Back when I was a youngster, things were way less complicated when it came to choosing hunting and fishing gear, largely because most of us only owned one shotgun or one deer rifle or one rod and reel. Things have changed much through the years and many of us hunt now with everything from compound bows to big bore airguns to center-fire rifles.
We all have a smorgasbord of methods of getting information pertaining to, say, the use of that new thermal scope for night hunting or that new state-of-the-art bait caster reel we’ve finally purchased. The bottom line is there is a lot to learn in order to properly use the equipment we now hunt/ fish with, unless of course we still hunt with that old lever action 30-30 or fish with a bamboo fly rod – and there is nothing wrong with this plan. Remember what they say about a person that shoots only one rifle; chances are he/she knows how to shoot it!
We need advice from someone experienced in the use of a particular piece of gear. But, we have to be very careful exactly where we get this advice. We can now Google some of our questions, and there are countless videos on YouTube describing an individual’s take on everything from the best center-fire caliber for hunting hogs to the proper drift sock to slow a boat’s drift when catfishing. Most salespeople at the big box stores are just that – salespeople – and not real experts in the use of all the products they sell. How could they be? When shopping privately owned gun stores or bow shops, chances are very good the person showing you the rifle, shotgun, or bow is knowledgeable and can help you make the choice that best suits your needs.
Many outdoor folks are on Facebook and other social media “groups”. Some great information can be gleaned here but also misinformation. We’ve moved into an era of near-instant communication and with that comes so-called ‘experts’ that often have very limited knowledge of a particular subject. Some moderators of these groups become self-professed outdoor gurus with ready answers from everything from proper line size for trophy catfish to the best bullet for boar. Some groups are ramrodded by guys/gals with vast knowledge in a particular subject but I’ve also seen some ‘experts’ that were giving less than stellar advice. I am a member of many of these outdoor fishing and hunting groups and often share my articles or ‘how to’ videos filmed on our TV show “A Sportsman’s Life”. But when it comes to answering questions from someone genuinely asking for advice, I’ve learned to steer clear. Oh, when these groups first became popular I would sometimes chime in on topics that I was knowledgeable about, but very often I would have several ‘experts’ contradict me. So I gave it up.
If you follow many of these groups, you will note that when one person gives an answer that sounds somewhat intelligent, there will be a string of others joining in with the same advice. A good “for instance” is a hog hunting group I sometimes visit. A subject of much chatter is the effectiveness of the 6.5 Creedmoor caliber rifle. A few knowledgeable hunters accurately state that the Creedmoor or most any other caliber can be lethal on killing hogs with proper bullet placement. There is a vast difference in hog ‘hunting’ and spraying lead at running hogs at night with an AR-style rifle. If I were a run-and-gun hog shooter at night, I would certainly choose a heavier caliber for my AR rifle simply because I know every shot I take will not be a lethal one, and bigger heavier bullets are more likely to stop the hog so that a follow-up shot can be taken. A wild hog is a living breathing animal and deserves the same respect as a whitetail deer, elk, or any other animal. I am definitely a proponent of doing my best to cleanly kill game or nuisance hogs rather than wound them to suffer a slow lingering death. This statement will definitely ruffle some feathers but it’s the way I feel.
I hunt hogs and target one at a time, often at night using a thermal scope. Shots are usually inside 100 yards and most of the time at a stationary hog or one slowly walking. Most of the time when I squeeze the trigger, I have pork on the ground. For my style of hunting, I’ve effectively used everything from big bore center-fire rifles up to .223 bolt action rifles. All get the job done effectively where I have the time to put the bullet in the center of the neck, just behind the jaw. The “experts” on some of these groups have adopted the punch line, “shoot em in the ear hole”. Yes a broadside shot at a standing hog placed in the ear will definitely drop the biggest porker in his tracks, but even with great thermal optics at night, or during the day for that matter, this can be challenging. Hogs are constantly moving around when feeding. The center neck shot is a much higher percentage, but I dare not go on one of these groups of ‘experts’ and state such. No, not with their ‘ear hole’ mentality.
I recently saw a post where someone had a question about shot placement on boar. The ‘expert’ stated the shield over the boar’s shoulder was made up of muscle and scar tissue. Nothing could be farther from the truth but this is another ‘assumed fact’ quoted by many. This shield, which can be quite thick on older hogs, is actually cartilage and covers the muscle of the hog’s shoulder. If you shoot a big hog in the shoulder, a big heavy bullet should be used. The little .223 I use would definitely not get the job done.
Well, I’ve ruffled enough feathers with this week’s column. For the record, I have nothing at all against AR-style rifles; they are just not what I prefer to hunt with. Many years ago in a distant land, I qualified with the M14 which was the military rifle of the day. Then along came the M16 and I was required to qualify with it as well. I much preferred the conventional style M14 then and today prefer a standard design on a hunting rifle. But that’s just me.
Contact outdoors writer Luke Clayton through his website www.catfishradio. org.
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