Hunting Thread

[Rasix]

However, out on my Step Dads ranch, we would also hunt bore sometimes.

That sounds incredibly dull. 

[Polysorbate80]

With the shotgun make sure you brace it properly.  I've placed the butt too low when bird hunting and that bruise is nasty.  If it's padded it will help some, though.

The first time my wife fired a shotgun, her friends suckered her into thinking the stock should be held *away* from the shoulder.

You've turned into a Texas boy right quick!  I'm so proud of ya.  (It's okay to use a knife, btw.  It's easier, but getting coated in blood makes it acceptable.)

I know a guy who used a rock once (he was out of bullets.)  But this is Idaho, not Texas.

[Bunk]

However, the last time I went deer hunting was with a Dragunov, which I think is the bestest long range rifle for hunting any large game. No kick, great consistency, and accurate to over 1000m. Nothing like dropping a deer in a herd without spooking any other. But I'll echo the .270 recommendation for shorter range rifle.

Hunting deer with a sniper rifle just doesn't sound overly sporting :P

[stray]

mad props to any bow users



...and... that's about it.

[Lantyssa]

I'm just not strong enough to use a 40# draw, which is the legal minimum, and lower than I feel comfortable with for a solid hit.  Were I stronger I'd love bow hunting.  I much prefer a clean kill though, so I'll stick with guns.

[stray]

Ambush them with a samurai sword. Seems clean to me. Then you'd be even more awesome than a gun or bow user.

[Grand Design]

Deer tenderloin is one of the most delicious meats.  Gimme.

[FatuousTwat]

I have been going hunting for years with my father, and he uses a .243 almost exclusively (sometimes a .223). He uses a .270 for antelope, but said it was overkill for close-range deer shooting (we usually hunt in the high-cascade units, where if the deer is far away, it is going to be on the other side of a deep valley or gorge).

[Jimbo]

I detasseled corn many a summer to save up for a Mossberg 500, I got the slugster version (24" barrel, I shoot sabot slugs with it), pretty darn accurate out to 100 yards with it.  But in Indiana, we can't use long rifles, so most of our deer is less than 100 yards, hell I scare up deer in stone throw a lot.  Plus it is a utility gun, I can change the barrel and use smaller loads/shot and go small game (rabbit or squirel), put on the slug barrel and go for deer, or change up to water fowl with it (I think some are now taking the 3' shells, mine is the older 2 3/4 shells).  But I saved up for a Ruger 10/22 that I use for small game.

Now I need time to hunt anymore...mostly take my child to the parents house and shoot the bow or paintball guns or bb guns, a lot cheaper.

Ruger makes a lever action 44 mag rifle, great if you aren't going to far for shots.  For a long time, your cheapest bet would have been an old M1 Granada with a scope kit, it would have been cheap, deadly, and accurate.  Problem is you won't find them cheap anymore...

[schild]

Ambush them with a samurai sword. Seems clean to me. Then you'd be even more awesome than a gun or bow user.

Hands or nothing. While a sword packs a cool power most things don't, meat just tastes better when you feel the soul of a creature pass between your fingers as it falls to the ground never to be heard from again.

[rattran]

I never really got the 'sport' part of hunting. You're going out to blow the heart/lungs out of a deer for meat. Shouldn't you do it in the most efficient way? Growing up we hunted a lot, shotgun, bow, and rifle where allowed. If you want to go for a walk in the woods, do so. You don't need the excuse of hunting. You want to hunt? Use power and accuracy to make a nice clean kill. One of the downsides to deer season in NJ was all the gutshot deer you'd find in the mountains the next week.

We just need to reintroduce wolves in massive numbers to the eastern seaboard to keep populations down. Deer populations. Really.

[FatuousTwat]

I've never gotten the sport part of it either. My father gets the hunting channel on DirecTV, and he tells me the guys are morons. They miss 75% of their shots (which just seems impossible to me, unless they do it on purpose).

[Lantyssa]

Missed... 75%... 

I've missed, maybe, three deer.  Ever.

[rattran]

I've only killed 3 deer, but I've only shot at 3. And I intentionally missed all the squirrels growing up, I mean, what kind of sick fucker kills a squirrel to eat? Yet everyone hunting would always allow me to take the shot, as they knew I was a good shot, but never had successfully hit a squirrel.

Dunno if they ever figured it out. And I think I've gutted about 50 deer overall, I just got good and fast at it, so I ended up doing it whenever someone else shot one. Or every 3 months when my brother would total his car hitting one 

[Jimbo]

I've only killed 3 deer, but I've only shot at 3. And I intentionally missed all the squirrels growing up, I mean, what kind of sick fucker kills a squirrel to eat? Yet everyone hunting would always allow me to take the shot, as they knew I was a good shot, but never had successfully hit a squirrel.

Dunno if they ever figured it out. And I think I've gutted about 50 deer overall, I just got good and fast at it, so I ended up doing it whenever someone else shot one. Or every 3 months when my brother would total his car hitting one 

Chicken Fried Squirrel with milk gravy made from the drippings, served with mashed potatos, add some corn, peas, and biscuits and it was a great Saturday night meal.  BTW, we switched to 22 cals almost all the time for squirrels, since I hated having to cut and chew really careful if you shot the squirrel with the shotgun.

[Lantyssa]

I can do it, but I almost always made my dad do the field dressing.  The only time I can remember doing it alone it was too hot to let it sit and dad wasn't going to be back for several hours.  Even with gloves, it's icky.  Skinning and cleaning I don't mind at all though.  Unless it's 40 degrees out.  Again, that's what dad is for.

[rattran]

It's easier at 40 degrees, stuff congeals faster. And you can do it quicker barehanded. The throat is hard to clear on a big deer unless you have long arms too.

Which led to the time my father tried to run me down in his driveway. My brother hit a deer in the evening, called me to gut and hang it for half the meat. So around 10pm I come out of the garage shirtless, covered in gore (solid impact with his truck so everything was quite bloody) right as my dad is coming up the driveway. Fun ensued. I didn't speak to him for a couple years after that.

[schild]

I didn't speak to him for a couple years after that.

Because you were killing a deer to eat? wat?

[Teleku]

I think it was probably more along the lines of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLjkenN8xew

[Abagadro]

We had a deer hung up at the cabin and while skinning it my uncle somehow hit some tendon on the leg and it up and kicked him. Split open his forehead pretty good. Fun time.

[Abagadro]

Chicken Fried Squirrel with milk gravy made from the drippings, served with mashed potatos, add some corn, peas, and biscuits and it was a great Saturday night meal.  BTW, we switched to 22 cals almost all the time for squirrels, since I hated having to cut and chew really careful if you shot the squirrel with the shotgun.

How can you eat such patriotic animals?

[schild]

Chicken Fried Squirrel with milk gravy made from the drippings, served with mashed potatos, add some corn, peas, and biscuits and it was a great Saturday night meal.  BTW, we switched to 22 cals almost all the time for squirrels, since I hated having to cut and chew really careful if you shot the squirrel with the shotgun.

How can you eat such patriotic animals?

I got bad news for you, pal. Honestly, unless you've killed one yourself, you probably haven't noticed. But, it makes me want to ask you - who's the America hating chump now?

[MournelitheCalix]

Went Pheasant Hunting on saturday with my one year old brittany spaniel.  He found, one deer, pointed one possum, and one pheasant.  I promply shot it, it went down and he was carrying it around for abotu an hour and a half.  Which was o'k by me for that was the first pheasant he has ever gotten and at this stage its about him having fun out there more than anything else.

[Big Gulp]

But, but, their so cute...

I'm not a hunter, and probably never will be.  Shooting a deer strikes me as too much like shooting a dog; it's not something I'd be into.  I could handle bird hunting, though, because I can't really anthropomorphize them.

That said, deer are horrible, nasty creatures.  You people who grew up in cities have no idea how nasty deer can be.  They make bizarre, unsettling noises, can trash your yard when they're rutting, and have been responsible for destroying one of my cars.  Blast away, I says.

[Slayerik]

Well, one hunting trip under my belt but no Buck for me. Passed up some great shots on some does (due to not having a doe tag, could have taken it anyway without much fear of DNR but decided against it). Deer camp rules though.

Friend shot a nice 6 point, he woke up from his drunken coma and was staring at a buck about 70 yards away. Will be headed to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to try to get a gnarly old buck next week.

[veredus]

A 12 gauge Remington 870 is the shotgun I use for Pheasant/Quail. It's been a great shooting and reliable gun. Use slugs when we see coyotes and it really doesn't kick that bad. Use a regular 24 inch barrel. Honestly didn't know you could get a slug barrel and don't know if that would make it kick more or not.

For deer/elk use a 30.06 and my .22's are only for teaching my son gun safety and target shooting.

[Slayerik]

Well, never ended up getting a shot on a buck this year but took down a nice doe for the meat. Dropped her with a .30-06

Friend took out a 6 pointer with a Weatherby .270 at about 400 yards. Was an awesome trip to Michigan's Upper peninsula.

[Abagadro]

Friend took out a 6 pointer

I have a question about this because of regional idiosyncrasy.  When you say "six pointer" do you mean that it had six total points or 6 on each side?  Here in Utah, a buck with three prongs on each horn is a 3 pointer but I've heard back east they call that a six pointer.

[Slayerik]

6 pointer = 6 total points.

[Big Gulp]

6 pointer = 6 total points.

Yep.  Antlers usually aren't symmetrical so you can have 3 points on one side and 4 on another.  Hence, why we count total points.  This is for white tail, at any rate.  Maybe mule deer are different and that's why you guys count them that way?

[Abagadro]

If it's different we usually call it a half point. So a 2/3 would be called a 2 and a half.

[Slayerik]

If it's different we usually call it a half point. So a 2/3 would be called a 2 and a half.

To me, a 5 pointer makes more sense :)

[Abagadro]

Who ever said Utahans made any sense?

[Der Helm]

Friend shot a nice 6 point, he woke up from his drunken coma and was staring at a buck about 70 yards away.

[Slayerik]

Basically, on the night before opening day we drank all night. Like, barely got a cat nap.

We got my friend out to his spot, and he passed out for a while, and we thought the story sounded better if you said 'he came out of his drunken coma' and blasted the deer. The really is how it went anyway.

I guess you are commenting about the safety of the situation then? Yeah, wasn't our finest hour. Beer Deer camp is like that sometimes!