How much ammo do you carry hunting?

Carried on me:

Big game: Full magazine, and enough extras for another full mag, generally 10-12rds.

Small game: 20-30 rds of .22LR

Upland, 90% of the time pheasant: 10-20 rds, mix of 7 1/2s, 6s and 5s. Late season the 5s become 4s. Lower barrel is 6s, upper barrel 5s. 71/2s are for when we bust a covey.

Doves: 25rds. After that I've either limited out, or I'm bored with shooting at them.

I tend towards off-beat calibers, and every centerfire I shoot I reload for. Whenever I travel to hunt, I carry extra ammo. Out of state trips I'll put a box of 20rds in each bag I'm carrying, just in case. I'll normally also bring an extra gun with ammo suitable for the animal I'm chasing.
 
When deer hunting with a rifle or a shotgun with slugs, I take 4 or 5 rounds, although I can't recall ever having the opportunity to fire more than one shot with a rifle. The deer either dies right there, or it runs off a short way and dies.

Usually, the same thing happens when I use shotgun slugs, although there was one occasion when I had to shoot more than once. This was really odd--I took a shot at a large old buck, that was facing quartering away at about 25 yards. I hit him behind the right shoulder. He took off running. I waited a while to let him stiffen up, then tracked him into a dreadful briar patch...he was hiding in the middle of about a 3-acre patch of tall, unkempt blackberries. When I found him he jumped up, and I shot him again. He ran off again....I finally found him and put a finishing shot into the neck.

When I gutted the deer, I traced the path of the slug of the first shot. Somehow, the slug had passed just between the upper portions of the lungs, and just above the heart, without hitting either, or a large artery. It would be almost impossible to do that on purpose. The slug exited at the base of the neck just forward of the left shoulder; it didn't hit any bones except for clipping a rib on the right side upon entry. It was a .50-caliber Sabot slug, not a Foster-type.

When hunting deer with buckshot, on dog drives, I usually carried 5 shells, sometimes more. I only once had to fire more than 1 shot, in this instance 3, although when I got to the deer I saw that my first shot had been a good, lethal hit; he was running full-out across a field of soybean stubble, and his forward momentum carried him a ways. I'd hit him solidly 3 times, only the adrenalin and momentum carried him those extra yards.
 
Savage30L said:
When deer hunting with a rifle or a shotgun with slugs, I take 4 or 5 rounds, although I can't recall ever having the opportunity to fire more than one shot with a rifle. The deer either dies right there, or it runs off a short way and dies.

Usually, the same thing happens when I use shotgun slugs, although there was one occasion when I had to shoot more than once. This was really odd--I took a shot at a large old buck, that was facing quartering away at about 25 yards. I hit him behind the right shoulder. He took off running. I waited a while to let him stiffen up, then tracked him into a dreadful briar patch...he was hiding in the middle of about a 3-acre patch of tall, unkempt blackberries. When I found him he jumped up, and I shot him again. He ran off again....I finally found him and put a finishing shot into the neck.

When I gutted the deer, I traced the path of the slug of the first shot. Somehow, the slug had passed just between the upper portions of the lungs, and just above the heart, without hitting either, or a large artery. It would be almost impossible to do that on purpose. The slug exited at the base of the neck just forward of the left shoulder; it didn't hit any bones except for clipping a rib on the right side upon entry. It was a .50-caliber Sabot slug, not a Foster-type.

When hunting deer with buckshot, on dog drives, I usually carried 5 shells, sometimes more. I only once had to fire more than 1 shot, in this instance 3, although when I got to the deer I saw that my first shot had been a good, lethal hit; he was running full-out across a field of soybean stubble, and his forward momentum carried him a ways. I'd hit him solidly 3 times, only the adrenalin and momentum carried him those extra yards.
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Man I would've thought just the hydrostatic shock that could would be enough to do damage internally to put it down. Guess never assume. That's crazy.
 
I hunt with a single-shot rife, 243.
I generally take six rounds. One for the gun and five in my pocket. I always have a the rest of the twenty rounds in the truck.
 
If I’m deer hunting, I usually toting a Ruger No. 1 and an ammo wallet with 14 rounds.

Duck hunting, 2 boxes of shells because I am a terrible wing shooter.

Pig hunting means I’m carrying an AR with a 15-30 round mag and an additional 30 round mag on my belt.

I hate the thought of running out of ammo. Been there, done that and it sucked, so I carry a lot more than I ever plan to use.
 
I usually carry between 10 and 20 and usually 20. That is with any action type.

In one 5 hour morning sit, I went through 12 rounds once. I shot 2 coyotes, 3 hogs and one deer. I only missed 3 times and that was at the sounder of hogs in which I killed 3 as mentioned. I shot a few of them multiple times. Maybe I made more hits but I will never know.

This was with a 458 Socom AR. I actually reloaded and continued firing at the hogs as they kept running in a circle in front of me before they finally vamoosed.

I have shot coyotes, hogs, and deer on the same hunt multiple times. I call it a hat trick. Usually I have my bolt action 450 Bushmaster but I have used my H&R handi rifle in 44 magnum before too.

When I was rabbit hunting in my teens I once went through 30 shot shells and only got 2 rabbits. :(

Jackrabbit hunting out west once, I used up 32 rounds of 22 magnum on about 20-25 rabbits.

It all depends on the type of hunting you are doing.
 
There's a whole lot of depends.
What am I hunting?
Where am I hunting?
What's the capacity of the gun I'm carrying?
Am I walking or sitting?
How far is it to a resupply?

And then on top of all that I have some OCD issues to deal with.
How many loops for shotgun shells are there on the vest?
When you get done filling them and loading the gun, how many rounds are left in the box?
Is it an even row?
If not I have to put the loose ones in my pocket lol.
Back when I was a kid hunting small game the combination of my 10-22 and 3 screw single six was cathartic.
2 full mags, load 5 in the revolver resting the hammer on an empty chamber and the old Hunter western gun belt held the other 25 rounds from the bix.
 
Usually whatever fits in the gun + the remainder of the box in my pack. Then there's the 5 in my revolver and 10 extra in the pack on speed loaders
 
Whatever is in my rifle and/or pistol along with a reload for each. With muzzleloaders, usually a full loading block, small tin of patches and a ball bag. Never know when them damned red coats will come back. :thumbup:
 
Deer hunting, no more than a few miles from home. Load the rifle, and have a few extra cartridges in my pack.

1911 with mag inserted and spare mag. That also goes with me, too.
 
md7 said:
Deer hunting, no more than a few miles from home. Load the rifle, and have a few extra cartridges in my pack.

1911 with mag inserted and spare mag. That also goes with me, too.
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I always carry a side arm, usually with a total of 18 rounds regardless of what type or caliber it is.
 
I've told this story before, perhaps even on this thread. I had a friend that was very proud of the fact that he only carried what was in his rifle. A Herters .270 bolt action. Bragged about it often. He was "that good". Then one day I hear five shots, and a half hour lateer out of the woods comes my friend..."hey, can you finish this deer off for me?" Deer wasn't going anywhere, but it sure was far from dead. So I finished off with my 7.7. (one shot) His five rounds failed him.

You don't know what "might" happen, no matter how good you are, or if you have never needed more than one extra shot. Expect the unexpected. A couple years ago I gut shot a bear. (dropped it, and it stayed down for two or three minutes) Had to chase it into the brush. My next two shots were defected by the brush. If I was only carrying the standard three rounds that most muzzle loader hunters claim, or brag, I'd have a wounded bear in the brush on my hands, and no ammo. But, I always expect the unexpected, or un-imaginable. Before that, no way could I imagine anything taking a ball from that .62, over 110 grains of Swiss, and running off. (although it did not go far) A little extra ammo saved the day, that day.

Just saying, no offense to anyone.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
I've told this story before, perhaps even on this thread. I had a friend that was very proud of the fact that he only carried what was in his rifle. A Herters .270 bolt action. Bragged about it often. He was "that good". Then one day I hear five shots, and a half hour lateer out of the woods comes my friend..."hey, can you finish this deer off for me?" Deer wasn't going anywhere, but it sure was far from dead. So I finished off with my 7.7. (one shot) His five rounds failed him.

You don't know what "might" happen, no matter how good you are, or if you have never needed more than one extra shot. Expect the unexpected. A couple years ago I gut shot a bear. (dropped it, and it stayed down for two or three minutes) Had to chase it into the brush. My next two shots were defected by the brush. If I was only carrying the standard three rounds that most muzzle loader hunters claim, or brag, I'd have a wounded bear in the brush on my hands, and no ammo. But, I always expect the unexpected, or un-imaginable. Before that, no way could I imagine anything taking a ball from that .62, over 110 grains of Swiss, and running off. (although it did not go far) A little extra ammo saved the day, that day.

Just saying, no offense to anyone.
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Preaching to the choir my man. Overkill is underrated!!
 
17 if I start a new box before season. I will shoot a three shot group from the box.
Normally a minimum of 10 rounds. My pistol is loaded with a full magazine or cylinder.
The most rounds that I have shot in a day deer hunting is 3.
 
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md7 said:
Nice!
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113trkhnt.jpg
Well...I only have two Mecgar magazines for the Luger, (the one other is serial numbered to the pistol, so it stays home) so that's the exception. Loaded mag in the pistol, and one in the holster. I knew everyone would want me to clarify that. :rofl:
 
5 Goldtip 400s w 100gr inserts and 125gr Cutthroat single bevels.

Tomorrow is first time out this bow season.

Blackwidow recurve 46#
 
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