Well a handful of other hunting related threads popped up on the right side preview as I started making this, but none of them seemed to get any traction over the years. Let’s try it again! Off Topic seems to be the busiest part of the forum these days, and I know there’s a bunch of hunters that post here.
Bow season proper starts here in Maine this weekend. I’m equal parts excited and nervous as it’ll be my first season going out with the bow. I have a few good spots in mind where I can take some 20-60 yard shots, but I probably won’t go for anything beyond 25-30. I’m not sure what happened to my shot but I went from being able to hold fist sized groups at 35-40 yards (farthest I can train in my yard) to being all over the target at 25. Poor timing for that development and not very confidence inspiring.
Hoping to bag three deer this year, one with each of my grandfather-in-laws rifles he gifted to me. If I get one with the bow I’ll have to wait until next year to officially retire one of them.
No luck on my moose draw this year, but that’s okay. No out of state plans tripped yet either. I’m hoping to get down to NC again this winter, might turn into a VA trip instead.
What rifles are you using? Every year I say I’m going to get into hunting and I even got my license this year, but I haven’t gotten a hunting rifle yet. I see a lot of arguments for .270 and .308, thoughts? I’ve never hunted, but shoot fairly well.
Hey man, I generally use one of the following: Winchester 88 in .308, Winchester 94 in 32 W.S. (basically a 30-30), or a Ruger Deerstalker in .44 magnum.
Between the .308 or .270, you really can’t go wrong with either. Both cartridges will handle anything we can go after here on the east. Moose might be a little on the large side for them, but you won’t just be stumbling into that kind of hunt anyway.
I’d go .308 personally, just because it’s the 9mm of hunting rifle ammo. It’s everywhere, it’s relatively affordable, and it doesn’t beat you up. The differences between the two on a practical level would be so subtle that preference could come down to which round you think looks cooler haha.
I think .270 shoots a little flatter and carries a little more energy at longer ranges, but that doesn’t really start to matter until you’re exceeding like 300 yards.
People seem to be into 6.5 Creedmoor too. I think after .308 its probably taken second place as most popular cartridge. Can’t go wrong with any of them!
Personally i prefer the 30 caliber range (30-30, .308, 30-06, 35 Remington - this one is a bit of an oddball with a very curved flight profile, but the marlin lever action my dad has chambered in it is an awesome rifle). Anything from 10 - 300 yards is fairly easily managed. Soft Point Boat Tail rounds are my go to:
Lever guns are my preferred action for hunting, but part of that is due the fact I shoot left handed and I don’t want to pay more for a LH bolt-action.
Don’t go for the .300 Win Mag or 7 mm Rem. - that’s just overkill for most American game and all your going to do is punish your shoulder at the range.
I hunt in Texas and have been doing so since I was a kid. Duck, geese, dove, quail, hogs, javelina, white tail, axis and other occasional exotics that have made it off a game ranch. Sometimes rams in West Texas.
I’m not a bow hunter. Not knocking it but I disagree that it requires more sportsmanship. They’re just as deadly in common shooting ranges as rifles, but you lose the finesse of long distance shooting to weak performance. I also prefer kill shots to wounding an animal and tracking it while it suffers.
I hunt birds of all types with a 12 gauge shotgun, loads and chokes vary.
I hunt almost all other animals with a .270. Imo they pack a hell of a punch without destroying as much meat as a 30 cal. Think .357 magnum screaming through a target and a .45 “softball” smashing the hell out of it. I avoid 6.5 creedmore. Great range guns, too much speed for hunting. They pass right through with minimal exit wounds and not only fail to kill on the spot but make tracking difficult
For rams at long ranges, I’m using a 300prc. Formerly a 7mm.
I have used catch dogs and a knife on hogs and would again.
I prefer an AR with thermal for predators. It’s just fun.
I like shotgunning. Mainly a duck and goose hunter. Moving back to NY, and I cannot wait to chase migrators around. Get out on a frozen river and make some pillows.
Once the seasons over I’ll rabbit hunt a bit. Shoot the occasional squirrel or crow. Then maybe a guided snow goose hunt first week of April.
Never been much for deer hunting. Shot a spike a few years ago. Tasted great, but just don’t get the high I do from ducks or geese backpedaling in the decoys.
Have a Remington model 11 (1927) with a ribbed barrel and fixed full choke. Ive never brought it in the blind for fear of dunking it, but this year I’m dropping birds with it at least once.
I’d be hunting mostly wooded areas. Probably 50 yards at most. There are a lot of open fields for longer shots here, but I wouldn’t be hunting them for a while.
First time in my life I was not successful in drawing a rifle deer tag, is this year. I have to look at archery or black powder just to go out hunting. I’ve never hunted with either. I hate the idea of being limited to such short range.
I think you could build an argument both ways, but for me personally, it’s just a way to add a month to my hunting season haha.
I’ve never done any bird hunting aside from turkey, nor have I had a chance to do anything long range. Some day.
I need to get some duck hunting in sometime. I love the stuff, and we have a good amount of them right on the river I live on. That Remington sounds like a classic, and similar to my rifles, I cringe every time I bring them out in foul weather.
@Bambiwithhorns I think some of the newer black powder designs offer some decent range potential. You could always go crossbow too if you want to up your archery range a bit. Which state are you in that you need a specific rifle tag?
Follow up question, where do you guys store your camo and layers to prevent household smells from seeping into them?
My usual method is to wash them with the scent/UV free stuff from Cabela’s, let them air dry outside, then stuff them in plastic shopping bags with some pine needles, acorns, and a leaf or two. Thinking of swapping that out to a tote instead so I can just have a single storage unit.
My dad and I used a waterproof tote (basically with a gasket around the lip) and through them in there with the scent killing wafers and some dry leaves after washing with scent killing soap about 2 months prior to the season. They came out every year smelling like those leaves
@mr.v3lv3t I’m in South Dakota and we have always had three different rifle seasons, East river, West river and Black Hills. Each one had a separate drawing until just recently. Now it’s just one drawing for all three seasons. You pick your county and tag preference and if you want your name to go into the drawing more than once, you have to purchase preference points.
Deer season is getting close for me. 1st of November, I can smell the sausage.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed shooting the 300prc mentioned above and have cleared an 800 yard shooting lane ( with the assistance of some elevation over hundreds of yards of tree line).
Barely stretching her legs at that point but should be fun as I’m used to deer inside of 100 in my neck of the woods. I just hope I don’t blow all the meat up.
That sounds awesome dude. I have one spot around me where I have line of sight for about 200-250 yards.
I’d love to do a Western hunt some day. Glassing a hill and spending an entire day closing the gap over mountains to the herd is right up my alley. Until then I’ll just be sitting still against a tree staring into the thick brush.
