It is early in the morning and a fresh powdering of snow is on the ground, your breath is a vapor in front of your face and you are waiting patiently in your deer stand for that monster buck you have tracked all spring. Nothing beats opening day of deer season, it is that one time of year where man challenges nature to hunt in bitterly cold temperatures. This sport is a time-honored tradition going back many generations, and as such, there is some debate on old methods and new fangled gadgets. Some old timers or crack shots insist on using open sites while others are more comfortable with scopes, but which is better?Hunting scopes are not a new idea; they go all the way back to the 17th century when people were experimenting with different optical hunting aids. The ancestor of the rifle scope would not be invented until 1880 when the first refractor telescope based technology was discovered. Since then hunting scopes have come a long way. Top Reasons a Scope is better Shot Reliability is the number one reason to consider a rifle scope over open sites. When you have waited all morning in a cold deer stand to make a perfect shot on a monster buck, the worst thing that could happen is a missed shot! You rarely if ever get a second chance at a kill shot with a deer. Injured Not Killed- Worse than not hitting the deer at all is the chance that you will get a less than perfect shot. When this happens often times an animal is simply wounded and may run for miles before they die. That is one animal you will never find. In addition, many times a poor shot will disable them causing them to not be able to forage for food; there is nothing more inhumane than maiming an animal and leaving it to starve to death. Intense Practice- Depending on the type of weapon you shoot, practicing enough to take a shot without a hunting scope can cost you a small fortune in Ammo. Expert hunters and sportsmen agree that you will ne ed to practice a lot and often if you are using open sites. Eye sight- Everyone ages whether they want to or not, it is an unpleasant fact. For many people this fact leads to eyesight that just is not what it used to be. Instead of fighting this, natural progression and ending up in a situation like outlined above get you a proper hunting scope. Take home that big buck reliably by not being too proud to use a rifle scope. Long Shot- No matter how well you can see there is no escaping the fact that you will be able to see and shoot further with the aid of hunting scopes. Imagine you are in your deer stand and out there stands a big buck. You can see him but not well enough to take the shot. A rifle scope would have let you take your time and easily made the shot. This is not to say that your rifle will shoot any further just that your rifle is more than likely capable of much longer range than the naked eye can see. Easier- Let us face it hunting with a rifle scope is just e asier. It is easier on eye fatigue and just plain fun!Perfect ShotIf you are the competitive sort and like to test your skill, you can always take your hunting scope off and hone your skills on the practice range. No one denies there is an intense satisfaction when you can hit the bulls eye with open sites! However, when it comes time to seriously hunt, a hunting scope can make your trip more profitable and satisfying. Scopes There are several types of guns popular for hunting and each has a limit on magnification. For instance you would never use a rifle scope suitable for a 30-06 on a 50 cal muzzleloader whose lethal range is about half that of the rifle. Muzzleloader Deer season is divided into different weapon categories, modern Gun, muzzleloader and archery. Some hunters go all out and hunt all three seasons while others stick to modern Gun. For those of you into black powder you probably al ready know that a magnifying scope is pretty much out of the question, there is no point in seeing further than the range of the Gun. The best choice for black powder is a non magnifying hunting scope or at the least not more than 4x power.RifleRifle scopes are varied and it would be impossible to list every Gun scope combination. The best advice for rifle scopes is to check the lethal range of your weapon against the range of the scope. If your Gun is lethal at 300 yards then stick with a scope of the same range. Rim Fire Most rim fire rifles are 22 calibers and have a range of about 50 yards. For this kind of Gun, you will likely be hunting squirrel, rabbits or small game, as many states such as Arkansas do not allow big game hunting with this small of a caliber weapon. It is easy to purchase a rifle scope that will overpower a rim fire rifle; the best scope to look for in this case is one that can be dialed back to about a 50 ft range. There are many cheaper hunting scopes that will fit this bill nicely. OverallThe bottom line is a hunting scope is the hunters best friend. They overcome a variety of issues in the woods and make for a more pleasant hunting experience for all involved. Take the time to research the capabilities of your Gun before running out to purchase a new scope. You can find plenty of information and retail sites such as Scope Haven to lead you in purchasing the perfect rifle scope before the next hunting season begins.
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