BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[moderator]

May 2007 Poll:

Is new technology good or bad for hunting?

[WesternHunter]

There is no clear and clean definite answer to this one. I will say that especially within the last 10 to 20 years the technology that we develope has really taken the skill out of every task we do as humans, not just in hunting. Though there are areas where technology has surely improved upon certain methods and products.

[Hammer1]

I don't think new technology changes things that much. A moose will do what a moose will do !!
But for me, I have dreams of me breaking a ankle, checking my GPS for coordinates and calling them info into Search & Rescue on my cell phone and asking for their ETA(estimated time of arrival)
I guess I'm all for the new stuff

[Don Fischer]

I'm with WH on this one. I think that the down side to technology is that it does detract from skills and encourage us to,,,,streach the limits. I'm not so sure that advertising is not a great deal to blame there either. Everything is designed to help you shoot farther but each cartridge has a specific limit to effective range. That range is actually a greater distence that the cartridhe is capabile of delivering at it's max point blank range with even an 8" target. These things are glorified as helping to increase your ability to hit a target at some specific range but they do so only if the user put's in much practice, which most don't. The skills that used to be required are actually still required but played down in favor of technology. It would be a hard sell to tell the public that the new technology while an improvement, requires a greater skill levet to properly use.

I think a good case in point is the range finder. I don't have one but I understand you need to be carefull to get a good reading. You can't just point and shoot with it. At some point down range you'll need somethinf the size of the Queen Mary to get an accurate reading. Another good case are the range finder reticules. They've been tried befor and have gone away. I doubt that truely good long range shot's use them. My 6.5x06 has one only because it was all they had left when I got my scope, I've never used the,,,stuff in the reticule. The technology must be improved or people quit buying. At least the perception of improvement must be there.

The absence of many fixed power scopes today certainly says what marketing and tecknology can do. The average shots today are no longer than they were 50yrs ago. But the variable scopes have been vastly improved over the old variables. So we have been convinced that the scopes like high power variables give us better opertunities. We can see better, change in power doesn't effect impact as much and lenses are clearer. In truth, a 4x or even 2 3/4x scope gives all the magnification needed for probally 99% of all hunting. They also give better field of view and better gather light in low light situtations. They are smaller and lower the profile of the rifle and a bit lighter. I think the biggest selling scope power now is the 3-9x and how many people even use that much power on big game? Mostly people that believe that with this super magnum and that leading edge scope the can take this latest range finder to accurately judge the range to 500yds and whamo, hunt's over. somehow it doesn't work that way. Far to many people buy into it without feeling the need to really learn to use the stuff.

Have you noticed the technology in new cartridges? Overwhelmingly, it's new magnums that survive and cartridges such as the 260 Rem that bite the dust. And haow far are we shooting game successfully? Under 200 yds. We used to do that with open sight 30-30's!

Boy this was windy. I'm bored today!

[atomikall]

I dont think its bad for hunting if you dont use it!!