New Hampshire Fish and Game announce 75% Success for hunters who drew a tag this year. You can read about it here.
75% of Hunters Successful in the 2020 New Hampshire Moose Hunt
Monthly Archives: October 2020
Rifle Comb Cheek Weld Remedy with 50mm Scopes
Many of today’s hunting rifles have standard height combs on the rifle stock. So you want to buy a new scope for it with a large 50mm objective lens to get more light at dawn and dusk? That’s fine, however your all important cheek weld is now too low for optimum eye alignment. Some think that raising your head a bit is ok. Not True. What you have introduced, without a good cheek weld is a variable that can move your bullet impact depending on how your hold and or rest your rifle and how your eye aligns inconsistently with the crosshairs. What to do?
There are several options. Some folks tape foam onto the comb. For me it is an ugly option. I prefer a slip on like Beartooth comb raising kits or Hornady. Many kits include height adjuster foam and have zipper pockets and bullet loops too.
Products like this are a great and inexpensive add-on. I like them a lot. If you aren’t getting one now, then put one under the Christmas tree!
Good Hunting!
How far is too far for a rifle hunter to shoot?
The question is about hunter capability and ethics. The question comes up usually on a western hunt where distances can be really far. A good hunting guide will help!
Lets talk about the good hunter. 1. The hunter should be practicing for the distances he or she expects to shoot game e.g. 250 yards or 500 yards and know the in’s and outs of bullet drop, as well as range and wind deflection as ranges get longer. Lets talk about a super nice 10 point buck at 482 yards feeding broadside. Your rifle is a .308 Winchester with a150 grain spitzer bullet exiting the barrel at 2700 fps. You set up the rifle expecting longer than normal shots so you zero at Max Point Blank Range (MPBR).
How do you set it up, assuming you are skilled enough to hold your buck fever in check?
A check for ballistic data on your bullet shows MPBR is 225 yards and the following data;
| Range | Drop | Drop | Windage | Windage | Velocity | Mach | Energy | Time | Lead | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (yd) | (in) | (MOA) | (in) | (MOA) | (ft/s) | (none) | (ft•lbs) | (s) | (in) | (MOA) |
| 0 | -1.5 | *** | 0.0 | *** | 2702.9 | 2.442 | 2432.9 | 0.000 | 0.0 | *** |
| 25 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2648.4 | 2.393 | 2335.8 | 0.028 | 4.9 | 18.8 |
| 50 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2594.6 | 2.344 | 2241.9 | 0.057 | 10.0 | 19.0 |
| 75 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2541.5 | 2.296 | 2151.0 | 0.086 | 15.1 | 19.2 |
| 100 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2489.0 | 2.249 | 2063.0 | 0.116 | 20.4 | 19.4 |
| 125 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2437.1 | 2.202 | 1977.9 | 0.146 | 25.7 | 19.6 |
| 150 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2385.8 | 2.156 | 1895.5 | 0.177 | 31.2 | 19.9 |
| 175 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2335.1 | 2.110 | 1815.9 | 0.209 | 36.8 | 20.1 |
| 200 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 2285.1 | 2.065 | 1738.8 | 0.241 | 42.5 | 20.3 |
| 225 | -0.0 | -0.0 | 4.4 | 1.9 | 2235.6 | 2.020 | 1664.3 | 0.275 | 48.3 | 20.5 |
| 250 | -1.8 | -0.7 | 5.5 | 2.1 | 2186.7 | 1.976 | 1592.3 | 0.309 | 54.3 | 20.7 |
| 275 | -4.0 | -1.4 | 6.7 | 2.3 | 2138.4 | 1.932 | 1522.7 | 0.343 | 60.4 | 21.0 |
| 300 | -6.7 | -2.1 | 8.1 | 2.6 | 2090.7 | 1.889 | 1455.6 | 0.379 | 66.7 | 21.2 |
| 325 | -9.9 | -2.9 | 9.6 | 2.8 | 2043.6 | 1.847 | 1390.7 | 0.415 | 73.0 | 21.5 |
| 350 | -13.7 | -3.7 | 11.2 | 3.1 | 1997.1 | 1.805 | 1328.2 | 0.452 | 79.6 | 21.7 |
| 375 | -17.9 | -4.6 | 13.0 | 3.3 | 1951.3 | 1.763 | 1268.0 | 0.490 | 86.3 | 22.0 |
| 400 | -22.8 | -5.4 | 15.0 | 3.6 | 1906.1 | 1.722 | 1209.9 | 0.529 | 93.1 | 22.2 |
| 425 | -28.2 | -6.3 | 17.1 | 3.8 | 1861.6 | 1.682 | 1154.1 | 0.569 | 100.1 | 22.5 |
| 450 | -34.3 | -7.3 | 19.4 | 4.1 | 1817.8 | 1.643 | 1100.4 | 0.610 | 107.3 | 22.8 |
| 475 | -41.0 | -8.2 | 21.9 | 4.4 | 1774.7 | 1.604 | 1048.8 | 0.651 | 114.6 | 23.0 |
| 500 | -48.4 | -9.2 | 24.5 | 4.7 | 1732.3 | 1.565 | 999.3 | 0.694 | 122.2 | 23.3 |
- Is there enough bullet energy to take this 482 yard shot ethically? 1000 ft-lbs is Marginal but ok according to many sources.
- Is the bullet traveling fast enough to mushroom correctly? Not really well.
3. Where do you aim? If the wind is blowing parallel with the deer at say 10 mph across his chest toward his rear? You guestimate 22 inches of wind deflection makes you aim off the deer’s body. Can you still ethically shoot? Or should you try to close the distance?
Close the distance is the smart and correct answer? The bullet will likely not mushroom correctly at that marginal speed and you have no point of aim at 22 inches off the target, and bullet energy is marginal. You do risk wounding the deer.
Ok we are still hunting that same deer and close the distance to 275 yards (range finder) and he still does not see us. The bullet is traveling at over 2000fps, good mushrooming speed and energy, but will be off target by 6.7 inches. Can you compensate and aim 6.7 inches left or right? Yes! Bullet drop is 1.4 inches low. I would not try to compensate for 1.4 inch drop, your fine. Do you have a good rest for your rifle? Yes, my backpack, if I lay prone. If you are rock solid on the deer with crosshairs and adjusted for wind deflection, then I would take the shot. The flight time is just over a third of a second at that range.
Ok, after that exercise, is that what you do when shooting long distances? Think about speed, drop, energy? If so then you are giving the deer your best to ethically take him.
A wise hunter who shoots longer ranges, should have made these calculations for limitations before hand and practiced for such a shot. I have made a table to tape to my rifle in some cases. The JBM data indicates that at 325-350 yards this rifle/bullet combo has reached its limit on speed and energy and that wind deflection at 90 degrees is 9 to 11 inches left/ right. And bullet drop is 10 inches low. The hunter must have skill to compensate. We didn’t discuss things such as temperature and altitude and shooting angle either. Lots to think about!
I used JBM Ballistics Trajectory to get this data. Try it!
https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi
Good Hunting!
© Copyright 2020.
Hunter Training for Rifle Recoil – Reducing and eliminating Flinch
Training with a rifle that has a recoil that hurts a bit after several rounds is a recipe for getting a flinch. You have to know when to stop or change the recoil pad etc! A flinch will cause you to miss the bullseye or miss the target altogether. I run into folks that show me bruises on the shoulder after shooting too many rounds or shooting a large rifle caliber with a big kick/recoil and no protective gear.
Often the shooter does not pull the rifle firmly into the shoulder too, thus the rifle builds momentum and whacks you. Not so much if you pull it firm toward you.
A flinch is an unconscious brain and body reaction to the anticipated shoulder pain just before the gun goes boom causing you to flinch. It is perhaps responsible for more misses than you can count. How to reduce or eliminate flinch is to be sure to use a shock absorbing recoil pad. Many recoil pads on the market reduce felt recoil by 50 to 60%. They are around 50 bucks and worth every penny.
Secondly, lets say you do have a flinch. Get a hunting friend to load a round in your rifle or maybe make it look like he/she is loading a round for you to shoot down range. So you pick up the rifle, aim and squeeze the trigger, but just as you squeeze and the rifle goes click your body rears back in anticipation. Yep, sure enough you’ve got a flinch. Now a good practice is to shoot a similar rifle in a lighter caliber where there is almost no recoil. Shoot it for a short time and check for flinch, Your unconscious brain knows that you won’t get hurt so for a short time the flinch disappears. On a different day shoot and dry fire your rifle a dozen or more times each day for a week. Then shoot your rifle with a recoil tamer shoulder pad. Not much recoil your unconscious brain discovers. Do that again on a different day. You are retraining your unconscious brain to trust you. Now wear the heavy shoulder recoil tamer and pad and have your friend load the rifle that gave you a flinch and shoot it standing with a live round. Not at a bench rest. You may flinch a bit but your brain says, “Hey that didn’t hurt a bit with the extra pads”! So do that again with your friend with a live round. Your brain again says hey that didn’t hurt but flinched less. Remember to hold the rifle butt firm to your shoulder. Don’t worry about hitting the target, that will come. So, now you understand that repeating a similar sequence can slowly allow your unconscious brain to trust you again. Give it a try, it works!
Good Shooting!
Deer Hunting Rifle/Cartridge – Youth, Women, Men
Lets begin by talking about those kids around 12 years old that are going to hunt deer with family for the first time.
The number one issue is safety. It has its own curriculum. Next is to train and manage recoil and the primary subject here.
Hunting parents, sort of graduate those kids by going to the back yard with a BB gun, then to the range with a .22 Long Rifle. Next is the 5.56/223 cartridge’s. Here, the .223 allows a tad more recoil and a loud report like a hunting rifle.
Better yet find a outdoor club or state organization like 4H with youth training.
Safety glasses and hearing protection are essential on the range.
I personally will not hunt deer with a .223 but graduating to a .243 Winchester or 6mm is a breeze. The .243 Winchester/6mm is an ideal starter rifle as it is light to handle, recoils little and is a proven deer cartridge. Keep ranges short to 50 yards.
Hunter Education is essential. See Fish and Game for hunter training.
In my humble opinion it is best to start children with open sights and later to scopes.
Women who are new to the sport may want to try the organization, Becoming an Outdoors Woman which exposes women to all facet of the outdoors.
Beyond that, I suggest to begin with a .22 Long Rifle for fun and accuracy with a husband or trained friend in the shooting sports. It has almost no recoil to speak of. I would recommend a bolt action but a semi-auto works too. The learning curve is very fast, then shoot a 243 Winchester with light bullets, and graduate to 80, 90 and 100 grain heads for deer hunting. Training for aiming and broadside shots at the heart and lungs are your target goals at deer targets you can get on-line or at a store. Again keep ranges short to begin and work out to 100 yards. The .243/6mm is good to 300 yards for broadside deer.
In both cases for youth and women, the learning curve is all about recoil management and a rifle that is a good fit, not cumbersome or heavy.
Men who hunt for the first time but have been to the range with rifles are still concerned about recoil and a sore shoulder. I like the 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm-08 as it has several bullet weights. You can begin with 100 grain bullets and just stay there for deer. Or graduate to 140 grain heads which have ideal sectional density for deep penetration on all North American Game except brown bear.
Now in all cases once you arrive here you can choose to stay where you are or choose a 30 caliber for deer and a bit more recoil. The best easy shooting deer slayer in 30 cal. is the 30-30 Winchester which has very manageable recoil and excellent energy out to 100 yards for deer. Next is the .308 Winchester, an excellent choice and longer range options and a step-up in recoil. The 7mm-08 is a 7mm bullet in a .308 case, it is a fine option and similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor in energy.
The 308 Winchester and above are cartridges such as 30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Win. Mag and a plethora of others for those who want or like firepower for larger game such as Moose, Elk and Bear or shoot long range. Or perhaps to hunt Big Game in Africa. Along with these, also comes recoil thus training for recoil is suggested. Of course an excellent recoil pad today can reduce felt recoil as much as 50 percent, so check them out!
Always protect and pad your shoulder or rifle pad. Never shoot with shoulder pain or shoot beyond normal amounts to bruise your shoulder.
Good Hunting!
©Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Tactacam 5.0 Video Rifle and Crossbow Test
As I stated in a earlier article, I purchased the Tactacam 5.0 with Scope or barrel mount. It takes a while to charge a battery so for another 20 dollars I bought a second battery. I like this product to film my own hunts. This article focuses on the standard 3x zoom vs 8x zoom on rifle and crossbow.
Tactacam 5.0 Video Standard 3x Zoom
I am shooting a .375 Ruger with the Tactacam attached to the top of the riflescope. Here the target is at 100 yards and looks small to me. If I were videoing a deer hunt shot sequence. I could not see details at that distance with this setting but the picture at the 4K setting is great. Older PC’s have difficulty with it but mine does not and it is youtube compatible. There is a Tactacam App that I put on my I phone and it syncs fine once you choose the correct wi-fi setting.
This Sequence below is at 8X Zoom. Much better detail at 100 yards.
Zoom test is best at longer range.
Excalibur Crossbow Tactacam 5 Test at 8x
I like the easy on/off and light weight of the Tactacam. I installed a 128 gigabyte micro SD card. According to the instruction manual, this should give me 2.5 hours of video.
Am I impressed? Yes! Great purchase so far? You do have to read and follow the manual to get the most out of it!
Good Hunting and Video!
©Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.
Hunting Texas Trophy Whitetails
Prepping for my second Texas Whitetail Deer Hunt with Wildlife Systems, Inc. this November.
They let the bucks grow to maturity on a 24000 acre (nearly 40 Square Mile) cattle ranch. Can you say BIG!
Often well managed Texas bucks there can reach their genetic potential, and live beyond 6, 7 and 8 years. Where in New Hampshire for example bucks are harvested at 2.5 years or younger on average. Hunters in New Hampshire rarely get to see a mature fat 4.5 year old buck like the one below. Yes they exist in NH but are a rare sight on huntable land.
Personally, I study the land as well. It is central Texas, Hill Country, called the Edwards Plateau east of the Pecos River along the Balcones Fault and comprises 24 million acres of sprawling very wild low tree and cactus scattered savannah, arroyos, sendero’s and creeks. My hunting area is 40 square miles of low fence cattle ranch just west of San Angelo and contains thousands of whitetails that must be scientifically managed to balance the flora and fauna as well as feed the cattle.
The Edwards Plateau area, and its caves, contain some of the largest population of bats in the world. Not only am I a hunter but a Conservationist and have 2 degrees in science as well. Texas A&M pours millions into Wildlife Research each year.
In 2018 I hunted with my friend Larry Weishuhn who’s life has been dedicated to wildlife management and hunting.
Cattle Ranch Texas Trophy Whitetail hunt costs range from $4500 on up. And at any one time there are only a handful of hunters in it. I am not getting any younger and can afford this hunt. I am heading back in November. You figure in cost of flights shy of $400 round trip and a $400 to $500 tip for guide and 100 or so for cooks. Your looking at a $5500 hunt for 3.5 days. What do you get? You get Texas Hospitality, 2 on 1 expert guides, great food, a great bunk. Mostly you get some of the best deer hunting on the planet and a very good chance to harvest a buck of your lifetime and two does for management purposes and venison. Most all hunts are from a combination of elevated stands and ground blinds. Antler Rattling is often used during the rut to bring in big bucks. Prickly Pear Cactus abound in this bush environment so watch your back side!
Up at 4am, shower and breakfast and hit the trail on quad’s. Morning and afternoon hunts you can see 10 to 20 or more deer a day and 8 point bucks every day. Patience is a virtue, let them pass, you are looking for a mature buck with a thick plump body and swollen neck and rack that will drop your eye teeth and rev up your adrenaline till you shake in your boots! I am hoping for a chance at larger Mr. Boone and Crockett.
I harvested a nice 11 point 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett buck in 2018 on the afternoon of my second day with my TC Encore muzzle loader, shooting 80 yards with 295 grain Power Belt bullets behind 150 grains of powder. Can you say Boom!
Your guide cares for your animal quickly and gets it ready for taxidermy if you desire. I took 2 does as well and had all the meat boned and shipped home.
Same buck above but the photo was taken right away! For me, that is a fat handsome monster. I will be writing more when I get back from this hunt. Can’t wait to see what I bring back this time!
Good Hunting!
©Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.
Great Deer Cartridges for New Hampshire Deer
Here in New Hampshire we have a variety of fields and forests. There are southern zones that do not allow rifle hunting however with that said, calibers such as the 243 Winchester to 300 Winchester Magnum and everything in between are great choices. Young and women hunters are often seen with the 243 Winchester and 6mm as they has very low recoil and great deer killing energy with a well placed shot. These are not ideal for heavy brush. Next is the 7mm-08 (based on the .308 Winchester case and necked down) and all the new and old 6.5mm cartridges but still not great for heavy brush. These are also easy on the recoil and bullets weigh more and have better penetration with a bit more recoil.
The 7mm cartridge’s are geared for longer range and higher energies, such as the well known 7mm Remington magnum. Perhaps one of the most often used cartridges is the .308 Winchester, hard hitting and medium recoil. Northern hunters opt for the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Winchester Magnum because of their fire power. But these aforementioned cartridge’s come with lots more recoil. Recoil sensitive shooters should stay away from these cartridges unless hand loaded down in power, something I am very good at.
As far as bullets go, I prefer bonded bullets, where the copper jacket is bonded to the lead, which makes for a bullet that mushrooms correctly and stays together. If you hand load your cartridge then the world is your oyster for bullet choices. My favorites are the Nosler Partition and the Nosler AccuBond. The latter is my go-to big game bullet. Veteran hunters who prowl in heavy timber use larger calibers in the 40 or 50 caliber class. My brother’s thick timber rifle was the venerable 444 Marlin and others shoot the 45-70. Both great cartridges. Often flat points or the newer rubber tipped 240/260 grain heads. Again, if you shoot regularly, consider loading your own ammo as I do. It is great fun and you get to customize the load and bullet for the rifle, the game, and the hunter too.
Good Hunting!
© Copyright 2020
All Weather Rifle Barrels and Dry Lubes Are Best
During deer season here in New England the weather is ever changing, sunny in the morning and drizzling rain or snow in the afternoon. It is wise to choose a rifle that is somewhat impervious to moisture and that includes the barrel and things attached to it. My Ruger African .375 Ruger is blued but not highly weather/rust resistant by the factory so I use bowling lane wax everywhere on the wood and barrel before going afield. Let it dry and it has little odor.
I hear that a hunting guide in Alaska paints his barrels. It works but must be a bit ugly! Of course there is stainless steel but as a new rifle, manufacturers offer spray on rust resistant coatings such as Cerakote, https://www.cerakote.com/project-gallery?tab=color
Or for example my Weatherby Rifle barrel with Weathershield coating. This website, Haus of Arms has this video on the difference between stainless and weathershield on Thompson Center rifles. I Own two rifles with weathershield coatings. I love them both for weather resistance. Easy to care for and no rust.
Just remember that the intricate parts in your guns action are likely not coated so you must take care for these parts as well. I use a dry lube (not stinky) that has a solvent to get the oil where you need it and then coats to protect the surface.
I hear that Otis has a nice dry lube created for the military. Remington offers a dry lube too! Check them out! I use the Remington Dry Lube with Teflon! Very cost effective!
On waxes there are car waxes that work to repel rust and moisture from wood and steel and my bowling ball wax as well as commercial gun waxes by Birchwood Casey.
Hope this helps!
Good Hunting!
Hunting with Rifle and Tactacam 5 Video Camera – Intro
I have not done a lot of hunting with video equipment because, I believe for a solo hunter, that it changes the focus of the hunt toward the video aspects of the hunt and not the game being hunted. Another family member or a friend can help or you can pay a camera man or you can get a Tactacam™ Video Camera and mount it to your scope as I am going to do and focus on the hunt.
The Tactacam 5 is “state of the art” has lots of options, is highly rated and looks like a very small spotting scope that can be attached to rifle, shotgun or bow or even a fishing rod. Admittedly, I am not a camera expert but a serious novice. The camera and scope mounting bracket will be arriving next week so I get to mount it on my Leupold Scopes on my .375 Ruger, Weatherby Rifles and on my Excalibur Crossbow scope. It is a push button on and off and can record an hour or more video they say. So stand-by and see what happens when I mount and try to use it.
In the mean time this video I found on the web is very helpful to see all the options this product offers.
Good Hunting!