Category Archives: Big Game Hunting

Articles about Big Game Hunting.

Airline – Packing Thoughts for the Hunt

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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…

Good Hunting!

© 2018

October 2017 – SOC Adopts 6.5 Creedmoor to Replace 7.62 x 51mm Nato in Semi Auto Sniper Rifles

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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.

See Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6.5mm_Creedmoor

“Military use[edit]

“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.”

End Quote

But we hunters discovered that a while back.

Good Hunting!

 

Muzzleloader -Power Belt Copper Aero-Tip 295grain

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Power Belt® Bullets are the number one selling projectile for muzzleloader’s in the world. That said, I am a believer.

http://powerbeltbullets.com/Copper-Muzzleloading-Bullets.php

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.

https://www.powerbeltbullets.com/PBB26inchballistics.pdf

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.

Good Hunting!

© 2018

6.5 Creedmoor – 16 Reasons to hunt with one! By Ed Hale

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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;

  1. Has sufficient proven energy to harvest all CXP 3 game up to Moose.
  2. Sectional Density is best in class e.g 142 grain has SD above .280 to meet CXP3 criteria.
  3. The bullets buck the wind and cuts the air like a razor!
  4. Harvests ( one shot kills) proven on deer and elk at long ranges e.g. 600 yards.
  5. Very low recoil, below 6.5 PRC below 6.5-06, below 6.5×284 Norma, below .270 Winchester. Thus increased accuracy.
  6. Has a shorter bolt throw of any above actions.
  7. Has world class accuracy winning F-Class Competition for repetitive shooting.
  8. Readily available over the counter ammo in USA.
  9. Has 120, 130 and 140 grain bullets available from many cartridge/bullet mfg.
  10. Due to reduced recoil can be shot in a lighter mountain rifles for ease of carry.
  11. 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.
  12. Easy to cost effective hand load.
  13. Easy on barrel life.
  14. Rifles are often less than 7 lbs, thus easy to carry
  15. Full penetration and exit wound is a hallmark of the 6.5 Creedmoor due to superior SD.
  16. 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.

Good Hunting

© 2018

Hunter Scent Elimination- Ozone and More

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

NHFG Article – Whitetail Magic…a great read!

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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.

https://wildlife.state.nh.us/pubs/documents/samples/whitetail-magic.pdf

Flying with a Firearm and Muzzle Loader

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I am almost all packed for my Texas Trophy Whitetail Deer Hunt coming up in late October. I am taking my Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in 6.5 Creedmoor and an additional rifle, my 50 Cal TC Encore Muzzleloader. I have a 2 rifle hard case but I realized that taking black powder pellets, won’t fly. Further, that you cannot take loose primers like 209 shotshell either, even in your baggage. I can take the 50 cal bullets though. So I had new pellets and primers ordered though Cabela’s and arranged permission with my hunt folks and I shipped to my hunt destination in Texas and paid the ship hazard fee of $20.00 (not a PO Box). I can’t take my pellets or primers back home either so may be someone there can use them. Both guns are Leupold scope equipped. The Muzzle loader has a VX-3 2-8x36mm and is set for 100 yards. The Weatherby in 6.5 Creedmoor has the VX-6 3-18x44mm and can shoot Nosler 129g ABLR or 140g AB, hitting the same bullseye at 100 yards but each bullet has its path calculated for long range if that option comes available.

I was able to send my rifle questions to the TSA Contact Center on the web. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

If you have questions, now is the time to ask!

Good Hunting!

Where to shoot your deer…and with what cartridge? Update

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Shooting a deer broadside is a straightforward proposition; or is it? On Level ground shoot just behind (UPDATE) QDMA says directly above the front leg and centered). Try to pick a tuft of hair to aim at. Aim Small…Miss Small. This shot will clip the top of the heart/arteries and double lung hit the deer. See

https://www.the-whitetail-deer.com/Anatomy-of-a-Whitetail-Deer.html

whitetail deer anatomy

This deer often will fall dead on its feet as medical folks say the shock-wave to the heart will cause the blood like a pneumatic hammer to slam into the brain, lights out. The insurance of the double lung hit is the sure backup.

I would shoot for the center of the deer’s body mass behind (where many archers shoot) the front leg, and then slightly back an inch or two as bowhunters do. See the image below where the lungs are much larger above the heart. (UPDATE) QDMA says shoot above the front leg and center mass but does not differentiate gun or bow. Bow hunters often shoot a bit back to avoid leg bone and scapula but a bullet above the leg may drop them faster some say. ( Update) My recent buck was hit center mass vertically even with the front leg elbow using a 300 grain black powder bullet delivering 1600 ft-lbs. The buck never took a step.

See the red spot above the front elbow?

whitetail deer anatomy

Why? Because an off-hand shot is likely to be not as accurate given adrenaline and the gun sights wobbling around the chest of the deer. By aiming center body you are trying for a larger and longer lung target, a double lung hit known in medical jargon as a bi-lateral pneumothorax, it is deadly and will kill in seconds as well.

The lungs of a broadside deer are very large and long as compared to the heart. I tend to shoot center body behind the front leg, aiming for center lungs for a longer shot. Like this African Springbok where my bullet hole is just a tad higher centered in the lungs.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Shooting excitedly offhand at the lower third of the body may just break the front leg. I had that happen in my early 20’s and luckily the buck ran towards me and I was able to place shots in his center body as he reached 10 yards away from me and dropped him. Lesson learned.

I instructed students on bow-hunter education for the state of New Hampshire for a decade. Deer don’t always stand broadside and you may be shooting a rifle or bow from an elevated stand. Taking a bow-hunter education course will help you visualize the path of the arrow or bullet. On an animal slightly quartering away is ideal for bow and arrow or rifle as the animal is facing away and the projectile needs to be further back observing the path of the projectile in relation to lungs and behind the off side leg… to catch both lungs.

Calibers I recommend begin with the 243 Winchester/6mm in 90 or 100 grain heads, where the recoil is very low and limit shots to within 250 yards. Hit in the above scenario’s the deer will be recoverable in 100 yards or less. The downside is that they are not good in brushy areas and will destroy themselves before they hit the target due less mass and exploding on small limbs.

A bit more recoil is the 6.5 mm still very low in 120-140 grain heads and will drop an Elk at 400 – 600 yards. Better for a bean field shot but like the .270, every one wants one due to increased accuracy and mild recoil. I love my 6.5 Creedmoor as it is also light to carry. Also a great varmint rifle at very long distances out to 1000 yards. Deer either drop or run a few yards when hit.

A smaller fatter cartridge with a  30 caliber bullet is the 30-30 Winchester and .308 Winchester and has been used across the nation as a deer slayer for decades and is also moderate in recoil and bucks brush well. The .308 Winchester is far more versatile. Often hand-loaded the .308 is mighty fine for deer and elk at moderate ranges out to 400 yards. Deer drop or run a few yards after a hit

The .270 Winchester based on the 30-06 case is an all time favorite along with the 30-06 Springfield but has heavier recoil with off the shelf rounds. A hand loader can custom it for a new hunter. There are reduced loads on the market too for hunters but less shock than full power loads.

I will mention the 7mm08 Winchester and the 257 Roberts as fine low recoil deer rifles but my experience is limited.

The 30-06 Springfield cartridge is good for most African Game and all North American Game and bullets come in many weights. More Recoil.

Many other 30 calibers to numerous to write about here.

Magnums are many and they all work on deer, elk and Moose. These are for folks who can take recoil with a smile. Smarter shooters use 50% reduction recoil pads such as the Pachmayer Decelerator or Sims SVL pads that you can either screw on on slip on. I wrote extensively about these recoil reducing pads in my African Safari Book

I wont go above this caliber here in this article as it requires much more time.

Good Hunting!

© 2018 All Rights Reserved.

 

Leupold Waterproof VX-6 7-42x56mm Side Focus Rifle Scope Matte Black

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My son wrote in competition F-Class about this engineering marvel here in my New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine; a Leupold VX-6 scope for Long Range Target Shooting at 600 yards and was extremely pleased with it. The VX-6 stands for 6x zoom. In one twist of the dial you can go from 7x to 42x as “clear as a bell” when you set the parallax distance with the side-focus.

https://www.leupold.com/scopes/rifle-scopes/vx-6-7-42x56mm

“Tested by and developed alongside F-Class shooters, the new 7-42x56mm delivers dead-on precision at extreme distances. With the widest field of view among competitive scopes and the TAC-MOA Plus reticle featuring an open center, it helps shooters and hunters easily locate targets when taking long-range shots.”

It is, for the money, the finest American Made long distance 7-42x56mm scopes on the market. In 3-18x42mm it is a hunters long range go-to scope but its big brother the Leupold VX-6 7-42x56mm just blows it away for competition target or game shots longer than I care to shoot or perhaps to count the antler points on several deer from say 800 yards away with a steady rest. On top is the large VX-6 3-18x42mm with a 30mm tube and below that scope is the very large VX-6 7-42×56 with a 34mm tube. It can really collect light at sunset.

At 7x it is good for say 10 yards and out to infinity with the side focus. My Weatherby Vanguard hunting rifle is a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 20 MOA ramp. This rifle/scope combo can shoot 1000 yards all day long but game killing energy for deer with this combo is at max for 600 yards. But with a laser rangefinder I can plot a precision round for large antlered Texas whitetail bucks and count antler points too when the prickly pair cactus look like mouse ears in the distance.

It is not uncommon to be set up in a blind and see deer coming in towards the hunter from many hundreds of yards away. On this hunt we will need help in determining age and scoring points, especially when there is more than one big buck to see. Either VX-6 model will be just fine. Longer shots out to 600 yards or more will lean towards the 7-42×56

For long range varmint hunters, the open center on the TMOA reticle allows you to see a ground hog or coyote aim point without obscuring the target at 800 to 1000 yards. At over $2000 for a scope it would be a fine accompaniment for sub moa 1/4 inch capable rifles or a once in a lifetime long range custom rifle costing many thousands. It’s precision elevation and windage are at 1/8 inch at 100 yards or 1 inch at 800 yards per click. This scope has dual bias erector springs for absorbing recoil. From Leupold’s website; “A powerful 6:1 zoom ratio delivers crystal clear images from edge-to-edge throughout the entire magnification range, and the Twin Bias Spring Erector System features berylium/copper alloy leaf springs and 30% more holding force to withstand the most intense recoil and abuse.”

This scope is equipped with 2nd Generation Argon/Krypton Waterproofing; A fast focus eyepiece,

“Features Leupold’s exclusive, proprietary Argon/Krypton gas blend, which nearly eliminates the effects of thermal shock, and reduces the diffusion of gases sealed inside your scope even more than our proven nitrogen technology already does.”

The TMOA Plus™ Reticle hash marks are in MOA (Minute of Angle). When you use a Leupold rangfinder model that can switch from yardage, meters and MOA, the MOA can be set and read thus allowing the MOA hash marks to be utilized.

Most of us have trouble paying for a rifle that costs $2000 but if you want the best US made scope for very long distance then any of the VX-6 scopes should be considered and can range in price from $1000 to $3000 dollars. I have used Leupold for decades! On my Safari they were fantastic with heavy recoiling rifles with the Twin Bias Erector Springs. Yes it is an investment but your $8000 hunt makes it worth it!

© 2018

 

Why the 6.5 Caliber Resurgence?

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Lots of folks getting older and shoulders are sore from blasting magnums may be looking for a change. And the millennial’s? Well If they are smart the 6.5 rounds are easy on the shoulder and very accurate.

First and foremost the 6.5 caliber cartridges are a dual purpose calibers; very accurate for long range target and wild game, wont kill your shoulder,  and deadly on big game up to Moose in the 6.5 x 55 or faster. It has be proven and used by Swedish hunters for decades at moderate distances. Yes I said Moose! Some don’t think so but with sectional densities in the .280’s? Wow! Talk about penetration!

What makes the 6.5 stand out in a crowded room of rifle cartridges is its mild recoil, high sectional density and ballistic coefficient and modest velocities. The 6.5 Creedmoor sits in the middle of the 6.5 caliber list that includes the 6.5x 55 Swiss, 6.5×57, 6.5×284, 264 Win Mag, 260 Remington, 6.5-06,  and the newer 6.5 PRC by Hornady which is a bit faster than the Creedmoor.

If you want to drive the 6.5 faster then use a 26 Nosler (6.5×66) but I think that speed and recoil get some folks back into that magnum blast mentality. Do you really want to shoot a deer at 1000 yards? I like them inside of 500 yards and 300 is even better.

The other wonderful thing the mild 6.5’s do is get you into a 5 or 6 lb mountain rifle, course if want to carry three more pounds up 5000 feet be my guest. This is a great Elk and African Plains game caliber with high SD’s.

You can’t argue with a 6.5 Creedmoor one-shot kill on elk at 600 yards. Nope!

Good Hunting!

© 2018