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.
I harvested three deer, a Trophy Buck and two does just several days ago. The meat was boned (due to NHFG CWD Reg’s) by a local Texas wild game processor and shipped via UPS and guaranteed to arrive in three days. There were 2 large boxes with insulation foam inserts that shipped with 113 lbs of unprocessed venison parts and sealed in vacuum bags with notations of parts such as hams, loins, back-straps etc.. Cost of three deer prep and ship was over $500. I could have risked a one week ground ship but the risk of loss was too great having made such a large investment in the first place. I share this with you, in case you must do this as well.
I hunted Texas because, my research found there was a high probability to see and harvest a mature 4 1/2 year old buck (on a 40 square mile “low fence” Cattle Ranch and Hunt run by Wildlife Systems, Inc.) with antlers that were fully developed. Yea Baby! My guide Pete, driving us in a 4 wheel ORV in some cases 10 to 15 miles off road around this wild cactus, juniper and mesquite like chaparral (part of the Edwards Plateau) to a blind in the pitch black of night or on an afternoon stand… we hit the trail hard.
It was adventure! And it paid off Big Time with this 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett buck of a lifetime! And two conservation does for the freezer. I have eight grandkids and friends who love my mouth watering venison creations.
Venison Arrived still partially frozen but thawed enough to begin processing.
My Kitchen Grinder set up with a LEM Grinder from Bass Pro.
The sanitary cutting boards, knives and sharpening stone.
I started with the larger hams by carving out major muscle groups and cutting larger muscle groups into steak and smaller muscles into tips, stew meat and for burger.
Below this meat is for venison burger using the LEM Grinder. I purchased a small amount of top round Angus beef roast with some fat to add to the burger as venison has very little.
Below are two back straps. The one I am pointing to has had the tough silver skin removed.
Below using a sharp knife this silver skin membrane is easily removed.
Let the LEM Grinder do the grinding. I used the rough (large hole) and finish (small hole) disc’s to create a nice burger. It is vital to have refrigeration was available throughout the process to keep the meat cold.
Below is half done for the burger. This container was mounded by the time I was done. I processed perhaps 35 lbs of burger. My wife and I had venison burgers for dinner. Wow! They were just delicious! OMG!
Next came the vacuum sealing in meal size portions. I date the seal-a-meal packing and note the contents. My wife and grand daughters helped to vacuum seal and freeze it. We can enjoy the Venison for the next year or two. I gave my two tween young grandsons and I a lunch of grilled back-strap and steaks with crispy browned potato medallions with some bacon fat and Olive Oil just moment ago. They inhaled it! The meat was exceptionally flavorful with wild “hints” that identify venison. I added a 5 minute marinade, a bit of Worcester Sauce, salt and fresh cracked pepper. The texture of the meat was delightful. I got my grill up to 400º F before putting the meat on. I seared each side leaving the meat rare to medium rare.
I was gonna take a picture of the lunch but since it was hot off the grill we ate it straight away. Sorry maybe a photo at a later meal. 🙂
Today November 13th, 2018 and it is pouring cold rain outside here in New Hampshire. What a great way to warm up with grilled venison and fried potato medallions.
This nostalgic article comes as a retrospective of my Texas Whitetail Hunt where shots are limited 150 yards or often 90 to 100 yards. I was missing my big bore super accurate .375 Ruger with reduced loads.
On that hunt a larger caliber and slower bullet is not necessarily bad, as my 50 cal TC Muzzleloader can attest. But I needed to special order powder and primers to ship ahead. If your shot distances are short, accurate big bore round nose or even flat point should be an option to consider such as a 30-06 or 300 win mag or larger to hammer one down as long as you can shoot it accurately. It just so happens that I own a .375 Ruger that shoots 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards and have taken Red Deer. It is my Hammer when I need one and It was missed.
Bull Moose
American Bison
A full power 300 grain bullet with a full power load out of the .375 is way more than you need producing over 4000 ft-lbs at the muzzle unless you have a Cape Buffalo staring at you with malice, it is not necessary. However a reduced hand load from my loading bench is just the ticket for A Big Bore Hammer when you need one to drop’em where they stand.
Checking my inventory of rifles the .375 Ruger is staring me in the face. Yes my 30-06 is also a great choice with 180 grain bullets such as the Nosler Partition Protected Point.
In retrospect, personally, I have done exhaustive testing with the .375 Ruger years back with reduced loads and worked up loads that were potent for Whitetails and accurate as all get out. I used Speer Hot-Cor™ in 235 grain back in 2014. You can’t get these heads right now. I have two boxes but there are other choices as you will see.
Through the Chronograph they exit the barrel at around 2200 fps (energy for deer needs at least 1000 ft-lbs). Trajectory and energy are as follows and near to my 50 cal Muzzleloader:
Yards Energy ft-lb Drop
75 2128 0.3
100 2002 0.0
125 1881 -0.9
150 1767 -2.4
The Barnes Bullet in 235 grain TSX is another great option. See reduced load data at website below.
A 300 grain TSX with 45 g 5744 will produce a MV of 2000 fps with a ME of 2664 ft lbs and a recoil of 22 ft-lbs.
Accordingly the table looks like this for the 300 grain TSX head that opens up like a buzz saw in .375 size.
Yards Muz Energy Drop
75 2275 0.5
100 2151 0.0
125 2033 -1.1
150 1921 -3.0
The .375 Ruger cartridge is so versatile in the appropriate rifle can cleanly kill any game on the planet provided good shot placement. My friend Larry Weishuhn is a .375 Ruger believer and he owns one too. A one rifle for the world kind of gun we say. By hand loading, it can shoot exactly the same as the .38-55 and the .375 Winchester for deer or bear or beefed up can equal or better the .375 H&H Magnum for Brown Bear, Cape Buffalo or Elephant. For those considering Alaska as a hunt destination in your lifetime. I would consider a 375 Ruger Rifle on the future purchase list especially if you hand load.
The 150 grains of Pyrodex and 295 grain Powerbelt out of my Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter 50 Cal and Gold Ring Leupold VX-3 2-8x36mm took out the center of the practice target at 100 yards.
On this trophy 11 Point Texas Whitetail the 50 cal was like a lightning bolt. He fell stone cold, his legs up for dressing. If you look you can see the exit wound above the right G2 antler. Since the Powerbelt tip hid a hollow point underneath, it mushroomed in a huge way and left a quarter size exit wound. The only problem was I had to ship my powder and primers to the outfitter and could not take the leftovers home.
The TC Encore has a special recoil absorbing stock and butt pad. Thus allowing the hunter to focus on the shot rather than the recoil.
Since I only had one shot, I had to make it count.
Energy delivered was over 1600 ft-lbs at 80 yards. Enough for Elk and even Moose with good shot placement out to 150 yards. This model is a convertible, thus allowing many other calibers and barrels to fit. In fact I used a 30-06 barrel for my Russian boar hunt last year, see below.
Just like the buck…one shot, one kill.
The 30-06 is great medicine as this boar can attest. I may experiment with some round nose bullets in Creedmoor too. Hornady makes a 160 grain interlock for the 6.5 and there are videos on 300 lb pigs, all with exit wounds.
One of the things that my guides at Wildlife Systems said is that you don’t want to be trailing a mortally wounded deer very far of the trail as there is nasty prickly pear and barbed Christmas cactus out there that can ruin your day. And of course the ubiquitous Rattle Snake.
Better to drop them right there if possible.
On this hunt, none of us really needed a spitzer bullet as our shots were within 150 yards. I’m thinking Hornady 160 grain round nose 6.5mm for next year. Or 180 grain round nose in 30-06.
My hunt began with an email this summer from Greg Simons, General Manager and Principal of Wildlife Systems, Inc. of Texas as an invitation. https://wildlifesystems.com/our-staff.html
The hunt was to be for a small group of hunters who were interested in a hunt with Larry Weishuhn otherwise known as “Mr. Whitetail” . I have read some of Larry’s books and seen his many of his video’s for more than a decade. I jumped at the opportunity because if Larry – Mr. Whitetail likes it, then it must be good. Below he and I are in a rattle off. He won of course! What Fun!
The price was right for a low fence wild trophy hunt and it was on my bucket list for several reasons. The most important reason is that Texas has some of the largest racked deer in the world. I was already looking for a Texas Hunt! Yea, Saskatchewan and Alberta bucks are bigger bodied but not necessarily in antlers. Over the years I gleaned great respect for Larry because he was just as jeeped up about deer hunting as I was and shared that “spark of life” enthusiasm with his family and friends that hunting can bring. He is truly a hunters friend.
We only had 3 1/2 days to take a mature trophy animal of our choosing. I thought that the days to hunt was a bit short but I was proved wrong as the hunt unfolded.
As in all hunts, we fired our rifles to check our 100 yard zero that afternoon before the hunt. Below, J. D. a retired College Professor and part of my hunt team, sighted his 7mm Rem Mag in.
My Weatherby Vanguard, with Nosler 129 grain AccuBond Long Range bullets, was dead on. My back up rifle was my TC Encore 50 Cal Muzzleloader and I shot that too with 100 grains Pyrodex and 300 grain Powerbelt bullets. The shot was off dead center by a whole inch. Nice! But as I shared a long shot of 150 yards would produce insufficient energy. Larry encouraged another shot with 150 grains of Pyrodex to see where it might hit. I agreed, and said with a smile; “Yea Larry you just want to see this cannon beat my shoulder up”. Yup,he replied with a Texas drawl, and with a big grin,something like “Should be real fun” as I recall.
Stoking the TC with three Pyrodex pellets and another 300 grain Powerbelt I let the TC Encore (smoke-pole) rip. Boom…!When the smoke cleared the 50 cal bullet took out the black 1 inch square we were supposed to aim at. “Guess we will need a new target”, I offered. Dead silence for a moment among other hunters and Larry was a big thumbs up on the 150 grains of Pyrodex. They were impressed, I guessed. Me too!
I was encouraged to use that instead of the Weatherby 6.5 but I said only if it really becomes necessary. The 6.5 Creedmoor is one of the most accurate, high delivered energy, mild recoil hunting cartridges in the world. Nosler provides an excellent range of 6.5mm bullets to use.
My Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard was topped with a Leupold Gold Ring VX-6 3-18x44mm (not HD) zoom lens. One of the finest quality variable zoom scopes on planet earth. I tested it and I love it. https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-6hd-3-18x44mm
Check out the dozen or so articles here in my magazine on the VX-6 (type in VX-6 in the SEARCH BOX). The Weatherby is a trusty rifle with synthetic stock. The Weatherguard coating is almost impervious to rain and rust. Priced in the $600 range it is a real bargain! The Leupold VX-6 is worth two rifles.
Pete my guide used 4 wheel/ 4 passenger ORV’s to go from stand to stand sometimes traveling up to 15 miles to get to a far away box blind (many were elevated) . We got lots of 4×4 passenger time! Lots, driving perhaps over 100 miles of Texas wilds in total.
I was seeing so many deer and 10 or so 8-point bucks on my first day but no mature 4.5 year old shooters yet. Day 2 morning stand I was dropped off solo, to shoot from my own blind while Pete spent the morning with JD my hunt partner for the trip. I was observing a nice typical 8 point with chocolate palmated antlers below. I guessed him at 3.5 years old. He needed another year, so I passed on him.
That afternoon I hunted with Pete. Pete was excellent to have as my guide, younger and full energy and muscle. When Pete spoke I listened closely. We sat in a box blind that was slow to have animals show up to the feeder. It throws corn out to 10 or 20 yards when it goes off only once. I am not a box blind sort of hunter per se, but in these circumstances it was essential because the deer were so spread out across the 40 square miles. I acquiesced and later thanked these blinds for a measure of safety if I had to stay in one for overnight in Texas wilderness. I did not see any rattle snakes but some were seen by a family that lived nearby!
Back to the Hunt…An 8 point came in but we noticed he was always looking over his shoulder in an nervous sort of way. We guessed that there was a larger buck out there that he did not want to tangle with. Later on near dusk, my jaw dropped when this high-long-tined 10 point came out. Holy mackerel, “I want that one” I said excitedly to Pete, reaching for the Weatherby. My heart was racing, and adrenaline was kicking me hard. I got the rifle set up on a “Bogpod” and took the shot at 100 yards. A gimme shot from a bench but add in a adrenaline soaked shooter (me) that had never seen a rack like that in his entire life. I missed! You what! Yep, I missed. Oh No! The buck of my lifetime and I missed! The buck nervously turned to look back where the shot had come from. He gave us the caboose and walked quickly off. His gait as he walked away showed no signs of injury. Still, we needed to be sure he was ok and went to look for blood and hair. Part of Pete’s job is to ensure a real miss, and that the animal was not wounded, so he got right down on his hands and knees and looked for hair or blood spatter. Finding none Pete declared a complete miss.
Well, I lamented, “if I am gonna miss, then miss clean, I said. Nothing worse than a wounding or losing a deer. I was just kicking myself for not controlling the buckets of adrenaline washing over me. But that is what drives me to hunt, I love the excitement of the hunt. If I had no adrenaline, I’d just as soon stop hunting. Even the best of hunters miss now and again, that’s why they call it hunting and not getting!
As a result of the miss, I was concerned that we may have inadvertently banged the scope out of whack in the many miles we had it in the 4×4. Accordingly, I could not shoot it in the morning as we were on the trail to the next hunt stand at 5 am before light. Larry agreed, “Take the 50 cal Ed”
I was forced by the circumstances to take the TC Encore 50 Cal out as my backup. The TC sported a Gold Ring Leupold VX-3 2-8x36mm and, as I said earlier, it shoots well.
At dinner that night everyone said, “It happens” that’s why they call it hunting!
The Camp Cook, Richard and I hit it off well. He said these things happen for a reason. Ed, he said, “I have a good feeling about your hunt in the morning” ! I was undaunted as well, another shot will present itself, I thought firmly.
I said a prayer of thanksgiving just to be here on such a great hunt.
The morning, still dark save for Moonlight, was clear. Above my head I could see the constellation known as the Big Dipper (Ursa Major – Big Bear) to the right and “Orion the Hunter” directly above me. A good sign! My father, a hunter too, taught me about the American Indian where young braves who were challenged to look at the middle star in the arm of the Big Dipper as a test to see the double star we call Mizar that was with it. That second star was easily visible.
I sat in silence at 6 AM awaiting the dawn in the glow of the “day old” full Moon. The local population of Mocking birds, like a barn yard roosters, began chatting and chirping about 7:15 AM announcing morning has broken. Light began to intensify with each passing second as the skyline went from purple orange to blue. I used my Vortex 10x binoculars to see what was gathering at the feeder, they worked great. I could only see shadows for a while that were deer but never identify buck or doe. I waited till there was enough light near 8am to see antlers. There was one very large deer with its tail facing me. It was directly under the feeder. As other deer approached, the big deer would lurch at them. The other deer gave wide birth…. The light was sufficient to see it was a buck and antler tips but he was still feeding with his back side to me. Suddenly he lifted his head. Oh My God! I saw so many points on just one side that said “Shoot em” to me. But I was skeptical, I needed more convincing as QDMA training teaches that it is the body that says age not the antlers necessarily, wanting to see his neck and body too. In a few moments he had turned to his right side. His body was large and dark, his neck was not at all slender and it had no curve but full and chunky. Just a straight line from his jaw to his chest. And he was bossy to other deer. That was all the convincing I needed, a real mature deer of 4 1/2 or older, I said to myself.
I had the TC Encore on the shooting sill and put my Leupold VX-3 crosshairs on him. I cranked up the power to see a symmetrical rack of at least 10 points with nice brow tines. In that moment I did not hesitate to pull the hammer back. My heart was thumping but I was much calmer as I put the crosshairs just behind his shoulder. This TC Encore had a trigger job by Mike Bellm (https://www.bellmtcs.com/) and set at 3 lbs pull. Very sweet!
As the Gold Ring Leupold VX-3 crosshairs settled just behind his shoulder, the rifle bucked rearward. I did not feel the recoil as I was so focused on the shot. White smoke belched out obscuring the deer for a several seconds. Even the ground was eerily oozing smoke among the flora. The buck was down, right there! See below.
I kept the scope on him and looked for movement, seeing none I still hesitated to take my eyes off him so I remained on him observing with the scope. I would normally reload but I wanted to stay in visual contact as the buck laid very still and wanted to keep it that way.
After a few minutes I was convinced he was hit very hard and at that point I reloaded and stayed in the blind with the rifle still on him. A Red Angus Cow and calf came over to see the buck lay ever so still. It was at that point that I shouted Yahoo! I eased out of the blind and toward the buck and the cow and calf took the cue to leave.
As I approached, the antlers kept getting larger and the points more numerous. I counted 11 points in utter amazement. This buck was even bigger than the one I missed. Guides saw him smaller last year and in a different place on the ranch. So this was unexpected that he showed up here.
There is a red spot on his shoulder, that was the exit wound from the 300 grain Powerbelt. His feet are already up in the air ready for dressing. This guy was massive for a Texas deer. Pete came over in the 4×4 with JD to see what I shot at. Grinning a big grin I said to Pete, “Got a Crane?, Your gonna need it.”) He said, “Yea we can handle that”. They drove the 4×4 80 yards to the buck. Wow! Nice Buck! And so fat! JD came over and shook my hand. Congratulations Ed! I was thinking this was THE buck of my lifetime. I was just elated beyond words. The guides scored him at 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett Points. I am just speechless!
I had two doe tags to fill so I retested the Weatherby Vanguard and Leupold VX-6 and it was fine. It was my excitement that caused the original miss the other day. So the next morning after some great backslapping I headed to a stand for taking the two does. As luck would have it I saw two does that morning and took both with the 6.5 Creedmoor Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard getting full penetration with the Nosler 129 grain ABLR. I tagged out!
In 3.5 days I saw at stands, in range, thirty 8-point bucks and five mature 8 and 10 point bucks including the one I took.
I was just lucky to shoot the best of them. Thirty five big bucks in 3.5 days. I am shipping meat back via ground transport. More soon when the meat arrives. I have Wildlife Systems handling the Trophy mount for me. I think I am going again! Check out the Wildlife Systems website at the beginning of this article if you are interested in a hunt. Happy Trails…
On and off camera he has a natural leadership style as a Whitetail aficionado that I look up to. On this hunt, Larry was the frosting on the cake as it were. His stories and hunt experience extended beyond US and Canada to Africa, Europe, and Australia. The hunters we had in camp (just west of San Angelo, Texas on the Edwards Plateau) were veteran hunters and a few of those in camp were also fortunate to be able to hunt around the world. We were all eager to listen and become intertwined in his memories. Larry and I became great friends! Larry is writing another book so look for it. I am hoping to get a signed copy.
Camp Cook – Richard T. Berry
Also in camp was Richard T. Berry, of Broken Spoke Cattle Company. He is also an Auctioneer- Sales Consultant Professional Guide and Outfitter and the greatest Camp Cook I have ever had the privilege to meet and eat the food he created. Richard and I became great friends as well. He is easy going and very helpful. Richard has a massive Canadian buck to his credit that scored over 200 Boone and Crockett points. Richard is writing a venison cook book which I hope to purchase as well. I gave him my copy of a Venison Cook book “Buck Buck Moose” by Hank Shaw! It is a fine Venison Cookbook too.
Many have come to realize that they can’t pack their hunting closet with them. Strategic decisions need to be made. What to take and what to leave! I am not providing a what to take list here. Just some thoughts that you may resonate with. Take into account foreseeable weather such as rain, snow, cold or hot. Layering is essential. If there is no way to wash clothes, perhaps taking the right scent killer products with you instead of more clothes is the better way. Silver- Carbon and Ozone makers are my main friends as both kill bacteria and reduce odor from them. Testaments to both are found on-line. I have a good set of Vortex binoculars and a very powerful rifle scope, a Leupold Gold Ring VX-6 3-18x44mm. Can you say Zoom! My pride and joy, lifetime guaranteed! If I can’t count points and “age” a buck at 18x then I am in trouble. Yes, if I were scouting first then I’d take the spotting scope but my scouting is very limited on this short trip. I must depend on my outfitter to put me in deer central where the big bucks wander. I am taking two rifles, my Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in 6.5 Creedmoor and my Thompson Center 50 Cal Encore Muzzleloader which sports a Leupold VX-3 Gold Ring 2-8x36mm.
I had the 50 cal powder pellets and primers shipped ahead to my destination as they are not allowed in any airline baggage.
I will be carrying three bags, a black carry on backpack for my cameras, a dop kit and a venison cook book to read (“Buck Buck Moose”, a take off of Duck Duck Goose), my 2 gun hard case and ammo (40lbs) with locks and a duffle like suitcase with wheels for my clothes(40 lbs) the back pack is just small enough to be a carry-on.
My biggest concerns in the field are hydration and bathing my throat to prevent dry cough. I will put a few granny smith apples in the duffel to slice later. On stand, I like to take a slice of apple and put it in my cheeks. the tart pectin works great to keep my dry throat at bay and doesn’t spook game.
I walk about 5 miles a day so I am in shape for this kind of hunt, I just can’t run up and down mountains like I used to, unless I desire to really get in shape for a mountain hunt. My eyesight for distant objects is better than 20/20. I can still see a single pine needle at 100 yards and pop 8 inch balloons at 1000 yards.
My comfort level with my Nosler ammo is outstanding as I hand loaded most of it or have some custom ammo. I loaded Nosler Ammo for my African Safari too years back. Nosler is my go to bullet. I am shooting both the 129 Nosler ABLR and the 140 grain AccuBond Custom. Both hit the bullseye at 100 yards without any adjustment. The TC Encore muzzle loader is a fine tuned all weather smoke-belcher that kicks a 300 grain Powerbelt down range with great accuracy.
I have two knives with me. A tiny folding pocket blade, and my self made Damascus Skinner.
I will be wearing a body camera at some points on the hunt and have three movie camera’s if I can get them set up in the dark. Speaking of dark, I have a headlamp and a back up hand held light to get to my stand. Most veteran hunters know that headlamps are the way to go my friends as they are hands free. Ok time to relax and wait for my pick-up to the airport.
See you on the back side in a week with some photos and the Hunt story…
At New Hampshire Rifleman we have written over 30 articles since April of 2015, extolling the virtues of the 6.5 Creedmoor as both a world class hunting cartridge and a competitive long range target cartridge that is great on barrel life, less recoil, more accurate and delivers deep often full penetration on big game with Sectional Densities of .280 and .290 at long ranges of 600 yards and over. It crosses the CXP2 and CXP3 boundary for game classification it can handle. I am going to hunt Texas Whitetails (CXP2) with it next week in a Weatherby Vanguard topped with a Leupold VX-6 3x18x44mm with Nosler AB’s.
Guess the Military looked at the Creedmoor too!
Late this past year US Special Operations Command tested the 7.62 Nato Round against the 6.5 Creedmoor and the.260 Remington. Both the .260 Remington(6.5mm) and the 6.5 Creedmoor outshot the 7.62 Nato round. SoCOMM determined that the 6.5 Creedmoor shot the best according to Wikipedia below.
“In October 2017, U.S. Special Operations Command tested the performance of 7.62×51mm NATO, .260 Remington, and 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridges out of SR-25, M110A1, and Mk 20 sniper rifles. SOCOM determined that 6.5 Creedmoor performed the best, doubling hit probability at 1,000 m (1,094 yd), increasing effective range by nearly half, reducing wind drift by a third and having less recoil than 7.62×51mm NATO rounds. Tests showed the .260 Remington and 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridges were similarly accurate and reliable and the external ballistic behavior was also very similar. The prevailing attitude is that there was more room with the 6.5mm Creedmoor to further develop projectiles and loads.[27] Because the two cartridges have similar dimensions, the same magazines can be used and a rifle can be converted with a barrel change. This led to its adoption and fielding by special operations snipers to replace the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge in their semi-automatic sniper rifles, planned in early 2019. In response to SOCOM’s adoption, the Department of Homeland Security also decided to adopt the round.”
I have had good penetration, expansion, and wound channels with Power Belt copper coated lead bullets at moderate hunt ranges of 50 yards. I shoot them because they are cost effective, accurate and very easy to load and reload. So I have a dozen of these already in my possibles bag. The Aerotip aids in holding kinetic energy at longer ranges. But what about 100 to 150 yards with 100 grains of Pyrodex? Good Question!
First off, with 100 grains of powder I am getting 2 inch groups at 100 yards with my 26 inch TC Encore Rifle. Nice! But the energy is only 1100 ft lbs. Not so Good for penetration as the bullet mushrooms quite wide! At 75 yards it is 1200 ft-lbs. Better! Power Belt provides bullet energy and drop tables below so you know what kind of penetration and knock down power you are delivering.
At 150 yards with 100 grains Pyrodex this bullet energy is under 1000 ft-lbs. That is not acceptable at all to me. Research on the web tells me that long shots over 100 yards do not produce a consistent exit wound with 100 grains powder thus I will need more powder. Exit wounds provide an excellent blood trail necessary for a fast recovery. If I am using powder pellets, use three 50 grain pellets under your 295 grain head and be more confident of an exit wound with over 1200 ft-lbs at 150 yards. I should get a big exit wound. At 100 yards with 150 grains powder your talking 1500 ft-lbs. Great for elk!
Having said the word “elk” I would go to the Platinum 338 grain Aerotip on the table for a 26 inch barrel and shoot 150 grains Pyrodex out to 200 yards and still have nearly 1500 ft-lbs. Of course if I were to buy new heads, this looks better to me in hindsight but I am very happy with the 295 grain heads with 150 grains Pyrodex for this season at longer ranges.
The benefits of the 6.5 Creedmoor over other 6.5’s are many for the average and advanced hunter. When is a deer or elk, bear or moose dead? Answer: When a bullet with sufficient energy is placed accurately in the heart lung area. Most all 6.5’s vary in recoil.
Recoil is the most accuracy losing attribute of any rifle thus shoot the least recoiling rifle that sufficiently gets the job done is paramount across a wide range of shooting/hunting folks.
Having said that, the 6.5 Creedmoor is one of the finest hunting/target cartridges in the world and you could never go wrong to own a rifle chambered for it. I own one in a Weatherby and I am elated with it!
The 6.5 Creedmoor has;
Has sufficient proven energy to harvest all CXP 3 game up to Moose.
Sectional Density is best in class e.g 142 grain has SD above .280 to meet CXP3 criteria.
The bullets buck the wind and cuts the air like a razor!
Harvests ( one shot kills) proven on deer and elk at long ranges e.g. 600 yards.
Has world class accuracy winning F-Class Competition for repetitive shooting.
Readily available over the counter ammo in USA.
Has 120, 130 and 140 grain bullets available from many cartridge/bullet mfg.
Due to reduced recoil can be shot in a lighter mountain rifles for ease of carry.
Scopes can be moved closer to the eye for higher magnification due to reduced recoil. The 6.5 Creedmoor with low recoil is more accurate for all shooters of most hunting ages and genders.
Easy to cost effective hand load.
Easy on barrel life.
Rifles are often less than 7 lbs, thus easy to carry
Full penetration and exit wound is a hallmark of the 6.5 Creedmoor due to superior SD.
Great for varmints too out to 1000 yards or more!
For all these reasons, accuracy, reduced recoil, delivered kinetic energy with high SD, I am not going to jump on other bandwagons to get a cleaner harvest of game in woods and fields and excels at long range hunting big game and even varmints.
If you are in the market for a great all around “knock’em dead” low recoil rifle/cartridge for your gun safe, look for the 6.5 Creedmoor in your favorite rifle brand.
Hunter Scent Elimination products are a billion dollar business. Soap, Laundry Detergent, Scent Eliminating Sprays and Electronic gadgets that get rid of scent.
If the product is manufactured, researched, field tested and marketed correctly, the business is going to rake in big financial rewards.
My friend Larry Weishuhn, many know as Mr. Whitetail, is a believer in Electronic Ozone Products to eliminate odor in clothes and in the field. He says, its the only thing that really worked for him. My research finds that some of these Ozone producing products can be expensive like $300 dollars. BUT! There are smaller portable devices that can cost 1/10th of that. I have a Bone-View Portable Ozone maker that i will be testing out. And Larry is testing one from Ozonic’s
I am a strong believer in scent elimination especially when you are trying to match wits with a mature whitetail buck. I am spending some big dollars on this hunt so spending some of it on scent elimination is vital if you are still hunting or rattling. There is no excuse for clean scent free clothes anyway but often we find that some clothes like hats and leather gloves can’t be washed without destroying them. Ozone, Larry says is the answer, and I believe him. But it is not a magic potion nor a be all end all. You have to watch the wind, stay clean as possible and use your common sense.
Years ago as a young bowhunter, I would wash my clothes without phosphates, and use UV killers and still do, so I dont glow in the dark.
I used pine and cedar with my hunt clothes. Sprayed them with Earth Scents. I often shower with scent elimination soap and hair wash. They all work to a degree. Even Baking Soda is a wise choice to have in your camo clothes pack. A higher PH reduces bacterial growth. I will shower with it and put it on my clothes.
Many today are using carbon clothing and even microbial Silver spray. I have some to use on this hunt too.
I will have some inexpensive breath elimination products too like hydrogen peroxide. I have a dry throat so I carry tart apples with me. I bite a chunk and put it in my cheek. It works the nuts!
I can’t make product recommendations at this time but when I get back!
If you are going on a high dollar value hunt it just makes Scents! Pun Intended.
I was in search of New Hampshire Rut Data. I believed based on my years hunting NH that the peak of the Rut was mid to late November and I was right on but this article by New Hampshire’s Deer Biologist Dan Bergeron was a delight to find and read. And you can subscribe to NH Wildlife Journal.
