Why do folks put scopes on their deer hunting rifles?

[CherryCola]

Originally Posted by snake dr
I often wondered what the significance to having a scope on a rifle that you intend on shooting a large animal in the side with it anyway.
Wouldn't it be easier to skip the scope cost and the sighting, and just shoot the deer in it's side using iron sights?



Not really a trick question, but I see a lot of deer with their guts blown out their sides, shot in the legs, and shot several more times to kill it with said hunter posing with a scoped rifle.

To me, if you want to hunt and know nothing about mounting or sighting a scope, then have someone else do it.

If you can't group 3 shots in 6" at 100 yds, with a scope, from a bench rest, then you need to practice more before going out making poorly placed shots.

If you cant group 3 shots in 6" at 50 yds free handed, with iron sights, same applies as above.

If my rifle want group 3 bullets at 100 yds, that you can cover with a quarter, it won't be going hunting with me.

What's the point in having a precision instrument mounted to your rifle if all you are going to do is point and shoot, or spray and pray.
I use my scope to look at potential targets (deer, bear, yotes, and sometimes trespassers).
I also hunt my own land, therefore if you get "scoped" by me then you shouldn't be on my land.
Let's be careful out there and stay on the land that you are permitted to hunt and you won't be getting "scoped" by me.

I'm more of the aim small miss small type hunter.
I like the head shot, because there is a quick and humane death, no tracking involved, and there isn't any meat wasted from being bloodshot or contaminated with guts.

VLR TEAM SNAKE DR

A lot of people want results and they want them now. They hardly practice with their weapon before going in the woods for the season. This is why I don't hunt WMAs anymore. I'm actually in the process of building an AR from scratch just for hunting. Sure, my AR carbine with an EOtech would work fine.. but I'd rather have a rifle that's built for precision and not a light weight carbine. Yes, it's going to have a scope on it too.

 

[howl]

A quality scope is necessary for hunting at the extremes of legal shooting time. This is why you will see and hear recommendations for spending more on the scope than the rifle. The scope and mounts are really more important than the rifle. If you just sit on bait plots in GA, a $200 scope is good enough. If you hunt in the woods in states like SC where you can shoot an hour before and after sunrise and sunset the scope is more important. You'll meet folks that sit around with a watch and a selection of high dollar German glass figuring out which one works longer.

I am kinda surprised so many people are so irresponsible as to use scopes to check out a possible target. Its just basic gun safety. Guns can go off with the safety on and nothing touching the trigger. Do not point a gun at anything you are not comfortable with destroying. What if you were checking out a deer you shouldn't shoot and the gun went off? Wounding or killing that one is OK? More to the point, if I look up in a tree and see someone scoping me, I'm not going to wait and see if they're just verifying whether I am a deer or not. I'm trying to shoot first.

 

[snake dr]

Do you only chamber the very last second before pulling the trigger, to ensure that a possible accidental discharge doesn't occur?
If they are already scoping you, I don't think making an aggressive move would be beneficial , especially if you are trespassing.

Guns don't accidentally discharge, there is always human error, but guns do kill people. If you don't believe me just ask the media.

A scope doesn't make a poor shooter better, it assists a good shooter into making a better shot.
The poor shooter needs more practice.

VLR TEAM SNAKE DR

A quality scope is necessary for hunting at the extremes of legal shooting time. This is why you will see and hear recommendations for spending more on the scope than the rifle. The scope and mounts are really more important than the rifle. If you just sit on bait plots in GA, a $200 scope is good enough. If you hunt in the woods in states like SC where you can shoot an hour before and after sunrise and sunset the scope is more important. You'll meet folks that sit around with a watch and a selection of high dollar German glass figuring out which one works longer.

I am kinda surprised so many people are so irresponsible as to use scopes to check out a possible target. Its just basic gun safety. Guns can go off with the safety on and nothing touching the trigger. Do not point a gun at anything you are not comfortable with destroying. What if you were checking out a deer you shouldn't shoot and the gun went off? Wounding or killing that one is OK? More to the point, if I look up in a tree and see someone scoping me, I'm not going to wait and see if they're just verifying whether I am a deer or not. I'm trying to shoot first.

 

[Trout Slayer]

Why is this a questionable debate?
If you hunt only with iron sights does that make you a better hunter, a better shot, a better person, or what?
If someone hunts with a scoped rifle, handgun, or whatever then isn't that their choice?
If someone hunts 85% of the time with a handmade longbow with a handmade string and handmade wooden arrows and consistently hits bread plates at 40 yards and 10 rings at anything under 30 does that make that person better than the guy that shoots a rifle with only iron sights?

 

[linebacker]

simple answer: because I'm old and when I squint to see through my iron sights it gets really blurry and darker, but my Nikon just brightens things up and makes things appear closer, lol

 

[Ken Ford]

Do you only chamber the very last second before pulling the trigger, to ensure that a possible accidental discharge doesn't occur?
If they are already scoping you, I don't think making an aggressive move would be beneficial , especially if you are trespassing.

Guns don't accidentally discharge, there is always human error, but guns do kill people. If you don't believe me just ask the media.

A scope doesn't make a poor shooter better, it assists a good shooter into making a better shot.
The poor shooter needs more practice.

VLR TEAM SNAKE DR

Good point

 

[RKC00]

I often wondered what the significance to having a scope on a rifle that you intend on shooting a large animal in the side with it anyway.
Wouldn't it be easier to skip the scope cost and the sighting, and just shoot the deer in it's side using iron sights?

TO SEE THE DEER... Then "+" marks the spot...

 

[snake dr]

Why is this a questionable debate?
If you hunt only with iron sights does that make you a better hunter, a better shot, a better person, or what?
If someone hunts with a scoped rifle, handgun, or whatever then isn't that their choice?
If someone hunts 85% of the time with a handmade longbow with a handmade string and handmade wooden arrows and consistently hits bread plates at 40 yards and 10 rings at anything under 30 does that make that person better than the guy that shoots a rifle with only iron sights?

I guess you missed the point.
It's not a debate, it's a question.
If all you are going to do with a scoped rifle is shoot a deer in the side, that can easily be done with iron sights or no sights.
Why have the scope?
It just amazes me that so many people make poor shots with a scoped rifle.

Scope verses iron sights.
There is no doubt that everyone should be more accurate with optics than iron sights.

I think it is everyone's personal responsibility to become a good marksman (regardless what you hunt with) before going hunting to ensure a swift kill and minimize the loss of the meat.


The longbow and the rifle question (bread plates?) This is somewhat apples/oranges. If the guy shooting the "bread plates" with the rifle isn't as accurate as the guy with the long bow, then the answer is yes. The guy with the bow is the better marksman.
Weapon of choice is not the concern, being proficient with the weapon before going hunting is.

We usually shoot pie plates down here.

VLR TEAM SNAKE DR

 

[loadnplenty]

For those long shots when i ron sights would cover up the target.

 

[Chuckdog]

For the most part, most of these post appear to be from people that have little to no experience deer hunting. A well placed humane shot may be easy for ya'll to make. No matter how easy it is for you dead eye shooters, it ain't so easy for some of us to keep the bullet in the kill zone beyond a certain distance.

If anything like me, once your eyes pass a certain age you can forget about being truly proficient with irons.

The main reason I have glass on my rifles is simple; "Because I can." I ain't so much of a man that I'm going to drive a truck without power steering, brakes, and air conditioning either. For no other reason than, "I don't have to."