Deer Hunting Discussion

[wayacoyote]

Thought it was time to start a thread on deer hunting.

For starters, I'm walking out to a tree stand, so can deer see the red light from my flashlight?

What gun would you recommend for my wife? She Can shoot the 30.06 but doesn't like the kick. I don't want something too off of the main stream.

[iddee]

My 13 y/o grandson uses a .17. a .222 and a .223. All fit him comfortably.

[BjornBee]

I find a good overall bush gun which is a step below a 30.06 is the 30-30 win. For anything inside 100 yards, and thats normal around here, it works well. I have two marlins mounted with 3.9x40 tasco scopes. Nothing fancy or extreme.

I think if close enough, then yes, deer would be able to see it. We used to run with red lights in the field on war games. I can tell you that a red light at half mile is hard to see through the bush as it reflects little. But a white light beams out, reflects, and can be seen for miles.

[power napper]

Archery season and I missed a doe this evening, came back to house and sat down on glider and looked at the beautiful leaves, then a bear came down to within 35 feet of hives--looked and left--memorable.

[phil c]

Let the wife try out a .243, they work pretty well.
I wish I could use a rifle in Iowa, we are limited to slugs,muzzleloaders or handguns.

[Sundance]

Man a 30-30 is a classic and hard to beat for ladies,
younger hunter, or heck............ anyone.

I shoot a .270 and really like that caliber. I've tried
scopes, but always end up tearing them off in favor
of open sights. I can shoot faster without a scope.

[Hambone]

I use a 30.06. I could use a .270, 30-30, even a 22.50. The 30.06 was on sale 10 years ago when I bought it. My next will be a .270 or .243. Flatter shooting at longer range.

The deer will either smell or hear you before they see the red light.

[Ravenseye]

Deer aren't spooked by red as they are by "white" light. I swear by a .308. Easy on the shoulder but can be lethal on bigger game as well. I've taken deer, bear and other game. I love it.

[iddee]

My buddies on the local police force and I have an ongoing joke. Them with their cannons and me with my pea shooters. They carry 357 and 9mm. I carry a 32, either revolver or auto.

In hunting, I still prefer a pea shooter to a cannon. I use a 22 mag or 222 for deer. A long shot here is 100 yards and we have nothing bigger than a small southern whitetail.

[Zane]

Start out seeing what the minimum caliber is required in the state you are hunting. Some states you can't even use these rifles and only a shotgun slug is allowed!!!(bummer)
In the states I've hunted there is a caliber size of around .240 caliber so the .223 wouldn't work in my hunting states. I wouldn't hesitate to use one but I would deffinately reload my own bullets w/ 100gr or better in a ballistic tip or spire point boat tail for accuracy. Those cheapo full metal jackets aren't what you want to kill a deer w/ cleanly.
All the calibers talked about are good. I think there are some .243 calibers made w/ a shorter stock for women and children. Savage and I think Mossberg make them. Rossi has a "combo" single shot w/ a .22, a .243 and a 410 barel that might interest you? I dont like the safety on it. Savage made them too. My youngest daughter uses a 30-30 model like I started w/ as a kid. I have a couple so no need to go buy another gun. They are excellent timber or thick cover/short range rifles. I've killed many deer and elk w/ it. I wouldn't shoot farther than 150 yrds starting out. The bullet drops like a rock.
My wife and I both shoot the .270cal. I put a Pachmyer "Decellerator" recoil pad on hers and it barely kicks now I reccomend it to anyone wanting to soften the blow(you might consider that on your 30-06!!!). My wife is comfortable shooting that rifle anytime at the range or in the field. It too will kill deer, and elk. The .308 is an excellent choice. My father shot that all his life and has many kills in that straight shooter. Also the 30-06 is probably the most popular. Sure it kicks a bit but you'll be able to find ammo for that gun anywhere.
Personally I'd go w/ the .243 or .270(.270 will kill the elk! more effectively) for her.

I use a red headlamp going into @ early morning hunts. Deer have looked @ me but dont seem to mind the light plus it helps me to see my surroundings w/ out being too bright.


-Power napper, sounds like a nice day!!! seeing both deer and bear!!! I live for those kinds of memories.
I went out turkey hunting Fri and had 2 fawns walk right up to me jumped the fence 10 yds away and kept on walking. Never saw me!!! :no:another month until rifle season! Saw turkeys but not close enough to shoot. Its getting in the air!!! but still too warm to hang a deer for any time.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

.22, 220, 22-250, 223 will all get you arrested here, way too small for our deer. Minimum here is .243 rifle or 357 handgun. In the 300 yard range I prefer the 7 mag, up to 250 yards the 308 is really pleasant, less than 100 yards I like the 44mag revolver.

I have to agree with phil c, the 243 is the best choice for smaller frame shooters especially if you live in a state with tiny deer. And derek1 is spot on with the deer hearing you long before they see you.

I find going to my tree house in the pre-morning a waste of time. If they are within rifle shooting distance I think I scare them off. I've shot a few deer in the mid-morning, but most all the deer I have shot have been in the mid-afternoon to dusk.

[Michael Bush]

>For starters, I'm walking out to a tree stand, so can deer see the red light from my flashlight?

They say that deer's vision is less at the red end and more at the ultra violet end. So it probably wouldn't be noticed.

>What gun would you recommend for my wife? She Can shoot the 30.06 but doesn't like the kick. I don't want something too off of the main stream.

I LOVE my 6.5mm x 55mm Swedish Mauser. You can even buy ammo at Wal-mart last I checked. Low kick. As flat shooting as the .30-06 in the long run. With factory ammo it's quite light on the kick. That would be my first choice.

The .243 is also a fine caliber for low recoil. If you shop around you might find a used .250 savage, which is also quite nice on recoil and a good deer cartridge. A .260 Remington is also nice and closer to the 6.5mm in ballistics (same size bullet, slightly smaller case). Of course if you hand load you can load any of them down to moderate recoil by using the lighter listed loads for the faster powders.

[dragonfly]

What gun would you recommend for my wife? She Can shoot the 30.06 but doesn't like the kick. I don't want something too off of the main stream.

I have a female friend who hunts deer with a .243 and she loves it.

[Scrapfe]

What gun would you recommend for my wife? She Can shoot the 30.06 but doesn't like the kick.

I will have to second what BBl said about getting arrested. Some of the calibers mentioned will land you in the county jail if you use them for deer in Alabama, proberly the same in Kentucky. The .243 would be my pick, it only kills at the front end, the 30-06 Springfield feels like it kills at both ends if you are gun shy. I know of a local man who can really shoot. He uses a scoped .243 with hand loads. Says he only shoots for the head/neck area.

Where he hunts a long shot is 100 yards. If you shoot at the head and miss you don't have a wounded deer to follow up. You score a hit you don't have to follow a blood trail either, he'll be laying where he was standing when you squeezed off the shot. It is often extremely difficult to follow a fresh blood trail in wet fallen, oak, hickory, sweetgum, and maple leaves. Also Alabama and Kentucky deer usually have little meat on a their antlers. This modern day Daniel Boone claims there is not a set of antlers big enough to get him to shoot for the boiler room.

[standman]

I too would recommend the .243, but Remington offers a Managed Recoil load in some calibers that might allow you to use a gun you already have. Also, you might favor a heavier gun if she is hunting from a blind and doesn't have to carry it very far. The heavier weight produces less felt recoil. Oh, and make sure that you replace any older metal/wood butt plate with a softer/more cushioning one to pad that shoulder. Good luck and happy hunting.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Another caliber that does not get enough attention is the 7mm-08. Check out the youth model on this page, it can be had for about $500. Second line up from the bottom.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_700/model_700_SPS.asp

[Keith Jarrett]

I like to shoot a colt/saur, 300 weatherby mag round.

That way if the game warden catches me with a doe, I can tell him that the bullet hit him so hard it blew his horns & balls off. :)

[Hambone]

I like to shoot a colt/saur, 300 weatherby mag round.

That way if the game warden cacthes me with a doe, I can tell him that the bullet hit him so hard it blew his horns & balls off. :)

LOL:applause::applause:

[Ben Brewcat]

The right rifle will depend a lot on your deer and terrain. The .270 (for smaller muleys, mountain goats and pronghorns) is popular with locals out here. Flat, decent range, more selection of rounds and doesn't kick a lot. The folks from Florida, NY and Texas come out with mega-magnums to make sure everyone knows how well, ah, armed they are, which is important for all those misses :). For elk it might make more sense.

I'd like to hear if anyone has heard about these UV wash products. Naturally the ads you see make one think that a deer will see you three miles away if you don't use it. But after learning the scent-blocker scoop (the amount of carbon in a set of clothes can, even at 100% efficiency, absorb at best a small portion of the scent a human emits in a couple hours or so, and nothing after that) I want to learn the science before deciding to invest.

Anyone know about detergent UV residues and deer vision?

[dragonfly]

Naturally the ads you see make one think that a deer will see you three miles away if you don't use it. But after learning the scent-blocker scoop (the amount of carbon in a set of clothes can, even at 100% efficiency, absorb at best a small portion of the scent a human emits in a couple hours or so, and nothing after that) I want to learn the science before deciding to invest.

Anyone know about detergent UV residues and deer vision?

What deer see is UV reflection on clothing that occurs with detergents that contain brighteners. At least that is my understanding. Using a plain old liquid dish detergent should accomplish the same thing as using a special detergent. Make sure you use much less than you would in a liquid clothes detergent. I really don't think it makes much difference if you are a decent hunter.

The old hunter's trick with scenting has been, for many years, hunt down-wind. I honestly doubt that all the scent-blockers can mask the smell of a predator.

[Ben Brewcat]

The old hunter's trick with scenting has been, for many years, hunt down-wind. I honestly doubt that all the scent-blockers can mask the smell of a predator.

Yeah. Besides, I don't see any gun descenting products :D. I suspect that with all the solvents, oils etc. that a weapon sees it smells to high heaven anyways. As in many things, skills and technique trump technology most of the time.

[dragonfly]

Yeah. Besides, I don't see any gun descenting products :D.

:D

Well, there's a chemical that predators excrete and release that the scent blockers supposedly mask. I can't recall the name of the chemical now, but it will come back to me eventually. And you're right. Skill and intelligence trump scent block and UV treatments.

[Zane]

BEN,
Actually I have been seeing scent friendly gun cleaning stuff(baking soda based I think). I think it was @ Sportsman Wharehouse.
I use the "sport wash" on my cammo and outdoor gear. I can't see like a deer but I like the product. It cleans well w/ a very small amt of soap and is scentfree. It works good w/ wool, goretex and polypro stuff too. It comes in a quart bottle sells @ lots of places from REI,to walmart. It has no brightners either. I used the same mfg's UV bloker once but not sure if it worked or not? I seem to be able to keep out of the deers attention while still hunting so maybe it works?
I have some cabon 1st layer stuff w/ polypro but most that carbon suit stuff doesnt breath well @ all.
I wash my hunting gear and dry it out on the line and dont touch it until opening day. Then I figure its scent free for maybe 1/2 an hour!!!!
I wonder how all my forefathers ever got close to an animal w/o all this fancy stuff?:scratch:
Keep the scent down, stay downwind, be quiet, go slow and practice shooting @ the range well before you shoot that one and only kill shot(Per animal that is)

[BULLSEYE BILL]

and practice shooting @ the range well before

It amazes me how many people expect to be able to take game without practicing. :rolleyes: Even though, there are plenty that do practice who are so scary that even my Range Safety Officer is scared to stay on the range with them. :eek:

Do yourself and the game a favor and practice your shooting skills. Hopefully you won't have to track a poor animal slowly dieing a painful death. :no:

[iddee]

>>>>I wonder how all my forefathers ever got close to an animal w/o all this fancy stuff?>>>>

30 days without a bath, the deer just thought the smell was another wild animal. "skunk, maybe???" Nothing to be afraid of.

[Zane]

Peeeee Uuuuuuuuuuu!
lol:D

[dragonfly]

Well, there's a chemical that predators excrete and release that the scent blockers supposedly mask.

I think it was lyseine (don't know if I spelled it correctly.)

[Zane]

Dragonfly, that sounds right. I've heard that and seen it in artificial form in the stores.

[J-Bees]

I find a good overall bush gun which is a step below a 30.06 is the 30-30 win. For anything inside 100 yards, and thats normal around here, it works well. I have two marlins mounted with 3.9x40 tasco scopes. Nothing fancy or extreme.

I think if close enough, then yes, deer would be able to see it. We used to run with red lights in the field on war games. I can tell you that a red light at half mile is hard to see through the bush as it reflects little. But a white light beams out, reflects, and can be seen for miles.

Have ya ever smoked in a war ZONE??

[Eaglerock]

30-30 or 222