Islamorada: Hunting Black Fin Tuna and Mahi Mahi with Rod and Reel

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Ed Hale

Out Hunting big Trophy fish with Dee Cee Charters and Captain Chuck, Islamorada, Florida April 29, 2021, with my twin brother Richard and nephew Rick.

https://fishingbooker.com/charters/view/1081?booking_persons=2&booking_children=0

April, they say, is not the best time for sailfish or marlin as you can chew up a day trolling and come up on the short end, so we concentrated on top water for Blackfin Tuna and Mahi.

Below, I caught the first Blackfin tuna of the trip.

Below is a big fight, a king mackerel ate a smaller blackfin tuna we were reeling in and brother Richard had a real fight. The king got near the boat and spit the hook but wow, what a fight!

Let’s see what else bites!

Ed Hale – New Hampshire Rifleman-Editor in Chief

Glorious Morning Sunshine!

Morning has Broken! Glorious Day! Thank You Lord!

Below a 2 part video of my Mahi coming aboard.

Rick is a professional fisherman when he is not working in the Electronics industry. Loves to catch and eat Albacore Tuna and Pacific Salmon.

Tackle at the ready…

My First Fish a Blackfin Tuna

These Blackfin’s fight hard. Sea is getting heavy with 8-10 ft waves.

Ricks first Blackfin!

No Sir, you ain’t getting off my line!

Another on for the Cooler!

And Another Tuna

Say Ahhhhh….for the Camera.

Up close, such a beautiful Blackfin!

First Mahi of the day by yours truly. I love the colors!

Just having the time of my life! What a thrill!

Richard’s Picture perfect Blackfin Tuna! A gorgeous fish!

Another Mahi!

First Mate unhooking a Blackfin.

All fish were filleted. We ate some on the beach as Ed’s Sashimi Shooters and I took the rest home frozen.

I brought a soft thick zipper freezer bag to hold the frozen bagged tuna and mahi in my luggage. After 12 hours of travel, it was still frozen solid.

We had a spectacular time with Captain Chuck and the first mate. I would book a trip again!

Later after filleting by our first mate, I invented my own Blackfin Tuna Sashimi Shooter while on the beach with thin slices of cucumber on the bottom of a large shot glass or Dixie cup next some pickled ginger, a small 1/2″ square or so of raw tuna (sashimi), add wasabi paste to your liking, another slice of ginger, topped off with avocado and add a teaspoon of soy sauce to the layers. Shoot the whole thing in your mouth and chew. My eyes pop with the wasabi! Wash it down with your favorite beverage like beer or white wine. WOW! You can get fancy if you like with sesame seeds etc. if you like. But on the beach, a plateful those simple Sashimi shooters below took over a beach party with a pack of little Dixie cups full of the ingredients. Lots of smiles! Good Shootin’.

All the fish were frozen and taken on the plane to my home freezer. I had Sashimi Shooter’s for lunch while writing this article. Sooo Good!

Good Hunting! Good Shootin’!

Scopes Can Fog Up On A Cold Weather Hunt – What to do?

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Ed Hale

Ok you are sighted in with your scoped rifle and ready for your hunt. Are you really ready? I was out deer hunting locally with my scoped muzzleloader using an older scope I had in the closet. It was late September when my older scope was set up. It worked great at the range at 72 degrees. But on my local hunt, it was cold and raining/snowing. I looked through the scope when I was on my stand and saw fog in the scope. Figuring I got the scope glass wet, I wiped the glass but it was still foggy. As it turns out the scope had lost its gas filling.

So I am going on another cold weather hunt but way more expensive, with an older scope.

What to do?

I put my scope in the refrigerator for a few hours, months ahead of time. You should have a clear view through your scope. If not you need to contact your scope manufacturer as many scopes have lifetime warranties. No fridge, or the scope is already mounted? Use ice cubes in a plastic bag around the scope to mimic the outdoor temperature.

Give that a try…

Good Hunting!

T/C Encore Pro-Hunter 30-06 with Hornady 180 grain GMX

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Ed Hale

The Hornady GMX means Game eXpanding. The bullet is all gilding copper and has a cavity that opens up on contact like the Nosler E-Tip.

Alternate Image 1

The advantage is that it retains 95% of its original weight, has no lead in the GMX bullet and appears to expand and penetrate better than some lead core Hornady spitzers.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2009/7/20/hornady-gmx-bullet/

I hand loaded the 180 grain GMX using RL 22 and got about a 1.5 inch bench rest group at 100 yards. The velocity should be close to 2800 fps, thus packing a real whallop. Great on Moose, Elk and Deer. Felt recoil is quite a bit more, rightly so, than my 6.5 Creedmoor but for Moose the 30-06 would be my choice of the two cartridges.

On big deer, I think that the 180 grain is a good choice for a 300 pound Northern Maine bruiser buck or a bull moose. it will drop them fast. You just got to make the first shot count with the T/C Encore!

Energy at 200 yards is a huge 2200 ft-lbs. Is it a brush bullet? I don’t really know, but if t hits vitals, that animal is going down. I do like the fact that if it hits bone, it stays together and there is no lead in the meat to cut out. The big difference is that the 180 grain fully loaded, has more recoil than the average hunter would be used to. A 150 grain would recoil less. When dealing with heavy recoiling rifles, be smart, get a new state-of-the-art recoil pad that reduces felt recoil by 50%, like the Pachmayr Decelerator. And don’t shoot a whole box of ammo at the range, get bruised, and complain about your rifles kick. It is the shooter that needs to get smart, not the rifle.

Good Hunting!

The Venerable 30-06 in a T/C Encore Pro-Hunter with Nosler E-Tip

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Ed Hale

The Nosler Expansion Tip (E-Tip) Hunting bullet is a copper alloy monolithic (solid) hollow point spitzer designed for long range but has both short and long range benefits. No, it does not have surface shock like a round or flat nose but it is capable amazing energy transfer and no lead to deal with.

As I said in my last article that round and flat nose are great brush busters however for bottleneck cartridges they are in very short supply at this time. It just so happens that I own a T/C Encore Pro Hunter Muzzle Loader and a 30-06 Springfield Interchangeable barrel. Honestly, I had it set up for muzzleloader and it shoots real sweet so I resisted making the conversion to 30-06 until now. I gave in to the temptation because in my ammo cupboard I just happen to have some store bought Nosler 168 grain Expansion Tips (aka E-Tips) cartridges. I successfully used them on a 350 pound wild boar hunt a few years back. The shot was 30 to 40 yards max.

I will show you what it did. Here is the entrance wound.

Busting through the super tough shield on both sides, here is the exit wound below! Keep in mind that the boars “shield” forced the bullet to fully expand just on entrance and give up a ton of energy inside the animal before exiting. I would not expect this massive damage in a thin skinned whitetail.

Energy delivered was on the order of 2600 to 2700 ft-lbs. More than enough for Moose but you see the copper alloy stays together up to 95% intact says test data. These images are from the Nosler website; www.nosler.com

Gel test below by Nosler.

Lets take it to the range! I knew that it was likely not going to shoot MOA because I remember mumbling about the 2 to 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards. Yep, that is what I got 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards. I did notice that the cold shot was dead on. Although I prefer moa accuracy, this works well for hunting in the thick stuff like the boar above. If I hand loaded this, I can get it to MOA for sure. The boar certainly did not know the difference!

Good Hunting!

6.5 Creedmoor Superformance Load Data with Lapua Mega 155 grain Soft Point Flat Nose

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Ed Hale

As I have written in recent articles, round nose and flat point bullets in short range thick brush environments, can deliver more immediate impact energy to the big game you are hunting at shorter ranges under 200 yards than with some of the long range designed spitzer bullets. The reloading issue is, to get a round or flat nose bullet in a bottleneck cartridge, you must find the bullet and hand load it. Sadly, many round/flat nose bullets are no longer manufactured or are reduced to special manufacture runs. The Lapua Mega 155 grain flat points have a brass jacket and are very hard to find, if at all. The Lapua Reloading Manual is no longer available.

Accordingly, I had to determine the cartridge overall length – COL to the lands in my rifle, which are 2.68 inches and then I back off the lands to 2.64 inches. I used a spent case and pinched the opening to hold a bullet marked with black magic marker and loaded it in the rifle and closed the bolt. Note: Hornady says COL Max is 2.8 inches for the spitzers. My max COL is much less. Caution: Each rifle may be different. These calculations and data are for my rifle only, a Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard with a 24 inch barrel topped with a Leupold VX-3.

My research of reloading data found that Sierra and Hornady had some data for 150, 153 grain and 160 grain bullets. Powders were typical, such as IMR 4350, H4350, IMR 4831 but one powder stood out, it was Hodgdon’s Superformance powder. The powder was published by Hornady for the 153 grain A-Tip Match up to 42. 9 grains max load providing 2650 fps. Superformance allowed me to work up a load safely to higher energy than the other powders but not at max load.

I did so in half grain increments beginning with 39.5 grains and looking for any signs of overpressure like a really flat primer or gas leaks. I did so with 2 shots for each 1/2 grain increment followed by case and primer inspection, all was normal. I stopped at 41 grains and loaded three rounds for group. I did not chrono these but based on the 153 grain data by Hornady I was in the 2550 fps range. The primers were still rounded and not flattened. Here is my group at 41 grains of Superformance at 75 yards, no wind. Looks like 1/2 inch group. Nice!

Below is the Trajectory and Energy table at 2550 fps. Delivered energy for elk is said to be 1500 ft-lbs, thus we are good for elk at 180 yards.

This load is for Northern Whitetails with a flat-point, should mushroom very well. It will be devastating on a 300 pound whitetail buck at under 100 yards at 1800 to 1900 ft-lbs, A Hammer in anyone’s book!

Range	Drop	Drop	Windage	Windage	Velocity	Mach	Energy	Time	Lead	Lead
Calculated Table
(yd)	(in)	(MOA)	(in)	(MOA)	(ft/s)	(none)	(ft•lbs)	(s)	(in)	(MOA)
0	-1.5	***	0.0	***	2550.0	2.375	2237.6	0.000	0.0	***
25	-0.3	-1.2	0.1	0.2	2487.5	2.317	2129.2	0.030	1.0	4.0
50	0.5	1.0	0.3	0.5	2425.9	2.259	2025.1	0.060	2.1	4.1
75	1.0	1.3	0.6	0.8	2365.2	2.203	1925.0	0.092	3.2	4.1
100	1.1	1.0	1.1	1.0	2305.3	2.147	1828.8	0.124	4.4	4.2
125	0.8	0.6	1.7	1.3	2246.3	2.092	1736.4	0.157	5.5	4.2
150	-0.0	-0.0	2.5	1.6	2188.1	2.038	1647.6	0.191	6.7	4.3
175	-1.2	-0.7	3.4	1.9	2130.8	1.985	1562.4	0.225	7.9	4.3
200	-2.9	-1.4	4.5	2.2	2074.3	1.932	1480.6	0.261	9.2	4.4

I compared this Energy data to my earlier article on my downloaded .375 Ruger. See below.

Speer Hot Core Semi-Spitzer 235 g 375 Ruger Downloaded for Big Northern Whitetails Or…

The 6.5 Creedmoor with the Lapua Mega 155 grain Flat Point is the clear winner for energy, and will mushroom on the entrance of the hide, but either cartridge and bullet will do the job well for the loads discussed.

Good Hunting!

Speer Hot Core Semi-Spitzer 235 g 375 Ruger Downloaded for Big Northern Whitetails Or…

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Ed Hale

I have yet to kill a nice buck here in New Hampshire or Maine with Speer’s Hot Core 235 grain semi-spitzer. It is more like a round nose than a spitzer. I like round and flat nose for thick brush hunting. And it drops them fast!

I have been writing about them for some time as a great bullet for the .375 Ruger or .375 H&H when loaded down for Whitetails at medium to short range. It is easy on the recoil and hits-em hard. Muzzle velocity is 2200 fps with powders like A 5744. I am still using up my SR 4759 powder but they no longer make it.

Good mushrooming is accomplished near to 2000 fps, give or take leaving the optimum distance to game at just over 100 to 150 yards or less. Typical shot distances for heavy timber and brush is around 40 to 60 yards so this bullet will work well and make a big hole in, and a bigger hole on exit. This bullet, I believe, being more round nosed, is more of a brush round. It should stay together if it encounters some twigs and small whip saplings.

I took some to the range this week to give the .375 Ruger and me some exercise. I expected sub-moa groups at 100 yards and I was not disappointed, though I shot only 2 rounds. I have proven this round already as an excellent performer on targets.

Range	Drop	Drop	Windage	Windage	Velocity	Mach	Energy	Time	Lead	Lead
Calculated Table
(yd)	(in)	(MOA)	(in)	(MOA)	(ft/s)	(none)	(ft•lbs)	(s)	(in)	(MOA)
0	-1.5	***	0.0	***	2200.0	2.049	2525.1	0.000	0.0	***
25	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.4	2130.5	1.984	2368.1	0.035	1.2	4.7
50	1.1	2.2	0.4	0.8	2062.2	1.921	2218.7	0.070	2.5	4.7
75	1.7	2.2	0.9	1.1	1995.1	1.858	2076.7	0.107	3.8	4.8
100	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.6	1929.4	1.797	1942.1	0.146	5.1	4.9
125	1.2	0.9	2.6	2.0	1864.9	1.737	1814.5	0.185	6.5	5.0
150	-0.0	-0.0	3.8	2.4	1801.8	1.678	1693.8	0.226	8.0	5.1

I will be comparing this round to my 6.5 Creedmoor with 155 grain Lapua Mega flat nose ammo very soon. Which round will be better? Time will tell…

Good Hunting!

Outdoor Campfire Cooking

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Ed Hale

Spring is here! Time to get outdoors to camp and have breakfast, lunch and dinner with mother nature. There is nothing like cooking a hearty meal over a wood fire with the right tools and set-up. Below, eggs, beans, sausage and sliced potato up in Pittsburg New Hampshire along Lake Francis.

There is nothing like Peach Cobbler in a Dutch Oven.

In a wilderness setting, a frypan is king and there are coated lightweight frypans and even titanium for less weight if backpacking but if you have the option of a heavier fry pan there is always cast iron which hold heat well.

I grew up visiting grandparents who never knew what air-conditioning was, like in the hot summer, accordingly we cooked over a contained wood fire and played outside till nightfall.

Frying foods in a large cast iron skillet was a great way to cook breakfast, eggs, fried potato, and thick ham slices and a pot of baked beans with salt pork, Put the bread right near the fire and let it toast a bit.

Maybe your like me, I also like onion and pepper and sausage fried with the potato and you can even scramble eggs and add it to the frying mix. In fact that brings me to a cast iron Dutch oven for cooking over a fire.

We had a bbq grill basket with handle too for foods that we can just flip the basket to cook the other side.

Char-Broil Steel Grill Basket

Like salmon steaks, Asparagus, sliced zucchini and summer squash, roasted bell pepper and onion. Spray the basket with olive oil to keep food from sticking.

OMG I am already getting hungry. A new easy grill dish I saw recently was baked potato sliced open and then fried on the grill with beans/ chili , salsa and melted yellow cheddar topped with sour cream and flakes of cilantro. Of course a nice cold beer or sparkling spring water to help wash it down!

Enjoy!

Lost in Deep Woods or Just Turned Around – You Need to Think Clearly

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Ed Hale

I was hunting deer with my brother and a friend in New Brunswick, Canada, up near Plaster Rock, years ago ( before Cell phones and GPS) along a logging trail the had ribbon marked offshoots. I found buck tracks crossing the logging trail and followed them beyond the ribbon marked trails. It was late afternoon, the terrain was mixed forest with small hills and hummocks. I prided myself in the past for memorizing my backtrail, often making it easy to find my way back. But here, I was interested in finding that buck.

It was getting dark and I had to call it quits when my nose detected tarsal gland scent. He is here, I thought. I stood looking at every bush, tree, sapling to find an antler, a nose, a tail but found none. Thoughts of getting out were taking over my deer focused brain, so I backtracked some and thought I recognized the small hillside. So I went over the hill. On the other side I did not recognize the terrain. What? It was at that moment when it dawned on me that I was turned around, lost my trail etc.

I could have kept going but I realized that I could easily parallel the logging trail and never cut it. Was I too far off the logging trail? No, I thought, but how best to get out? My brother and friend were likely headed back to camp just 500 yards up the logging trail. I decided to stop and make a campfire as darkness fell. Luckily, I had a knife and camp hatchet and plenty of matches with me. Making the fire was easy with paper birch bark every where. I thought that guessing the direction to go was not in my best interest. I was thinking clearly. Sit tight, I thought, they will come and find me soon.

I was hunting with a 30-06 and had several rounds. One of the signals of a lost or turned around hunter is 3 spaced shots in sequence. I had a nice fire going and let off a single round at first. Then I heard a round fired in the distance. I returned fire. After several minutes I heard another round and I returned firing in the air. It wasn’t long when I saw some flashlights and a lantern. All the while they must be thinking I am sitting on a huge buck, but no, just enjoying my large campfire. You ok? “Yes, but I got turned around is all, and thought it best to just sit tight.” Good for you, we were not far from the logging trail. All was well and some hot food. I was good to go.

Epilogue

I wasn’t lost but was feeling that creepy lost feeling even knowing I was not far off the trail. Staying calm was my priority. It is amazing how building a nice fire lifted my spirits, like having a friend.

I didn’t know it but I was using the STOP Method.

When you’re in a panic, your brain stops working, too. Thus, fear sets in and you can’t help making bad actions and judgment.

Stop what you’re doing at the moment and on that note, the acronym STOP really works well.

Sit. Stop what you’re doing and have a drink because a refreshing drink will help calm you down.
Think. Evaluate your situation so you can determine if you’re really lost or only feeling lost.
Observe. Look around you and evaluate the treats in your surroundings.
Plan. After determining your situation, you can now plan your next move or action.

On a deep woods hunt, plan first as if you are going to get lost or turned around. Others should know where you are. Carry enough ammo to use as a signal. Space Blankets and water will keep you warm by a fire and hydrated. For arguments sake lets assume no one is coming, because of poor planning. What do you do? Build a fire and a survival shelter nearby. Can you build a survival shelter, lean to, spruce bow tent?

If not I would read up on shelters…

Good Hunting!

Maine Hunter Education Survival Kit includes…a Larger Knife

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Ed Hale

A knife that fits your hand and has a large enough blade is essential says Maine Hunter Education for a deep woods hunt. It should be sharp and have a handle to fit your hand. Small gutting knives will not provide the function you may need when lost.

One of my many winter hobby projects is creating my very own big game hunting knifes. I purchased a stainless blank that is about 56 to 58 Rockwell for the build. It is razor sharp and fits my hand very well.

Below, this sheath will protect the blade but I will cover the white feather with removable camo tape if deer hunting. White is a no no in the deer woods. A small saw is highly recommended as well.

In addition, a smaller gutting and skinning knife helps if you are successful. Are you prepared in the deep woods if you are lost? What about starting a fire? Compass? etc. below.

https://www.hunter-ed.com/maine/studyGuide/Survival-Kit-Requirements-for-Maine/20102201_150873/

Fire. You must have two different types of fire starters. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife recommends blizzard matches and a good quality magnesium/fire stick starter. You might want to include a butane lighter; however, they are not always functional. To get the fire going, you should have a small ziplock bag with 10–12 cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly. It only takes a couple of cotton balls to get your fire going. You should also include a couple of small pieces of birch bark, which can be used to start your fire. Being able to build a good fire is extremely important as it will deal with your fear and anxiety, get you warm, dry your wet clothes, cook food, boil water, and serve as a signal for those searching for you.
Spare Compass. A clear, base plate compass is preferred. Having a GPS does not replace the requirement to have a spare compass. While GPS’ are great for navigation, batteries can die and leave you in the middle of nowhere with no method of determining your location..
Whistle. Plastic without the pea in the center. A Fox 40 whistle is the loudest and marine whistles are also quite loud.
Water Treatment Product(s). You have several options. There are tablets designed for purifying water. You can have a small bottle with an eyedropper with bleach in it. 3 drops per liter for 10 minutes. You can carry a 3 ‘ x 3’ piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and fold it into a container to boil your water. Fairly new on the market are survival straws which sanitizes the water as you suck it through the straw. You can survive without water for 3 days. You become dehydrated in a day or less.
Light. A small flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries.
Signaling Device. A signaling mirror is great. An old CD will do the same thing for free. Your fire will also serve as a signaling device—smoke by day and fire by night.
Spare Glasses and Medication. Three days worth of meds you take daily. Make sure you rotate them out on a regular basis to keep them up to date and keep them in a waterproof container.
Large Trash Bag and Paracord. Fold it up tight and wrap it with paracord to keep it folded tight. Trash bag can be used as a poncho or as a base for a roof of a debris tent. A length of 550 paracord will provide you with cordage to help build a shelter and lash things together as needed. Individual strands can also be used as fishing line.
Food. Most people can survive without food for 3 weeks. You should have something you do not like that will provide you with protein. You can also pack some fishing flies and small split shot sinkers in a small container like a film canister and wrap it with monofilament fishing line. Wrap the line onto the container, cover with electrical tape and you also have the tape to close wounds with.
First Aid. A homeowner’s first-aid kit does not perform the functions you may need. You need to be able to perform self help first and you will need items to control serious bleeding, stabilize a sprain or broken bones. A bandana and feminine hygiene pads can be used to deal with bleeding. By using sticks from the woods, and a couple of triangular bandage you can splint a limb and deal with bleeding. Completing a first aid course and CPR course is strongly recommended.
Space Blanket. A Mylar® space blanket can be used to reduce loss of body heat and may also be useful in making a shelter.
Duct Tape. A few feet of duct tape wrapped around a pencil or stick will provide you with the ability to tape things together as well as help with wound closure.
Electronics. You are not required to have electronic devices in your survival kit. However, if you have a GPS and/or a cell phone, you should know how to use them and carry them with you. Make sure they have fresh batteries or are fully charged and remember that they do not always work everywhere.

Good Hunting!

Design Your Own Ammo!

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Ed Hale

I have seen folks look for their special load e.g., cartridge and bullet at major retailers only to get frustrated and leave, later to come back and hope that their pet cartridge shows up. In my most recent desire to shoot a round nose bullet for my 6.5 Creedmoor, you will never see them as a cartridge off-the-shelf with round nose bullets. It is not being marketed and sold. You must design and create it yourself.

If you are like me, then you want to be free to choose and design your own DYO ammo, to chose the brass, the powder and primer , the bullet weight and style, crimp or not, and most importantly the seating depth and overall length (COL) for their pistol or rifle.

Its fun and over a year, for an active shooter, it will pay for itself in no time.

For a minimal investment of say around $400 dollars or so (less than the cost of a new rifle) in reloading equipment the hunter/shooter, now a reloader, has the power and freedom to customize the cartridge for the game and distance you wish to hunt.

Reloading equipment brand kits like Hornady, RCBS and Redding are a few to look into. My RCBS set up below. It is over 30 years old.

You just need the dies for your cartridge, powder, primer, and bullet. There are many beginner video’s out there to see how its done but reading and comprehending a loading manual is necessary to be safe. It is not hard to do at all but because you are dealing with powders and primers, safety is a priority.

For me reloading and designing my own ammo gives be tremendous satisfaction that I created my own custom ammo and experiment at the range to maximize accuracy and energy delivered to the game I hunt. On my Africa hunt, years back, I designed my ammo for plains game in my .338 Winchester Magnum and my .270 Winchester. Both cartridge designs were tested and were highly successful in the picture below.

In fact almost all of the game I hunted across the US, Canada and South Africa used my designer custom ammo that I created.

You Can Do it Too!

Good Hunting!