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.

Hunting Broadhead Choice

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I recently read an article published in QDMA on broadhead choice. Read it here.

https://www.qdma.com/does-broadhead-choice-really-matter/

Today the use of mechanical broadheads is more widely accepted among many Compound Bow Hunters and work well as evidenced by the article. Many years back the mechanical broadheads sometimes failed to open or open all the way and consumed energy needed for penetration.

Mechanical designs are better today, however still consume energy to open and must be inspected as they age in your tackle box.

Traditional longbow and recurve hunters still like fixed blade cut-on-contact because it replicates what our early ancestors hunted with. And that includes making your own razor sharp arrowhead ( even stone arrowheads) and hunting with it where legal.

That said; Here in New Hampshire a bow must have a minimum of 40 lbs draw weight whether it is a compound or a stick bow.  It takes a bit more energy to puncture the hide and open the mechanical broadhead then does a cut on contact broadhead.  If that is true, and I believe it is, then when shooting a lower draw weight, I would be apt to shoot cut-on-contact traditional broadheads so that all the energy is used for penetration.

If all of us were shooting compound bows of a  draw weight to guarantee the opening of a mechanical head then it makes no difference as long as the cutting width of the blades are within the limits set by your state.  In New Hampshire the rules are no narrower than 7/8 inch or wider than 1 1/2 inches; See below.

http://www.eregulations.com/newhampshire/hunting/deer-hunting-regulations/

I still like traditional cut-on-contact heads as they are works of art too.

Good Hunting!

Recurve Bow and Broadhead Shot – Easy if you practice…

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I was shooting in an archery league indoors with a recurve recently.  I am a deer hunter. To many arrows and my shoulder gets sore but with spaced practice my shoulder is fine as evidenced here in my back yard with a broadhead. I stopped shooting in the club league and space my practice before my shoulder gets sore.  You should space your practice too and not overdo it if you are an older hunter. Leave the volume shooting for the younger crowd.

Here is a fresh recurve shot with broadhead taken today with a 2018 XX75 Easton shaft August 7, 2019.

 

Good Hunting!

Calling Bull Moose to Hunt

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I have called in several bull moose over the years. But the best way to call in a bull moose is to understand the reason for the vocalization and associated behavior. The cow calls the bull in to be bred when she is in estrous. Her vocalization is higher pitched and with some vibrato. Using a cone shaped device allows you to project your call further. Calls can be heard by other moose from long distances due to their excellent hearing. How far?  Perhaps over a mile or two on a quiet day, maybe more.

By making a cow call you are signaling to the bull that the time is now. Come and find me!

Now the bull has a deeper vocal and ends with a grunt sound. He is projecting his male voice to the cow and to other bulls that he is coming . This is a great video below for even veteran moose hunters.

By vocalizing the cow first then later a bull call the would-be bull detects another bull near a cow ready for mating. He comes to fight for his right to mate often swinging his antlers side to side to show off their size.

Scraping antlers or a dry shoulder blade, paddle or plastic bottle on a tree coupled with thrashing and breaking large branches says; If you come here I will fight! This in combination with vocalization and some cow estrus and bull urine are a sure bet to draw in a bull Moose if there is one nearby. Beware of your scent. If your bull catches your scent then it  may be game over and he is out-a-there. Some guides bring a towel soaked in bull urine to mask your human scent.

On my NH Moose hunt, several years back, I called in a large handsome bull with smaller antlers.

I began with some cow estrus scent spray downwind. Then vocalizes a bull and then a tending grunt like a whitetail and thrashed trees with a stick and broke the largest branches I could find.  The large bull came straight to me and my hunting friend. At 80 yards we whacked him with my 375 Ruger and a shot from my partners 308 Winchester. He went down fighting all the way to stay up. A round in the spine put him down for good.

My October hunt in Newfoundland with the same friend should be interesting as we get to hunt the prime rut. I am after a larger antlered Moose and delicious meat to take home. I will be guided one on one in the deep wilds of Newfoundland where there are hundreds of lakes and ponds to grow big bulls. I Hope!

Another video that is worth seeing is this one below.

Good Hunting!

August is for Archery and Bowhunting Prep

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As a former Bowhunting Educator for NHFG, August is a great time to sharpen your bow shooting skills. Three D archery is a great way to prep for bowhunting. See Granite State Archery for the 3D schedule. If you haven’t begun sharpening your archery shooting skills for hunting, now is the time. Bowhunter Education classes should be available from NH Fish and Game. You have just over a month to tune up as it were for early season whitetails.

I usually do not hit the woods with bow till October. Primary to preparation for hunting is to get your arms in shape and regularly shoot your bow. And working on your tree stand climbing skills for safety. Be sure that you use and know how to use your tree harness correctly so that you do not become a statistic. This is perhaps where most accidents occur, falling out of your tree stand.

I am not going to touch on arrow spine (stiffness) but with a heavier broadhead than your 100 or 125 grain field points you may need a stiffer hunting arrow, so be aware. There are 200 grain and heavier broadheads out there. I am shooting 2018 xx75 Easton aluminum shafts with a 45lb recurve. This shaft can handle my 100g Muzzy broadheads and even two blade head like the Zwickey’s with a helical feather fletch.  Most compound bow hunters are mixed when it comes to broadheads. Some love the mechanical heads, some love the cut on contact traditional heads. You must choose wisely.  Heavier draw weight bows can drive the mechanical heads to open more easily than lighter bows. I am a cut on contact hunter and like fixed blade styles. I took 100 grain 4 blade Muzzy heads to Africa and on an elk hunt as well as deer. I love the trocar tip because it in perfect alignment with the shaft and cuts on contact. Bad to the Bone, they say!  With a 72 pound compound I had pass thru’s on every hit.

 

 

This little 6 point came in to a fawn bleat here in New Hampshire a few years back. I love to hunt with both rifle and bow. Just remember August is for Archery!

Good Hunting!

© 2019

 

Nosler 375 for Moose 260 vs 300 grain AccuBond in a Ruger 375 Cartridge

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Frankly, a broadside heart lung shot on moose with either Nosler™ AccuBond™ bullet in 260 grain or 300 grain out of my 375 Ruger and its lights out.

ACCUBOND

From their website;

” Through an exclusive bonding process that eliminates voids in the bullet core, AccuBond® couples Nosler’s proven copper-alloy jacket with its special lead-alloy core. The result is a bullet that flies true, penetrates deep and retains its weight, without causing extensive barrel fouling” 

https://shop.nosler.com/nosler-bullets/accubond-nosler-bullet/accubond-375-caliber-300-grain-bullet-50ct.html

left is the 260 grain and 300 grain on right

 

I have killed a bull moose several years back with the 260 grain AccuBond. The bullet mushroomed perfectly and lost little in weight. I have not tested the 300 grain AccuBond on Game however I expect similar results on shots under 100 yards. So why bother?  The 260 grain has a Sectional Density of .264 and the 300 grain has an SD of .305. The difference is penetration of the 300 grain and will win hands down. So what makes Sectional Density so special? Read this article by Chuck Hawks at https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm

 

At long range past 200 yards or short range high sectional density provides proven penetration on really big game and can reach the vitals and even provide an exit wound thus leaving a blood trail.

Good Hunting!

 

Bog Pod Death Grip for prime rut Moose Hunting in Newfoundland

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The Bog Pod™ Death Grip™ is like having a “bench rest” in the field. This is the carbon fiber model. Yes it is a bit heavy at 7.5 lbs and perhaps little clunky to carry but once it is set up you are in good shape.  It retails for around $280. Not cheap but on a trophy hunt it fits the bill.

But more than that, the Death Grip vise holds my rifle allows me and my hands to be free.  In my case, i expect to use it to hold my 375 Ruger while calling a rut crazed Newfoundland Bull Moose into shooting range from say a half mile away.

The spongy tundra is tough enough to walk in and small European spruce call Tuckamore’s which are small, thick, and knarly. .Accordingly, seeing above and around the tuckamore’s with a tripod or bipod is likely a great help. The feet are rubber and a shaft is threaded through the rubber with a metal point if you need more than the rubber feet to hold the tripod steady.

The tilt and pan can be tightened so that you can hold on target.  I shot three rounds at 150 yards at a 40 inch long brown piece of cardboard with no target bullseye. Similar to the side of a moose, and placed all 3 shots within 6 inches in the lower 1/3rd of the target.

I believe a setup with the Death Grip for Moose is ideal because it can take time for a moose to respond and head your way. Leaving you to call with hands coned over your mouth while the Death Grip holds your rifle at the ready.

Good Hunting!

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Bought another Boat

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In case you are wondering why I have not written any articles in the past few weeks is because I have purchased a used boat, shown above. It is a 2012 Sea-Fox 16 ft with a 2012 50hp 4 stroke Mercury. I bought it for lakes and coastal ocean fishing and pleasure. I have had a 25 ft Tiara Pursuit previously and it was too much for me to handle alone.

Recently we put in at Cashmans Park in Newburyport and fished for mackerel as bait and striper fished near the mouth of the river.  I caught a small striper and tossed him back. The 50 horse is adequate and gas friendly. I hope to do more with family and get them away from phones and electronic gadgets and x-boxes. The boat came with a hummingbird GPS and fish/depth finder but did not come with the coastal chip card for the GPS part so I ordered the chip at a cost of $125 dollars. In the Merrimack River and for coastal excursions it is essential!  On return to my home we wash it down with fresh water and run the motor with a fresh water hose. More later…

 

 

Summertime Outdoors for Kids… A hope for the Future

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Children these days are not being educated as much as they are being indoctrinated in our left leaning public education system. In particular hunting and outdoor sports are often not in most teachers vocabulary and look down on it. Summertime and your time is now; for parents and grandparents to step up to the plate and dedicate fun time with your children outdoors. Camping, Hiking, Fishing and the introduction to the shooting sports are great ways to get kids away from the almighty X-Box.

I just purchase a 16 ft motor boat for fishing with them on the ocean and in our local lakes and ponds. I am determined to get them hooked on the value of Outdoor Life. I hope that you are too. Don’t forget involvement with Scouting and 4H opportunities. Both organizations are involved in summertime shooting sports.

 

Walking the String with Longbows and Recurves

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Recently I purchased recurves for my grandkids and a 45 pound recurve for me to play with them. No sights just the bare bow. I have spent years shooting bare bow but gravitated to the compound bow and rifle for longer distance hunting accuracy.

Shooting instinctive, barebow there are no sights but you can train yourself to see the sight picture as a gap that your brain can calibrate to. Point, draw/aim and shoot. As a youngster I learned to shoot split finger where the index finger was above the arrow knock and two fingers below. Drawing back the bow so my index finger touched the corner of my mouth as an anchor and then released. This worked ok but I found that shooting tight groups accurately helped to shoot three fingers under the arrow. As you can use the arrow to sight down it. With training you can be a great shot but it takes dedication.

I use a technique called “Walking the String” some call it Apache Draw, here you place your three fingers under the arrow, then use your thumb to mark where the split in the finger tab is. About an inch below the arrow. Draw the bow an  inch below the arrow, then use the arrow to sight the target. You can angle or cant the bow a bit if it feels and sights better. Secondly you can use a stance that is quartering toward the target with your feet a shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent and loose like a spring. Set your distances at 15, 20 and 30 yards and establish your form and accuracy at 15 yards then 20 etc.. I use helical 4 inch feather fletch arrows as I will later put broadheads on them.

Now practice, practice, and practice.

Good Shooting!

 

 

Moose Cartridge Caliber and Bullets – Updated

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Many articles later, the most popular Moose caliber I observe is the venerable, time tested 30-06 Springfield with 180 grain bullets on your average Moose for your average Moose hunter. Moose have been cleanly killed with cartridges of lesser energy but those kills were best taken broadside such as the 308 Win, .270 Win and 7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor are most common. Of course the Swede’s love the 6.5 – 55 Swedish Mauser but we aren’t in Sweden. We are in North America East in Newfoundland, Canada.

If you you-tube for bull moose kills with rifle, you will often see multiple shots taken and hits to the lung area too. Moose are hard to fall where the shot was taken.

Shot Placement – Top of Heart center Lungs as shown.

It is essential to shoot as accurately as possible. It is shot placement that kills Moose when coupled with adequate penetration and energy. Bullet construction should be such that when the bullet mushrooms and expands that it stays together as it penetrates. Bonded, Partition and All Copper style bullets are recommended. I am a fan of Nosler Bullets such as the E-Tip Solid Gilding Copper, AccuBond and Partition.

Bullet Energy – If you follow some Fish and Game recommendations used to be around 2500 ft lbs (recommended). I assumed delivered energy. Now some F & G officials suggest 2200 to 2500 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle however I believe this is very misleading as the shooter should know his energy limits when the bullet strikes the moose at longer ranges. In the case of elk, terminal energy is recommended at 1500 ft -lbs. Moose should be more like 1800-2000 ft lbs delivered or better with velocities around 2000fps.

The 30-06 is not ideal for the largest of Moose in all situations, particularly quartering away. Shoot a cartridge that gives you the most options. If you can handle larger calibers and recoil such as the 300 Win Mag or larger then you shot options increase dramatically. Do you have to? Of course not, you may have to wait to get closer or change the shot angle. A 30-06 180 grain bullet with a Muzzle velocity of 2600 fps delivers around 2000 ft-lbs at 200 yards. So that would be a suggested max range. 

My hunt outfitter says shots are 40 to 300 yards. At 300 yards a 180 grain 30-06 delivers around 1700 ft-lbs. A 300 win mag will deliver over 2000 ft lbs at that range.

Of course if you cant handle the recoil of big magnum rifles  and cant shoot them accurately, then don’t shoot them! Note: There are many recoil pads on the market today to cut recoil in half. So before shooting these heavy recoil rifles always do some homework on recoil management. You will be glad you did!!! Pachmayr makes the Decelerator™ one of my favorites for heavy recoil.

The 7mm Rem Mag and 7mm STW, 7mm Wby Mag 7mm RUM are great on the largest of 300 yard Bull Moose as is the The 28 Nosler (.284) which spits a 175 grain out at 3100 fps and can hit the 2500 ft-lb delivered energy at 450 yards. Wow!

The 8mm Rem Magnum with 180 grain bullets can reach to 300 yards near to 2500 ft-lbs delivered enegy. Nice!

Many 338 Mags below can throw a 225g bullet to 400 yards near 2500 ft-lbs. I shot the .338 Win Mag in Africa; 338 Win Mag, 340 Weatherby Mag, 338 Rem Ultra Mag, 338 Lapua Mag, 33 Nosler or the 338-378 Weatherby Mag all do a great job.

The .358’s such as the 350 Win Mag, 358  Norma Mag, and 358 STA -Shooting Times Alaska  all do that!  The 358 STA shoots a 225 grain bullet at 3000 fps out to 375 yards at just around 2500 ft-lbs.

My .375 Ruger or a .375 H&H hurles a 260 to 300 grain bullet to 300 yards with 2500 ft-lbs and the 300 grain bullet does so with a sectional density of .299 that rates highest in penetration. The .375 Ruger and .375 H&H are geared for Cape Buffalo or 1200 plus lb Bull Moose or a 2000 lb Bison. Alaskan Guides like the .375’s around Brown bear too.

My Newfoundland bull fell after the first shot with my 375 Ruger with 300 grain Nosler AccuBonds in less than 10 seconds. It was a quartering toward shot smashing the front shoulder, fully mushrooming, wrecking the lungs and piled up on the skin on the far side while still maintaining 80% of its weight. Note: I shot him in a snow squall in near whiteout conditions in a 20 mph wind in my face at 100 yards (wind chill below zero) .  His rack was small but a big body! I decide to take him as I did not want to hunt a full week in these conditions. My friend Oliver, on the left,( just turned 80 years old before the hunt) took a cow at 200 yards with his 7mm Rem  Mag. the next day. He too was not willing to hunt longer than he had to in these conditions.

The 45-70 does not meet the 300 yard criteria but a great close Moose killer for years.

The off-the-rounds in the .400 class are often designed strictly for dangerous African game and can be used on big Moose but are not necessary. Of course if you hand load then you can load the 458 Win Mag down to equal the 45-70. It is the same caliber. It’s your hunt! Have Fun!

Good Hunting!

© 2019 All Rights Reserved.