A good example of a hunter using his skills superbly .... there was Shifty Powers from the Band of Brothers fame.
If you read the book, you'll know where he honed his skills.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

I don't believe just being a hunter makes you any more qualified to be a sniper or designated marksman than say a kid from the Bronx who was taught to shoot by a PMI in boot camp. Sniper is a learned craft and one with a desire to master it will, regardless of back ground.
It just seems that hunters and country boys tend to gravitate towards it more.

I think there are people who can master any firearm better than most others. I was watching the History channel about snipers and one of the best was a young Russian girl. In fact, the Russians relied quite heavily on women in their home defense because all the men were chasing Germans.

Originally Posted by Missileer

I think there are people who can master any firearm better than most others. I was watching the History channel about snipers and one of the best was a young Russian girl. In fact, the Russians relied quite heavily on women in their home defense because all the men were chasing Germans.

The Soviet Union actually had a great many female snipers. My point was that regardless of where you were taught to shoot the best of the best will prevail.

In my personal experience, I dont think hunting really helps you much. It doesn't hinder you either though. Im I guess half country, half city raised. When I went to boot camp, (19d) I noticed that the city boys that had never fired rifles before, actually outshot the "country boys" in general. Being drilled by your instructor for 2 straight weeks in how to fire an M16 is much different from a weekend excursion with your daddy or friends. I guess hunting would maybe help you with climatizing a little better than the average joe. Just my 2 cents, hope I didn't offend anybody.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

I grew up hunting in scrub desert in Southwest Texas. Yeah I know our deer were about the size of large dogs. The most important thing that I feel hunting gives you is field craft and stalking skills. Most of the really good scouts are country boys acustomed to moving in diverse terrian. However I know of more the a couple of Snipers who came from urban and suburan back grounds.

I am a city boy and an avid hunter in the great white north, mostly hunted in Michigan while growing up. I can say that hunting helped my tracking and ambush skills, but did not make me a great marksman or sniper, even though I enjoyed rabbit hunting with a 22 over a shotgun as well as hunting white tail with a 243. I shot expert throughout my career in the miltary and my personal opinion, I learned more about shooting in the military than all the years of hunting as a kid. Sure, hunting taught me how to choose my shots for quick kills, but the military taught me to shot under stress, unless you have a bear charging you, hunting is pretty stress free.

Then you'd think I'd be really grand !!

I'm not a hunter, but I do go into the woods bi-weekly, and I shoot rifles at the range.

Actually, the main thing that came to mind, was my arboriculture work. I've worked outdoors since 1980 in Oregon. Right now, while my family wears sweats in the house, I'm in shorts and a t-shirt.

When the weather is about 40 degrees like it was Friday, I was shedding my vest outdoors to work in a single layer short sleeve shirt about 15 minutes after starting work.

I don't know about other people, but it's as if my body has acclimatized to the outdoors. For the more part, I wear a short sleeve shirt all year long, and wear a vest on and off in the winter. I add a sweatshirt when the temperature dips into the 20s.

Oh - yeah, and the fake tree spotting comment from the first post - wouldn't and arborist that shoots guns be perfect for that?

Where's my job application?

M. D. Vaden of Oregon
http://www.mdvaden.com

mdvaden, you're just hardcore for wearing shorts in 40 degree weather. given, i was born in a tropical climate, but i've done a lot of outdoors type stuff when i moved out to the mainland. i still haven't gotten used to the cold, but maybe 2 years isn't long enough.

"What!? He wasn't in the military!?"

Simo Häyhä was in the military and deployed in infantry company as corporal and in spring 1940 was promoted straight to 2nd lieutenant for valor in combat.

Last spring i met one reservist who lived in Häyhä's neighbourhood and knew him quite well. Häyhä was somekind local hunting master and won many district's championships in his old days few years ago before he died in 2002.

His confirmed kill account was 520 ruskies but he cheated some and increased his kill account with few ruskies by submachine gun m/31

Originally Posted by egoz

mdvaden, you're just hardcore for wearing shorts in 40 degree weather. given, i was born in a tropical climate, but i've done a lot of outdoors type stuff when i moved out to the mainland. i still haven't gotten used to the cold, but maybe 2 years isn't long enough.

sorry for OT, but ur talking farenheit, right, cuz 40 celcius is perfect shorts weather!!

Use some tact, Eurospike.