robo hunter

[WVoverdraw]

i was just wondering your thoughts on all of todays technology involved in hunting. i hunt with a guy who has a gps, cell phone, laser range finder,walkers game ear,push button deer grunt call that has like 10 differant deer sounds preprogramed into it. cough silencer and an electronic antler rattle and he takes all of it in the woods hunting with us and that just for some reason eerrks me.it seems to me he cant move 100 yards without checking gps to find wind direction and elevation,im wondering whats wrong with the old fashion way of looking at the way trees are swaying ,and hes got his game ear his bionic hearing aid so he can hear somthing 2 miles off then hes got his laser range finder because i guess he cant judge distance and his cell phone rings 3-4 times a trip and them game calls drive me crazy.
its my opinion that all this technology is ok if you first know how to hunt without all of it but this guy im taking about wouldnt know what to do if energizer batteries went under he relies on to many gadgets
whats your alls take on the issue? do you think all these gadets make lazy hunters?

[KwackWacker]

Gadgets make people miss out on the purpose of being in the woods. With all that crap he's got, I'd be willing to bet a few dollars that he's missed out on some deer because he was to busy checking the elevation of the third oak on the top of the hill that runs north to south blah blah blah.....You get my picture. I agree with you totally.

[quigleysharps4570]

Never have had much use for all these new products. Believe it or not though, I do see purpose for 2 on your list in certain cases. That rangefinder is one that I rarely go hunting or shooting without. For two reasons, the cartridge I shoot and I like to know the range right down to a knats a$$. Been my observation that most folks can't judge range for squat. I've had a couple of fairly recent examples of that. First one, a buddy and his son were out shooting with me one day, son swears up and down that a stump we were seeing was 1000yds. out, I'm guessing 800yds., rangefinder ends this arguement with 742 yards. Next one was with my brother-in-law, same type scenario but he's claiming 500yds., I'm guessing 600yds, rangefinder says 635. Both cases would've been clean misses. That's why I like those rangefinders. The other product on your list that would be a good idea I suppose, would be the cell phone. I don't and probably never will carry one, but if I was to ever get in a jam and break a leg or have a heart attack...I'd probably wished I'd had one on me. As for the rest of those gadgets...naw.

[Rckmaster]

I too am a gadget guy. I got a whole closet full of good "stuff". Don't use much of it but it's amazing how the world of technology has worked itself into so primitive a pastime.[/img]

[KwackWacker]

I just re read my previous post, sorry if I offended anyone, some gadgets are great. G.P.S. is an awesome tool, I use mine a lot for fishing mostly. However, I think some people can get caught up in playing with their gadgets and not hunting.

[Dcolwill]

I grew up hunting barely able to afford the license, shells, and the gun I was using. I never had a problem getting game. Got more with a single shot than I've ever bagged with a semi-auto or pump, because I knew I had to take time and make the first shot count.

I carry a cell phone but it is always off. In an emergency, I sure like being able to get hold of someone. I called my brother-in-law this year while he was nursing a hangover at home and I had just shot my deer. We worked out the arrangements for getting it processed as he was supposed to be splitting work, money, and meat 50-50.

I agree with the rangefinder although I can't afford one. I used to hunt with a .270 just so I wouldn't ever worry about range. I was using open sights and I killed a couple around 300 yards but most at 50 or less. With that gun the difference was 2.5 inches and not enough to even consider when shooting open sights.

I not hunt shotgun only areas with my 20 gauge and if the animal looks close I aim just above the white on his belly giving myself 6 inches of rise with a good kill shot. If I think it is out a long ways, I hold right on the spine behind the front should giving myself 12 inches of drop in the kill zone. Ballistics say drops 10 inches at 100 yards. I sighted my gun in for right on at 100 yards so shooting high is more often my concern. The slug is deadly at 150 yards and if the animal is out that far I will wait for him to raise his head and aim at the top of his front shoulder.

[DocHolladay]

i wouldnt do without some of my gadgets. i like the cell phone, but it gets turned off while hunting(emergencies only). my gps is used to mark hunting spots,not that i dont remember how to get there, deer sign, fishing holes, sunrise/sunset times, several other things. dont care about windage and elevation, i can see the trees like wvoverdraw said. i know if im on a hill or not. i dont have a range finder, but am going to get one for next hunting season. will really use it during archery season. i think it will help during all seasons though. im a bad judge of ranges also. i try not to carry to much battery operated gadgets cause you can only carry so much without getting tired. anyway ill stop. need to clean some deer.