What'cha Carrying This Year?

[J.Baker]

So what's everyone hunting with this fall and what are you going to be hunting?

[wbm]

Just finished an Axis build in 6.5CM. Boyd's stock, Rifle Basix, EGW Rail, 22" Stainless Axis barrel. Don't big game hunt anymore. Built this one for my son in Montana. He will use it for Elk and Mule Deer this fall.

For what it's worth, Winchester's Deer Season XP 125gr factory ammunition shoots really great in both the Creeds I have. No 3-5 shot groups have been more than .80". Also the same in both 243's I have shot it in. I am really impressed with this ammunition.

[mark r]

1924 savage99 in .300 sav. for deer and coyotes, and feral pig if I see one.

[Stumpkiller]

This fall a .260 Rem Savage M11 sporter weight w/Boyd's thumbhole lightweight stock and a Nikon Prostaff 3-9X 40 on Warne rings with Tenebreax anti glare cover. Butler Creek Quick Carry shooting sling (because I learned to shoot with a sling before bipods were common). 143 Gr Hornady ELD-x bullet (two weeks to get the load tweeked in).
5269

But for the month before Regular season - a 1968 Lee Red Wing Hunter 51# recurve and Douglas fir shafts with 1960 Mowoc Dot broadheads. Worked last year.

5270

Whitetail deer is the prey.

[DesertDug]

.270 Winchester build I just finished, after I put one down with my bear agenda bow.
https://i.postimg.cc/CKYqxL1C/IMG_2231.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
.270 130 g TTSX got it done last night.

[noname]

my trusty mod 10 in mighty 22-250 cal

[jpdown]

Whitetail deer with Savage LWH 6.5 Creedmoor and Hornady 143 gr ELD-X handloads.

After many years finally got drawn for cow elk tag in eastern Kentucky. Hunting with Savage LWH action with 23” LW 280AI barrel in Stockade Hunter stock and Hornady 162 gr ELD-X handloads. Update: l got a nice fat cow elk!

[tufrthnails]

Squirrels with my Ruger .22 air rifle or I've been pretty good with my old .22 Browning Buckmark while practicing this year so I might take it a time or two.
Deer and hogs with either the Savage 111 .270 win, Savage 10 FCP-sr 6.5CM, CVA .50 muzz, or PSE Brute X compound bow.

[Robinhood]

Bow hunting has got me twitterpated. Mission Ballistic

[J.Baker]

Going to be using my CZ452 Luz 22lr for squirrel duties this year since my 10/22 is now a bench gun.
Deer rifle will be the Winchester 94 in .375 Win. again this year.
Browning BSS 20ga SxS for rabbit.
Browning BPS 16ga Upland if I happen to get a chance to go pheasant hunting.
Savage Model 11 in .22-250 if I do any coyote hunting this year.

[Stumpkiller]

Ooooh. For upland - my Ithaca/SKB 200-E SxS 20 gauge (like your BSS - a classic upland gun).


On a mission for grouse this year. For a decade I've been part of a Ruffed Grouse Survey to log time afield, flushes and kills (humbling). This year the DEC sent me a "kit" to harvest specific feathers and blood sample from any I kill and send them in.

[J.Baker]

Only upland hunting we have around here anymore is pay-to-play. The farmers bulldozed every fence row and tree line on their property to get a few more rows of corn or beans so there's no more habitat. The ODNR does pheasant releases in select wildlife areas during the short season, but they're flooded with hunters on the release days.

[Stumpkiller]

Same around here. Pheasants are like unicorns. It's easily been 35 years since I shot one, and the last one I saw was standing confused beside a highway behind an Applebees' maybe 20 years ago.

When I first started hunting we went to a friend's uncle's place that was in a valley with checkerboards of small pastures or crop fields and interlaced with hedgerows.

Now there are two huge fields - one on either side of the valley. All the hedgerows are gone. :-(

But we have a good piece of woods behind us (five by eight miles) and grouse still play there - if they can avoid the coyotes and foxes.

[squirrelsniper]

For squirrels, either a Marlin 880SQ or a CZ 452 American 16"

For deer, either a Savage 11F in 243 or a Savage Precision Carbine in 308; choice depends on hunting location for that day.

[yobuck]

Same around here. Pheasants are like unicorns. It's easily been 35 years since I shot one, and the last one I saw was standing confused beside a highway behind an Applebees' maybe 20 years ago.

When I first started hunting we went to a friend's uncle's place that was in a valley with checkerboards of small pastures or crop fields and interlaced with hedgerows.

Now there are two huge fields - one on either side of the valley. All the hedgerows are gone. :-(

But we have a good piece of woods behind us (five by eight miles) and grouse still play there - if they can avoid the coyotes and foxes.

I lived thru the era of the large pheasant population in a place that held a very large population of them.
There are numerous things we can attach blame to for their almost total demise, but I feel the farmers have taken an unfair amount of the blame. Certainly their methods of farming have contributed, but there are lots of acres of unmolested areas that have no population either.
All birds of prey and all predetor animals except coyotes have become sacred. They eat 24/7/365 and their numbers have increased drasticly. Every state has a population of Eagles, mostly bald but also the population of golden Eagles is also growing and they are appearing in places where they haven't been known to be. Like NC PA for example, and they will take out a mature deer given the opportunity. A turkey has little chance with a large bird also and ive watched it happen.
I hunt from my jeep, while traveling to various locations on the many miles of dirt mountain roads in the area. I carry an assortment of good glasses including some very large ones, and all get used heavily. Im never without a Savage 22 mag and a Savage 223. During the deer season ill also have a Savage 25/06 with a no nut rebarrel, all are leftys and all but one rides in a Big Sky ceiling mount gun rack.
In the back there will be a few others in cases for reaching out a little further, along with a portable bench, some tripods, cooking gear etc. So at least my Jeep, is loaded for bear. The occupants, not so much.

[J.Baker]

Yes, predatory species are a big part of it as well, but if there were more quality habitat for pheasant to find cover more would likely survive predation and numbers would increase. Farming has a much bigger footprint in some areas compared to others. I can show you several examples where farmers have clear cut and bulldozed 100+ acre woods in recent years just so they can plant it.

Anyway, we're getting a little off topic here....

[big honkin jeep]

I've been blasting doves with my Remington 11-87 SP and done pretty well so far. I love wing shooting. Maybe some ducks later on if i get a chance.
As always my 116 FLCSAK in 30-06 will be accompanying me to the deer stand for deer and pigs as well as any errant coyotes that happen by. My little model 10 L carbine project in .308 (downloaded with H4895 and 125gr Noslers if the kids are shooting) will also get some stand time with one of the grandkids and maybe a nephew.
The model 24 in .410 over .22lr may get a woods walk or two for squirrels, rabbits and pests. I sure am glad hunting season is here :)

[want2ride]

If I get the barrel pretty soon, I will be using a Savage Long Range Hunter with a shilen 7x57 select Match barrel.

[kohler]

260 Rem and Nosler 26 both have passed through SSS.

My first shotgun in mid 70’s was a 20 gauge SKB gas operated, 3” shells too. Lost it in a smash & grab.

[ttexastom]

Deer hunting with a savage 110 original 270 win (shot out), rebarreled to 280 ai.