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I certainly would if I had the opportunity. If only to ensure that I get something in the freezer for all the time I spend out in the woods. Strangely enough I'm on a call now and a few min before my post (before I saw the thread) a guy on the call said he has so many deer in his yard he had to get a sprinkler. His neighbor hunts but only took one this year (I think he got lazy after that), so I emailed asking if I can come over next season. I'd personally love to have some gimme opportunities for deer and then also go out with a buddy for proper hunting in deeper woods. I only have the latter option so far.

Surprising so fast. These things seem at least as capable as any decent crossbow out there, but obviously shouldn't be allowed into archery.

Yeah isn't archery at all.

Just announced, ships April. http://www.crosman.com/airbow Not legal for deer (yet?).

You put the wrong cartridge in...?

I work with a guy who hunts once/year only. His success rate is quite low.

If a hunter who ate a sausage egg mcmuffin on the way to his spot s***s in the woods will the deer come 8-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

8f got here 10 min ago just as rain let up. I am thinking good weather today for this. I am on the ground tho Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I suppose you don't want me to tell you then that dicks has a savage axis xp for $199 on black friday and field and stream is repeatedly offering the rem 783 at $249 after rebate--plus you can probably get a $25 off $100+ purchases type coupon from signing up with them I'm trying hard not to buy one of them, maybe even in a .243 so I can shoot a bit at the range without breaking the bank.

Went again yesterday. Mossberg 500, 28" ported field barrel. Results at 50 yards: Federal Vital Shok low recoil 1oz slugs * 4 shots 10"+ group. 3 were within 3" of each other but one was a mad flyer that expanded the group, and I don't think I flinched while firing. Federal Vital Shok regular rifled 1oz slugs * 4 shots 4-5" group. Remington high velocity 7/8 oz slugs * 3 shots 2" group The federal standard were pretty usable for sure up to 50 yards but then I shot one at 75" and it veered several inches to the side. I wouldn't particularly trust them past 50 to be honest. I think the remington high velocity are completely usable at least to 75 yards if not more. Unfortunately, I didn't get them for $.15/each after rebate from field and stream like I did the others, and I ran out of ammo before I could keep testing at longer ranges. I'm shooting with a non-magnified red dot still. I think the rem high velocity with a scope would make this gun reliably usable at 100 yards

Good luck everyone I've been down and out for a few weeks since bow season "ended". However, a friend is somewhat interested in hunting so I said I'd take him out one morning, and that will be this coming Saturday. I have given him fair warning our odds of getting a deer are not fantastic, as I have no idea what the deer have done (if anything, really) since regular season started, and it is on public land.

Probably the angle of pic makes bear look smaller; I've no reason to doubt the weight you claim. I'm glad I read this thread. It will help disabuse me of any notion of shooting any large black bear and dragging it out of the woods single handily, though where I hunt I doubt that I'll ever come upon one anyway!

By open do you mean the two beads? I couldn't see enough of the target with mine and just wasn't usable with it at much range. Still, as much as I'd like a rifle I truly have no excuse for one, given the woods I hunt in. I went back to the range and this time folded up a winter hat a few times between the stock and my shoulder. Shooting low-recoil it's like an air rifle, amazing. Even the big boys it's way, way nicer. I left early because the range was too crowded, but between the remington 7/8 oz high velocity slugs and the regular and low velocity tru ball I am thinking the high velocity are grouping the best. The low seemed to be grouping terribly (6" at 50 yards) but I'll get back there when it's empty and know for sure. If the remington keep shooting as they seem to be through this smooth bore I will simply never look for any other slugs again. Unfortunately the 1800 fps high velocity ones are not super easy to find (I got these at gander, but they aren't always in stock). But they also have a graph on the box and if you're zeroed for 50 yards you'll lose 4.1" more at 100 yards.

Yep, you're right, I just saw the ad. I assume that $200 for the Axis is better than $250 for the 783? I know the remington 870 had some rusting issues in recent memory, but has Remington resolved that issue on its guns now?

Why not take that diaper out for a hunt? Pre-soak it with deer urine as well, all the deer will be on you plus your shoulder gets babied. As far as that Hawken sighting picture, damn!

Dang, field & stream has the Savage axis XP with scope for $249 after rebate: http://www.fieldandstreamshop.com/p/savage-arms-axis-xp-223-remington-bolt-action-rifle?camp=PromoEmail:20151116TabDeals:Body-SavageArmsAxis&csm=829079571&csc=19616&csa=828894341&csu=19620&mcid=284172317 Not read reviews, but these are really nice prices.

The antlers on mine were EXACTLY the same. I mean not quite, as they are different deer, but yeah also mine should have been 6 but had a missing smaller, so technically was a 5, and even on the same side! I also didn't keep mine's head, though thankfully the butcher did press me to keep the antlers (skull cap), so I spent an hour cleaning those up. Youtube told me to boil but be careful not to let antlers boil (can change color), so I did that and everything popped out. I skipped the soap, bleach steps after.

I should try this. The stock is I think synthetic. It does have a tiny pad that comes from the factory but it isn't worth much nor terribly squishy. Shoulder still hurts today. Yeah, I will put something else there to pad it next time. That lead sled on amazon looks good!

I think you are right. It is selfish, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong or should even be chastised. Would it not also be selfish for gun hunters to be out starting on October 1 making the herd even smaller so that an already difficult task (bow hunting) is yet more difficult, when a gun hunter can probably fill his tag during the mere three weeks of regular if he puts a little time in? What is the goal? If a significant goal is to make bow hunting enjoyable by many, keep it as is. If the goal is to maximize harvest because of deer population levels, open up gun to October 1st, give everybody 2-3 tags and watch the deer numbers crumple. Heck, get a grant from the NY state government offering $100 per deer head and you'd see everybody fill their tags and a depressed deer population for a while.

Maybe sell the 770? I had a bunch of GCs and looked at it because Walmart also was selling it sub $300 but people online appear to just hate it, whereas the 783 is reported as rough but ultimately very accurate. Part of the problem with anything is that when you're used to class it's hard to go back to entry level. I think a 783 would be great for me because I have no idea how much nicer a $600 rifle would be! Same reason I love my $300-350 bow and don't need a $1000 one.

Shoulder felt quite bad. I promised I wouldn't go hunting this season with gun due to the time bow took

I have a new 500 with a 28" ported field barrel. I have a $30 TruGlu optical sight on it without magnification. I've barely fired this shotgun and haven't spent much time with firearms in general. I took it to the range today and after some basic sighting in, using the high velocity 7/8 ounce Remington 1800 FPS rifled slugs I was getting what I consider to be amazing groups for a smooth bore. I took a picture of the target and at 50 yards I had a 1" group with 3 slugs. I then went to 75 yards and had a 2" group with 3. I then went to 100 yards. This time I only shot two slugs because seriously the freaking recoil. But those two slugs hit 1" away from each other. Somebody had shot the target with a rifle prior to me borrowing it. Some of the holes wildly off target were while sighting, so can be ignored. The 75 yard group I missed by the most so I still have to tweak the sight. But this isn't about me, or the optics. I'm just really pleased that this thing has proven it is a capable slug gun up to 100 yards

Apparently the 783 is a tack driver and I came very, very close to spending $250 on one. $250 for a big game caliber rifle with really nice accuracy is a crazy price and that includes a scope.

No need to estimate as I log all at sheets.google.com This was my first year and I went out 16 times through this past Sunday, first day on October 3. Over that period 49.5 hours total spent "hunting", which means either in the woods or if I was in a stand, time while in stand. I spent 21 hours driving. Next year I hope to find some private land, at least to use a bit. At least earlier in the season when brush is brutally thick and odds in general seem less at getting a deer I'd rather blow less time in the car to be honest. I also will not do any all-day hunts I don't think. I believe the odds of seeing deer are just not worth losing an entire Saturday in the places I've been. On the other hand dropping a couple of hours then back late morning is perfectly compatible with family life and guilt-free living. If I owned a house with a stand 5 min walk from my back door I would park my ass in it every single morning starting Oct 1 for two hours on weekends until I had tagged out or one hour before work come Nov 1 (time set back), that's just the honest truth. Most of us aren't so lucky!

I only used my hang on once this year, but I really liked the stir up idea. Seems to me completely safe and adds a good 2-3 feet to the bottom of the first stick. Gets a bit more fiddly higher up but to help down low it's nice.