Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions

When I first started hunting, I remember I wanted to hunt with an AR style rifle…a “Modern Sporting Rifle” if you will (I hate that term). I was trained, and proficient with an AR, had countless hours behind one, and knew the guns inside and out. It just seemed to make sense to use something I was undeniably proficient with. 

                I remember my first bear hunt, I took an AR-10, and the outfitter asked why I brought a machine gun to the hunt. I had to laugh at the FUDD mentality, and decided I wanted to continue to hunt with an AR simply to destroy the stigma that “evil black rifles” didn’t belong in the woods.

                A few years later, AR hunting rifles have become more main stream, and more widely accepted. AR platforms in long range calibers like 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 Win Mag have gained notoriety for taking big game at distance, and .300 black and .223 have been deemed an “acceptable” round for deer and hogs, while .308 and AR10’s are still good for just about any big game animal in North America.

Just like the argument over which is more “sporting” or “fair”: a rifle or a bow? Or traditional bow hunters that call compound bow hunters or cross bow hunters “cheaters”, advancements in technology lead to advancements in hunting. It’s not the 1800’s anymore…we don’t NEED to use a stick and string to harvest game…though some choose to. The wood and steel rifles that our parents and great grandparents used have been replaced with synthetic stocks and adjustable parts to fit shooters of all statures. Does it make it cheating, or unfair? NO…it just means we’ve adapted with the times.

From the dawn of man, “weapons of war” came home from the battlefields to play their part in our homes, from self-defense to hunting applications. Bows and arrows, spears, hand tools, those were all used by our earliest ancestors to wage war as well as hunt and for protection. Fast forward hundreds of years to the development of black powder. Do you think that when Colonial Americans developed muskets they said “these are too advanced to hunt with”? Or when our great grandfathers ran head first into trenches with bolt actions in WWI they got back state side and said “I wish I had something more archaic to hunt with”? There will always be advances in technology, and things will be improved upon. From long bows to compound bows, from cap and ball to smokeless powder…these are all advancements that have enhanced our ability to take game and continue fair chase, as well as allowed people with disabilities (i.e. crossbow hunting for someone that can’t draw a bow) to get into the sport.

Personally, I’d like to take game with all platforms. I’m still batting zero with a muzzle loader and bow, but hopefully that will change. Instead of demonizing one side of the field vs the other, we really should be encouraging each other to try different things, and step outside our respective comfort zones. It’s not necessarily how you do it, but the fact that you ARE doing it, and being a positive influence for the community and those around you.