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Doc

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Everything posted by Doc

  1. Your suspicions may very well be correct, but sometimes we jump to incorrect conclusions. Yesterday, I was buying a deer rifle that I won't be using for hunting until next year (at the very least). I would imagine that anyone watching the transaction might very well conclude that I will be out there with it this morning. They would be wrong. I will be dragging out my same old 37 year old 12 guage Ithaca shoulder mangler for what I hope is the last year.
  2. I have mixed feelings about rifle being used in more populated areas. Time and data will tell how it all works out. I suspect that we have not yet seen most of the hunters switch over yet, and a lot of people are still using their shotguns even though they don't have to. I have to wonder if changing the style of weapon will not change the hunter. If they are the exciteable, spray+pray kinds of hunters, they probably will do the same with the rifle. The only difference being that their out of control panic shooting will have a much more distant effect. However, maybe more guys will appreciate the additional precision that they have in their hands and will try to make that first shot count, slowing them down a bit. That is what I am hoping. The theories can run both ways, but like I say, time will tell what the final result really turns out to be. I'm hoping for the best, because I am 100% committed to hoping that our county goes to rifles, and it looks likely that that is going to happen for next season.
  3. For what it's worth, I have a Mathews that is 16 years old, going on 17. It has accounted for one heck of a lot of deer. I hope I'm not jinxing things, but other than a broken string (my fault for trying to make it last forever) I have not had any failures. This is at least one that's built pretty tough. Probably another feature that should be looked for in a new bow.
  4. Just finished filling up my pack and gathering up my clothes. I never realized just how much crap I pack up that hill for every stand. I'm not really done yet. There's still the thermos, and the sandwiches, and the camera.
  5. Ok, here we are on the day before opening day in the southern zone. It's time to go back and re-read all these posts and make sure you aren't leaving something out of your pack that would be useful. There's an awful lot of good info here.
  6. If I have done my math right, I have over 50 continuous years of gun seasons under my belt. I almost missed one season from something that seemed a lot like pneumonia. But, I am a two-season hunter as Fred Bear used to call us. Bow season is my preferred season, but gun season has it's own unique features as well. They are both hunting, but they are also both very different. Usually, at this stage of bow season, I am ready to reach out and touch somebody with something a little more versatile and effective than a bow.....lol. I can't help but think ... "surprise!" ... the first time I touch off a shot at one of them stinky old goats that have been thumbing their nose at me all bow season .... just out of bow range.
  7. What I have done is to move onto my own property so that I live where I hunt. That makes it tougher on trespassers when they know the land is occupied. Of course, there are pluses and minuses to hunting where you live. Sometimes it does take away from the specialness of getting away to hunting camp. One benefit of living where you hunt is the rural atmosphere, and the ease of getting on stand or scouting when personal time is limited. Yes you do have trespassers as a hassle, but on public land, you have all kinds of legitimate hunting interference as well which still provides the same problems as trespass does. Also, public land tends to be unmanaged and over hunted and occasionally, "shot-out". Yes there are taxes with property ownership, but some of these lease fees are starting to out-pace property taxes. The other thing about leases is that it can all be pulled out from under you if the property gets sold. And yet another thing about leases is that you are not necessarily free from trespassers. There is no "perfect" solution that has absolutely no drawbacks, but years ago, I decided that I wanted to live in the middle of my hunting grounds, and also raise my kids in a much healthier atmosphere of the countryside. So the decision was quite easy for me. however, that does assume that you have the resources to do that because it is not the cheaper option. Also, assuming you are not retired, you have to be able to put up with commuting to work.
  8. My one point of advice is, do not get roped into the "speed" hype. It just costs extra money for doubtful benefits. Most of it is blown way out of proportion with some of it even being flat out lies that apply to nothing with specs that most likely are not realistic for your use. Oh OK, I have two points of advice .... lol. The 2nd point is to get out and test shoot as many different bows as possible. Get into the touchy-feely aspects of bow performance such as smoothness of draw, noise, shock, etc. Do not be overly influenced by what others consider important, or some of the wild claims that a lot of bowhunters can conjure up about their favorite bow You hit the nail on the head when you said the choices are "personal preference". So if there is anyway that you can arrange it, it would be good if he can become deeply involved in the selection process. Of course there may even be yet another question to ask. If he can shoot so well with what he already has, are you sure it's time to change? What if it turns out that the bow doesn't perform as well as the old one? Yet another reason to get him involved in the choices. Try before you buy..... always a good idea.
  9. I am! All those deer that have been teasing me, just outside of bow range are in for a bit of a surpise.
  10. Lol .... I did my time with a deer weapon that was nearly as devastating on the hunter end as it was on the deer end ..... my 12 guage Ithaca. Now it is time to get a gun that I can actually enjoy shooting for as long a shooting session as I want without the eventual flinch from the swat. Plus, I have no need for a gun that flame cooks the deer as it passes through. Also, I don't want my deer to look like some kind of road-kill when the bullet hits it. Yes, that is a bit of exaggeration, but there does come a point where you have to say dead is dead, and it sounds like the right answer is somewhere between the .223 and the .300 mag. I am starting to focus on the .270 Ruger American, but I have a lot of testing, reading, and trying to do before I make any firm decisions. Remember, I have until some time into next summer before I have to make the decision, Although I am sure it won't take anywhere near that amount of time. Actually I would like to make the purchase somewhere near Christmas so it is a bit more like the intended Christmas present .... lol.
  11. Don't take these long-range forcasts too seriously. It will change several times before Saturday gets here. Those guys are doing well to get the forcast right for the same day.
  12. Well guys, I sure did get a lot of info to think about. I have a few more things to look at and a few guns to try out, and then I will be ready to start looking at prices. Thanks all for all the help. It's appreciated.
  13. Ear muffs or plugs are recommended target shooting equipment regardless of caliber. I know a lot of older shooters who used to laugh at ear protection. Now anytime you talk to them, the first reply out of their mouth is, "huh?"
  14. These people are out in the woods with us ...... scary thought isn't it?
  15. 30-30 .22 hornet .222 .223 Yes, I am leaning toward a bolt action.
  16. When it comes to recoil, my main concern is that I never again have to put up with any recoil that even comes close to the beating I've been taking over my lifetime from that 12 guage Ithaca. I will guarantee you that I have never spent a lot of time trying to target practice with that 12 guage, and I'm probably not alone on that. Most years it is 3-5 shots to ensure the scope is still good and then 1 shot per deer. I would much rather be able to shoot as long as I want with some degree of comfort. I no longer want my target sessions with my deer hunting weapon to be shortened up because of recoil. That is why the emphasis on recoil. And that is the main purpose of using a rifle rather than the shotgun that I have been using for the last 40 years. A two hour session on the bench is not uncommon with my other rifles, and I would like to be able to do that with my deer rifle.
  17. There is one more consideration that goes into my selection. That is the cost to reload. Over the years, I have burned up a lot of ammo, and have come to realize that handloading cost savings aren't as big as they once were. So since I do spend time on the bench, powder loads and bullet costs are probably something that I should not totally over-look. So just to add a little more difficulty into the choice, if I have two calibers that do an adequate job, it serves no purpose to over-do just for the heck of it. Yeah, now I am getting a bit picky, but I don't intend to ever buy another deer rifle again. Also, I know for a fact that I will not be going on a moose or elk hunt ..... ever again. So "being able to hunt anything in North America" is not a sales point. I also might add that it is extremely unlikely that I will ever take a shot over 150 yards. My deer hunting turf simply is not laid out with those kinds of options. So all that has to be factored in also. It all keeps getting more and more complicated.....lol.
  18. I remember a long time ago somebody on this forum or its predecessor came up with a chart on the internet that compared recoil of various calibers out of various guns. I have had no luck locating that chart anywhere. Does anyone know the web location where that might be found? That probably would help with the recoil thing since I am not going to get a chance to test-drive all the different selections.
  19. Considering the attitude of the neighbor, I probably would have laughed in his face and invited him to leave.
  20. Back when I bought my .223 I took a look at the Thompson Center single shot break-action rifles. They definitely will be on the list to look at. I don't see the single shot feature as being any kind of a handicap. Generally speaking, I really only use one shot anyway.
  21. Most of my hunting is done in open woods, without much cover other than an occasional tree big enough to get behind. That's not a problem when I am out 50 yards or more, but when I am closing in to 20 yards, it sure does seem like I am hanging right out there in plain sight ..... in fact, I am. Not usually a lot of choice in that. I have no problem if I am behind a blind or something and the deer is coming to me. But when I am going to the deer with basically no cover, I have to say that I have never successfully pulled that off.
  22. One of the reasons why I make a big deal out of the recoil is the years of punishment from my 12 guage .... lol. But the main reason is that I have a shooting range up on the hill that I spend a fair amount of time at. When my Brother-in-law visits, it is not unusual for us to spend a couple of hours on the range, shooting off the bench. Too much recoil can shorten up those target sessions significantly.
  23. Budget is a bit tight. Off the top of my head, I would be looking in the neighborhood of no more than $700 - $800 total ..... Gun, scope, strap, and a couple boxes of ammo and reloading dies, bullets, and some brass.
  24. No, I have a new Remington .223 for varmints. My moose and elk hunting years are about over. As far as bears, they are legal game here in Ontario County, and if I were to encounter one while deer hunting, it would be nice to have enough gun to take care of them too. But primarily, this gun would be my deer rifle.
  25. Just like any other activity. There has to be a certain percentage of people participating that are a bit mentally unstable. You can only hope that you don't inadvertantly come in contact with one of them.
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