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Author Archives: Ed Hale
Time To Begin Reloading
I have been reloading for pistol and rifle cartridges for hunting and target for over 40 years. It is time perhaps to enrich your inner self and reload. It’s fun and saves money too…in the long run.
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Master Single Stage Press Kit
My African safari hunt utilized all my custom handloads.
Not only have I saved thousands of dollars over the years but customized loads to accurize my guns. I started with this RCBS kit above. At just over $500 dollars, you also need cartridge dies, powders, primers bullets and brass.
Midway USA sells all you need.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1023389781?pid=345426
Check it out!
Hunting Bullet Campfire Talk and a Ballistic Gel Test – Update
Bullet Speed/Hydrostatic Shock – Bullet Shape Mushroom – Penetration – Impact Location and often exit wound all play a part in a swift ethical game harvest. Below, soft lead bonded spitzer mushroom left, solid copper with broken mushroom, right.
Ballistic Gel Test
Below a Ballistic Gel Test I did in 2021 Hammer Hunter copper vs Nosler Accubond Long Range
Ballistic Gel 6.5 Creedmoor Test Nosler 129g ABLR vs Hammer Hunter Copper 124g
Copper hollow point bullets do mushroom as much or more than the lead core. I find cleaning my barrel with soft pure copper is not fun. Newer copper bullets made on a lath are better as tolerances are much tighter.
A Master bear guide recently told me that one of his hunters always brought a .375 H&H Magnum on black bear bait hunts. The hunter was getting full penetration and a small exit wound at 50 yards but the exit wound exhibited little or no blood to trail. Shots were to the heart lung area too.
The hunter was shooting a spitzer shape pointed bullet we commonly purchase on store shelves. I do not know the brand or type.
Spitzers in the past have been designed ideally for longer shots often past 200 to 300 yards. Some recent spitzer designs do open/mushroom faster than others.
Accordingly, use a bullet type for the kind of game you will hunt. A round or flat nose bullet is already in a partial mushroom shape and shot at short range, you will get a better mushroom at the start or shoot a soft nose spitzer which mushrooms quickly. Except most round nose are not loaded in a cartridge for sale, instead manufacturers try to design spitzers for close range too and may mushroom better, like bonded and Partition bullets
But you know, experience is the tell all. I am a Nosler fan!
Good Hunting!
Nosler 7mm Bullets on Short Range Maine Black Bear – Update
I have successfully used Nosler Accubond bullets on bull moose and bison out of my .375 Ruger.
But I have not used the AccuBond Long Range (ABLR) bullet on big game yet. I have plenty of 7mm 175g Nosler ABLR’s left from my Newfoundland moose hunt last year. Note: Since, I was staying in Newfoundland for 6 weeks, Canada would not let me enter with my Browning 7mm rifle unless I was headed directly to my hunt.
Hopefully,that will soon to change this fall on my Foggy Mountain Maine bear hunt this September.
The AccuBond ABLR is designed to expand faster than the AccuBond. But will the bullet mushroom “too much” in my 7mm Rem Mag 175g ABLR at say 50 to 75 yards?
UPDATE
Discussion with Nosler says the Nosler Partition will have more weight retention and will mushroom nicely at close range. Accordingly, my Nosler friends are sending some Nosler 160g Partitions for my bear hunt. See the video below.
The biggest complaint from black bear guides is the difficulty of producing a good blood trail, with fat and hair plugging the hole, from smaller diameter bullets. Bears run till death, that may mean hundreds of yards and little blood. I am hoping for a large exit wound for blood trailing.
Fast game recovery means better meat quality!
Good Hunting!
Bear Bait Style Hunt Mistakes : Rifle or CrossBow – Decision Time
Photo Courtesy Wikipedia
This fall I am hunting bears that have been hunted before, my research indicates that, in particular, older larger bears are very reluctant to come to bait in daylight. Sometimes letting smaller bears go first to test the water as it were.
This reluctance is very likely because of mistakes we hunters make year over year. We are in fact teaching older bears how to avoid certain bait stands.
That said; This September, I will hunt with rifle from a further away ground stand or treestand site.
There are many more shot opportunities with rifle than bow.
And I’m not getting any younger.
On caliber, my master guide tells me that big bore fast 3000 fps rifle bullets from say 375 H&H exit but with a small hole and lack of mushroom. Many say slower big bore like the 45-70 are better.
Said, my 7mm Rem Mag was a better choice of rifles I own. The bullet will really mushroom and create a larger exit hole for blood trailing.
Ok! So what are some of our mistakes?
Not watching the wind. Say, you find the wind blows from your stand to your bait? Skip that bait hunt site till the wind shifts away. Else big bruins wont be coming.
Not washing yourself and hair (even mouth) or clothes before the hunt.
Clothes have collected camp scents like campfire smoke or cigarette/cigar smoke.
Clean Boots – Inside the boot too.
Not Wearing Mosquito netting.
Break up your facial outline. Use camo and a face mask.
Hunting too close to your bait.
Coughing or making noise in your tree or ground stand. A real no no. Quiet that cough!!
Fast movement of head or hands. Like swatting mosquitoes.
Big bears circle and wind the site.
Metal on metal clink sounds.
Eliminate these mistakes and you will greatly increase your chances of bigger bear showing themselves.
I noted earlier, in retrospect that big bears will let little bears enter a bait site first. Another tip off.
Secondly, smaller bears tend to watch their backtrail often due to a larger bear. That’s a tip off…
Thirdly, Big bears sometimes approach and circle from behind to the tree stand first and give it a good sniff before heading to bait.
Good Hunting!
New Conceal Carry Pistol- Kimber Micro 9 Rapide – Update
I have on occasion worn my pistols as conceal carry locally, but most are too bulky, too heavy for everyday conceal carry. My big requirements; weight, reliability, safety, and trigger pull/design and accuracy were utmost in my mind.
I looked at many small conceal carry pistols. Gotta have a safety lever, light in weight, yet sturdy as all get-out. I bought the USA Made Kimber Micro 9 Rapide in 9mm (7shot) pictured below with my computer mouse. It has a 3.15 inch barrel and weighs just under a pound empty. Nice!
It is basically a Micro 1911. It has an ambidextrous butterfly safety on each side. The clips have a finger hook for a firm grip.
Below is my first 10 yard 115g UMC Remington groups right out of the box.
My right/left group was excellent. I moved the point-of-aim higher and a bit lower as they vertically string . Trigger pull was clean and guess to 6 or 7 pounds.
April 22,2024, below a 4 shot Winchester 147g Hollow Points at 10 yards. Love the night sights. Recoil with 147g JHP was manageable given such a small pocket pistol.
Unfortunately it only comes with one clip. What? Ok, I bought an extra clip.
Disassembly/reassembly video
Basic cost, $909.00.
Yes, that’s a lot, but l think it is worth it. There are a dozen color versions of the Kimber Micro 9.
So far, it filled all of my requirements and it wears well with a sticky™ pocket holster. There it is, Invisible, in my pocket. The sticky holster holds itself in my pocket when I draw.
Be Safe Out There!
© Copyright 2024
Wind Industry Forced On Fisherman and America
Liars figure when figures lie.
Biden Administration has a goal of 30GW by Offshore Wind by 2030. That’s just 6 years away!
And as long as Biden is President, nothing will stop him, whales or fish and fishermen be damned. “We The People” have no say?
He is, in-fact forcing “big government” on “We The People.”
When Biden says he is saving Democracy, he is lying to you , straight-up.as does CNN, MSNBC, et al. Biden is a Global Socialist.
Once Biden’s ocean damage is done, it will forever change sealife, and fisherman and even beachgoers forever.
We Outdoor loving Americans must strongly resist this unconstitutional Ocean takeover.
Thus livelihood of millions of fishermen who have fished in wind farm planned waters for centuries. I’m sure beachgoers will love to watch a sunrise in the midst of dozens of windmills. Not me!
Biden/Obama secret overall goal is to fundamentally change America to a global socialist/marxist state replacing god fearing, constitution loving Americans.
Black Bears Sometimes Climb Into Your Tree Stand While Your In It
Years ago I hunted Ontario, Canada for spring black bear with my Cascade recurve bow. I was on a baited stand with a large 8 foot high wood platform with a cheap plastic chair to sit in. A peaceful gurgling stream nearby masked any small sounds I had made.
A huge male boar was entering the bait site to my right. My guide says, if he’s larger than the barrel, he’s likely a “book” bear.
The huge boar made the 50 gal. barrel look small.
My 68lb bow, was just out of reach, leaning against a tree branch had an arrow on the string just a few feet from me. The bear walked to the base of my stand.
I leaned over to watch.
The bear stood up, and his whole head popped above the platform, just 3 feet away from my boots. I played possum with my eyes mostly shut.
Again, my bow was two feet away, no gun, no bear spray. He rocked his head back and forth, trying to get my attention, but did not try to climb.
Finally, he got down, but as his front paws hit the ground, he bounced back up, trying to get me to respond. His huge nose sniffing intently and rocking again. I stayed still, eyes closed except for my tiny eye slits. My heart was flipping out in my chest. Should I grab my bow? Not yet. I hoped he would get down and head for the bait. He got down and bounced once more. I remained still…except for my heart.
Now, he got down and headed to the barrel.
He’s under my platform. I stood and grabbed my bow. I was using Easton XX75 2216 arrows with big Rothaar Snuffers. The bear being underneath me gave me no shot. Finally walking around the barrel I lifted my bow for the shot. The bear caught the movement and stood facing me. I did not want that bear coming back to my stand so I drew and shot him in the chest and struck his huge breast plate. The 700 grain arrow hit him, but never penetrated past his breast plate. My arrow stood out on the bear like an arrow hitting a tree trunk. Holy Crap!
The bear got down and bent the protruding arrow into a U shape. The arrow pried itself out as the bear ran off.
Darkness fell and I had to walk 200 yards to my vehicle bow at the ready. I crazily drove 20 miles to get my guide.
We came back that night and found the arrow. The tip of the snuffer was bent as it was pried from breast bone. Dark red blood drops lasted for 10 feet and disappeared. The next day we searched but quickly lost any trace. I’m sure the bear healed but I never forgot that incident. It’s really not that uncommon. Today, I will hunt again with a backup 10mm pistol or my rifle.
Recently, I read of a similar situation below but with rifle.
https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/bear-climbs-into-hunters-tree-stand/
Can you say adventure!
Good Hunting!
© Copyright 2024
Biden Admin Poised To Turn US East Coast Ocean into Largest Wind Farms In World
Alarm bells ring loudly in my mind. I hope yours as well! Imagine whales and fisherman navigating this?
In addition to Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts poised for building coastal wind farms in the absence of permission of “We The People”, the the Virginia Offshore Wind Project is due to begin construction in May.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whale-lawsuit-threatens-swallow-up-biden-green-energy-agenda
A federal government organization called BOEM, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the Virginia Dominion Wind Project and the New England Wind Project.
Biden’s government BOEM and Dominion construction concluded they have considers potential impacts to marine wildlife including safety of the right whale.
Do you believe the Biden run Government?
Or are we in for the largest coastal disaster to marine life and the destruction of millions of fishery livelihoods ever seen since we landed on Plymouth Rock.
Politics are at play, and that 55 whales have washed ashore in other wind farm construction sites along the coast.
I suggest If you want a coastline devoid of skyscraper size windmills is to get involved right now. Today!
Contact legislators and join organizations to fight this leftist destruction of marine life and millions of livelihoods dependent on our east coast fishery.
I am a member of NEFSA, New England Fisherman Stewardship Association to fight this socialist takeover of our coastline. Please join and sign the Petition.
https://www.nefishermen.org/petition
Fisherman Oppose Massive Off Shore Wind In Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts – Sign the Petition – Update
If you think this is beautiful I have a bridge to sell you! Future Biden Hampton Beach?
While all of us are sleeping, the federal government (Biden) at the end of the planning phase of a gigantic wind farm just off the New England coast in prime fishing waters.
I have fished for cod and haddock out of Newburyport. Ma and Hampton, NH for 60 years. Cod grounds are under great population restriction and yet our far-left government chose wind power over protection of prime cod fish and haddock habitat. Below is a draft of likely areas to place wind farm.
See the pdf report below
Click to access c2fa45_db7a181604024936b677f74a86f437d1.pdf
There is no science here just government fiat.
This is the government forcing itself on “We The People.”
Please join the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association and sign the Petition.
https://www.nefishermen.org/petition
Spread the Word! Sign the Petition!
