Well, it’s time to take another look at those clouds in my coffee. Many of you saw this coming. You faithful “Guns & Cornbread” readers, knowing me as you do, probably suspected I was thinking about something like this.
A lot of this is brought on because the spring turkey hunting season is finally over with. Some of you will think it strange that I write “finally” — but some of you experienced old turkey hunters will understand. When the season comes in after a long hard winter, we can’t hardly wait to get out there and embarrass ourselves with that big bird with a peanut brain.
Also, about that clouds in my coffee thing, regular readers know this is my term for staring into the coffee cup and contemplating vital issues such as why the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge gets so much press, whether I’m finally going to fish more this summer, and how far you should shoot at various game animals with different weapons.
Here a couple of topics on my mind.
The crossbow monster rears its ugly head again: I was perusing a few posts on the Book of Faces (which I do way too much) and came across some discussion about that old gremlin, hunting with crossbows. We have beaten this expired equine in these pages many times before, and I know that, so please forgive me.
The argument is usually from those who, I admit, have way more bow-and-arrow and bow hunting experience than me. As you regular readers know, my argument is with those who preach about their view that the crossbow is “too easy” and you don’t have to practice enough (their opinion). In general, they just don’t think this weapon, legal in many states, is the way that you are supposed to bow hunt. I keep wondering who appointed them to this lofty position to tell the rest of us how to hunt.
(READ MORE: Don’t get caught in crossfire of crossbow hunting debate)
My position is usually that the crossbow gets a lot of people out there hunting (young and old), something that we desperately need. And if a deer is killed with an arrow, legally and within the set bag limits, what difference does it make what the arrow came from? Be it a crossbow, a compound bow, a recurve, or an English long bow, the arrow got there. Bow hunters who see the crossbow as the hand of the devil don’t agree with this, of course, but we have to be able to talk about these things.
Another factor in the crossbow equation is how far we actually take shots at deer with this weapon. Discussions on the Book of Faces, at deer camp, and across the counter at your local gun store often have hunters proclaiming deer are taken at extreme ranges with the crossbow. I am not sure about this. I know that modern crossbows can shoot tight groups at 80 and maybe 100 yards. I am just not sure of how many hunters actually make these kind of shots in a hunting setting.
The TSS long shot debate on turkeys: Another topic worth revisiting is the current discussion about how far to shoot at turkeys.
To recap, the advent of tungsten super shot has made it possible for hunters to take advantage of the terminal ballistics of this type of shot and hit turkeys at greater distances than with traditional lead shot. The traditionalists here maintain the way to hunt the wild turkey is to call him up close to you (40 yards and less) before sending the turkey to meet his maker. Acolytes of the magical TSS proclaim this type of shot allows you to take turkeys much farther than that, dare I say 70 yards and better.
Like crossbow and bluegrass music arguments, one side will never agree with the other on the TSS long shot debate. Sometimes I use TSS shot, and sometimes I don’t. My two cents is with or without the use of TSS, experienced turkey hunters know what an ethical shot is in any given situation. Let your conscience be your guide.
(READ MORE: Hunting for the reasons why we do it)
Well, I just wanted to share with you what I saw in my coffee this morning. Please feel free to share what you saw in yours, be it a different view than mine — something that looked like a Winslow Homer painting, or maybe an old “The Far Side” comic.
“Guns & Cornbread” is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.