Tools for the hunt.....what are you using?

Right now I plan to use as in the past, my .54 caliber flinter for deer, and my 20 gauge flinter for small game such as squirrels.


Since they opened up much of my state from a restricted area to modern rifles using a straight-walled cartridge, I am contemplating getting a Savage Axis II in .350 Legend, and getting at the same time a second barrel for it in 6.5 Creedmoor for long range target shooting. I find both cartridges intriguing.

LD

For archery season, I will be hunting with this carbon express crossbow. I like hunting with it. Its like cheating......but legal.

When gun season rolls around....a H&R ULTRA LIGHT slug gun with 1.5-4x Burris shotgun scope is my simplest choice.



I am hoping to take a deer with my flintlock this year. That is something that I have had on my bucket list. This one shoots ten shot strings under 2 inches at 60 yards...once in a while they are under an inch in competition....if the shooter does his part.


There is always my old stand-by .54 Hawken. It has been my primary deer rifle since I built it in '83.


Should I be fortunate enough to fill a buck tag, and still have room in the freezer, (unlikely with a teenage son hunting also) i might take my handgun for a hunt. 7½" blackhawk. 45colt.


Thats my choices.

Everything needed to hunt every season. Rifle, bow, muzzle loader, cross bow etc... I eat the darn things. I have not bought beef in probably 15+ years.

Archery: PSA fang 350 crossbow, ML- traditions inline buckstalker,50 caliber. For firearms I think I'm going outside of the box this year. I plan on getting one with a Krag carbine with iron sights, and another with my AR10 carbine. Never killed a deer with either. Never tried.

Not sure if I will hunt bow season or not. I think I might squirrel hunt rather than deer that early in the season. We seem to have a health squirrel population this year. If I do deer hunt with a bow it will be with an old Summit HD 150 crossbow.

For muzzle-loader season I will be using my old tried and true Thompson-Center Big Bore 58 cal. It has take two of the larger bucks I have ever shot.


This was the buck I took last year with it. Weighed in at ~200 lbs live weigh scored ~118 B&C.

For gun season I have been using a 450 Bushmaster AR for the past three years, but this year I am going to switch it up and use 450 Bushmaster's little brother the 30 Remington AR.


Built this AR early this year and been shooting it ever couple weeks since January. Only shoots about 1.5 MOA at 100 yards but more than good enough for my deer hunting efforts. 150gr Core-Lokt at ~2400 fps should put meat in the freezer.

If I get one with the 30 RAR then I have several other guns I bought under the guise of them being deering hunting guns that still have not taken a deer. So I might also hunt with a Rossi M92 16-inch 44 Mag carbine or my S&W M29 44 Mag revolver and I have two different 300 BO that might get used.

I've mentioned it in one or two other threads, but I'm moving across the country to a whole new environment to what I'm used to, with a whole new tag system than what I'm used to. Who knows what, when, or where I'll hunt in the next 12 months.

I've gone through the regs a few times, but will have to hook up with someone local to help get it hammered out. Thankfully, I've got a buddy from highschool in the area.

gotboostvr said:

I've mentioned it in one or two other threads, but I'm moving across the country to a whole new environment to what I'm used to, with a whole new tag system than what I'm used to. Who knows what, when, or where I'll hunt in the next 12 months.

I've gone through the regs a few times, but will have to hook up with someone local to help get it hammered out. Thankfully, I've got a buddy from highschool in the area.

Click to expand...

I did that five years ago. Moved out of Ohio a slug only state (until the year I moved out) and into the rifle hunting south. Lots of new regulations to learn but it did not take too long. Been thorough enjoying the relatively long rifle hunting season in Tennessee.

Will be using my trusty old self-Bubba'd No4Mk1, as well as my Rem 7400 (30-06) and 4" 629 to hopefully fill a few of the 6 tags I got this year. Hopefully I'll see at least 1 deer! LOL!

Be well and stay safe folks

mcb said:

I did that five years ago. Moved out of Ohio a slug only state (until the year I moved out) and into the rifle hunting south. Lots of new regulations to learn but it did not take too long. Been thorough enjoying the relatively long rifle hunting season in Tennessee.

Click to expand...

I'm also moving out of Ohio, but further south, and much further west to Arizona.

This does it ALL for me,



and it does it VERY well, big game or small game,



DM

So many decisions! I've narrowed all of my deer and antelope down to Benelli .270wsm, 7stw, .243, blackhawk .41 and .223. at least for now......
Eta, may add in some crossbow work and muzzleloader as well, still on the fence, the revolver is screaming the hardest for use.

If I get out for deer this year, it will be this,


I haven't got a deer with a pistol yet, so that's first up. I could take this, though I was hoping to make up some 60 gr. Partitions for it first....


Unfortunately, I can't hold a bow with my left hand any more, and haven't picked up a crossbow (yet!), but I still have M/L covered with my Traditions Hawken.
For now, this is my Pheasant gun, as well as my backup Trap gun;


I did quite well with it last year, but it is a brick to lug around the fields. I have a line on a 16 ga. SxS Sauer, just waiting for the dummies in DC to drop another stimulus check. They send me money, I buy guns.

Archery- Bear Super Kodak 50#
Excalibur Bulldog Matrix 360
Rifle- Ruger American Ranch 450 BM
Muzzleloader- CVA Wolf 50

For deer I only hunt our gun season. I'll handgun hunt mostly this year and do so with a 45 Colt. When I do venture out with a rifle it will be an AR. My tastes in firearms span a century or two.

Bow and rifle. Though I’m considering replacing my rifle with my shotgun.

I want to do some things this year that I've not done before.
I want to kill a deer with a handgun, so I hope to check that off the list with my 7.5" Blackhawk in .45 Colt with an Ultradot 30.
Also, we were talking the other day and it came to me that I've never killed a deer with a shotgun. So, I'll be taking the 870 Wingmaster out some this year as well, when I'm hunting stands that are deep in timber.

DM~ said:

This does it ALL for me,

View attachment 945829

and it does it VERY well, big game or small game,

View attachment 945830

DM

Click to expand...

What cal is the big rifle?

No big to medium game this year. Did buy a new pellet rifle for busting squirrel and rabbit in my neighborhood. Thankfully our neighbors are cool. And wildlife is plentiful.

Tucker25 said:

What cal is the big rifle?

Click to expand...

8x57, I load 200NP's at 2,550 fps for my all "around around" moose, blk. bear, deer load...

It's done a pretty good job for me on all of those...

DM

I'll post a photo of my most used stuff together later....but so far I've only been successful with my .280AI, and Muzzleloader. No picture from the .280s goat, be here's the muzzleloaders goat.

Only Muzzleloader bullet I've ever recovered too.

horsey300 said:

So many decisions! I've narrowed all of my deer and antelope down to Benelli .270wsm, 7stw, .243, blackhawk .41 and .223. at least for now......
Eta, may add in some crossbow work and muzzleloader as well, still on the fence, the revolver is screaming the hardest for use.

Click to expand...

.270wsm, stw...I want a comparison!

Im using a bear apprentice 2 at 55#. Im 13 so i can only bow hunt in New York.

Arkansas Paul said:

I want to do some things this year that I've not done before.
I want to kill a deer with a handgun, so I hope to check that off the list with my 7.5" Blackhawk in .45 Colt with an Ultradot 30.
Also, we were talking the other day and it came to me that I've never killed a deer with a shotgun. So, I'll be taking the 870 Wingmaster out some this year as well, when I'm hunting stands that are deep in timber.

Click to expand...

I tried a Blackhawk in 45LC on 2 deer. I can assure you that a 250gr XTP pushed by a stiff load of IMR-4227 will get it done. Might have to try a 12 ga slug this year. I've taken a couple with buckshot but never a slug.

Usually start with my Mission Venture bow until Muzzleloader season. Then the Ruger 77/50 comes out. It likes 300 XTP's with 90gr of Goex. Pulled off some pretty good shots with this old rifle.

What gets used when gun season hits depends on the terrain and what the deer are feeding on. If they are in the fields the Bergara in 6.5 CM gets the nod. If they are hitting the acorns it will be a tossup between my old Savage 10 in 300 WSM or my new M18 Mauser in 6.5 CM. I loaded some Sierra 130gr TGK's for it so I really need to see what they will do.

If a doe comes within 50 yards I may turn my GP100 357 on her. It has a ProPoint on it and has taken several with 180gr XTP. The longest shot so far was 43 yards.