anybody else use a rifle scope for a spotting scope!!

[Cal]

Originally Posted by Duramaximos

x2

Just to be clear you first identifiy the target is not human, then you scope it? This is what I do. I will also ready my rifle if I see deer in the bushes about to break into the opening even if I don't know what species they are until they break into the opening. As long as I know for sure they are deer they get scoped.

Exactly, I would probably have an elk in my freezer if I had not failed to do this a couple weeks ago. I watched 4 cow elk emerge onto a river bank about 75 yards away. My rifle was in my hands and ready, for some reason I did not shoulder it and have it trained on the trail the cows were coming from like I usualy do. The bull stepped out and by the time my rifle was shouldered he was headed away from me and I had no shot, like I said, just plain stupid.

If some people despite obviously having much more experience than I do (not naming any names) think that letting this happen to them makes them a safer hunter all the power to them, I just dissagree.

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by Scotty P.

At the risk of throwing gas on a fire here I have to ask. I can understand the argument that if you can accurately identify and animal with your bare eyes there is no need to look through the binos at it first but what do you do when you THINK you see something in a field or on a cut line, whatever, but it's too far away to see with the naked eye? Not being able to check would drive me nuts! Just as an example, I forgot my binos in the truck one morning last weekend (the first and last time I do that I hope) and while sitting in my spot I noticed a large black "thing" lumbering down the game trail I was on, towards me. The first thing that I thought was this is a black bear or wolf or something but I couldn't confirm because I didn't have my eyes with me, so I just had to sit there waiting for this thing to get closer and closer getting a little more anxious with each step. Now I could have seen it clearly with my scope but as it turned out it was another hunter dressed head to toe in black. I don't want to even think about what could have happened if I scoped him or how choaked I would be if someone did it to me. If I had my binos with me I would have been able to identify him long before he got close to me and wouldn't have been on high alert thinking I had a bear coming in.

I've been in the same situation and handled it the same way for the samw reason.
Everyone has to make decisions that they live with for the rest of their lives.
I just will not use my scope in place of binos or a spotting cope.

[beansgunsghandi]

Shows the two extremes, and made me think about how I look through my scope. Personally I only look through the scope at something I'm really sure I want to shoot at. Even then I for sure always do a careful "idiot check" with the scope too, but I need to be more careful about the surrounding area.

Probably paranoid but I'd hate to be the guy that gets it wrong. I'd rather miss out on the all-time greatest animal ever a thousand times than shoot or come even close to shooting at someone by accident even once. Seems pretty clear to me, it's a risk/reward thing: Using your scope to look at stuff is a huge potential risk, micro reward compared to using binos, why play that game?

[adaras]

Originally Posted by yamaha 1

And dude if you ever scoped me....not knowing what I was, I would come over to you and knock you lights out.

after your threat i am not gonna threat you but i will only tell you that you are not a hunter and a good shooter you are not demanding the things calm so you are a dangerus person out there. a good hunter is calm and when it is raning bulets. like the good soldier. the agresive person is good only for the footbal field not the hunting field. dog that barcks never bite.

[sheepguide]

Originally Posted by adaras

after your threat i am not gonna threat you but i will only tell you that you are not a hunter and a good shooter you are not demanding the things calm so you are a dangerus person out there. a good hunter is calm and when it is raning bulets. like the good soldier. the agresive person is good only for the footbal field not the hunting field. dog that barcks never bite.

LOL I tell you what, the last thing im gunna be when I see a rifle pointed my way is calm. Many days im out in the woods with an 8yr/old and a 10yr/old or my wife, just try pointing a gun in my direction then and loosing a few chicklets will be the least of that persons worries. And that there aint a threat!!!!!!
SG

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by adaras

after your threat i am not gonna threat you but i will only tell you that you are not a hunter and a good shooter you are not demanding the things calm so you are a dangerus person out there. a good hunter is calm and when it is raning bulets. like the good soldier. the agresive person is good only for the footbal field not the hunting field. dog that barcks never bite.

Adaras, that may well be, But his reaction gives you an idea of how people in this country feel about being scoped. I know you think it's fine to use your rifle scope as a spotting scope if you don't have binos, but a word of advice to a newcomer... don't do it.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by sheepguide

LOL I tell you what, the last thing im gunna be when I see a rifle pointed my way is calm. Many days im out in the woods with an 8yr/old and a 10yr/old or my wife, just try pointing a gun in my direction then and loosing a few chicklets will be the lest of that persons worries. And that there aint a threat!!!!!!
SG

I don't wanna even ask whet you do if someone cuts you off in traffic.

[sheepguide]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

I don't wanna even ask whet you do if someone cuts you off in traffic.

Im a "LITTLE" calmer in that situation.

[Alpine Archer]

Originally Posted by sheepguide

LOL I tell you what, the last thing im gunna be when I see a rifle pointed my way is calm. Many days im out in the woods with an 8yr/old and a 10yr/old or my wife, just try pointing a gun in my direction then and loosing a few chicklets will be the least of that persons worries. And that there aint a threat!!!!!!
SG

I couldn't agree more. I have a very long fuse, much more than most people I know. I can count the number of fights I've been in on one hand, with fingers left over (except hockey of course ). If I saw someone scoping me with their rifle, that fuse is gone and I'm seeing red...Absolutely no excuse whatsoever for that, bottom line!

[echo]

Originally Posted by Alpine Archer

I couldn't agree more. I have a very long fuse, much more than most people I know. I can count the number of fights I've been in on one hand, with fingers left over (except hockey of course ). If I saw someone scoping me with their rifle, that fuse is gone and I'm seeing red...Absolutely no excuse whatsoever for that, bottom line!

Put it this way i hope none of these idiots with guns that are to cheap to use binos to identify their targets are know where near me or my kids this hunting season!!

[jstew]

I was scoped once by a newbie in our party from about 200 yards about 15 years ago and I actually had to jump out and waive to indicate to this idiot I was a being...and this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home

[yamaha 1]

Originally Posted by adaras

after your threat i am not gonna threat you but i will only tell you that you are not a hunter and a good shooter you are not demanding the things calm so you are a dangerus person out there. a good hunter is calm and when it is raning bulets. like the good soldier. the agresive person is good only for the footbal field not the hunting field. dog that barcks never bite.

Listen adraras, you know nothing about me and how I hunt but let me tell you one thing ,it takes alot to get me upset but one thing I can not stand in the hunting woods is someone useing there scop as bino's. Let me try some thing, come up here are let me point a gun at your head and THEN tell me how you feel. I have been scoped a few times and let me tell you if I would have caught up the the persons responsible

[honda450]

Originally Posted by sheepguide

LOL I tell you what, the last thing im gunna be when I see a rifle pointed my way is calm. Many days im out in the woods with an 8yr/old and a 10yr/old or my wife, just try pointing a gun in my direction then and loosing a few chicklets will be the least of that persons worries. And that there aint a threat!!!!!!
SG

Let me see? Your not going to be calm after being scoped? Nor would I. Think the guy is going to be calm after ya hit him? And he's holding a rifle. And your family is with you? Yup emotions run wild. Think twice.

[Big Racks]

Originally Posted by adaras

after your threat i am not gonna threat you but i will only tell you that you are not a hunter and a good shooter you are not demanding the things calm so you are a dangerus person out there. a good hunter is calm and when it is raning bulets. like the good soldier. the agresive person is good only for the footbal field not the hunting field. dog that barcks never bite.

Dude, please tell me where and when you'll be hunting. I promise I won't be within a hundred miles of you at any given time.

Raining bullets? Good soldiers? I don't know how they hunt where you come from, or what they hunt, but this doesn't sound like my hunting grounds (and I'm freaking glad of it).