[Steve Franks]

When I started hunting years ago, I would agree with you. Krags, .300 Savages, .30-30's, and the real cannon was an '06 were the calling of the day. Game in the West was more plentiful, less hunting pressure, and more places to hunt, hence closer shots. If you want to just fill the pot, the I will agree with you and even in the West where I hunt, a handgun is all you would need.

Now I haven't killed a deer in years. I've killed enough deer I don't need to "just kill a deer". I don't "need" the meat, if I did, I sure a heck wouldn't be hunting with the cost of gas, licenses, and associated costs, I after "the" deer. When I get him, I cherish each and every bite as I look at his head on my wall.

I carry a 7mm Remington Magnum and pass up 27"-29" bucks every year. I'm looking for something over 30". It just maybe over 250 yards and I'm a horrible judge of distance and wind speed. I sight my rifle in 3" high at 100 yards and I'm pretty good on holding hair out to about 375 yards and my friends, thats alot of fudge factor. Yes, I have a laser range finder, but sometimes you just don't have the time to get it out. I shoot heavy bullet so as to not blood shoot the meat and to get the flat trajectory and penetration if I get a less then perfect broadside shot.

Elk, now that's a different story. I see hackers every year and it doesn't matter what caliber, that can't shoot, wound animals, and can't track an elephant thru a snow bank. I agree the magnum shooters seem to practice less because of cost or they are afraid of the recoil and noise of their rifles. It's marksmanship, but it still requires a heavy bullet, because try as we may, sh.. happens. A light bullet that doesn't penetrate all the way through an animal only damages half of the animal. I've only kill a dozen or so elk, but all have been dropped dead in their tracks. The rifle was my 7mm with a Speer Grand Slam 160 grain and they have all exited.

I use Redfield one piece bases because my 56 year old Model 70 Winchester had it's holes drilled off center! Cranking all the windage adjustment on the Leupold scope couldn't get it centered up on the paper at 100 yards. With the windage adjustment I could get the "rough" adjustment completed, then center up the windage adjustment on the scope.

As for camo, it's the broken pattern. I agree folks have gone crazy, but, they have really done us a great service for varmit and waterfowl hunting.

Bottom line the excise tax we pay on all our hunting and fishing gear pays supports wildlife resources those sandal wearing grandol bar munching freaks like to go to so they can knock we who pay for it all.