Pygmy

That sucks....Paid for an 8mm Mag and got a 7 mm Mag....You got SCREWED by a millimeter... Hope you get things straightened out to your satisfaction..

Geeze...I think she loves me... .... PLEASE don't any one here tell her that I am a fat, ugly, worn out old fart... .....

I have never hunted big game with a lever action rifle..Shot a few woodchucks with a M94 Win 30-30 many ( MANY !!) years ago.. The only lever action I ever owned was a Marlin m1889 rifle in 38-40, and all I ever shot with that was a few beer cans.. I have always been kind of a bolt action type of guy when it comes to centerfire rifles, although I have nothing against a quality single shot, such as a Ruger #1.. However, my local legion post is raffling off a Marlin 45-70 .. I think I'll buy a few tickets...It would be something different to play with... ...

Larry... That same forum has almost a cult following for the 120 Barnes X in the 7mm08..It is where I got the inspiration to try the bullet.. Some of the Alaska guys even endorse them for big critters such as moose.. Ain't no flies on the Nosler BT in 120....A buddy of mine has been killing deer with that bullet in his Encore for years.. It's just that the Barnes shoots great in my rifle, kills well and will shoot through a whitetail lengthways, should the necessity arise.. My loading with RL-15 gives me an average of 3015 over my Chrony with no pressure signs and mild recoil.. All that said, I am a huge Nosler BT fan.. I have killed quite a few game animals with the 7mm 140 BT, mostly in the .280 Rem, including about a dozen bull caribou...

Over the last ten years or so the 7mm08 has become hands down my favorite whitetail cartridge.. With 120 to 140 grain bullets, it shoots essentially as flat as the .270 Win. or .280 Rem with a noticable reduction in recoil. Based on the .308 Winchester case, it is an inherently accurate cartridge. Mine is a Rem 700 Mountain rifle and it shoots tiny little clusters under an inch at 100 yards. I've had great results with 140 Grain Nosler ballistic tips and 4064, but a few years back I decided to try 120 Grain Barnes TSX bullets and RL-15 because of some rave reviews on another forum. The Barnes has become my favorite bullet....In my rifle it's scary accurate, shoots as flat as the .270 with 130s and drops deer like lightning.. And it doesn't kick much, either..

Neat picture.... It sure ain't no whitetail.. Mulie or blacktail... With that much of a head start, I'm betting the deer got away..

Since the proliferation of the coyote population, woodchucks have become very rare in the open fields where they used to be numerous... In my neighborhood, I seldom see chuck dens in hayfields anymore.. My buddy in Ontario , tells me the same thing.. When he was a kid, woodchucks were numerous in hayfields..Now they are seldom seen there since the coyotes have become numerous.. There are still woodchucks around, but they are living around people's back yards or along road ditches...In the open fields they are much too vulnerable to the coyotes.. The summer of 1966, I killed 75 woodchucks, mostly with my M69 Winchester .22 and nearly all in hayfields.. Those days are long gone, at least in my neck of the woods.

Regarding the Seth Green rigs...I wouldn't advise it unless you want to spend the bucks to replace terminal tackle, spoons, etc.. I have never tried it, but some of my buddies did when the salmon fishing first developed on Ontario. They all said the same thing...As soon as you hook your first big king on it, you'll wish you DIDN'T.... I guess those freight trains make a shambles of a multi-spoon rig in a hurry.. Another issue would be , if you were lucky enough to get him close enough so you have a couple leaders in the boat and he decides to take another 100 yard run... Imagine having a hook buried in your hand with a 25 pound king on the other end of the line... ......

I would drop back to 80 grains of loose 777 and also try 120 grains.. You should see a trend .....Groups may shrink with a significant increase or decrease in powder charge.. If you see an improvement either way, you can fine tune it with 5 grain increments.. Good luck... BTW.. My old .50 TC Hawken shoots great groups with a 460 NE conical and 80 grains loose 777 and shoots plenty flat enough for shots out to about 125 yards..

Doc... Humans as predators...??... ABSOLUTELY..!!.. We are at the very TOP of the food chain... Without firearms ( and maybe including bows and arrows) we would be below the big bears and perhaps the black bears and cats, but since we HAVE firearms, we are a notch or two above the most powerful carnivores on the continent.. Nothing wrong with that...

Hunting is freedom.... When I am in the woods, I am free from all of my responsibilities, if only for a few hours, or perhaps for a few days.. I enjoy all of the experience...I do a lot of birdwatching.. When I'm hunting deer or turkeys I enjoy the squirrels and other critters... I enjoy not having to interact with other people.. Being in the woods alone can be very theraputic... I have never been a trophy hunter, but I am quite selective... I don't shoot jakes, I don't shoot fawns.. When duck hunting I try to pick out the drakes.. I could care less about trophies at this stage in my life.. I don't feel I need game meat, but all of my adult life I have had 2 or 3 deer a year plus a few dozen squirrels and rabbits and a few game birds, and I would truly miss it if I could no longer have it.. I also eat a lot of fish that I catch, and I would miss that also..

Gotta have burnt powder....Every time I shoot a deer or a turkey, my first sensation is the smell of freshly burned smokeless powder... Oddly enough, I don't recall smelling it as distinctly when I shoot a small game animal, an upland bird or a duck or goose..

My experience differs from Grouse's ....In my experience they have been quite effective on rats at "across the chicken coop" range, at least from the 6" barrel of my S&W K22... They pathetic, indeed, though, from a rifle... The handgun patterns them much better.

Larry..I'd prefer a ULA too, even a plastic, stainless one...They are just pure quality.. And accuracy... Will you buy me one ??.. hehehehe.. As far as single shots go, it's hard to find one more attractive than the Ruger #1, although they can be a little finicky to get to group well.. if I ever were to buy a SS it would probably be a #1, although I think the Remington Rolling Blocks are kind of cool too, in a 1870s kind of way..

Nice pictures, Wooley.. They are almost big enough to eat... Half grown woodchucks are as good as rabbits or squirrels...Once they grow up they a little strong and grisly..

Geeze, Grizz... I wish you were my Daddy.. Will you ADOPT me, and take me with you on your hunting trips..?...

Early season I had lots of gobbling action... But I've only heard two gobblers in the last eight days. They are there, but just not saying much..Hens, on the other hand, have been quite vocal.

Nice bird, young feller... CONGRATS..... With inch spurs and a beard that long , I'd call him a 3 year old..Two year olds nearly always have spurs under an inch, usually 1/2" to maybe 7/8"... You and yours certainly have had a banner week...I hunted the last seven days and heard one gobbler..

Okay...Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder...

I always save the legs and thighs ...I crockpot them, often with red wine and onions, and then use the meat for sandwiches,casseroles or soups.. One of my favorite casseroles is turkey tetrazzinni....Good stuff...The cacciatorri sounds good too...

Hell of a nice looking scope on that rifle, Adirondack...hehehehe... That's the same brand I use on my "sissy" guns..

AAAAUUUUUGH !!....... I'll bet you roll your toilet paper from the BOTTOM of the roll, too.. AAAUUUUUGH...!!

Not to mention that thier rifles are UGLY as a side order of s***.... If I had a DOG that ugly, I'd shave his butt and make him walk backwards...

My only semi auto centerfire rifle is my M1 Garand... I pretend the deer are KRAUTS...Hehehehehe... Semi auto rifles just never appealed to me..Funny thing, too, because I have used semi auto shotguns all of my life...I've killed more deer with Remington 1100s ( both 20 and 12 gauge ) than with any other type of firearm.

Geeze....I'm not sure if I want to hang around guys who use rifles as ugly as the Encore.. If you look up the word UGLY in the dictionary, they have a picture of an ENCORE.... Now a nice, sleek, walnut, blued,classically stocked bolt action with a sensible scope, such as a Leupold fixed 4X or 6X, now THAT is a thing of beauty..<<wink>>