Hunting Season
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- d_rek
Any hunters in the house?
Bow season started 2 weeks ago in Michigan. I haven't bow-hunted in years mainly because I don't own a bow.
But I plan on going out for rifle season in November. I got a new slug gun (H&R 20ga ultra slug hunter) and just ordered a scope for it (redfiled revolution 2-7x33) with the hopes of rag-dolling me some wildlife. Pretty excited to use the new gun.
- bulletfactory0
If you count trim hunting.... *wink *wink
...and sadly, no, still not a hunter. A married, non-hunter.
- I sort of stopped around age 13 after my grandpa died (cause he was the only one I ever went out with). I just recently got back into it at age 29.d_rek
- at age 29d_rek
- I grew up in a raccoon hunting family. My grandpa and dad had champion dogs when he was a kid. He lost the desire when hebulletfactory
- went to college. My brother started as a teen and still goes every season. The hound dogs are awesome, I just dislike hunting.bulletfactory
- hunting personally. I love shooting guns into targets though.bulletfactory
- teh0
duck season!!!
- maquito0
@d_rek Do you eat what you kill, or just practice aim & enjoy the kill?
- OBBTKN0
I´ve got friends on it... they hunt for boars. I enjoy more cooking and eating than killing it
- I can almost smell the delicious aroma of a roasting boar.CygnusZero4
- d_rek0
@maquito
We definitely eat what we kill Nothing goes to waste. A nice sized deer can keep the freezer full of fresh, delicious venison meat for upwards of a year. What we can't cut steaks from we make hamburger out of and venison sausage from leftovers.
And if you do a simple cost-factor analysis ($15 for a resident firearm deer / 20-30 lbs of fresh meat) the value can't be beat.
On a very practical level it's incredibly economical to eat the meat you kill. On a personal level it's rewarding to be a somewhat decent marksman. Killing in and of itself is not all it's made out to be but the reality is deer population does need to be kept in control (otherwise they tend to unbalance ecosystems). It also provides good bonding with close family up at Deer camp.
- Good! I'm glad :)maquito
- Damn, a year?CygnusZero4
- It lasts quite a long time... you don't want to let it sit for too long though lest it start to taste like freezer. I also give some of it away.d_rek
- HijoDMaite0
I always wanted to go deer hunting. When I was in the military one of the guys in my squadron would always get venison jerky sent out from his dad in Ohio. That was some of the best jerky I have ever tasted in my life. I've never actually had steak though.
Also the whole waiting in a tree stand in the snow is something I would be excited to do.
@d_rek what size rounds do you use to shoot deer?
- Being in a blind can be boring but tracking game can be frustrating unless you're a friggin assassin.d_rek
- omg0
- d_rek0
@HijoDMaite
This year i'll be shooting a 20ga 2 3/4" Hornady SST's (http://www.hornady.com/store/Sl... At the range i've been cutting holes at 100 yards with the setup i mentioned above. Groupings have been super-tight - like < 1-1.5".
- HijoDMaite0
- so this a shotgun cartridge with a bullet in it? and presumably the plastic sleeve acts like a sabot?hans_glib
- yeah i was confused about this tooHijoDMaite
- the website for the ammo says it needs a rifled barrel - what sort of shotgun has that?hans_glib
- i am confusedhans_glib
- just checked out the OP's weapon (as it were) - seems v. odd to me. why not just use a rifle?hans_glib
- 12 guage slugs kick like a mofomoldero
- doesnotexist0
thought you were talking about this...
- GeorgesII0
I shot the sheriff
- Best Jamaican Band of all time thread has not yet been started. Stand by.HijoDMaite
- Oh please dont.CygnusZero4
- d_rek0
Why not just use a rifle?
Simple answer really. Because with a slug gun you get the best of both worlds - stopping power of a shotgun with the accuracy of a rifle.
Also, the design of the h&r rultra slug is dead simple. Hammer, trigger, and a rifled barrel. No other moving parts to worry about. The heavy rifled barrel helps by providing good balance and reducing recoil.
Really the gun is designed for a certain range. If I wanted to hunt out further than 200 yards I would probably get a true rifle. But being that I live in Michigan the opportunities for that type of hunting in my experience are few and far between. Typically, I think you'll find most hunters here drop their game from closer distances - 100-150 yards.
And from what I hear the stopping power of this gun and those slugs is unparalleled. The term rag doll pops up frequently. I'm hoping the gun lives up to it's reputation.
- You can find lots of articles and discussion about the pros & cons of a slug shotgun. It's a preference really.d_rek
- damnHijoDMaite
- lajj0
- duckseason0
Used to hunt bear growing up.
Haven't been in over 10 years.
- teh0
- teh0
- sine0
i hunt. season just ended here.
open plains/semi desert means very little cover, so we pursuit with vehicles and typically shoot from the back of the pickup with a standing rest. a tracker on the back assists the driver and the shooter, especially with identifying targets in big herds. range is very far; between 75 and 200 meters, because you're always visible to the animals. you're lucky if you get a shot under 100 meters.
i use a .30-06 rifle, like the one in the photo. dual purposed and the rifle is very easy to handle. can take down smaller gazelle with minimal damage to the meat, up to game as big as 200 kg.
- d_rek0
Question to all the hunters out there:
Where do you guys shop around for gear?
Over the years i've picked up various items from all the big name places: Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro Shops, Dick's, Dunhams, etc... curious if there are some boutique stores out there people shop at.