Shoots100

Don't beat yourself up, it happens. One of the first deer I shot was on a deer drive. I shot a small buck that was running down the ridge I was on, blowing both of it's front legs off. That buck made the most God awful sounds before I finally caught up to it and put it down for good. I felt so bad, I didn't go hunting for a couple of days after that. That was 38 years ago and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I like to think that experience made me a better hunter and think this will do the same for you. You know you didn't mean to do it, so get out there and redeem yourself.

Why do you need 5 rounds to hunt deer ? FUAC, FUAC, FUAC !!! If it doesn't have a bayonet lug, threaded barrel or pistol grip, your good to go with the M1 carbine.

You pay for it and have your local FFL send their FFL paperwork to them for the transfer. Then they ship it to your FFL, you fill out the 4473, hope it passes quickly, pay a small fee and go home. If available, Buy the model with a detachable magazine. Once you know it's on it's way, buy a full length scope base and start buying Ammo or reloading components to feed it. After you get it all set up, maybe we could have a get together and put some holes into some critters with Grampy's AR and bust it's coyote cherry ? I have a spare thermal scope we could mount on it. I won't let you look through the XP38, as you'll end up selling your 700 to put a down payment on one.

After Deer season. Every scope I have on my puny rifles, has Quick detach mounts and I switch between my night scopes, thermals and day scopes all the time. A rifle is a tool made for killing, so don't deny your baby more killing time after deer season ends. The wraith also has color for daylight use, so it's not just for night hunting. You can save some money and build an AR to your liking, while you take out coyote with Grampy.

Buy the AGM 384 spotter and put the wraith scope on your .308 after deer season ends. The spotter can be used for spotting deer and also security around the house. .308 would be the biggest cartridge I would go with for a varmint rifle, as most night scopes are only rated up to .308 recoil. I always suggest going with a .223, as ammo is going to be somewhat easier to find, recoil is easier to handle and it kills critters just fine. I've built many custom rifles for friends using the savage axis platform, after they've shot out the barrel of the stock rifle. SJC

A friend had similar needs and after he hunted with me a couple of times to see what night hunting is all about, he ended up getting an AGM micro TM384 thermal spotter and a Wraith HD 2-16 scope combo, for under $1,800. He can and does use the thermal spotter for more than coyote hunting and that was a good purchase, as you use a spotter 95% of the time and a scope 5% of the time, and thermal rules in the spotting dept. The 2x wraith scope has a wide FOV and has a color image too, so it's totally useable for daytime hunting. Both optics record video and still images. He mounted it on a NYS legal .223 complete upper that he got for $500. That would keep you under a $2.5k budget for a complete setup that you won't need to upgrade for a long time. SJC

Nov 26th update. I've worn the Lynx boots while coyote & deer hunting, in all sorts of terrain and weather conditions. So far they seem to be holding up well. Lightweight and good ankle support. Easier to remove than a pull on boot and warmer in the cold too. SJC

After years of suffering and spending a lot of money on heater products and layer systems, I tried the warm bag that my brother uses and I was sold. My brother tried the heater body suit, but it was too big , bulky and noisy. I walk out in my bow hunting clothes, get into the warm bag and I'm set for all day sitting, if needed. Unless it's pouring rain, I'm not concerned one bit about going hunting anymore. I even outlast my farmer cousins, who hunt till their spit bottles freeze to their hands. The warm bag isn't available anymore and the only product that I could find that is comparable, is the IWOM system.

Never had to use the services of a deer tracker, but it's good to know the service is available, if needed. It must give you great satisfaction to watch your dogs working and finding a deer in the end. Even though I'm not there, I have a feeling of relief after you report that you recovered a deer for a hunter. Keep up the good work. Thank you for your service and for helping the hunting community.

I like a traditional typical rack, so I'd let that go. Usually a pen deer has a wider, thicker based rack, because of their diet. That's an old deer too, not some young pen deer with a jumbo rack and usually they don't get that old in a pen.

Full size decoys are used more often by the DEC to catch poachers. I've seen them (Buck + Doe) used during the rut in late bow and firearm seasons, with good effect. The horns on the decoys I've seen are removable, so the decoy can be used either way. Mostly they were used in the Buck orientation, with the hunter rattling horns and grunting, mimicking a fight. The fight was intended to bring in the dominant buck of the area, but they also had success in using it as a doe in heat too. Just remember that during the firearm season, you'd better make sure your up in a tree or behind a bulletproof barrier, as you might get shot at by a hunter thinking it's a real deer.

And also enjoying it with some Bionic rub ! Now that you have a gut pile, you need to hunt coyote.

Well it happens( Me missing) and I'm glad I had it on video, as I knew I was on it and was pissed when I saw it run away. This Yote was about 500 yards away when it started calling. I immediately engaged it with challenge calls and it started my way. I really only had a small safety window to shoot in, as dwellings were located safely away to my left and right, but it came right into that area. Deer were all over the place and they alerted me to it's presence. The doe is about 150 yards away on a tree line and I took the shot at 60 yards. Normally that's a one and done, but this dog ran away and I'll tell you why. On the way to this set, I was going through a hay field on my off road electric stealth scooter, when I hit a bump and the seat post collapsed. It's rated for 300 pounds, but I'm 220, my gear is 45 lbs and the bump was the tipping point. I landed ok, but when I took my pack off to access the damage, My rifle slid out of it's scabbard and landed on the scooter. My trigger stick was pretty beat up and it ended up falling apart the next day. So I took a deep breath, collected myself, straightened out the seat post and went to this set. Upon getting my gear set up, I noticed the scopes front Obj flip cover was off and luckily it was contained in the scope slicker cover I use. That cover isn't east to separate from the scope, so the scope took a good whack. I should've called it a night at that point, but.... The next day I set up a thermal target and it ended up that it was off 3" left and 1" up, enough to miss. The only way to find the weaknesses in your gear, is by using it. After weeks of use, the seat post is the weak link on my stealth scooter. I'm making a heavy duty seat post for it, as it's really saved me a lot of time getting to and from my hunting sets. Time to try and repair or buy another trigger stick, as it does double duty during deer season.

Great job. Thermal rules the roost. Hunters using NV and Red lights kill a lot more than they know, they just can't find them after the shot.

Should be pleasant weather to be sitting in a stand, catching some rays. Don't forget the non scent sunscreen !

You mean the same way republicans destroyed cities across America after Obama was elected and reelected ?

So in almost three hundred thousand votes processed overnight in MI and WI, Trump didn't get one vote ? That's statistically impossible and I wonder how the electoral powers in those states think that was going to go unnoticed ?

I got back to my house on the 26th, as I started to break out with a bad rash on my face and torso. Doc said it's covid rash, Oh Joy. Put me on steroids for a week and they really play with you, so I laid low and stayed away from firearms and the outside world. Last night 11/3, I decided to go out to a pheasant preserve for a couple of hours, as they've been hearing coyote in the area and I was getting cabin fever dealing with the rash. Saw plenty of deer, but not a peep or sighting of a coyote. It was a beautiful night to be out anyway , with a 3/4 moon, mild temps and no wind to speak of. Time to rest up and Maybe head upstate Friday AM to see what havoc I can cause, as the rash sucks whether I'm at home or upstate.

My preferred dog is a Brit, because they point, not super high energy, great family pet and great hunters. My favorite hunting dog , is any breed of hunting dog that's knows how to hunt, that I'm hunting with at the time.

You mean Trump and Harris ?

That sucks, hopefully you can find it, confirm it died and get the antlers. If not, you gave it your all and can get another buck in range to try again.

Looking at the states that aren't done counting vote's, yet favor Trump and I'm assuming will go to Trump, it looks like neither candidate will make it to the 270 vote count needed to win office. So what happens then ??? What happens if no presidential candidate receives a majority of the Electoral College votes? If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each state delegation has one vote. The Senate elects the Vice President from the two vice presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. The last time this happened in a presidential race, was in the early 1800's.

At least Trump would be able to remember those lost opportunities and Biden will finally get the care he needs after he loses today or tomorrow or next week, depending on when the Dems will accept the loss.

Joe's in China's pocket and if the US cuts down on it's pollution, China can pollute twice as much as it does now !

Well, Bidens Firearm policy just doesn't effect Hunters and Sportspeople, it effects every gun owner that has an AR15 (And whatever other Long Gun they deem an Evil Assault weapon), Any pistol that has the ability to accept a magazine that will hold more than 10 rounds and "High Capacity" magazines, meaning magazines that can hold over a 10 round capacity. Said Firearms and magazines will need to be serialized, registered and then a fee of $200 apc paid to the Gov't for every type of Evil firearm and magazine. Maybe that's how Ol' joe plans to pay for free college and the green new deal ? And that's just the tip of the iceberg of his common sense firearm confiscation policies. You can fast forward through this video, but it's worth watching every second or you can just believe the 2nd amendment isn't at risk ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Ppmg0abO4