Not talking about the current situation, since I don't know if the shooter had practiced at close range or not. That being said, hunting shots are usually under 100 m and often less in the area he was hunting. A hunter should know where his rifle shoots at all probable distances. Ir is particularly important when hunting bear or in bear territory - obviously.

Respectfully,

Jerry

Maybe we should even cut a liberal amount of slack. The choice seems to have been shoot and risk the partners health or wait for the outcome of the attack. I doubt that the victim would have been better off with just waiting.
The amount of practice required for such a situation may not be affordable for the average hunter. I would expect it from a hunting guide though.


The usual scoped hunting rifle is going to strike a little low. At 10m it´s about the distance between your barrel and the center of your scope. At 25m the difference can be neglected. I tried that with my 7x64. It´s not that hard to compensate for that. Taking proper aim under much stress and in a hurry is quite a different subject though.

Poor guy! This is why I carry bear spray, but with the acknowledgement that my adrenal fight-or-flight response is so overwhelming, that I seriously doubt I could even discharge it properly, much less a firearm. One time when I was faced with a serious physical threat, I somehow leaped over an 8 foot fence and ran two miles without even getting tired -- however my hands were shaking like someone who'd downed a gallon of expresso. Ugh.


--M