Author Topic: Are you a shooter, a hunter, or both? (Read 1077 times)

briannmilewis · « **on:** September 08, 2009, 02:40:48 PM »

I have wondered a lot about a Handiholic like Tim (who in my opinion is the font of just about all things Handi), whether or not he is a shooter, a hunter, or both? And what percentage of each if he is both? Then what about the rest of you? So far, I have only been a shooter, setting the Hornet up, my first Handi and centerfire, for a coyote hunt with some ex-coworkers if I ever get a job again and can afford the gas to get me to the hunt. I call myself much more of a shooter as I could spend my time only at the range developing loads and trying new calibers.

What about the rest of you current or future Handiholics? What say you? Hunter, shooter, or both? Can you also note what you hunt!

canon6 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2009, 02:55:57 PM »

I am a hunter, who reloads so I can afford to shoot.I hunt aything I can eat.

Doug

ELMO · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2009, 02:56:32 PM »

I do both and like these guns especially for hunting. I have the .17 HMR for squirrels and small game, plus varmits. I also use the .44 Mag, .357 Mag, Ultra slug guns in 12 &20 guage, and my Huntsman muzzleloaders for going after deer. My two sons use these guns also.....

mechanic · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:06:16 PM »

Both. Shoot for fun, hunt for food.

Sourdough · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:30:29 PM »

I live to hunt. Rabbits and Squirrels to Caribou and Moose. 30-06, .17HMR, 30-06, .223, 30-06, 45-70, and 30-06. And sometimes a .338 Win Mag, or a .338/378 Weatherby, with a 30-06 back-up.

alien319 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:32:15 PM »

Both! Mostly Predators and Deer. Occasional squirrels and ducks and geese. Maybe a pheasant or quail here and there.

Doublebass73 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:35:34 PM »

Both, I hunt whitetail deer, turkeys, partridges and squirrels. I might do some duck hunting this year also. I just started reloading so I can do more shooting.

45-70.gov · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:36:08 PM »

i tinker and reload
some day i will find time to shoot these guns and test my ammo

i am the worse hunter there is

tho i have shot an armadillo and a few sick cats

[ i did exagerate but not much]

The Hermit · « **Reply #8 on:** September 08, 2009, 03:40:45 PM »

I mostly hunt, but like to shoot too. Last thing hunted was a turkey. Can't say when. Last thing shot at a target was a .50 cal kentucky pistol that I've been challenged to hit a deer size target in the vitals at 100 yards, to win a free lunch. I'm getting closer.

The Hermit

spikehorn · « **Reply #9 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:00:53 PM »

I do both also, i have 100yd shooting lane right off my back deck so I don't have to drive to shoot and i don't belong to a gun club. I follow Groucho Marks advice that I would not belong to any club that would have me as a member. I hunt whitetails, turkey, coyotes, rabbits, woodchuck, and an occasional partridge. My son and I shoot alot because we believe the more familliar you are with your firearms the more confident you are in your hunt. my son and I also get a nice friendly compitition going during woodchuck season to see who can make the longest shot. The one who makes the longest shot gets that day gets lunch bought for him.

LaOtto222 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:26:54 PM »

I am a shooter and a hunter, but mostly a shooter. I hunt game mostly with shotguns with Rabbits and waterfowl high on the list, occasionally squirrels. With a rifle - I hunt varmints mostly; woodchucks, ground squirrels and I can now add PD to the list. I also rid the back yard of pest critters. Mostly Racoons, skunks, chipmunks and an occasional opposum. I also have a 100 yd shooting range right off my deck, so I get to do quite a bit of shooting when I can get the time. When I am not mowing, shoveling, painting or some other grunt work that has to be done.

Having two places + my Mother-In-Laws place to take care of, takes some time. On the plus side, I can shoot and hunt on my other place too.

1NEFsofar · « **Reply #11 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:31:56 PM »

I'd like to say both

! I love hunting but have recently started to enjoy shooting for the fun of it more and more.

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #12 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:34:14 PM »

Hunter and shooter, but do more shooting than hunting.

Again I say, work gets in the way of having fun. I spent this last weekend practicing retirement and I think I'm gonna be good at it!

DP

canon6 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:40:19 PM »

dp, we have no doubt, that you will excell at retirement.

Doug

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:42:40 PM »

DP

quickdtoo · « **Reply #15 on:** September 08, 2009, 04:59:59 PM »

More hunter than shooter, my shooting now is for load work except when hunting, I hunt deer and turkey, haven't hunted elk for several years. Used to do a lot more shooting than I do now, spent at least 1 day a week at the range shooting offhand with a flintlock, but our blackpowder club land owner died and his family didn't want us shooting there any more, so the club was terminated since we had no place to shoot, we looked for 2yrs trying to find a suitable place, but no luck. $:-\$

Tim

bart74 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 08, 2009, 05:02:44 PM »

I am a hunter and i like to shoot just not that good at it . I shoot better if it has fur on it .

LONGTOM · « **Reply #17 on:** September 08, 2009, 06:12:23 PM »

Hunter!
The only shooting I do is when I am setting up a gun, working up a load, or checking the ones that are already set up before the season.
I would rather spend my time in the wild!
You learn more there.

LONGTOM

bigvarmnt · « **Reply #18 on:** September 08, 2009, 06:21:53 PM »

I'm more a shooter lately. I've hunted all my life. Had Beagles and Springer Spaniels, Lot of rabbit, pheasant, squirrel. A few deer over the years. Spent two days about a month ago watching 7 bucks in velvet wandering around in my back yard. 44 mag may come in Handi for those as they liked fighting with about 10 of my newer trees last year. I have 100,150,200,250, and 295yd backstops off my patio or kitchen table when it gets real cold. Shoot mice, crows, coons, skunks, groundhogs, back yard varmints, fox and a couple coyotes last season. Plan to go after coon, fox, and yotes mostly for a while. Into rifles and Long Distance now. Lot harder to get permission nowadays. Have Fun, Life's Short!

Chas. · « **Reply #19 on:** September 08, 2009, 11:32:51 PM »

Shooter here. I've seen enought killing.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #20 on:** September 09, 2009, 12:04:11 AM »

BOTH!!
Cannot wait for the hunting season!!

But, I also do alot of target shooting, but mostly in Bullseye competition with my pistols. Like Tim, most of my rifle shooting is for load development for the purpose of hunting.

CW

kynardsj · « **Reply #21 on:** September 09, 2009, 12:54:06 AM »

Both. I love to shoot, mostly just shoot and hunt with pistols. Only long guns I own anymore are an old 20 guage and a 22 rifle. Hardly ever shoot them but bang away with the pistols every time I get the chance. Only thing I hunt anymore is deer and hogs. Used to love turkey hunting but now I would rather call a bird for someone else and let them make the shot.

JPShelton · « **Reply #22 on:** September 09, 2009, 03:15:35 AM »

Both shooter and hunter here.

I hunt feral pigs, deer, antelope, and elk when I get drawn. I hunt squirrels, rabbits, quail, chukar, phesant, waterfowl, and turkey.

I currently shoot and hunt with: .177 Beeman R-9 w/ Bushnell 4-12 A.O. scope; .20 Beeman R-9 w/ Bushnell 4-12 A.O. scope; Ruger 10 / 22 Deluxe Sporter, mildly hotrodded, w/ Bushnell 4-12 A.O. scope; .223 Handi-Rifle w/ 3-9X Leupold VX I; .243 Savage Model 10 Sierra w/ 3-9 Leupold VX 1; .50 Lyman Great Plains Rifle; New Haven 600 ct (Mossberb M-500) 20 bore w/24" vent-rib Accu Choke barrel, custom brass safety selector slide, Limbsaver pad, and full set of extended Sporting Clays chokes from Skeet 1 to Full; Remington 870 Express 12 bore w/electroless nickle plated receiver, Wingmaster wood set, and Wingmaster "Light Contour" 28" barrel, with full sets of flush and extended chokes; Pedersoli double barrel 12 bore percussion shotgun; Browning Buckmark .22LR pistol; engraved Pietta 1860 Army percussion revolver -oh, and a Marlin 336 currently undergoing surgery, and a .375 H&H Magnum CZ 550 Safari w/ 1-5X Leupold scope that I hardly ever shoot anymore.

-JP

petemi · « **Reply #23 on:** September 09, 2009, 03:17:16 AM »

I'm a hunter first and a shooter second. I shoot some firearm almost every day, from 25 to 300 yards. I do it to learn my rifles and handguns, experiment with sights and loads, all for the purpose of getting game. Too many "hunters" go to the range, sight in at 100 yards and go home without a clue what that rifle is doing at 25 yards or 250. My goal is to know each of my rifles well enough to pick up any one of the many and smack a coyote or dump a deer at anywhere from 10 to 300 yards. I'm there with the .308, .45-70 and the .357 Maximum, but I've got lots of work to do on others. Because of old age, I'm not riding much and open sights aren't working for me. So, last week I pulled my Marlin 336T .30-30 out of its saddle scabbard, scoped and boresighted it. Shot it to put it on paper, and now I've got to fine tune it. I'm going to run Hornady LEs through it and see how far I can reach.

Pete

jedman · « **Reply #24 on:** September 09, 2009, 03:29:07 AM »

BOTH !!
I am very fortunate in that I can do most all my shooting , benchrest , sighting in and load development right at home . I use to belong to several sportsmans clubs and shoot alot of trap, skeet, and sporting clays but those clubs no longer exist. At this point in my life I enjoy all forms of gun tinkering and hunting mostly for meat anymore. As alot of others on this forum , I have alot more guns than I could ever use for most purposes but enjoy them just the same. I am still working on taking a big game animal with every centerfire rifles I own and with all of my handis I have built in what I call my MILDCATS. Just got to live long enough! Jed

Reverend Recoil · « **Reply #25 on:** September 09, 2009, 04:45:04 AM »

How many hunters practice shooting, not from a shooting bench but from their hind legs? How many hunters can consistently fire a shot into a 10 in circle at 100 yards from an unsupported standing position? At the local public shooting range, I never see anyone practicing rifle shooting unsupported. All they do fire a box or two from the shooting bench and fiddle with their scopes. The other day I watched a big game hunting show sponsored by Ruger. The hunter propped his expensive rifle on two crossed sticks to fire at buffalo that was clearly less than 200 yards away. After downing the animal his highly paid guide said, "Good shot!"

At one time America was a nation of riflemen. Sadly, this may no longer be the case.

myarmor · « **Reply #26 on:** September 09, 2009, 04:46:47 AM »

Shooter first, Hunter second....though I don't take that lightly.
But do groundhogs count as hunting or just target shooting

EDIT: I do practice off hand as much as possible, thought there is nothing shameful with using shooting sticks. Before postioning to take a confident shot, you must have the most stable position possibile...still that varies depending on the situation, but if you are given the time to stabilize, make the best use of it. My 2 cents.

-Aaron

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #27 on:** September 09, 2009, 05:24:08 AM »

I shoot to become proficient so I can kill what I'm hunting. Nothing wrong with using any kind of supported position that you can. After hiking,walking, running to get in position, most competant hunters and riflemen will know enough to brace themselves against anything possible to steady the shot and do an efficient job of putting the animal down.

JerryKo · « **Reply #28 on:** September 09, 2009, 05:28:09 AM »

Funny how I have never thought of this question before. SEEMS SIMPLE ENOUGH. I was mainly a hunter before my Father passed away. Only shot flintlocks as a sport. Everything else was hunting based. But after his passing I learned to use his reloading gear and started shooting more and more each year. Its mostly just to "make smoke" as I like to say. I am fortunate to be able to spend at least 2hrs a week at the range. Its usually for some type of load developement...does it ever really stop.

Hunting is the end game of all the shooting...minus the couple self defensive drills I go thru on occasion with the pistols. But hunting hours seem to be getting fewer and fewer. So to answer it is BOTH but strongly biased toward shooter I guess. I would hope most hunters are shooters first. Like Pete said...you have to learn your guns.

Jerry

knight0334 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 09, 2009, 07:51:33 AM »

Mostly target/plinker here. ..then a hoarder for the apocalypse/revolution. ...then a hunter.

I do hunt, but mostly varmint (whistlepigs and crows) and small game/birds. Deer are too much work, but I do harvest 1 or 2 every other year or so. I'd sooner be dove, grouse, pheasant, squirrel and rabbit hunting with my hammered SxS shotgun.