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Your gun and caliber for the SZ opener ..


rob-c

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I am in a shotgun-only zone,  and I will let the weather dictate which one I carry. It will most likely be my Marlin m512 with new Redfield Revolution 2-7x scope.  That is a good 175 yard gun and my farthest kill with it was 163 yards.  The old Bushnell Banner 4x that I had on it crapped out last year, thankfully after I killed a big swamp buck with it.  Hornady SST's group very well out of that gun, but their performance inside a deer is not stellar (other than minimal meat damage).  I will aim for the shoulder blade this year if that is the one that I use.  The extra wasted meat that causes won't hurt too bad this year, because the freezer is pretty full now.        

If it is super cold, I might use my old Ithaca model 37 smoothbore 16 ga with 1.5x weaver scope, because the firing pin tends to freeze up and stick on the Marlin in real cold conditions, especially after having been dropped in a swamp while dragging out buck.  That cost me a doe later in the season last year   My range is limited to about 100 yards with the Ithaca, but it has never failed to fire.  

If there is rain or sleet, I will probably go with my short, smoothbore Remington 870 12 gauge with open sights.  That one is always good inside 75 yards, but I have pushed it to 100 a few times.  

Normally, I would hunt from one of my enclosed blinds with a scoped gun during a rainy opening day, but I have my sights set on a particular buck at a particular location this year.   I will be in that open, hang-on stand regardless of weather on opening day morning.  Thermals will carry my scent up at that time, especially if I wear a scent-factor jacket and use some evercalm and a cup of hot cider for cover scent, so wind direction won't matter. I am going to take along a tree umbrella, if rain is predicted.  The stand worked out very well last year on a good one and I expect that history might repeat itself, based on another good one that I saw headed right towards it yesterday.  I have left it un-hunted throughout archery season.        

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Savage 7 mm 08 , don’t know model. .380 in pocket same as bow ......

It’s gotta be a really big buck for me to pull the trigger, gun season fun season ,freezers full, I’d keep,the backstraps and give away the rest .

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My Canadian guests  will be in my tower opening weekend, which offers the possibility of

a 300 yard shot, so I will be in the woods with my Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm08 with  a Burris 2 x7...

When I hunt the tower solo, I'll probably be using my M70 Win Lightweight in .280 Rem  with a 6X Leupold….

 

I shoot handloads of Barnes TTSX in both rifles,  120 grain in the 7mm08 and 140 grain in the .280....

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Savage 220 topped with a redfield scope I picked up from@Elmo.
This will be the second year toting this gun in the shotgun only area i hunt. Absolute tack driver Soni don't mind not having a rifle.
When i do head to a rifle area later in the gun season I will be using a Marlin 336 .30-.30

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

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Well, been out twice already rifle hunting. Opening day NZ was in Siamese Ponds carrying my Savage Axis Stainless in .25-06. This morning the wife was carrying that up north, while I was carrying my Howa 1500 in 7MM-08 in the lower Dacks.

 

But, for the SZ opener on Saturday? I'll be sitting that out. Down in the south I only have access to public land, and even I have grown tired of the WW3 empty the gun on any running deer that goes on on most public land in the SZ on the opener. If I were to go out, I would carry the Savage though.

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8 hours ago, Bionic said:

Thinking Dan Wesson .44 mag handgun...dad said he would LOVE for me to take a deer with it.  I think this is the year to attempt it.

I really hope you get one with it. A photo of that fine revolver would be appreciated,  Those Dan Wesson’s are awesome revolvers ...

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