why do people wait till last minute .....

[deputy]

Why do a lot of guys and gals wait till the last week or days before deer season to sight in or confirm there zero? doesnt anybody practice? during off season? doesnt anybody go to range ahead of time i hate that! i see guys there sighting in off the elbows mixed matched ammo they shoot one or two shots then start cranking dials, cant figure out the math of there scopes! and always start at 100yds! aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhh.

ok rant off

[Magnet]

Are these the same guys that wait til opening morning to scout out a spot to hunt from?

[Krankem]

A lot of the guys sighting in last minute likely practice throughout the off season, but with different guns/rounds than they may hunt dear with. I can't speak for all the people out there last minute, but I know for myself, I usually sight my Slug Gun in or practice a few rounds with it last minute for a few reasons:
(1) The slugs I use for hunting are $2.50 a piece.
(2) My shoulder gets ripped apart after a few 3" shells through a rifled slug barrel
(3) I can practice shooting throughout the year with other guns/rounds that are a lot cheaper to shoot and a bit easier on the shoulder.
(4) I like to have that last minute confidence that the gun/rounds are shooting where I point before I head into the field on November 15th.
(5) Every spare minute in October is spent bowhunting.
(6) Every spare minute in September is spent practicing with the bow
(6) I never PLAN on hunting the firearms season...up until the 2nd week of archery season, I am hoping for a shooter to make the mistake of walking within range of my stand. Some years things just don't work out that way, and I end up forced to join the opening day militia...usually around the 2nd week of November, I concede that I may have to continue into firearms season...so time to pull out the arm bruiser and $2.50 shells to make sure everything is working the way it is supposed to.

See you at the range!

[daddyduck]

:yeahthat: :bash:

[farmlegend]

Human nature - most folks are procrastinators.

This past Sunday, around 11AM, I heard the first guy assembling his November 15 ground blind; while perched up in my tree bowhunting, I could clearly hear him pounding nails from a quarter mile away.

Come to think of it, he's about a week earlier than usual this year.

Oh, and I've also heard a couple single-shot sight-ins, right at dark. Odd time to practice.

[explodingvarmints]

for some reason i always check my zero on the sunday (1 week +-) before opener. don't know why, i guess it's kinda like tradition. if something is wrong (like this year old crappy scope gone bad) i have plenty of time to correct it. one thing that makes me think though is that yestersday i went to bass pro shops for a few odds and ends and found that in that entire store they did not have one stinking box of 30-06 180 grainers:yikes: . never thought gander mountain would out stock a store of bass pro shops caliber and size:confused: .

one more thing i noticed yesterday; just like the people two days before bow season buying a totally new set-up there were dozens and dozens of guys buying new guns!! i hope they have a few days off to get used to their new equipment so they don't hurt someone or themselves or wound a deer.

[mich buckmaster]

To be honest, I am one of those people that procrastinate on shotguns ONLY. My shotgun has been on for 10 years and I never have had to change my scope.

I just throw another 5 shots through her and be done, if there is a problem I know how to fix it.

I am just too busy bowhunting..

[NorthJeff]

I shoot my bow lots during the off-season, and personally find it very, very, easy to shoot a gun with a scope compared to the bow. Just throw in a few shells, bang, bang, bang.....and yep, still a sub-1" group at a 100 yards. Maybe it was the 10's of thousands of rounds through pellet guns at an early age, or all the .22 hunting for squirrels and rabbits, don't know, but sorry it just seems way to easy to put much effort into it.

I'll be out Friday or Saturday to shoot a few rounds and feel extremely confident going into the opener for MI, WI, PA, and again for AL in January.

But again, if you can get good, surprised shots off consistantly with your bow to a very accurate level, shooting a gun is easy.....especially with a good rifle, good trigger, and a great scope with proven ammo.

[Dawg]

Because last time I left my rifle at deer camp some jack***** decided they needed it more than me and I never saw it again.

I've never pulled it out and had it more than 1" off at 100yds, but I still like to check. Considering the alternative -bad shots and long track jobs on opening day- just be glad we're taking the time.

[Swamp Monster]

I am one of those this year as well, not much time this fall (or year) for the most part. More or less, it's just double checking zero. Checked one gun last week, Winchester 94 Timber Carbine and the safety was malfunctioning, yet worked fine the last time. That click with no smoke and fire would have been pretty upsetting the day before the season. Luckily I have plenty of back ups! If it is fixed, it will see the range Saturday or Sunday......along with 2000 other people!

[bigmac]

I would think a lot of hunters are smarter than to take off to their hunting spot without checking zero close to 11/15...I mean why shoot the gun in June then put it away only to arrive at your cabin in November to find the zero has been knocked off. :confused:

[NorthJeff]

That's a great point bigmac!

Just like arriving in another state to hunt....hate to go hunting without shooting the gun first, at least 1 round, but sometimes you don't get the luxuary. I'd much rather be confident on 11/14 after a good few rounds on the target....even if I'd practiced for months during the summer.

[Moron]

I've got a 100yd range in back of the house. Checked out my 308 2 weeks ago just to verify and it's good to go. From now till the gun opener, the swoosh of an arrow going into a big buck is the only weapon I want to hear go off on my property. :)

[Fred Bear]

I'm sure that I will hear all of them "sighting in" this weekend.

[GVDocHoliday]

What NorthJeff said. However I zeroed my Model 700 30-06 in with 165 grain core-loks back in June. Shot a three round clover leaf in August, and haven't touched the gun since then. I'm sorry but if you're scope loses zero from just sitting around and maybe being moved around a couple of times then you need a new scope. Because what's gonna keep it from going out on the walk to your stand or the ride in the truck? I mean, once you find the right load you should be able to just put the crosshairs on the bull and 'squeeze' the trigger. Simple as that. If you can't hit a softball at a hundred yards you shouldn't be in the woods...simple as that.

[Swamphound]

June-July: Walleye fishing
August-Sept: Salmon Fishing
Oct-Dec: Deer Hunting/Pheasant hunting
Jan-Mar: Ice Fishing
Apr-May: Steelhead/Detroit river walleye Jigging

Throw in a family, house maintenance , work, family vacation, and the holidays, its a miracle we get anything done on time at all.

[Moron]

GVDocHoliday
You are absolutely correct. But I think alot of verifying the accuracy close to season has to do with removing any doubts. It's important to be confident that everything is in order. :)

[Adam Waszak]

I have a gravel pit across from our property and that seems to be the local sight in spot(illegal to do so) but that is where they do it I really don't care about it except they do it on the 14th! Now dammnit go to your own property and scare the livin hell out of everything there and leave the stuff near me alone. Every year it is numerous calls to the Newaygo cty sheriff to get these guys out of there. It is common sense and courtesy to have the gun sighted in earlier than that why do you think the DNR has a quiet period for this stuff. If you are driving to camp you gun shouls be ok it isn't like we are all flying in and then hiking and horeback riding in that could mess our zero up. I shoot in September usually and this year early October the gun is fine if you take care of it and do not drop it. A little common sense can go a long way.

AW

[Krankem]

Swamphound pretty much summed it all up. Sounds like we share the same calendar!

[7MM Magnum]

I guess I'm one of those who do not fit that senerio. I'm shooting all year long.

When your developing different loads for different firearms it just kinda happens that way. Besides,... I really enjoy shooting hence the reloading aspect. :D

Once I hit hunting camp I will make one confirmation shot to make sure things didn't get screwed up during the trip. Plus,.. it gets that barrel fouling shot out of the way that normally will give you that first flier after cleaning.

[Bushwhacker]

I sight the 06 in in Oct with 180 gr for moose, then went out yesterday and checked it with 150 gr. for deer, will probably try one more when I get to camp on the 13th. Can't afford to be shooting all year.
Bushwhacker

[drwink]

I kinda one of those.
I made it out to the range with a new gun during september, actually posted one in the M-S outing forum & there were only 3 M-Ser's there at Island Lk.
I was there for 3 hours with a muzzle loader & never got past the 25 yard range. Sighting the iorn sights & scope.
I would have done the fifty & hundered if I had more time.
Now I can do this on my own property, however I hunt there & I have a horse farm on each side of me, so out of courtesy for the neighbors & not wanting to get the deer antsy before the season.
Although this dosen't stop my neighbor that owns 35 acres behind me, he has been hammering away the last two weekends.
So since I want to use the new Encore this year, I will have to fight the crowd this weekend & try the 50 & 100 yrd range.
Besides, don't forget, your gun may not have the same zero in july as november as there could be a fifty degree change in temperature.

[Radar420]

We have the same problem up north on our property. Our one neighbor owns an overgrown pine plantation and invites the whole family over for hunting. So without fail every nov 14 there are as many as 8 people sighting in on 100 acre parcel. Which is all fine and dandy for him because it helps keep the deer on his property because they can hide in his pines and come out only to eat at his bait stations on the edges of the pines.

It also doesn't help that he rents out a 5 acre parcel for a trailer home. The people in the trailer home own dogs which of course they don't chain up because they're in the middle of no where. Couldn't figure out why i hadn't been seeing the large number of deer I used to see on the property, until walking out of my blind one day a flash of fur catches my eye. Low and behold here's a rottweiler and a dalmation running across our field.

My old man said i should have shot them but i didn't have it in my heart. However, I'm not going to be able to stand a third straight season of only seeing three deer when I used to see a 100 in a season. I just hope I don't have to see any dogs this season.