took my buddy out for the first time...mistake!

Originally Posted By: lampy@TCS supposedly he has been through the appleseed training and did well. He told me after he shot, "I sighted it in at 100 so it should be back down at about 200-225." I guess he assumes that automatically means you dont need to practice those longer shots. Needless to say I won't be hunting with him anytime soon.



I've heard of appleseed but I'm not overly familiar with it. All I know is that a person can be a dead eye and know all the ballistics in the world on the range but when they get in the field it's a whole different ballgame. I'm saying why not see if he can improve in that part in the field.

I don't know crap about ballistics and bullet drop at ranges and wind and spin drift and all that other stuff, but when I shoot at something it usually goes down. Some of that is natural and some of it is by shooting a lot.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is I wouldn't be so quick to write off a potential hunting partner just because of the one night out. I have a hard time getting anyone to go hunting with me and I know I would hunt a lot more if I had someone else who was excited to go along too so if it were me I wouldn't just give up on the guy...now if he's a jerk and you just don't like being around him anyway then that's a different story.
 
Dont' quote me on any of this, this is all just what I have heard from many different people...

Appleseed is some kind of civilian firearms training with .22 rifles. You have to shoot from 25 yards, standing, prone, and crouch. I THINK they said 10 rounds each, and if you aren't shooting a bolt action, you have to have a mag change. You are allowed scopes and iron sights as well. From what I have heard, it's nothing too difficult, but like I said, I could be wrong.

Also, come to find out AFTER the hunt when he was unloading his weatherby vangaurd, he was shooting Wolf FMJs to hunt with. [beeep] is all I said to him. He clearly needs to be edjumucated on these things haha
 
Sounds like he definitely needs an experienced mentor to bring him up to speed and turn him into a safe and ethical hunter.

Personally, if someone is enthusiastic and willing to learn, I'm more than happy to bring them along and try to help out. Of course, I'm a pretty junior coyote hunter myself so we would be learning together in my case but I'm up for that too.
 
Yeah, I think we are going to go shoot next week, after the heat of opening day of slug gun season slows down here in Indiana. It's going to be a good day! I just shot about 50 rounds through my toy(s) today!
 
With the group of guys I go night calling with it seems that there's always someone who is going to have a bad night. No matter how good a shot you are, eventually you are going to have one of those nights where everything goes against you and you can't hit the broad side of a barn. No big deal, whoever has the most misses has to buy the beer. Keep hunting.
 
This is the way we go about our hunts. coin toss to see who is on the trigger first, trigger man gets one shot(hit or miss) then the other man gets trigger time. Find out his trigger skills, plus his light running skills then he may make a hunting partner.
 
Unfortunately a mans word ain't what it used to be. I have buddies who calm to be dead eyes and never miss only to find out that a hit is is hit regardless of point of aim. They hit the target and count it as a hit as opposed to calling approx. where the shot will be with in an inch or two. Some guys consider being able to hit a 12" target at a hundred sighted in. I like to be within 2 inches MAX of my point o aim. Also maybe try day hunting to see what kind of hunter they are before venturing out in the dark. Nothing good ever comes from the blind leading the blind.
 
Well, I have taken him squirrel hunting before countless times, and he would get the jitters and miss probably 3 of 5 squirrels, but that really didn't bother me cause I hate cleaning squirrels, but when he claims he can drop a yote out to 200, I plan on seeing it, not missing one haha. Especially when I haven't killed one myself. If shot squirrels at ~75 yards with my 223 in the head, so I know I can make a 100 yard shot haha
 
If he gets the "jitters" on a squirell, it's probably going to be a lot worse on something like a coyote.
It's most likely akin to having "buck fever" which some overcome with experience and some never get over it.

Shayne
 
I've taken first-timers hunting at night and noticed a lot of them will get the jitters at night. They'll never admit they're afraid, but I can tell when their imagination gets the best of them.
 
Afraid of getting eaten? haha I do have to admit, it puts my nerves a little more at ease when I have a buddy there sitting beside me, preferably one that I can outrun lol!
 
I agree with the thought about mentoring and helping someone who's interested in learning.....and that's the key: being motivated to hunt is good, but being WILLING to listen and learn is most important. So, for me it'd all come back to my friends attitude.
 
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