Many calibers will not permit this two-hundred-yard sighting range and keep within the six-inch limit. For example, the 170-grain bullet in the popular .30/30 caliber will drop about one foot in 165 yards. This does not mean that this is the limit of the six-inch variation from the line of sight because the bullet starts below the line of sight and the highest point of its flight is beyond the half-way point between the gun and target and thus the six-inch limit is extended beyond the distance of the twelve-inch drop. It does mean that if the sights are set for much over 150 yards, that there is a good chance of missing the vital area of a deer at mid-range unless there is some effort to compensate for trajectory. Similarly the .30/06 with the 180-grain load will drop a foot in about 200 yards. I have never tried the 270 calibers, but have been informed that this gun may be safely sighted for 250 yards, with telescope sights, and the six-inch limit will not be exceeded either above or below the line of sight for at least 350 yards.
For the greatest satisfaction in relatively flat country, most deer guns should be sighted for one hundred yards. This gives the hunter a hunting range of about 150 yards without the need for making allowances for trajectory. The average hunter will have difficulty in hitting a deer beyond this distance unless he has a standing shot and in such cases he will have time enough to make the necessary allowances for the distance. I find that it is not desirable to make any changes in the sights while actually hunting. Aiming high for those long shots may not be as accurate as changing the rear sight to compensate for the increased distance, but, since the distance must be estimated rather than measured, there is about as much chance of error in either method. In aiming high, there is no danger of forgetting to return the sight to its original setting and thus missing an easy shot at some future time.
The sights on a deer gun are important because they are the only control that the hunter has over the bullet's course. These sights are made in many different shapes and sizes. Blade, post, bead, ring and a few other types of front sights are made in different sizes in order to accommodate different shooters and different shooting conditions. Rear sights are made in so many different styles, shapes and sizes that it is difficult for the non-hunter to select any one that will give him satisfaction in the woods. Some of these sights are only adjustable vertically, while others may be readily moved to any position, which the shooter desires. Some of the leaf types have several different sights that may be snapped into position so that the shooter has a choice of sights to suit different shooting conditions. Most of the aperture-type sights have several sizes of apertures for the same reason. Telescope sights vary in power and field of view and are adjustable in all directions.
All of these sights will direct a bullet to the desired spot if they are adjusted properly; but some of them are practically useless to the deer hunter; and some of the others, while giving satisfactory results, are too complicated to be practical. The deer hunter needs a sturdy sight which will not be knocked out of adjustment by rough handling and he needs a sight which may be seen easily without cutting side vision.
The sights on a deer gun are important because they are the only control that the hunter has over the bullet's course. These sights are made in many different shapes and sizes. The deer hunter needs a sturdy sight which will not be knocked out of adjustment by rough handling and he needs a sight which may be seen easily without cutting side vision.
Nearly everyone who hunts deer does so under more or less of a nervous strain; and the greater the desire to kill, the greater this strain will be and the more often he will see deer which are not deer. He concentrates on the desired game to the exclusion of practically everything else and, through a sort of self-hypnotism, everything which he sees or hears has some bearing on deer. He sees a movement in the woods, and the first thought is of deer; and any unidentified object is apt to resemble a deer until proven otherwise. This attitude is liable to cause the hunter to shoot on impulse instead of with calm reasoning.
Often the objects which resemble deer are nothing more than illusions, and all that the hunter has to do to dispel them is to step sideways for a short distance and they will disappear. If the object is a deer, the hunter's movement will usually cause the animal to leave its position; and a running deer is easily identified.
No man should be disappointed about passing up a standing shot at a doubtful target for a shot at a running target which he is sure is a deer. Even if he should miss, there is no harm done and there are usually more deer in the woods. Furthermore, there is always the possibility that the next one he sights will be an easy shot and possibly a better trophy. Many hunters are so anxious to shoot a deer that they miss a lot of the enjoyment which should be a part of the hunt, and this very anxiety causes them to see a deer behind every bit of cover. They do not seem to realize that there are very few areas where deer may be found in such profusion that any moving object which they sight will be one. If there is any such area, we can be sure that other hunters will know about it and they will flock there in such numbers that there will be more chance of sighting hunters than there will be of sighting game. Sometimes we see deer which are partly hidden so that only a portion of the animal is visible. Perhaps we can only see the legs, part of the animal's head or some other portion of its body. Often we are sure that the object is a deer, yet positive identification is almost impossible without movement on the part of the animal or a change in position by the hunter so that a clear view of the entire animal can be obtained. It is never safe to shoot at these objects in an attempt to kill or to drive them from cover. It is much better to move towards the most advantageous spot for a clearer view, if this can be done without losing sight of the object, or by walking directly towards it, all the while keeping the gun ready for a quick shot.
I have started quite a few deer in this manner and I failed to bag some of them which I could have killed if I had been willing to take a chance and shoot at an object which I had not positively identified. At other times I have stalked objects which I suspected were deer, only to find some inanimate object at the end of the stalk. I would have felt foolish had I shot at the latter without taking the trouble to make positive identification.
A hunter must know the identification of the object that he wanted to shoot. It is better to move towards the most advantageous spot for a clearer view.
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