Don, that's a very good observation or point you make.
I've worked with hunters from around the world while a guide in Alaska and many more foreign hunters now as a PH in Africa. There are some very clear differences, which although not 100% for every American, fits the majority of them perfectly.
The first is the need to have every cartridge they load to the functional limit of the rifles structural integrity. Americans are all about velocity.
Next is the need to buy and build their rifles for the absolute longest range they could possibly have a chance at. There is almost a boastful nature about how far they can hit with the rifle they bring, and of course how much down range power it still has. Of course this really screws up the 100 yard shots they never practice for. Further when you build a long range rifle with a high power large adjustable objective scope, and the rifle has a huge powder capacity to drive a bullet very fast to 700 yards. It's not at all comfortable to carry, nearly impossible to shoot freehand , and the recoil limits functional practice sessions. There is also this desire to shoot tiny groups from the bench to amuse themselves with the amazing accuracy they can achieve at silly long distance. This style rifle lends itself to this kind of shooting which is why all the shooting is practiced this way.
However when they have that 150 yard shot off of an improvised rest like a branch, or limb, fence post, rock, etc. They have a zero point of 300 or more yards this creates a typical 3" high 100 yards POI and a 4.5" 200 yard POI. With the recoil shyness the rifle has caused, the weight of packing that huge long range beast with a 50mm bell on the scope, the shakey arms cause a wobble, the pre shot nerves contribute some shake, and the hunter forgets about that 4.5" trajectory at the instant of the shot, and he shoots over the back or way to high with a wounding hit on this animal with what should be a given at a simple 150 yard range.
I'm always stunned at the folks who come planning for the absolute distant unreasonable ranges, yet cannot point and shoot freehand accurately in a couple seconds at close range. I find that the defining difference between a real hunter, and just a good shooter. After all......... people always talk about going to "hunt" in Africa, I don't hear them say they are going "shooting" in Africa. If you want to come hunting, then we need to have a tool that "hunts" one that can be packed all day, has comfortable recoil, and just enough scope to get the job done. One that you can shoot so much before you come over it's like an extension of your arms. When you toss the rifle up to allign the sights and squeeze off the shot. Those big scopes have no place on a hunting rifle, The tall rings requre a custom stock and fitted cheekpiece. Try this, close your eyes tight, holding your unloaded gun toss it to the shoulder and allign your cheek and hold on for the shot. Then open you eyes. If your not looking through the scope perfectly with only very minor adjutment of the face to the stock for a clear picture...........you have some work to get that gun to fit you properly. Something is wrong with that set-up. If your way off but the gun still shoots outstanding once you settle in, that's a bench gun or target rifle!
Golfers syndrome I coined this phrase about 10 years ago now. It's the American desire to click off the shot and then admire the results by watching what's happening. Europeans never take the eye away from the scope, or finger off the trigger after the first shot. If I were to even slightly say shoot again that gun fires another bullet right into the game. Americans in that situation are trying to find eye allignment and settle in and ...... the game is gone. This is so common with my hunters it's almost a guarantee it will happen on every trip with different cultures of people. It's so bad with the spaniards in fact I have to yell to them stop shooting! I've threatened to take away the bullets as they shoot everything many times over.
Finally the gun finish. This has taken a turn for the positive in the last ten years. However there was a time, and still somewhat frequently I get hunters with the most shiny blue metal and high gloss stocks that they act like an emergency a signal mirror! These are works of Art that should never leave the gun vault!
The most successful hunters I've had don't usually have sub MOA skills or equipment, but they can throw the gun to the shoulder and click off a shot with an improvised rest very smoothly and confidently. The gusn they have a boring by most standards too. They shoot simple basic 30/06, 308, 8mm mauser, 338/06, 35 whelen, etc. some do quite well with the 300 mags, and the 338 as well. They usually have an old beat up actually pathetic looking stock, and a simple scope someplace from 2 power on the low end to ten power on the high end. Never an AO, and always the lowest rings and bases they can find to connect the two. Almost all will have a zero point based on a midrange trajectory of no greater then 3" . This usually relates to a 200 or 250 yard zero.
When I get a hunter that shoots quickly with minimal effort to get the shot off but he can only manage a 2-3" group at best he will kill a whole lot of game with me compared to the fella that needs a solid rest but shoots one bug hole group at 200 yards.
