someone needs a better range finder or more sighting in time

[jbett98]

Or find a closer elk.

 

[ducksoup]

The problem isn't missing an animal but wounding one because of poor shooting. Many years ago I was elk hunting in the Little Naches area in Washington. I was watching a trail leading down into a series of small canyons, none of which were more then 300 yards wide. All of a sudden I hear 4 shots in rapid succession. Then a pause, then 3 more shots, another pause and 2 more shots. I'm thinking who is target shooting out here! A few minutes later I hear someone running down the trail I was watching and here comes a kid that looks maybe 16 or 17 all out of breath. I stopped him and asked what's going on and it was him who was doing all the shooting at a spike. Out of the 9 shots I'd heard, 7 missed completely and the two that connected hit the elk in the hind quarter. The kid was running back to camp to get more ammo. He runs off and I hear a single shot and hike over to investigate and another hunter has just shot the spike and finished it off. Sure enough, two bullet holes in the left hind quarter. It made me think how many times this happens every year because people don't know what they're doing. They buy a new gun, pick up a box of shell, take it to the range and fire 5 or 6 rounds to get it sorta sighted in and then proclaim they're ready for the hunt! Our game animals deserve better then that!

 

[clearconscience]

That's the truth.
Happens more times than not, or people can't/don't track what they shoot. An animal runs off and dies slow, wasting the meat. And that hunter goes off to hunt some more.

I've heard plenty of stories of people blowing off a leg or something.

Happens a lot in archery too.

People need to know their limits when shooting. If you've only practiced at a 100 yd range don't start taking shots at 300 yards.