here. We make everyone shoot. I have had MANY people that don't even know how to load or unload their rifle. I've seen some drop the hinged floorplate and try to load their rifle from the bottom, then mash the floorplate against the ammo. But others don't even know about the hinged floorplate, so they unload their magazine by running all the ammo in the magazine through the chamber by opening and closing the bolt 3-4 times. Many have "practice ammo" and "hunt ammo" different bullets and weights. We had one guy walk in the house and unload "John Wayne style" by working his bolt. Oops, had his finger on the trigger and shot through 2 walls and the shower before it buried itself in the exterior wall. This after passing signs that say "ABSOLUTELY NO LOADED FIREARMS IN THE HOUSE." Needless to say, that did not sell well with me.
Most are real happy if they can shoot a 2-3" group at 100 yards off of a bench with sandbags. I even have people that refuse to adjust their scope "because it was on at home." What the heck???? Then they really start to show their skill (or lack of skill) when we ask them to shoot plates at even 300-400 yards. Most say they have never shot that far before. The ones that have shot distance almost always miss at 3-400. Then they say "I was on in Alabama or California." And this is off sandbags and a solid bench under a protected shed. After hiking all day, dashing to the top of a ridge, huffing and puffing, they will miss.
We do all this because we need to know their limits. A few can really hunt/shoot. The vast majority have to get close and have lots of time. They talk about their abilities, but it is often not backed by what we see at the range. In fact, most of the guys who show up with a turreted rifle don't even know that the turrets on the rifle can be adjusted. They have someone else sight in the rifle and just leave it. When I pull out my big box of tools to adjust their turrets, they are really confused.
I would say only 10% of our hunters are real hunters. They either can't walk or can't shoot, and certainly can't shoot quickly. I'll close by saying if I had a quarter for every time I have heard the phrase "I can't find him in my scope" I could retire immediately with a million quarters in my pocket. The truly amazing thing is that people spend all the time and money for a western hunt and are so very unprepared. Simply amazing.
In summary, it is true most people can't shoot and most people are physically unfit. We meet some very nice people but most are not well qualified for western big game hunting.
I have an 800+ yard range at home. I also build rifles and I shoot quite a bit. Not as much as LanceT but a lot. I bet most hunters don't shoot 20 rounds per year before they arrive here. We make everyone shoot. I have had MANY people that don't even know how to load or unload their rifle. I've seen some drop the hinged floorplate and try to load their rifle from the bottom, then mash the floorplate against the ammo. But others don't even know about the hinged floorplate, so they unload their magazine by running all the ammo in the magazine through the chamber by opening and closing the bolt 3-4 times. Many have "practice ammo" and "hunt ammo" different bullets and weights. We had one guy walk in the house and unload "John Wayne style" by working his bolt. Oops, had his finger on the trigger and shot through 2 walls and the shower before it buried itself in the exterior wall. This after passing signs that say "ABSOLUTELY NO LOADED FIREARMS IN THE HOUSE." Needless to say, that did not sell well with me.
Most are real happy if they can shoot a 2-3" group at 100 yards off of a bench with sandbags. I even have people that refuse to adjust their scope "because it was on at home." What the heck???? Then they really start to show their skill (or lack of skill) when we ask them to shoot plates at even 300-400 yards. Most say they have never shot that far before. The ones that have shot distance almost always miss at 3-400. Then they say "I was on in Alabama or California." And this is off sandbags and a solid bench under a protected shed. After hiking all day, dashing to the top of a ridge, huffing and puffing, they will miss.
We do all this because we need to know their limits. A few can really hunt/shoot. The vast majority have to get close and have lots of time. They talk about their abilities, but it is often not backed by what we see at the range. In fact, most of the guys who show up with a turreted rifle don't even know that the turrets on the rifle can be adjusted. They have someone else sight in the rifle and just leave it. When I pull out my big box of tools to adjust their turrets, they are really confused.
I would say only 10% of our hunters are real hunters. They either can't walk or can't shoot, and certainly can't shoot quickly. I'll close by saying if I had a quarter for every time I have heard the phrase "I can't find him in my scope" I could retire immediately with a million quarters in my pocket. The truly amazing thing is that people spend all the time and money for a western hunt and are so very unprepared. Simply amazing.
In summary, it is true most people can't shoot and most people are physically unfit. We meet some very nice people but most are not well qualified for western big game hunting.