Hunting expert grades Sarah Palin’s shooting skills

From ANI
Washington, Dec 9: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s shooting skills have been a hot topic after it took a few shots for her to hit a caribou.

Palin, her father Chuck Heath and a family friend were featured in the fourth episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” as they headed above the Arctic Circle to go caribou hunting.

And while some have joked about her shooting skills, her supporters have jumped to her defense, pointing out that the gun she was using at first was off.

Now Nick Seifert, a sportsman and conservation advocate who hosted the “Straight Shooting” segment of “American Gun Dog” for five seasons and had a 12-year career with Field and Stream and Outdoor Life magazines, has been roped in to give his expert opinion.

“Technically, it wasn’t perfect, but to me it seemed honest. Unlike a lot of shows that cut everything out, that was a fairly honest hunt,” the Politico quoted Seifert as saying.

As for what was technically off, Seifert said Palin “shot a lot of times, it’s hard to say what kind of shot she is”. But he noted that Palin “had a good rest, she was calm and she squeezed the trigger”.

On how often Palin hunts, Seifert said that she struck him as the kind of person who does not hunt every weekend.

Palin also took heat for the questions she asked her father about the gun kicking and when to shoot, but Seifert said that he has heard experienced hunters ask similar questions, as they do not want to injure the animal.

Another big criticism of Palin’s hunt was that the caribou did not move when she shot, even though she missed a few times. Could it have been an editing room trick or did the caribou really stand there?

“That was a young caribou. I hate to say it, but caribou are some of the dumbest animals,” Seifert said.

Seifert’s biggest criticism of the Palin hunt was that she should not have shot when the animal was on the horizon.

“You need to know where your backstop is. The bullet could go a little bit further. It’s not like they’re going to hit a house, but by the strictest rule, that’s something you shouldn’t do,” he added.

His conclusion of the hunt is that it was realistic and honest.
Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com
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