Hola amigos,
Ah iron sights versus scopes, a long and complicated debate. I have probably posted these two tales earlier here and if so, please forgive the repetition, but hopefully they will amuse you.
When I was sixteen and full of it, had gone deer hunting in a rather pretty and remote valley, sort of hidden in a ridge line in PA. The day was frosty and bright, with a little snow just an inch or so but enough to make for easy tracking and easier spotting of the game. I settled in to a comfy spot by an ancient stone wall just above a very old and long neglected apple orchard. As the deer opener was well past (I believe this was very late in the season) the odds of ever seeing a legal buck were pretty long, but I had high hopes and iron sights on my Savage 99 308, which was a very accurate rifle. I never gave a thought to the rough ride in the old Jeep pickup to even get up into the hills where I was hunting.
I had not sat very long before I spotted movement coming out of the timber, a deer heading for some frozen and probably well rotted apples in the orchard. I looked it over through my binoculars and saw that it was indeed a legal buck, a very nice 8 point Eastern count! I set the binocs down and carefully lifted the rifle to shoulder, waiting for the buck to step into the small clearing he must pass to get to the old orchard. Sure enough, after testing the air for scent and looking everything over, he gingerly stepped out of the thick timber into the small meadow, advanced to the middle of it and STOPPED! He was giving me a perfect, standing broadside shot at less than 100 yards! I could taste the venison steaks already!
I eased the safety off as I put the bead on his shoulder, and carefully squeezed the trigger. The Savage roared with authority, and I watched the buck stand there perfectly still! He looked around himself while the loud boom from the shot echoed off the hills, as if he could not tell what direction that sound had come from. I had missed! I quickly jacked another round in the rifle, thinking perhaps I had jerked the trigger or somehow moved at the last instant, carefully steadied myself and squeezed off another round. Boom! The buck again stood perfectly still, now looking around as if he were concerned, but not so much as one foot did he move. I had missed again! How on Earth could this happen?!! I was upset and jacked a third round in the chamber, took extra special care aiming, bracing against the tree and stone wall to be SURE that I didn't move and miss again, took a breath, let a little out, brought the bead down on his shoulder, absolutely certain that I could
NEVER miss again at such an easy shot, and growing nervous that the buck would soon vanish, squeezed off another shot.
Boom! The shot echoed off the hills again, the buck took a single step, looking around, even looking directly at me for a second, but he kept looking around and I still had time to try again, because I had MISSED AGAIN! I could not believe it. I started wondering about the ammo, was I unconsciously moving as I fired, was there an invisible cross wind, etc. I repeated my careful aim and fired - and this time I saw a tree branch, about six FEET behind the buck blow off a piece of bark! I was stunned, but the buck was starting to decide that he maybe ought to head for greener pastures, I looked at the sights on the rifle - the rear sight had gotten knocked sideways almost entirely OUT of the dovetail slot! I had been aiming far off to the left, behind the buck! I quickly jacked my last shot into the chamber and unfortunately the buck took a flying leap and vanished into the brush. Lesson learned? Iron sights can get knocked out of perfect alignment too.
Second tale
As an iron sight 'purist' I was hunting for deer in PA, not too long after I had married my wife Beth. We were living in the hills not particularly wealthy but not starving either, and we depended on venison for a part of the annual larder. So of course I was again hunting for deer, a legal buck, out on the ridge behind where we lived. I had the trusty Savage 99 with iron sights, and had learned my lesson about making sure the sights are not damaged or moved before getting into the woods. I found a nice spot on the ridge overlooking where two major game trails intersected, one trail leading to a marshy pond and the other eventually would end out at a corn field on the far side of the ridge. It was the season opener, so like most of PA the woods were full of hunters, and the deer would almost certainly be moving. So I picked a spot to take a stand (standing is not my preferred method of hunting, but I was mainly after the meat not the antlers) and sat down with my back on a beautiful old white oak tree and waited.
Sure enough, right after the Sun rose, you could start hearing the shots on the far hills, indicating that other hunters were having some success. I watched as some fat gray squirrels set to work digging for acorns and hickory nuts they had secreted in the fall. Before long, I heard that distinctive rolling rustle sound of a herd of deer approaching through the dry leaves. The sound was coming from my left so I cautiously shifted my position to put most of my body behind the trunk of the tree, to help conceal myself from the deer as they approached. I picked up the binoculars as I saw movement through the timber, definitely deer. I guessed the range at a bit over 200 yards, rather a long shot through the trees, and looked the deer over as they stepped between openings in the trees. I counted, one, two, three, all does, four, five wait a minute, that one has antlers! I tried to see if I could count the points but no, it looked like maybe a six point (Eastern count) whitetail, of respectable size, traveling with a small herd of four does! I kept my eye riveted on the buck as he stepped slightly out of sight, his front half blocked from my view by a large tree, as the does were also milling about searching for acorns, and set the binoculars down with my right hand then lifting the trusty Savage 99 up to my shoulder. I didn't think the deer could see any movement on my part, certainly I could see with my eyes that they did not act the slightest bit alarmed, and had hardly bothered to even look in my direction. I eased the sights to the right side of the large tree that the buck had stepped behind, and waited for him to step past it, which would put him directly in my line of fire.
I waited for what seemed a very long time, listening to the deer as they were nosing through the dry leaves, and finally the deer stepped out from behind the tree right into the perfect alignment for my shot! I eased the safety off and squeezed the trigger, boom! I watched the deer drop in his tracks, and then saw the four remaining deer go bounding off past me including one with nice antlers on his head! What the heck!!!
I took another look at the deer I had just shot, and nope he is NOT moving, I had NOT missed, the deer had been killed instantly.
I walked over to dress out the deer and as I walked up close enough to see his head (he had fallen sideways away from me so his head was not visible after he fell) and had a shock - I had just shot and killed a BUTTON BUCK! The two deer had been feeding side by side, I had not noticed that the button buck (no antlers just little 'buttons' on his head) had stepped in FRONT of the larger and LEGAL buck. As I stood there, wondering how the heck I had done this mistake, I heard someone shout from the top of the ridge - "Hey did you get him?" I was suddenly petrified - this is NOT a legal buck and I could certainly NOT afford a hundred dollar fine, so I yelled back "Yes I got him" - hoping that stranger would not approach any closer. To my horror I could see him starting to hike down the ridge to me, as he hollered "I will help you drag him out!" Horrors! What can I do? I did the only thing I could think of, I yelled back "NO thank you I can get it!" and grabbed the feet of the illegal button buck and started dragging him for him as fast as I could go! I looked back and he was still coming! So I shifted the buck up onto my shoulder and took off hiking with him as best I could, which was not that fast as the buck was still fairly good sized, probably 120 pounds or so and if I had not been so nervous I doubt I could have carried him away on my shoulder like that. Anyway long story short, I did manage to get that illegal deer home and put into the freezer without having to pay a fine, but I learned another valuable lesson - scopes DO have their uses, for if I had had a scope I would have easily been able to see that the deer that stepped out from behind the tree did not have the antlers.
Please do continue amigos, just thought I would entertain you with my misadventures with iron sights and scopes, and I honestly believe that BOTH have their advantages and disadvantages, it is a good practice to have a rifle fitted
both ways.
Oroblanco
