yotebuster

Jeremy, I ordered an AR-15 from Dtech a couple months ago in .243WSSM, eagerly awaiting it!!! I've done a ton of research on it, but never experienced it firsthand. What I will say is that th 87-95 grain Berger VLD's look to be the ticket to me. I would shy away from the 55 grains stuff, as you're gonna be washing a lot of powder out the end of the barrel. You won't lose that much velocity by bumping up, and you're gonna keep it way longer. Those 55grain pills have a terrible ballistic coefficient, which is kind of a waste if you ask me. Im gonna load the 87's I think, then use them indescriminately for everything from big ND whitetails to coyotes, prairie dogs, and song birds! ; Hunting shack has a heck of a sale on .243 and .223 WSSM brass right now, I'm not good at picking mine up when I hunt, so I ordered 1000 of em, I guess I better hope I like my gun!!

That looks like a good time, didn't know they had pheasants in Mexico. Are they wild birds if you don't mind me asking? I can tell you that I'd way rather go down there than to the Dakotas, of course I'm from the dakotas, but the weather, women and food are alot better down there!!!! Not to mention the beaches!! Can a guy get into duck hunting within a decent distance of Arizona on the baja? I'd love to get into some Brant also.

Clay, the clicks on your scope are 1/4" at 100 yards. This becomes much different at longer ranges, at 400 yards, one click = 1" etc. Just thought I'd point that out, as this could cause considerable confusion to people trying to use a turret adjustment for long range shooting without actually practicing at distance. .270, gravity has the same "hold" on the bullet at the muzzle as it does at 1000 yards, 9.8 m/s/s, its just that the bullet is going so much slower at 1000 yards, which makes the drop between every 50 or 100 yard increment so much more noticeable. Gravity is always a constant, this is the cause of true distance vs. actual distance when shooting up or down hill. Rookie, to give my 2 cents on your original question, your '06 does have plenty of energy to kill a deer at 5-600 yards, and your rifle is very likely plenty accurate for use at that range, but as my dad used to always say, "its the loose nut behind the trigger that causes a gun to miss!" Simply put, it takes a lot of skill to take shots at those types of ranges, many people are very good at it, but they weren't born that way. Considering you've got the talent, wind drift and distance measurement become the two determing factors. It is IMPERITIVE that you know how far the animal you are shooting at is... knowledge of ballistics is worthless without this... always always always carry a rangefinder, I rank that as the #3 tool a hunter has, after your boots and binos of course. I would rather have a $300 gun and a $700 rangefinder then vice versa any day. Wind is the other factor that can make long range shooting nearly impossible, and when i say that I mean, something that shouldnt be attempted on game. My brother and I had a big new mexico bull at 575 last year, with no way of getting closer, his 30-378 Wby with him behind it makes a prairie dog nervous at that range, but the wind coming down the canyon was noisy enough to be heard, but not felt where we were in the timber, needless to say, there was no possible ethical way to make that shot, and he didn't. I've notice the wind doesn't blow near as often down here as it does back in ND, but it's definitely something to keep in mind. I've whiffed coyotes at 150 yards (chest on...just how I like 'em for furs!!) with a 15 mph crosswind a lot of times, a shot similar to that on a broadside deer is gonna make for a bad day for both of you! Good luck, and keep shootin!

Dang!!! I don't know much about coues deer, but I know that both of those bucks look dang nice, your bro's is a toad!!! I love that mass. Awesome, thanks for sharing...

Had an awesome trip home to hunt with my uncles, dad, and brothers. Killed limits of ducks every morning, as well as real easy limits of pheasants. The geese and crane were few and far between, so I didn't get to kill any this trip. I killed a banded drake pintail on my first morning, first banded pintail I've seen (you can see the band on the pic i just noticed, you can also tell by the bags under my eyes that I partied to late and got up to early!!). Actually killed my first limit of Hungarian partridge in quite a few years too. Brought home a nice cooler of meat to boot!!

Hey guys, new on here, just got misplaced down here from ND for a few years for school. I missed my first archery whitetail opener back home this year in 17 years, it made me sick!!! My buddy arrowed a buck that would have been mine for opener, ended up grossing 174. Anyhow, figured i'd put up a pic of my buck from last year, grossed 162. It was the biggest bodied buck I've ever seen, I didn't weigh him, but would guarantee he went 250-275 lb on the hoof. He was a 7 1/2 year old that my bro missed the year before at 15 yards (lucky for me!!). Well, hope you guys enjoy a few pics from back home, let me know if you want me to put more up!!! Yote

It hasn't always been that way... the ducks have been a lot better I guess, but our pheasant hunting is unreal right now... if we get one more "normal" winter they are toast... The term normal doesn't mean much anymore, since we haven't had a nasty winter in ten years up there. My dad and I plant a lot of food plots and try to leave cover for them, I think that all helps, but pheasants aren't designed for our type of country, and one bad winter can thin them out real quick. I just got done filling my belly full of creamed pheasant and wild rice, nothing better!!! You should move yourself up there after you graduate! Rural ND is screaming for dentists, the state will pay off 80K of your loans if you work in a rural area for 4 years... most people would kill to have a good job in rural ND, but unless you're a farmer it's a tough place to make a living. I also know of a town or two that have dentists that are of retirement age that are trying to give away their practices to anyone willing to take them!! Of course you'd have to learn to get along with the winters, but ice fishing and coyote calling can keep a guy warm all winter!

We use .243's a lot back home in ND, my dad actually shot a 22-250 for 20 years. He killed more deer with that gun then anyone I know. It has a lot more to do with the guy behind the trigger then the caliber, I killed a 250lb. buck back home a couple years ago when I was coyote hunting with my AR-15 in .223. I am so used to shooting jackrabbits and fox with it that it felt like i was shooting at a barn, needless to say he didn't make it far. Not that I recommend .223, I have plenty of other guns that are more suited for deer, but if you know how to shoot it, you're 99% of the way there. I actually killed a deer with a .17 Remington once too, shot him through the lungs and it absolutely vaporized them! Wouldn't ever risk a shoulder shot, but I use the gun for shooting pheasants in the head cause my neighber can't bite into pellets (dental probs), so a deers lungs were a pretty easy target!!! Moral of the story, the .243 will be perfect for what you're doing with it... the 100gr bullets too, I don't know that the make anything factory much heavier.

Haha, I like how us hunters refer to things in yards instead of blocks.... Most likely the people in my school don't even know what the heck a yard is unless they watch football!

I have a bushnell elite 15-45x for sale, its about 4 years old, just bought a leica 20-60 the other day, so I guess I could part with my other one. I think I paid around $500 for it, would sell it for $250 if you're still in need of one.

My brother and sister in law drew elk tags for unit 16d last year, is your tag a wt or muley tag? There definitely wouldn't be any whitetail in 16D, which is the far north of the 16's. If anything, I would try the very very south end. We saw some muleys while hunting, but the biggest was probably only a 20" 3 pointer, and we hunted for a whole week. Lotta elk in there, bugled up a 390 bull the night before the season, i know how big he was because a fella killed him the next day within 100 yards of where we saw him

Hey guys, I am a member of the National Guard, and am currently on active duty orders down here. As far as I can tell that is what you need to hunt Ft. Huachuca. I'm assuming you also have to draw a state tag in the same unit also? Anyhow, I was just checking to see if any of you have hunted it, if its better or worse than hunting outside the fort etc. Thanks in advance for the info. yote

very cool, i love the blood trail shot, that gets my heart pumpin!!! I'd like to see what the "big" one looked like after seeing the one you got (i'd have to call that dang big personally!!) I'm trying to get my bro talked into blowing our colorado points on a high country hunt, but he's draging his feet about it! He's the saver and im the spender in our family, doesn't work out well when budgeting points!! Congrats...

Sorry fellas, didn't mean to get your panties all bunched up!!!! I am on a National Guard Scholarship to go to dental school, in Glendale. I have never even been to Huachuca, but understood the regs to say that you can hunt it if you are active duty military... I'm under active duty orders currently while at school (if its bothering you guys that bad I could show you my orders ) Sorry for the confusion, and I really would appreciate not being called a liar as several of you did. The reason it took me so long to get back to this post is that I was home for a weekend of pheasant and duck hunting. If you have any other questions or concerns as to any other aspects of my life feel free to ask me through personal message rather than tearing me apart publicly for being willing to serve my country while trying to further my education.... moving on to my original question, did I misunderstand the regulations, or can I hunt on ft. huachuca since I am active duty military, or do you have to be actually stationed at the fort. I apologize for the confusion again, I am in no way lying to try to get information out of you guys, that is why in my first post I was very clear to offer help to anyone interested in hunting in the dakota's, becuase that is my area of expertise, I know absolutely nothing about hunting in Arizona, which is why I've been asking questions. If I am asking to many questions please notify me, and once again sorry for the trouble... 2nd LT. Buntrock/Student Dentist Buntrock

I go to Midwestern University in North Glendale for Dental School. It's tough as heck to get in, it was the only school that I got into, so I obviously took them up on their offer! Im starting to like AZ now that its cooling off. Excited to do some hunting around here too. i tought you said in the other post that you are with the national guard in Fort Huachuca, which one is it, you travel long ways from school to the "Fort" Hey, sorry for the confusion, I got to Midwestern University in Glendale, but I'm on a military scholarship while I'm in school, which is considered active duty... unfortunately I wasn't a good enough farmer before I moved down here to come up with a quarter million dollars for school!!!! The national guard has been an awesome way to pay for school, and still ahve a little cash to go hunting now and then. The way I understood it, all active miliatary members can hunt ft. huachuca??? That's why I asked on the ohter post, sorry for the confusion.

Hello, just wanted to introduce myself, I moved down here in august from North Dakota to go to dental school in Glendale. I'm a huge bowhunter, for whitetails and goats back home, as well as elk in montana and colorado. Also a big waterfowl hunter to, if any of you guys are looking for advice on that type of hunting up there, let me know, I can get you pointed in the right direction. Looking to start doing some hunting around here, put in for a 6A javelina tag today (archery), just kinda threw a dart at the map I guess , its a close unit to Glendale, and there seems to be everything in that unit from elk to coues to quail. Any input on coues hunting up there? I won't be able to apply till next year, but hopefully will get to see my first coues when im up there for javelina (hopefully see my first one of them too!!!) Looking forward to getting to know all of you, and again I hate constantly asking ?'s without being able to offer help in return, so if you ever need info on waterfowling, pheasants, deer, or montana elk let me know.

Sorry

Jiminy cricket ! a 7stw for a 12 year old ? How big a boy are ya ? Haha, I was obsessed with ballistics and reloading when I was a kid (still am!) Dad wanted to get me a .243, but I wanted something that I could reach out and touch with! I loaded it down a bit after the first time at the range with a t-shirt on!!! That was back when the STW was "the" long range caliber, its since gone the wayside, but between me and my brothers and dad we have 4 or 5 of them, so we're gonna keep it alive! I'm sure there are a few guys on here that still are rockin the STW....

I need to get me one of those and put it in my pickup back home in ND, I maybe better kill a coues deer first, eh!!!

I go to Midwestern University in North Glendale for Dental School. It's tough as heck to get in, it was the only school that I got into, so I obviously took them up on their offer! Im starting to like AZ now that its cooling off. Excited to do some hunting around here too.

I missed out on a Pre-64 in .264 mag last year, drug my feet for a day and it sold, they wanted 900 for it, it was just a shooter, had a different pad on it and had been reblued, but I'd love a classic gun in a classic caliber like that, throw an old bausch and lomb on that bad boy and kill stuff with it!!! I have a new model with the pre-64 extractor in it in 7 STW thats scary accurate, got it for my 12th birthday, its killed 41 deer, 1 elk, 1 moose, god knows how many coyotes, and even a partidge in a pear tree. (wasn't much left of him, so I ate a pear instead....)

I figured you guys would wanna see it!!! Didn't wanna go over board right off the bat!! We found this guy this summer, you could set your watch by him, I knew he was gonna kill him opening night, I had to move down to glendale 3 days before opener!! Talk about anxiety! The other buck is one I shot a few years ago about 3 miles from where he got his, the resemblance is uncanny, theres even a bump on the mainbeam of his where the little drop tine is on mine. They were both 4 year olds when killed, so I think mine musta done a little breeding the year before I killed him. Oh, you'll have to bear with my buddy, he takes horrible pictures!!! Spend 200 hours scouting, then he can't take an extra 5 minutes to take a tasteful pic!!! We got one other dudes sheds from last year that scored high 160's as a 3 1/2 year old, couldn't find him this summer, but I have a gun tag back home thats gonna get wrapped around his antler over thanksgiving break!!! Fingers crossed...

Holy crap, now you got this north dakota boy all worked up!!! I've never had to worry about anything while hunting except maybe a lion, which I secretly kind of hope to find!!! I hadn't planned on hunting any of those southern units, but it looks like draw odds are far better down that way. I may have to look into it, I took spanish in 7th grade, but I think my Glock 10mm would be a better translator!!