A buddy of mine is on a guided elk hunt in New Mexico. He just killed a big 6x5 and then had it and his gun confiscated by game and fish because the guide apparently had them on the wrong land. He paid the guide around $8k.
They gave him his gun back, but they kept the elk. Apparently, the guide fucked him and has a history of doing this.
Oh my god I would be so mad. Also if the guide has a history of doing this how does it keep happening
Obviously, he didn’t know the history until the game warden told him. Knowing him, it probably won’t happen again.
Yeah I guess obviously he didn’t know. Was going more along the lines of how have the game wardens not done more?
That sucks I have been torn between getting a 308 or a .06 Went into Academy and found a savage 30.06 w a Nikon 3-9x40 for $419.98 choice made
Either can do the job you need. Really its about the rifle putting consistent groupings, and then sinking your money in the glass. My rifle of choice is an H&r single shot .308 with a bull barrel. Rifle is maybe 20" long. Cost me $350 because they no longer make them (my last setup was stolen last november). I have a trijicon 2.5x10x56 green dot mounted, bc while most of my shots are under 200 yards, that first 15 and last 15 of the day are most important. It ran me around $775 for rings and the scope. I run 150g Winchester bullets, and have taken deer up to 200 yards with plenty of blood trail. Typically I go for neck shots as opposed to lung or heart in or behind the shoulder.
Opening day for muzzle loaders. My puppy was being a dick last night and wouldn't come in. I was up until midnight trying to deal with him,, was pretty pissed because I figured he'd spook anything early. But I guess he got let in at some point. Got out a little later than I wanted, was headed to the stand but creeping down the driveway saw the doe I'd been seeing the past few weeks come off the end of the levee. She went back and couldn't tell if she went across or was still on the close side drinking water out of the pond. So I crept up and leaned against a pine tree until I saw her pop pop out again for a minute. She went back to the water and I crept one tree closer to an oak and waited on her since she'd been feeding in front yard with 3 or 4 little ones. Sure enough she started walking towards me, cutting the corner of the field to the next tree line. She looked my way a few times, but got about 75 yards and started drifting towards the woods, and I took the shot. Got her through the neck, she went pretty quick thankfully. First deer, (year 2 for me) got that monkey off my back and don't have to feel the pressure of deer season closing with no meat like last year. Pretty happy. Spoiler
Got my first one of the year tonight and with the way my schedule is set up, I may not get to go anymore after tomorrow. Deer came out as I was packing my stuff up. Had already told myself, 10 more minutes and I'm out. I let the idea of no meat get in my head and took a deer I should've let walk. A spike that I had to waste a doe tag on. I feel like ass. Only brightside was it wasn't the most embarrassing one at the processor. I still cussed myself there and on the way home.
Went hunting last weekend at my cousin's family's massive ranch. I grew up hunting but lost interest over the years. Hadn't been in at least 15 years. The reason for the trip was to take out and support two of our younger cousins (8 and 14 yrs old) who just lost their dad unexpectedly. Anyway, it was like nothing I've ever seen before. The ranch is about 6,000 acres and has a game-proof fence, plus an additional few hundred acres for their deer breeding program. Massive bucks everywhere. I went out in the blind twice (both times with my 8 year old cousin, whom I let do the shooting). I saw multiple 14-18 point whitetails, and there were trophy axis deer and blackbuck everywhere. Walking around the deer breeding property, I saw even bigger whitetail, with even more absurd antler spreads. It felt like I was hunting at a zoo, so I didn't really have much interest pulling the trigger on anything, but it was fun to see my cousins get deer on their first hunt. I did go out at night and lay waste to several hogs with the AR. Those damn things are everywhere. Even though they invasive nuisances, I still felt kind of bad shooting them, especially in such an unsportsman manner. Got to bring a bunch of axis deer meat back. Man, that stuff is good. So much better than whitetail venison, imo. Really hoping to get invited back
I respect the farming and high fence, but hard for anybody to lay claim to them as "trophies". Glorified pets. However, wish I had 6k acres lol.
I get it, to an extent. But then it's no longer free range and the animals lose the choice. Not hating, because people can do what they want with their property. Continue on with the hunting discussion!
Our week hunting trip is a week earlier than last year. Too damn warm, almost no deer moving. Walking out to stand at 73 degrees is trash.
I was saying more along the lines of once pigs get in a fence they do so much damage. I will also say this. When you have 6000 acres a fence isn’t as limiting as say someone who fences in 600. Is it true free range? No. But 6000 acres has plenty of room for an animal to hide. You are more preventing a shitty neighbor from killing everything that walked
Had a cousin invite me out to their place today on the opposite side of town from my place. Already saw a nice 8 point running in the field as I was driving up. Finger crossed
Apparently, it's nearly a full-time job keeping the fence in good repair. The pig population is out of control, and they rip it apart and come and go as they please.
This is why they did the fence deal in the first place when they bought the place back in the 90s. The surrounding area is basically nothing but hunting leases with hunters who shoot anything that walks. Once they fenced everything off, they later decided to add the deer breeding operation. They didn't bring in the exotics. Those just happened to be on the property when they fenced it, and they have since thrived and created very large (now too large) populations. Apparently axis and blackbuck breed more like pigs than whitetail. My uneducated theory is they evolved to do this because, being from India, where they are a primary food source for tigers, they have to quick gestation periods and large litters for the species survive. Whitetail typically just have to contend with coyotes and the occasional cougar. Now they are talking about bringing giraffes onto the property "just to have them around" LOL
They do regret that they used to indiscriminately kill javelina (a native species) like they do the pigs, and now they're worried the population is extinct on the property.
I don’t want to hunt a high fence but I don’t mind if someone does it to their place. I wish they would get rid of captive breeding programs though. With chronic wasting disease being such a prevalent issue I don’t love putting deer in a pin like that.
Saw a small 4 point around 6:20 tonight that played around in the corn pile for about 20 minutes. Then abiut 7:10 another deer came out but it was too dark to tell if it was a decent doe or smaller buck. I let it finish up eating before getting down and heading to the truck
Its been slow for me in Florence. I have 2 swamp stands and 2 stands that are over cut corn fields that border a swamp. Seen maybe 3 deer in the last 2 weeks. Had this 6 pt about 15 yards away. Ton of acorns and temp change has to have them off. All night pics on my camera
Good news: biggest buck I've seen yet this year has been in our yard, repeatedly Bad news: he's a basket 6pt I guess with Covid I'm not out much after dark this year. Seeing 20+ deer every morning on my commute, but all does, and a huge number of yearlings. It also hasn't really snapped off cold here yet, so maybe the big boys aren't out cruising yet.
I was talking to my BIL the other night and he said he's seen 6 deer all season down here in Barnwell. Him and my dad have both said the acorns are falling like crazy here too.
Here (Central VA) too. I don't remember a mast crop this heavy. Hickorys, walnuts, acorns so thick you risk busting your ass on any hillside in the woods. I got pelted the other day when a gust came through and I was under a white oak.
For the past few years, I've gotten invited 1-3x per year to go whitetail deer hunting, and I'm at the point where I'm tired of borrowing a rifle every time. Google returns a bajillion results for affordable deer rifles, so I was wondering if anyone ITT had any thoughts on the matter. I was thinking a .270. Seeing as how I will only use it a few times per year, I am looking to spend less than a grand on both the rifle and optics. Anyone have any suggestions? Think I could find a used Model 70 with optics in that price range?
Buy a single shot rifle, and put great optics on it. I have an H&r .308 with a trijicon 2.5x10x56. Sling, scope, rings, gun, and case came out to $1100
I'd prob try to grab a Browning X-bolt variation or a Remington 700 with a Vortex scope if it's me. For that amount of hunting you can even wait until Black Friday. You can usually find a Ruger American and Vortex scope combo for ~$500 at bigger outdoor stores.
Not sure if it is a thing around you but also check the pawn shops - can sometimes find a decent rifle with pretty good optics used. With as little as you hunt you don't need a high end rifle, but optics being able to pull in extra light in the early and late hour is important.
I've been using the same .270 since I was 12 years old. I got it for Christmas and it came from a local pawn shop that had a fire a couple years prior. That gun actually has a few melted spots on the synthetic stock. Its an Interarms .270 bolt action. Looks very similar to this
.270 is a great caliber for what you are doing. I bought an extremely barebones Mossberg 270 bolt (synthetic stock) and put a Bushnell Banner on it. Think I'm in it for $600.
Yeah I'm going to go look at some used rifles around town this weekend. A buddy who is way more knowledgeable about these things is joining me.
Guess it will be time to knock the dust off my .30-06 Savage Axis and try to blast a deer here in not too long.