Getting the Most From Your Rifle Scope
It is a cool crisp morning in the middle of October in eastern Montana. A lone hunter is hunkered down near the top of a grassy knob overlooking a small watering hole waiting patiently for some elusive Montana antelope to come in and get a drink. He has been sitting in the same spot now for over 3 hours and has only been able to spot a few antelope that were too far out to reach with his rifle. Between the constant 20 mile per hour wind that has been blowing in his face and the chilly temperature of the morning air, it is taking all of his willpower to remain optimistic that his choice of hunting this spot was a good one. Suddenly, while staring down around the watering hole the hunter catches some movement in his peripheral vision off to his left at a little over 100 yards. As he slowly turns his head he sees that it is a nice size antelope buck and a couple of does making their way around his knob and up to another watering hole on the other side of an adjacent knob. With the pace they are walking they will disappear behind that knob in a very short time so if he is going to get a shot he will have to do it quick. Since he is not really hidden from their view very well he cannot move very much without spooking them, so he raises his gun, twists to the left and prepares to shoot from his sitting contorted sideways position.
Does this sound familiar? Just like animals to show up where a hunter least expects them to and make the shot extremely difficult. Will he be able to make this shot? Only if he is very lucky or if he has spent plenty of time preparing and practicing with his rifle scope. It is true that with a rifle scope mounted on your gun your chances of seeing the animal and getting a good shot increase, but only through practice. If you are going to actually be able to make a shot like this it will take a whole lot more than going to the range and shooting your gun off of a dead rest at a level target without all of your hunting gear on. It will take hours of pulling the gun up and finding your target free hand and holding it steady long enough to be accurate.
Just like most sports, the keys to success come from trying to simulate what may actually occur in the heat of the battle and preparing your reflexes to match what is needed as quickly as possible. By doing this you have to take into account what could occur. For example, do you wear a backpack while you are hunting? If you do then I am sure you have noticed that when you pull your gun up it rests directly on the padded shoulder strap and makes seeing down the scope different than if you do not have it on. On that same line of thought, aiming your rifle scope from a standing position is completely different than aiming it from your keister or on your knees.
Another factor in getting the most out of your rifle scope is the care and maintenance it receives. Cleaning a rifle scope is not too difficult, but take it from me; it sure is easy to forget. When the hunting season is over I clean my gun and all of my optics thoroughly with cleaning solutions and a lint free cloth. During the season a hunter should be prepared to care for their scope on the fly, since you never know when you are going to get caught in foul weather conditions or have to crawl up a hill to get your shot. For this a lens pen or a cloth in your pack can be invaluable, and a good backup if your lens caps are not on.
Taking all of these factors into account and dedicating a good amount of time to them will definitely be an important factor to your success with your rifle scope. And by the way, I almost forgot. As the hunter pulled the buck into his sights, one of the does spotted his movement and took off. As the buck started to run the hunter took a quick shot, trying to lead it some. The buck dropped in its tracks as the bullet went through his spine at the top of his shoulders. Preparation yes, but shoot, sometimes I would rather be lucky than good!
