How much ammo do you carry hunting?

der Teufel said:
I also carry a pistol, either a 9mm with 8 rounds plus a spare mag or (usually) a .22 with a dozen rounds.
Click to expand...

When I pack the .22 pistol, it's a S&W Airlite, so I take a whole 50 round box, which hardly, or doesn't add up to the weight of most of my other pistols, not including the ammo. !!! The Airlite has proven it's self on grouse, did real good last season. It's the 3" adjustable sight version, and laser accurate. I figure that pistol could feed me for a month.
 
For elk hunting in Colorado, I usually have the full mag capacity of the rifle (3 to 5), plus an extra 5 or so in a belt pouch or flapped carrier. Side arm is carried with 6, plus two reloads in Uncle Mikes folding carrier.

Such a rifle load-out is probably overkill, but my last elk took three shots- one miss, two hits, leaving the last one in the chamber as the animal expired. Given the population of bears, cats and two-legged specials in hunting areas, I like to have a full reload. The sidearm load-out is SOP for any boonies activities.
 
Last edited:
With my 30-30? Full tube, plus one in the chamber, and 9 more in the buttstock quiver. But actually going, I bring generally just a single box of 20 Hornady Leverevolution.
 
I have never fired more than 2 rounds on 1 sit deer hunting- a couple times the deer got 2 rounds, a couple times I ended up shooting 2 deer. I have missed a few times with the crossbow, then got a second chance at a different deer later, so I don't carry much ammo or bolts. I have shot "intruding" animals in the past like coyotes and hogs with my rifle, but nowadays if that happens I'll just send a pistol round at it to either kill it or least scare it away if I miss- I don't waste centerfire hunting ammo on pests like that. Too expensive and hard to come by. Also when I'm hunting with my Xbow, there's no way I'm using $20 worth of bolt and broadhead and risk losing it or messing it up on a hog or coyote when I can kill it or run it off with a $1 40 cal. round. Turkey rounds cost more than I'm willing to waste on a pest too- plus I really don't enjoy firing them. At all.
 
Squirrel hunting I usually fill the tube on my marlin 81ts .22 and then stick whatever is left of the box in my pack or a coat pocket.If I'm using an air rifle, I dump a dozen pellets in my coat pocket and stick the tin in a pack or a different pocket.Never taken more than 3 or 4 shots, but its easy to carry that much. Also have my concealed carry, and will take 2 extra mags depending on the area.

Deer hunting with a rifle, I usually carry 3 in the gun (legal limit) and 3 more in a pocket, plus my handgun (M&P9C) which will have 2 extra mags at times.

Deer Archery I carry my compound bow which has a 5 round quiver mounted. I've found it doesn't really shoot any different for me with the quiver on or off so I leave it mounted and have 5 arrows in it. Generally 3 with broadheads, and 2 field points just cause I'm too cheap to buy more than one pack of broadheads and can't hurt to have an extra arrow in case I lose knock or something stupid happens. Also have the 9mm listed above.

My hunting is fairly equally divided between some private land that is right on the edge of town and seems to be a mecca for trespassers, and public land that is near some questionable areas. I've never personally had a run in either way, but the landowner of the private place has had some pretty heated confrontations so I proceed with caution. The public land I rarely run into anybody in the woods but the parking areas can be a bit sketchy as well as the nearby towns if I need to get fuel or anything. I've run into some very questionable folks during warmer weather on trail rides on public land, but they seem to hole up somewhere through the cold months.
 
Hunter 08 said:
Either speaking from experience or just learned from the past. Either way, that's good thinking.
Click to expand...
Hunting Colorado mountainside, stepped on a wet Quakey covered with wet leaves and ended up 20-30 yards down hill.wasn’t hurt and still had my gun. Realized that if I had ended up unable to walk I would have been in trouble. Easy lesson, be a little better prepared. Don’t care if I’m hunting elk out west, or rabbits in Michigan those 9 are with me for that use.
 
H&Hhunter said:
1000% this^^

And the primary reason I always carry 15 rounds.
Click to expand...

I carry a whistle for that. Takes up less space and is significantly ~louder~ (louder isn't the right term ~obvious~ is better here). It's also easier to identify in many areas, in the sense that a series of three shots is recognized as a distressed signal for those who know, but for people who don't know it might just sound like someone just shooting. A whistle on the other hand, is completely out of place in the back country.

A referee type whistle doesn't have a ball is VERY loud.
 
Last edited:
daniel craig said:
I carry a whistle for that. Takes up less space and is significantly ~louder~ (louder isn't the right term ~obvious~ is better here). It's also easier to identify in many areas, in the sense that a series of three shots is recognized as a distressed signal for those who know, but for people who don't know it might just sound like someone just shooting. A whistle on the other hand, is completely out of place in the back country.

A referee type whistle doesn't have a ball is VERY loud.
Click to expand...
Not familiar with that whistle, but I wonder how far it can be heard.
 
daniel craig said:
I carry a whistle for that. Takes up less space and is significantly ~louder~ (louder isn't the right term ~obvious~ is better here). It's also easier to identify in many areas, in the sense that a series of three shots is recognized as a distressed signal for those who know, but for people who don't know it might just sound like someone just shooting. A whistle on the other hand, is completely out of place in the back country.

A referee type whistle doesn't have a ball is VERY loud.
Click to expand...

Good point, in addition to using ammo as a signal device I’ve had a bad hair day or two over the years where I’ve wounded a critter on the first shot, then missed a couple of times and extra ammo was needed. 15 rounds is my comfort zone.

And then there’s been a time or two when I’ve whacked a scope and needed a round or two to verify and or re zero when out in the boons. When I’m going somewhere that has no possibility of resupply on an extended trip I’ll bring as much as I legally or practically can. Zimbabwe or the Arctic or a long pack in horse trips are a prime example. I’ve never needed it all but it’s a nice comfort factor to have extra.

On my last Cape buffalo hunt in the Zambezi I brought 60 rounds of .375H&H. I fired one shot in 10 days and killed one Buffalo. Well that’s not true I did fire 3 shots to verify zero when I arrived in camp. I left the remaining rounds with my PH who was extremely happy to have them.

Buffalo number 2 some years ago turned into a “running gun battle” in the long grass in Tanzania I seem to remember 9 rounds fired before it was over. Things happen, I like having plenty of “pegs” as they say in Africa.
 
I carry 13 rounds, of 30.06 in the field and have 50 rounds back at the car 3/4 mile away.
10 years ago, my buddy's nephew realized he had a loose scope base after missing a spike buck. After closing, I stripped it down and fixed it with pink finger nail polish. He didn't have enough ammo to site the gun in again, so I gave him some of mine. He got a nice buck two days later.
 
Thomasss said:
I carry 13 rounds, of 30.06 in the field and have 50 rounds back at the car 3/4 mile away.
10 years ago, my buddy's nephew realized he had a loose scope base after missing a spike buck. After closing, I stripped it down and fixed it with pink finger nail polish. He didn't have enough ammo to site the gun in again, so I gave him some of mine. He got a nice buck two days later.
Click to expand...
I prefer wearing Green and Gold nail polish :rofl:
Go Green Bay!!!

Nice fix in the field.
Dad came home after an out state hunt with a broken scope. I mounted a spare scope I had on his rifle for opening day the next day. I wonder if he plans on returning the scope someday??? That was twenty years ago :D
 
Deer with shotgun , 5 shells . We can kill 2 a day .
Deer with muzzleloader , loaded and 2 reloads .
Rabbits using shotguns and dogs , about 12 shells . We can kill 6 per person .
Squirrels with a .22 rifle , full magazine and what is left in the box .
Dove , 3 boxes . I can’t hit a dove .
Predator with a rifle behind my house , 3 .
 
WisBorn said:
I prefer wearing Green and Gold nail polish :rofl:
Go Green Bay!!!

Nice fix in the field.
Dad came home after an out state hunt with a broken scope. I mounted a spare scope I had on his rifle for opening day the next day. I wonder if he plans on returning the scope someday??? That was twenty years ago :D
Click to expand...
Black nail polish for me, gotta channel the inner punk
 
I will start the season with a box in my backpack, fill my rifle and leave the pack on my ATV or in my truck. I can always retrieve more ammo if I need it but I haven't needed two shots on a deer with a rifle in years. Black powder gets three pre-measured loads in my pocket, plus one in the tube.
 
If I'm hunting

Small game - I carry minimum 100 rounds .22lr

Coyote- my .223 rem 50, and 60 of 9mm incase of bear, heavy & fast loads.

Birds - minimum 40 rnds of 20ga on me, and another 60 in the car. Sometimes 150 rnds total for dove.
 
20 rounds of 44mag in a flip top belt pouch for my lever action for hogs. I hike in a ways and if I get lucky I can get onto a couple mobs of them. Some of the rounds may be used as finishers also. If shooting with 22LR a 50 round box for small game. Sometimes if I dont get lucky I might just plink with it while out there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
How much ammo do you carry when hunting?
2 3
Replies
52
Views
7K
Brian Williams
Brian Williams
Scout21
  • Locked
How many days do you spend hunting each year?
Replies
15
Views
390
N555
N555
BP Hunter
  • Locked
Hunting back pack
Replies
11
Views
575
JJHACK
J
N
  • Locked
How much ammo: Hunting?
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
BIGR
B
Grayrock
  • Locked
  • Poll
How often do you hunt?
Replies
12
Views
838
tuna
T
Back
Top