Make Sure That You Don't Miss at Close Range

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The only whitetail I’ve taken with a shotgun, I shot at just six yards. That was roughly the distance my tree stand was hung, or 18 feet above ground. The big-bodied Missouri buck came in grunting and posturing to a smaller buck. By the time I spotted the big 11-pointer through the thick underbrush, he’d literally stopped under my tree. And I was looking at him between my feet, through the grate of my hang-on stand.

The buck eyed his subordinate in the clover food plot in front of us, and eventually walked a couple feet forward and gave me a clear shot. Thankfully, I had a low-power 1-8x scope on my Browning Maxus 12-guage slug gun, and I sent the big sabot right through his shoulder.

Even with the low-power optic though, when I took aim at the buck at that short of range, his vitals filled my sight picture. Honestly, I remember wishing I had iron sights on my gun!

But that was before I started using red dot optics…

Both Eyes Open

I first started using red dots in the turkey woods, specifically on 18- to 20-inch barreled gobbler guns shooting TSS ammunition. I’d always enjoyed shorter barrel shotguns for turkey hunting, just because they were easier to carry, swing and maneuver in the woods and brush. The tradeoff, prior to tight-shooting tungsten ammo, was their more open patterns when shooting lead.

To make a long story short, when I switched from lead to TSS, my patterns significantly tightened up (and my range extended, obviously) — so much so that I knew I needed an aiming device on my shotguns.

Red dots have been the answer for me, thanks to their extreme light weight, excellent accuracy and unparalleled field of view. I’ve come to love them so much, in fact, all but one turkey I’ve shot in the last four or five seasons has been killed with a red dot.

I mentioned the exceptional sight picture and field of view red dots provide. For me, that’s due in large part to the fact I shoot red dots with both of my eyes open. This really expands my depth perception when aiming and allows my peripheral vision to remain functional.

It’s hard to describe the feeling exactly, but when I’m shooting a non-magnified red dot sight with both eyes open, I’m able to see down my firearm’s barrel, my target and its surroundings all at once. As a result, the firearm feels like an extension of my body, and very easy to point and aim with.

I’ve yet to shoot a whitetail with a red dot optic, but I see great potential for them on firearms set up for close range applications. This includes “brush guns” like rifled sluggers, big-bore lever actions, lightweight woods guns, handguns and more.

I bowhunt, and many of my best stand sites are set up for archery ranges. These are primarily pinch points, funnels, fence gaps, and other travel corridors that neck down to 50 yards maximum range. Yes, these spots are great during bow season. But guess what? They’re also great during gun season, and I often continue hunting them throughout the firearms season.

Ideally, I’d rather not take a big, heavy-barrel rifle with a high-magnification optic to one of these close-quarters stands. So, this year I’m testing red dot sights on various firearms to find the right rig for “gun hunting my bow stands.”

Top of the Line

One firearm and optic combo I’m currently range testing is a Browning Maxus II Rifled Deer in 12-gauge, with an Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot. This is a top-of-the-line, truly wonderful kit for whitetail hunting, I’ve found.

The Browning Maxus II in Ovix camouflage weighs 7 pounds 3 ounces, measures 43 inches in length and has a 22-inch rifled barrel with an integrated cantilever scope rail. Its gas-operated, semi-automatic cycling system is not only highly reliable, but it’s also good at reducing recoil from high-power slug rounds. This aids in keeping the shooter on target and aware of bullet impact.

As for the excellent Aimpoint ACRO P-2, this compact red dot sight was actually designed for use on handguns. Its true purpose is to be used as a pistol-mounted sight, excelling particularly on semi-automatic pistol slides that generate violent recoil and constant vibration. As Aimpoint states: “Built to exceed the requirements of professional users, the ACRO P-2 has been tested to withstand the extreme shock, vibration, temperatures, and materials stresses generated by firing over 20,000 rounds of .40 S&W ammunition.”

Aimpoint does approve the ACRO P-2 for use on carbines, shotguns and rifles, and they also claim it’s an excellent choice as a backup optic when mounted on magnified scopes.

I was drawn to the ACRO P-2 for its rugged design. I really like that the red dot’s emitter is protected by clear glass front and rear lenses. Another outstanding feature is the ACRO’s battery life: 50,000 hours (over 5 years of run time) on a single battery on setting 6. This longevity is thanks to an upgraded CR 2032 battery.

The ACRO P-2 has a 3.5 MOA size dot, which I’ve found the perfect size for target acquisition and precise shooting. It’s not too small that it’s hard to see; nor is it too large that it obscures targets out to extended ranges (100 yards give or take).

If you’ve never shot an Aimpoint red dot, you’ll be amazed to experience their parallax-free operation. What does parallax free mean? Aimpoint describes it best:

“The visible dot remains parallel to the bore of the weapon no matter what angle your eye is in relation to the sight. Therefore, the user never has to worry about centering the dot inside the sight. If you have proper zero, when the dot is on the target, so are you.”

Parallax-free shooting is what allows for both-eyes-open shooting. Aimpoint explains: “Aimpoint red dot sights increase confidence by allowing the shooter to focus on the target while keeping both eyes open, fully situationally aware at all times.”

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