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Author Archives: Ed Hale
Setting My Sights On An Adventure Filled Maine Bear Hunt – Updated
An Adventure filled Solo Maine Black Bear hunt is in my plans for September 2024. Come on along as I film some video clips too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_bear
I have not hunted black bear for quite some time, but it can be very exciting with a good outfitter and remote land access. I estimate the weight of this bear in the above image near 400 pounds.
What is even better is that very often you will see more than one bear or two or more on a 6 day hunt.
Most hunting is done in afternoon and evening on ground blinds or tree stands over bait.
Baiting is a great way to hunt bear, in particular, because you can be selective; e.g., to pass or shoot a smaller or larger adult bear.
The tough part is to gage the size of a bear coming to bait. Often, bears, particularly big ones, come to bait just minutes before dark, making judging size, and fur color even harder.
I am very pleased with my 10 Point Turbo Crossbow (390 – 400 fps) and my NAP Killzone Cut-on-Contact 100 grain mechanical broadheads. Bears often hit with a razor sharp broadhead in the heart/lung area, will run flat out for 10 seconds and then collapse deader-than-a-door-nail… never knowing what bit them. Too far forward may result in the arrow hitting the scapula bone and tough tracking so the shot must be true.
My Equipment, a 10 Point 400 fps Turbo S1 Crossbow Arrow Flight with Killzone Broadhead or my Browning 7mm Rem Mag.
Killzone provides a practice blade. It isn’t easy to assemble the practice blade but once done, it works. Note; that the there is a pencil point type head that you can get as well for this broadhead but i prefer a cut-on- contact point.
Haven’t killed a bear with the Killzone head yet, but we shall see. Many experts suggest fixed blade broadheads on bear. I have some to experiment with as well.
I will have my backup Kimber 45 ACP and my Browning Speed 7mm Rem Mag Rifle along with me as well.
I called to further discuss rifle at 75 yards vs bow at 20 yds and will decide when I get there. Rifle setups are further away from bait thus allowing less human odor at dusk near bait. Big bruins didn’t get big by being stupid. They use their nose and minor noise to determine when it is safe to approach bait, often after dark. Take away noise and smells at the bait site and maybe enough to to make a show.
What will I do with the hide, skull and meat? If the bear is large, I will make a rug and have the skull cleaned. I am a meat-eater and home-made butcher and self- trained chef. Bear fat can be rendered for lubricating/rust protection and also the lard makes a great ingredient for pie crust. Bear meat and fat was a real commodity in early America for its versatility in cooking/frying and for both lubrication and rust prevention and even lamp oil.
My Outfitter “Foggy Mountain Guide Service” hunts deep in the wild woods of Maine. Driving from southern New Hampshire to my Maine hunt location will take me about 5 hours, where I’ll spend up to six days hunting.
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/hunting/laws-rules/licenses-permits.html
Fishing during morning and mid-day will be my pass-time before the hunt.
Stay posted for more on this Adventure filled hunt.
Good Hunting!
© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Focus on Young Hunters
I am very excited to introduce my grandson Thomas Hale the hunter (age 11).
Above, Thomas holds his first youth single shot shotgun intended for hunting snowshoe hares up in New Hampshire’s North Country.
He has graduated from .22LR and .223 Winchester to 20 gauge shotgun and 6.5 Creedmoor.
Together pictured below with his Dad Jason Hale, Thomas holds a scoped Howa 1500 rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, which he shoots well. The 6.5 CM has less recoil than the 20 gauge.
It gives me great pleasure to see three generations of Hales’ who hunt. Below left is my son Jason who hunted Africa with me and to the right of me is young grandson Thomas.
We believe hunting and fishing are essential for boys and girls to understand the natural beauty and responsibility gained in the circle of life. Unfortunately, hunting and outdoor skills are so starkly absent in our government run K to 12 schools. We as a family, love the outdoors and choose to develop survival and hunting skills that aid in maturing young male and female minds.
Most importantly, where our meat and fish come from, along with the life and ethical death and respect of the game hunted. Importantly, we revel in the bounty of the food harvest, care of the meat, the cooking, and presentation of wild game around the family dinner table. Just imagine a warm venison or rabbit stew in the cold of winter. It put a big smile on my face! Yours too!
Additionally, safety was our utmost concern with Thomas. Accordingly, we spent time training and demonstrating how to shoot hold his rifle/shotgun around other hunters. Thus we created walking and turning drills to always carry and point the barrel in a safe direction. And it was fun too.
In this recent hunt we did not harvest any game but had great comradery on the hunt, told some tales of the hunt, and had some man time with father and grandfather. Hope you can get some too!
Good Hunting!
Lapua 6.5mm Mega 155 Round/Flat Nose Bullets – Hit like A Hammer
Lapua 6.5mm round nose bullets back in Midway stock. These bullets hammer big bucks!
See my summer article below. Use them in handloading the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Reloading: 6.5mm Lapua Mega 155 bullet now in stock at Midway
Close Encounter of the Moose Kind
Many years ago, before I hunted moose, I was bird hunting with my youngest son Jason,not far from Lake Francis in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. It was early October. We entered the woods off a dirt road. Jason carried a 22 rifle and I had a pump shotgun with birdshot. The sun was shining and the north wood smells of fir trees and falling colored leaves gave us a great feeling to be alive and hunting in the Northwoods.
Ahead of us, we saw some movement, a cow moose and calf appear. “How cool”, I whispered to Jason, who was 11 years old at the time.
I had learned some moose calls with my mouth by pinching my nose, a cupping my hands around my mouth. So, I thought perhaps the cow would hang around.
I pinched my nose and let out an “arr” sound. The cow and calf didn’t like my sounds and melted into the trees ahead.
Suddenly, the boggy ground underneath us began to shake. “Did you feel that? I asked Jason. “Ya dad, what is happening.”
In the next moment, we heard tree limbs breaking from where the cow and calf came from.
A very large bull moose appeared. He was headed straight for us with his head tipping side to side displaying his a huge palmated antlers as he continued his approach. I pulled Jason to a dense group of large fir trees and stood very still. The bull had not spotted us yet but still approaching. I kept large trees in front of us as a barrier.
I realized that we were in trouble.
I chose to move closer to the large group of trees as the bull was advancing.
He spotted us!
Head tipping, he began to step around the trees to get to us.
Jason, tugged on my jacket whispering. “I want to go to the truck now, Dad!” “Shhh, I said as we began to move around the large group of trees as the bull circled. The guns we had with us would be useless, I thought in case of a charge.
Keeping those larger trees in front of us and between the bull was our best defense.
Undaunted, the bull changed direction and circled in the opposite direction to get at us. Jason whispered, “I can see the white of his eyes.”
The bull widened his distance and circled ever widening till he decided to turn and walk away. Whew!
The bull crossed the dirt road, near my truck, when two fishermen campers near the lake appeared with camera in hand.
They followed the bull.
I shouted, “be careful, he is dangerous.” They snapped a photo of the bull and came over to us where we shared our encounter. I asked if they would be so kind to send us a copy of the photo. Here is the bull below.
Safe in our truck, it was clear, after some thought, that my moose call drew in the bull. He thought I was competition for mating the cow.
The lesson here is calling in moose can be dangerous unless you are hunting them, and even then, they are still dangerous.
Moose Meat- Processed In My Kitchen – Continued
My wife and I continue our effort in turning our frozen boneless moose parts into vacuum sealed burger, stew meat, steaks and a few roasts.
We began by finding parts to be ground into burger, and found lots of it as you see in our transformed freezer below.
Moose meat has no fat thus we mixed approximately 20 to 25% pork butt in with the burger. Pork butt has pork meat and pork fat to allow burger patties to bind and stick together. Pork is also a key ingredient in making meat balls and pasta sauces.
After around 18 hours of processing we have nearly completed the burger packaging of maybe 130 pounds and 60 pounds of steak and stew meat.
Last night we had moose stroganoff and it was a hit. Meat flavor was excellent with no hint of gamey taste. I prefer steak thin slice 1/4 inch x 2 inches or thinner against the grain for stroganoff as I have made in the past to my families delight.
Most all on-line beef stroganoff recipe’s will work just fine with moose steak, just thin slice it against the grain while raw and partially frozen before you saute it. Just don’t overcook the meat.
Today we cut backstrap butterfly steak, many sirloin steaks,and stew meat.
Note: Some steaks will be made into tips and stews as winter gets here. More to do but it is safe and frozen. We will rearrange the freezers so we have a better inventory. Already we have given some meat to friends and family. Nice!
Good Eats!
Newfoundland Vacation Snips
Our Vacation was among the many bays and coves around picturesque Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. My wife and I drove our car and spent the last month and a half in Newfoundland in the family cottage overlooking Bonavista Bay.
But the cottage on the bay was a home base from which to explore.
Human life on Newfoundland is centered around the thousands of bays and coves, Inland, are thousands of miles of virgin forests where big game such as moose, caribou and black bears thrive.
And where rivers and lakes teem with Atlantic salmon and trout.
Cod Fishing on the bay is one of my favorite pastimes with friends and family. The cod are market size and plentiful right in front of our cottage.
Cod fishing in front of the cottage
I fished with Mike Hogarth and his friend Jeff Power on one such outing at Trinity Bay just up the peninsula.
The old red building below in Peace Cove, Trinity Bay were formerly fishing rooms where cod were historically split and salted and placed outside to dry, then shipped to foreign markets in barrels.
Peace Cove, Trinity Bay East
Peace Cove Trinity Bay
From shore, below you can see the lighthouse in picturesque Trinity which is part of the Bonavista Bay Peninsula.
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland
Cod Fishing is still very active commercially as this boat below suggests.
Newfoundland is a wild and wondrous place as well as sophisticated in the cities like St John’s I have visited. And the people are very friendly!
Maybe you might like to visit too!!
Good Exploring!
© Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved
New Hampshire Muzzleloader Deer Season Coming October 28
Time to get your smoke pole to the range. I cleaned and lubed my flintlock yesterday. Get your powder and bullets now before they are gone.
https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/deer-hunting-new-hampshire
From the website above – “Deer Hunting in New Hampshire
NH Deer Season Dates and Resources
Archery:
September 15 – December 15, 2023 (closes December 8 in WMU A)
Muzzleloader:
October 28 – November 7, 2023 Statewide
Firearms:
November 8 – December 3, 2023 (closes November 26, 2023 in WMU A)
Youth Deer Weekend:
October 21 – 22, 2023″
My Most Prized Accessories for a Newfoundland Moose Hunt
My BOG Tripod below worked great. My fleece head pullover kept me warm for hours on stand. In the picture below we were standing in water. You must be prepared.
Hunting in bogs of Newfoundland I found water everywhere, even in the grass and tundra in the bog below. Even trees and leaves were soaked with water.
If it looks like a field, the field had 6 inches of water on average. Slogging in an inferior boot will cut your hunt short. And not wearing your waterproof bib rain suit will soak you to the bone. I made some poor decisions too. I did not wear my rain bib and jacket on one morning and got soaked by water soaked bushes. My gloves were not waterproof and riding on the back of an ATV my gloves absorbed 1/2 cup water in each glove on a morning hunt. Get water proof gloves! My back pack was too heavy. With a guide, I did not need a large or heavy backpack. A walking stick gave me balance.
Below my most prized must-have accessories:
BOOTS – Buy best high calf waterproof boots with good tread
RAIN GEAR – Heavy duty green waterproof rain bib like Helly-Hansen and water-proof jacket too.
Layered clothes.
Shooting sticks or tripod.
Walking stick
Waterproof hats
Thick Fleece Camo Face mask pullover
Very sharp knife.
Hand warmers.
My phone camera.
Yes a good rifle and cartridge.
Accuracy is key!
150 grain .270 Win Terminal Energy On My Moose
I killed my 800 lb cow moose with a new Browning X-Bolt in .270 Winchester with 150 grain Winchester Power Point bullets.
Ed’s Moose taken Sept. 19, 2023
The rifle was zeroed at 100 yards. The .270 is great on deer, good on elk and can easily kill moose broadside but has some distance and energy limitations. On the flip-side, the advantage of the .270 is lighter recoil and improved accuracy.
Distances are somewhat restrictive. Muzzle velocity form this bullet is 2850 fps, thus I calculated drop and energy on-line with JBM Ballistic Trajectory for this bullet before the hunt to determine my limits.
The JBM Ballistic calculation below provides data for the hunter to use in determining max range, energy and bullet drop.
Accordingly, I followed my own rules for energy.limits. I would not pull the trigger when terminal energy is under 1500 ft-lbs. In my case, under 1500 ft-lbs is at 300 yards. Luck would be in my favor with my guides laser distance at 240 yards. Energy was over 1600 ft-lbs and a broadside shot. I held 6 to 8 high from my BOG tripod rest and fired from a sitting position. A second later you could hear the bullet hit with a hollow drum-like thunk.
The moose never moved but you could see she was hit.
My guide says, “fire another shot.” I aimed a bit higher near the spine and fired. She fell like she was pole axed.
Examination of the wound sites showed 2 hits, one high and one low on the chest. The high hit was a few inches below the spine, my second shot. My first shot hit low in the chest. The lungs were a wreck, blood had filled the chest cavity. My guide Matt pulled heart and lungs from the chest along with the lower gut. I wanted to examine the heart. As you can see below the first bullet gashed the gallon-sized heart. This was not luck, it was understanding bullet drop and a good tripod rest. Well, maybe a little luck! We did not see any exit wounds but did not look for the bullets as we had work to do.
For those readers interested in the Ballistics data below is the JBM Data for Drop and Energy. You can see velocity at 250 yards is 2196 thus the bullet will mushroom. Drop is 8 inches and delivered energy is 1606 ft-lbs and did great damage without an exit wound.
| Calculated Table | ||||||||||
| 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 | *** | 2850.0 | 2.553 | 2704.9 | 0.000 | 0.0 | *** |
| 50 | -0.2 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2711.3 | 2.428 | 2448.0 | 0.054 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 100 | -0.0 | -0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2576.8 | 2.308 | 2211.2 | 0.111 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 150 | -1.2 | -0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2446.3 | 2.191 | 1992.9 | 0.170 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 200 | -3.8 | -1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2319.6 | 2.078 | 1791.8 | 0.233 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 250 | -8.0 | -3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2196.6 | 1.967 | 1606.7 | 0.300 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 300 | -14.0 | -4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2077.2 | 1.861 | 1436.9 | 0.370 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 350 | -22.0 | -6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1961.7 | 1.757 | 1281.5 | 0.444 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 400 | -32.3 | -7.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1850.3 | 1.657 | 1140.1 | 0.523 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 04-Oct-23 07:46, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi |
Good Hunting!
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