Just because you are using a semi auto doesn't mean you throw first shot accuracy out the window and immediately go to accuracy by volume. Since I imagine very few people are hunting with single shot rifles then it stands that the vast majority are using repeating rifles of some kind whether it be bolt, lever, pump or semi auto. All of them can be used to accurately place the first round directly in the vitals but provide a quicker follow up than a single shot rifle.
And things don't always go according to plan and some times even a good shot requires a follow up. Here's a couple examples.
- I shot my 475 pound black bear 4 times and 3 of the 4 were fatal by themselves, the one that wasn't was due to a last second movement as it was on the run and I was off by about 2 inches on a target running downhill through the woods.
- My bison was shot twice with an 1874 Sharps, a single shot rifle, and both shots were fatal but the first had no reaction so I shot again and it dropped
- A doe I shot in muzzleloader last year, she was moving towards me and just as she cleared cover she decided something wasn't right and turned 180 degrees at the shot. Due to her twist I hit the far lung along with the liver and front edge of the guts. She dropped at the shot and I thought she was dead but when she tried to get up after I reloaded I shot her again.
Outside of them almost every one of my deer has been killed with a single shot yet I continue to take repeating rifles into the woods and immediately reload my rifle in the event that I need to use a second round.
This past year I topped off my bolt rifle with one in the chamber plus an 8 round mag when I was a stander on a drive. I killed my buck on the run at 150 yards with a single shot but had I needed a second the capability was there.
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