Author Archives: Ed Hale

About Ed Hale

I am an avid hunter with rifle and Bow and have been hunting for more than 50 years. I have taken big game such as whitetail deer, red deer, elk, Moose and African Plains game such as Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, Blesbok, and Impala and wrote an ebook entitled African Safari -Rifle and Bow and Arrow on how to prepare for a first safari. Ed is a serious cartridge reloader and ballistics student. He has earned two degrees in science and has written hundreds of outdoor article on hunting with both bow and rifle.

New Hampshire is Wild: Wild Turkey Hunt Begins in May – Safety is Key

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Many New Hampshire hunters have gotten bit by the turkey hunting bug.

 

https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/hunting/turkey-season.html 

Did you know New Hampshire Fish and Game says we have an estimated population  of 25000 turkeys! Wow!!

There are many web sites and YouTube videos that share techniques and use bow/crossbow or shotgun to bag your bird.

But Safety is prime.

https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/hunting/turkey-safety.html

Excerpt from the NH website above:

Turkey Hunting Safety
  1. Never stalk a turkey. It rarely works and increases the risk of an accident.
  2. Never wear red, white or blue or black over- or under-clothing, because these are the prominent colors of displaying gobblers.
  3. Never call from a tree that is thinner than the width of your shoulders. Small trees won’t hide slight movements of your hands or shoulders, which might look like a turkey to another hunter.
  4. Never jump or turn suddenly in response to a suspected turkey. When turkey hunting, assume that every sound you hear is made by another hunter.
  5. Never call from a site where you can’t see at least 40 yards in all directions.
  6. Never imitate a gobbler call while concealed in a stand.
  7. Never presume that what you hear or what responds to your call is a turkey.
  8. Never think that your camouflage makes you totally invisible. To ID yourself to other hunters, wrap an orange band around a tree.
  9. Never hide so well that you can’t see what’s happening around you.
  10. Never move or wave to alert approaching hunters; shout “stop” instead. 

Be Safe out There!

 

My New Glocks for Home and Conceal Carry

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Below are my new Glocks, G19 Gen 5 in 9mm and G44 in .22LR.  I chose these Glocks because they are very reliable and essentially identical. The weight and caliber is different, but handling is the same and great for cross training.   

I purchased the .22LR – G44 at right for low recoil training for my wife. When she gets used to the .22, then we will train on the 9MM. Both pistols come with a lock, extra grips in medium and large. The 9mm comes with 3 clips and the .22 comes with two. 

I shot both Glocks (see the target below), just after purchase and shot CCI Mini-Mag .22’s and Remington 9mm FMJ ammo at 20 feet. If you look close, you can see the .22 and 9mm holes intermingled below the 10x ring. Not bad at all! My outdoor range was a sheet of ice to walk on, so I used just one target for both. 

I like the sights framed in white edging and can be seen clearly in darker shadows.

Glock OEM Adjustable Rear Sight SP05977 Gen 1-5Glock OEM Front Sight SP06956 Gen 1-5

The .22 pistol is lighter to handle. My wife is not an avid shooter at all, despite being married to  me for many decades. But now she is feeling fearful with large spikes in crime on TV and the need for her safety.

I already own a Kimber 1911 Pro Carry II for home protection, conceal carry. The size difference between my Kimber Pro Carry II in .45ACP  and the G19 Gen 5 in 9MM is very similar but the 45 has 8 shots and the G19 has 15 shots when fully loaded.

Weight-wise the difference between each gun when fully loaded is just 4.3 ounces, with the Kimber being a bit heavier.  The grip safety beavertail on the Kimber increases the length by an inch.

Which to carry depends on your abilities with each pistol and the kind of situations you believe to encounter. For a new shooter, as my wife is, training with a light recoiling .22 helps for confidence before using the 9mm. 

I will write more on these pistols in the near future. 

Good Shooting and Training!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

 

The United Kingdom Bans Trophy Hunted Imports?

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Sadly, the UK Government announced that this year 2022, it will ban Trophy Hunted Imports, I believe, from around the globe. The reason is that they reject the killing of endangered species? And may go further in its tree-hugger-like ban. 

I am not aware of any “so-called” endangered species being hunted!

There you go, leftist governments and professors again, get in the way of scientific management.

In fact, if it were not for hunting, many species including non-game species would be either extinct or or endangered. Hunting is an essential management tool used by wildlife professionals around the world to manage and enhance species and populations. 

Safari Club International responds in the website below:

https://safariclub.org/sci-responds-to-uks-trophy-ban-hearing/

brief SCI quote :

“Question: What will the effect be if we ban trophy hunting as well as the import and export of animals into and out of the UK?

“SCI Answer: Although specific details of the bill have not yet seen published, one proposed approach would prohibit the import and export of ALL hunted animals, regardless of species and harvest location. This includes ducks, deer, elk, and many other common species that clearly need no protection. Implementation of this proposal would be detrimental to conservation efforts worldwide, including in the UK which has a robust hunting tourism industry, and utilizes hunting as an important tool for game management. Such a ban is not supported by any legitimate scientific literature.”

end quote

Hunting dollars world wide pay for land use and conservation agencies in the Trillions of dollars never mind the billions of pounds of lean organic protein rich meat by far exceeding photo-tourism could ever accomplish.

We humans, as a species, are genetically hunter-gatherers. As such we are predators, with eyes facing forward and are omnivores, consuming meat and vegetables, with the exception of a small vegan population. If you are not a predator, then you are prey. 

Hunters are conservationists, who respect the land, sustainable wildlife, both game and nongame and adhere to conservation practices. Trophies are a rememberance of the hunt and can become educational tools for future generations!

Good Hunting!

 

Shooting Traditional Hunting Bows In My Basement?

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Shooting hunting weight recurves and long bows in my basement, during winter, does great things for my shooting basics skill level and strength.

Photo Copyright 2022

And it can do great things for you as well. Sure, most basements are at max 10 yards but that is all you need for the most important basic skills.  Skills like good form, draw and release, follow thru, and important back muscle strength are the foundation for your back yard bullseyes and vital zone hits on wild game.

Outside, many tend to concentrate more on the target and bullseyes which takes another level of concentration, sometimes leaving the basics in the back seat like a poor release and follow-thru.

Twanging the string sideways at full draw, means the arrow will fly left or right. And taking down your bow too quickly upon release can affect arrow flight.

You can practice a perfect release by drawing your imaginary bow and releasing your hand and fingers in a rearward motion to touch the back of your ears and neck.

It’s what happens at the bow that makes the shot, just as it  is the golfers swing that creates a great straight shot or a bowlers step and follow thru.

Real pros know that, if you can’t be master of the basics, then you can’t master the craft. Further, at short range, it is easy to see that your string nocking points and brace height contribute significantly to arrow flight. I have two bows braced for practice and discovered my knock point was too high on one and perfect on the other bow.

Bare shaft tests through paper at say 3 to 5 yards can aid in setting knocking points too. On a compound you also set your plunger button left/right and tension. There are books on bow tuning.

If I have not shot in a week or so, I will shoot a bow of less poundage for a few day and work back up to a bow of higher poundage. You will also discover a bow poundage which allows full use of back muscles like 50 pounds. But then shooting a heavier bow of say 55 pounds, you are not coming to the same full draw as with the 50 pound bow.  Regular practice allows the building of  muscle and soon the 55 pound bow will be drawn to the same full draw. Just remember not to over practice and damage your back muscles. Stop at a high point of your practice session.

Arrow spine and length are also essential but we will save that for another time.

Good Shooting!

 

 

China Sporting Goods Dollars Sold in USA – Is China an Adversary? Yes! Updated

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We all love a great deal, don’t we! What has been happening in the sporting goods market for accessories, is that there are billions of dollars to be made in archery and gun and hiking/camping accessories like knives and flashlights etc. and all the seemingly small items we need.

 We the sporting goods buyers, me included, have bought many China-Made goods in the past because our government for decades believed that China would become Westernized and see the benefits of a free society. This is clearly not the case.

China is now an Adversary not a competitor says the Center for Security Policy. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/treat-china-as-an-adversary-not-a-competitor/

Peter Hoekstra Center for Security Policy – https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/predicting-2022-chinas-year-of-the-tiger/

says quote:

“According to the Chinese calendar, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. 2022 is the year where America finally goes big against China. China will also go big against the U.S. and Taiwan. Here are the developments that will push America to confront China’s malign and dangerous behavior and, in an upcoming article, those that will push China to go big.”  end quote.

Outdoor folks, I have written the following letter I will use as a foundation to write to USA run businesses and corporations to refrain from selling China goods: You may use it too. When I receive a response from those I write, I will let you know.

 

Dear Business Name,

Re: Your Business Sells Manufactured Goods from China

It was not long ago that China was seen as a competitor.

Today, many, like me, believe China has crossed the threshold from competitor to adversary say many Military and Strategic Studies.

There is ample evidence that they use the profits from your sales for purposes of world-wide domination and subjugation.   

What are you doing about it? 

It has been reported around the world that Uyghurs, (populations of humans) in the Xinjiang region of China are working in forced labor camps, where systemic torture and rape etc. are common. Sales from these labor camps are reaching the USA.

In fact, Walmart was just threatened by China if they stop selling China goods.

Today, Taiwan is being threatened with China bomber overflights of their country and soon, predicted to use military force if needed to force them back into China’s sphere of influence. And we in the USA are on their target list.

If we in the USA don’t care, then we are China’s future target.

I urge you to seek alternatives to China Manufactured Goods Today! And encourage sportsmen and women to stop buying them, if possible.

Sincerely,

Your Name and USA address

####

Please use any and or all of this letter as you see fit in writing your own letters to business leaders.

 

 

 

Outdoor Purchases On-Line- How to avoid purchases from adversaries?

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Ever since Covid, I made some of my hunting purchases on Amazon. You will find “answered questions” that often include where the product was made. 

I also buy from Midway USA who now has a very wide selection of sporting goods, hunting and fishing gear by USA and Europe brand names. My Archery gear is from 3Rivers on-line. 3Rivers Archery posts a USA flag with the sale item to indicate where it’s made.

Lots of cheap goods at many big outdoor retailers from Asia so look out and ask.  I some cases you cant avoid it, but at least you know.

I was looking for Ice Cleats/Crampons on Amazon and found most were made in China after reading the “answered questions” including those that are not shown. But this Amazon Cleat below is from Maine!

STABILicers Walk Traction Cleat for Walking on Snow and Ice are made in Maine, USA.

Check these Cleats out and consider to avoid buying or supporting countries that are our adversaries! Like China and Russia for example.

Sometimes, it is not possible thanks to Washington  Bureaucrats.

Walmart as you  know is largely imported goods and China stuff so beware!

 

 

Shooting Longbows and Recurves of Heavy Poundage for Big Game

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Training to shoot heavy poundage bows like 55 and 60 pounds accurately, on the first arrow, takes dedication and perfect training daily or every other day… for my older bones.

In my case, in long years past, I have dedicated time for a heavy weight custom traditional recurve hunting bow of 68 pounds. Once I stopped shooting that bow for months, it was back breaking for me to get back to shooting it with accuracy.

The answer was to build up with lesser weight bows which I did not have, and could not afford, at the time. Moving forward to today, I am retired from quality assurance engineering and have access to inexpensive recurves and long bows at a fraction of the cost to train without muscle or shoulder injury. Recovery, from a shoulder or muscle pull takes months.

I wrote an archery article in August 2021 for hunters to get back to preparing for deer hunting. I was shooting a 45 pound Samick Sage takedown recurve that cost me $140 dollars. See photo below. Great bow for the price. I learned that I could purchase separate limbs for it for just $74 dollars. I bought 50 pound limbs and was happy to step up and begin training in my back yard in October moving from 45 to 50 pounds in draw weight,  but I did not stop there.

Recently, I purchase a Bear Montana longbow, shown below, in 55 pounds and training indoors in my basement on form, draw, anchor and release. I used to shoot instinctive but found my overall accuracy improved by shooting 3 fingers under the arrow. I created the leather quiver 20 years ago, and gave it a coat of polish. 

Below is a 42 pound hickory self-bow recurve backed with deer sinew I have just completed.  It started as a long bow stave in my office for 20 years collecting dust. Nice to have it finished.  Shoots smooth! 

I walk the string an inch lower than the nock for better eye alignment with the arrow. I am  having so much fun indoor basement shooting at 10 yards in training that I purchased a 60 pound set of limbs for  my takedown recurve and  just began shooting it. I am working up slowly on the 60 pound limbs but shooting the 55 pound long bow regularly. The arrows fly like darts! Wow! I think 60 pounds is enough. 

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Perfect Rifle Cartridge for Big Game?

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Is there a perfect rifle cartridge for big game? Great Campfire fodder sure to keep you up at night.

Big Game Cartridges are purchased and used for many different reasons, thus for some big game animals, they are better and sometimes… they are not.

The distances we encounter and hunt big game like deer, bear, and moose as well a bullet shape and construction play a large part of a big game cartridge.  And whether the game you are hunting can be dangerous, like a brown or grizzly bear.

I believe the vast majority are deer hunters like myself , who, on occasion hunt bear, wild boar, elk, moose and such.

Many cartridges were originally designed as a target cartridge like the recent 6.5 Creedmoor. The .308 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield were designed as a cartridge used in battle in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam, later valuably used as a target round and hunting round.

It was the ballistics data experts and students that realized that surplus ammo was used inexpensively for both target and hunting. Most were of spitzer bullet design for longer range.

Later post WWII hunters learned that a round nose bullet at shorter ranges inside of 200 or so yards were like the hammer-of-thor thus dropping game pronto. Lever guns like the 30-30 and 35 Winchester as well as the 45-70 cannot use pointed tip bullets and were terrific game stoppers.

Today many hunters like long range hunting and go west or south to prairies and bean fields thus spitzers are the bullet of choice for 300 to 800 yards or more.

Or some believe the use of light copper spitzer bullets at high velocities of over 3200fps with 100% retained weight to deliver hydrostatic shock and a lights out punch to game like black bear at close range. 

Here in New  Hampshire, most game like deer, bear and moose are harvested at around 40 to 50 yards or so. Spitzers are not necessary here but if you do not reload or hand-load, then spitzers are what you will find on store shelves these days.

Bore sizes like .22, 6mm/.243, 6.5mm, 7mm, .308, .338 and .375, 416, 45, and 50 caliber are common but are used on certain game for reasons of killing capacity(aka energy delivered) and distances encountered. Yes, I missed a dozen other less common calibers, but you get the idea.

The key to any big game cartridge really is the bullet and its construction, like bonded, A-frame or copper for the task desired. Coupled with this, and equally important is sectional density. It is the ratio of bullet weight (M) to the square of bullet diameter and is very important for penetration. (SD= M/D²). If you are a student of ballistics and killing power the following website will add to your knowledge for winter reading.  

https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm

So in the end, if you know distances to deer for example and the terrain and forest type you are hunting them you can gear your rifle cartridge and bullet to the game,   thus making it more ideal.

 

You guessed it, there is no perfect big game cartridge. To maximize your cartridge, include the size of game, terrain, distance, bullet construction including sectional density in your calculations. Below is another website for your winter reading.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_bullet_killing_power.htm

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Traditional Archery: Winter 3D Fun

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In New Hampshire, Granite State Bowhunters we call GSB, forms club shoots across the state for compound bows and traditional bows of just stick and string.  GSB had its first shoot at Lamprey River Bowhunters on January 2nd 2022. It was great fun! See the 3D Schedule below.

http://www.granitestatebowhunters.com/3d-schedule/

I grew up on stick and string and find that it is very rewarding even today.

It is a small but re-growing cadre of bowhunters that simply like stick and string traditional archery. It is part comradery, part hunt, and tests your shooting skill at unknown distances. Below my archery friend and national long bow champion,  Jacques Bonin. He is taking aim at a 3D pronghorn foam antelope. Here Jacques shoots a 78 lb pull Howard Hill long bow at shorter draw length thus it is casting the arrow at 72 pounds. Most of us can’t even draw his bow, never mind shooting it. I am happy shooting 50 to 55 pounds right now.

 

Traditional bowhunters are restricted to shorter ranges to maximize heart/lung hits on 3D animals like deer, bear, elk, turkey and wild boar. Whereas Compound shooters shoot at longer distances. But all of us must deal with one earthly constant. Gravity! Even a fast bow shooting 300 fps must deal with gravities downward pull of 32 fps per second.

These 3D shoots are excellent preparation for bowhunting and creating lifelong friendships with other like-minded bowhunters. The comradery on a 3D course can be the highlight of your day and a great way to introduce young hunters to archery and hunting.

Learning shooting and distance judging from those around you in these 3D shoots are vital in our quest to bow-hunt wild game – and place your arrow in the vital zone for a quick humane harvest.

Enjoy the Winter Outside!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2022

 

 

 

Ballistics for Elk: Ruger African 375 Ruger – Speer 235 grain Semi-Spitzer vs 260 grain AccuBond Spitzer

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These days, purchasing hand-loaded bullets for an Elk Hunt is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The .375 Ruger is a “one rifle for the world” kind of gun, and my Ruger African shoots more accurately than any rifle I own with a broad range of bullets.  I don’t have a 300 Win Mag rifle in my safe either, as the .375 covers it well.

 

Even some veteran hunting folks have a tough time mentally (fear) when they think of the heavy felt recoil from some so-called Magnum rifles, but with a state-of-the-art recoil pad that reduces the recoil up to 50%, they tame well.

It has been established, as a guide, that delivered energy to kill elk be in the neighborhood of 1500 ft-lbs. Here we easily exceed that terminal/delivered energy with the .375 Ruger.

I have two boxes of .375 bullets in my cupboard for hunting elk. I have Nosler 260 grain AccuBond bullets and Speer 235 grain Hot-Core semi-spitzer bullets seen below. I think both are good choices. But is one just a bit better?  Sure, I might try some other bullets before my hunt this next fall if they can be purchased,  but here is some data on these choices.

 

Both are sub-MOA accurate at 100 yards. My goal is to harvest a bull elk with ranges near 300 to 400 yards. The 260 grain Nosler AccuBond has a muzzle velocity of 2800+ fps and at 400 yards (7000 ft altitude).  Its terminal velocity on elk is 2178 fps and 400 yard energy is 2740 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. It drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero.

The Speer 235 grain Hot Core has a muzzle velocity of 3000 fps and at 400 yards its terminal velocity is 2064 fps and 400 yard energy is 2224 ft-lbs with a 90 degree wind deflection of 17 inches. I drops 16.5 inches with a 250 yard zero. Same drop and wind deflection as the Nosler.

The Ballistic data confirms that the Nosler AccuBond has 516 ft-lbs more terminal energy than the Speer bullet. At over 2700 ft-lbs of delivered energy the Nosler will easily open-up and mushroom yet still penetrate likely with a substantial exit wound on a broadside shot. I am a proponent of exit wounds for blood trailing.

Note: I did book an elk hunt and later cancelled after making several calls to many experts and doing a Satellite image review with Google Earth Pro. It was a featureless flat dessert landscape and I wanted more photogenic landscape with hills and trees for the many thousands of dollars it would cost.  I’ll keep looking.

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2021