recurveman

What twist rate is your barrel? Try a flat base bullet. Flat base bullets stabilize much better than boat tail bullets but they do loose more energy down range. At 400 yards or less the critter will be dead before he realizes that you shot him with a flat base bullet. Lighter bullets will stabilize better than heavier bullets. The twist rate will determine the max grain weight bullet you can shoot out of the gun realistically. You can most of time go to a lighter bullet but not always to a heavier bullet. Though the 30-06 should handle a 180 bullet almost every time. I've had heavier bullets hit the target sideways because they were to much bullet for the twist rate. Granted that is kind of extreme but groups will tend to open up first and then all heck breaks loose. Kind of hard to explain to your buddy why your target has weird shaped holes in the paper when he knows you are shooting a 6MM. Try a nosler partition. Great hunting bullet and very easy to get to fly good. Out to 600 yards they are really tough to beat. Actually just bought some to run through my new rifle build.

Nightforce would be the way to go. There are higher end scopes from there but NF is a great option. I had one a few scopes ago and it did great. I haven't had anybody complain about repeatability. I've got the vortex Viper 6 X 24 HS LR with the XLR reticle. I've used it some but not a ton. The big difference for me from the NF is the weight. I wanted something lighter and this fit the bill. Glass is good. I don't dial the crap out of my scope so it isn't a big deal. I would use the reticle and be done with it. I think NF glass clarity is a bit over rated but their repeatability is awesome and worth the money.

Once you crack the 1000 yard mark then the game changes. The 338 lapua just crushes everything. The 6.5's and the 7MM have no business being shot past 100 yards at critters. Their KE just isn't there. Though in all honesty it is just about impossible to have a cold bore, first shot hit a WT deer at 1000+ yards. A ton of variables to consider that the average hunter doesn't even know to evaluate let alone how to compensate for the variables. But, it is a ton of fun to dump lead at those distances. Doing it at a competition and on paper really changes how you look at every shot. Frequently bullets move 6-18 inches and you wonder why.

Over the 4th of July I went on the Top Gun. I watched the crew fishing all the time. Even the captain. Now a good crew will hook and hand to a person that isn't catching many fish. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that happen. To many to count. Word to the wise. If you see the crew fishing......fish next to them and see how they are fishing. They understand how to catch fish. Also..........You might end up with a bent rod handed off to you!!!!!!! Also seen the crew give fish to the galley for dinners, lunches, ect. Let the crew fish. It will benefit you.

would be fun. Kind of a smaller boat for 4 people plus crew. Would get "interesting" if any weather came up. I'm heading out on the Intrepid for 8 days on August 9th. Did a 3.5 day on the Top Gun over the 4th of July. Fishing has been spotty so far this year. Will probably pick up after the next moon.

How big a difference? Recoil? You have similar weight bullets going near similar MV and .013 bore difference, how much worse is recoil? Dope? at 800 yards you have to dial up for the 6.5 lets say 15 MOA of dope, for the 270 you are saying its to big a challenge to dial 2-3 more MOA? Wind drift. Now the advantage creeps in, but at 800 yards you still need to get the wind right. If you get it wrong by more than 3 mph 6.5 won't save you, now just a gut shot vs nice clean through and through the lungs. Guess you can hope that gut shot catches a lot of liver and you can track for 50-70-120 yards. At 800 yards don't you still need to get your distance, wind and drop calculation spot on? 308 or 7MM RUM don't you still need to dope accurately? Is clicking up 60 clicks that much harder that dialing up 70 clicks? There is very little practical difference from any of the high powered rifles. You could look at a .270, 30-06, 300 win, 300 weatherby, 284, 7MM, ect. Pick your favorite cartridge. The trajectory is basically the same for all of these rounds until you surpass 500 yards. Then it gets exciting. Bullet selection will change your point of impact and down range energy more quite often than the cartridge once your bullet gets past the 500-600 yard range. Point being that 99% of the animals are shot under 400 yards. The only difference between these cartridges is the energy that they produce. The .270 will knock down any game animal in the lower 48 with a good shoot. A 7MM won't kill anything if you miss. The key is knowing the weapon and how it performs.

Agreed - Bullet construction means more to me than all of it. I've hunted WT in Texas where a 300 win mag would zip through a little deer but a .243 with a 90 nosler ballistic tip would drop them in their tracks.

OK look at it this way. Take a 300 WSSM, 300 win mag, 300 weatherby mag, 300 RUM. All shooting a 180 grain bullet. All calibers are capable of shooting accurately. The RUM is going to be the hottest round and about 300 feet per second faster than others. If the gun shoots MOA and you know the distance........Is there really a practical difference between the calibers? The elk at 300 yards is going to be dead with all calibers if the shooter does his job. At 500, 700, 800 yards.......the elk is still dead. The only difference between calibers is the energy that they put out. If the bullet passes through the animal then all of the energy didn't dissipate into the critter to begin with so why have the extra energy? The trajectory will be a little different but who cares? If you know your dope then make the adjustment and send the bullet. Caliber is something we play with but it is irrelevant. It is a chunk of lead a certain diameter and a certain speed. Who cares if it comes from an 30-06 or a 300 win mag. All lower 48 game animals will die with any 30 caliber hunting rifle. We put way more importance on the caliber than is really needed. Again. I chose the 6.5 X 284 because I have access to all the best reloading equipment a guy could want. If the reloading equipment was 6.5 X 47 or 300 win mag I would have choosen that caliber. It is just a chunk of lead traveling at a known speed with known drag characteristics........unless you are a new nosler bullet. Then you better figure out the actual BC.

Keep this in mind. There literally is zero difference between 6.5 calibers. There might be a few hundred feet per second but for all practical purposes there is little to no difference. The biggest reason there are so many calibers is so gun manufacturers can sell more guns...........well and there are a bunch of crazy butt guys that like to build wildcat cartridges. yeah my father in law is building a 7mm wildcat cartridge that is based off of the SAUM with some modifications to case length, width, and shoulder angle. All to shoot tighter groups at longer distances. The accuracy of any of the 6.5's is great. Speed varies a little but with range finders it doesn't make any difference for most practical hunting applications. So the short answer is.........Get a caliber that you can deal with the easiest and shoot it. I went with the 6.5 X 284 for two reasons. First it is on the hotter side of the 6.5 cailbers and will do well in a bunch of shooting applications. Second, my father in law has all the bench rest quality reamers, dies, bushings, equipment, ect to reload this caliber. I didn't have to buy any reloading equipment for this caliber.

I would love to see these guys go to a mid range or long range competition. Most of the ranges have events every month. If a shooter can shoot 1/2 MOA they are a shoe in to be the next national champion, national record holder and world record holder. Congrats to all!!!!!!!! That is some stiff shooting. Now the shoots that I've been too even the really, really national caliber shooters (which we have in PHX) don't hold MOA let alone 1/2 MOA at the mid range distances of lets say 500-600 yards. Back out to 800 - 1000 yards and if you could just hold an MOA group all day long.......again you would be a for sure national champion. Very, very, very few people can hold a MOA group for a 20 round string at a distance over 500 yards. There are a ton of variables that will change the point of impact of a bullet by an MOA or more. The reason for a custom gun is to get exactly what you want. Consistency is also another reason for a custom gun. I've seen the cheaper guns shoot great for 3 shots or maybe 5 shots. But then there is a group that isn't quite as good. Opps...... It happens. Heck I've got a few of the cheaper guns that I love and hunt with frequently. To be honest. The cheap guns (or any gun that will hold MOA) is more accurate than 99% of the hunts need. After 500 yards 99% of the hunters have no business pulling the trigger on a critter. There are to many variables that will change the point of impact and most hunters don't practice enough to know how their gun shoots at different distances and conditions. BTW - my gun is currently getting chambered in 6.5 X 284 in a #3 contour stainless steel Brux barrel at 22" in length with a throat long enough to accept a longer bullet like the berger or Nosler accubond LR bullets. Chambering is done by a benchrest quality gun smith here in PHX. You can't always get the specs you want with a store bought gun.

take time to verify that the drops are correct. Many aren't correct or the info into the calculations isn't correct. I always go and shoot the gun at 200 and then out to 400 with a chronograph to make sure that everything matches up. Then don't be afraid to step back to 600-1000 and let her rip. You will learn a bunch about yourself and your gun. They don't always print like they should. I've made my own tables with actual results a few times and that works even better. Shoot a few know distances without moving your crosshairs and see what the drops actually are. Then record the drops and put it on your stock. Keep in mind that altitude changes will dramatically change your point of impact. Sighting in at Ben Avery and then going to flag expecting your gun to perform the same is an eye opening experience if you get past about 300 yards.

follow this ^^^^ advice. I love OnX maps. Super cool tool for hunting new ground. Also found it very useful down south in some of the WT units.

Well here are my experiences with packs. Used the badlands 2200. It is OK but I carried half a WT deer and my gear out a few miles one day and didn't really care for the internal frame. I've since changed to the Kuiu 1850 icon pro and it is a much better pack when you add weight to the pack. You can also add different bags. I've got the 5200 bag. Haven't used the 5200 yet but will this fall on a CO backpack MD hunt. I also like the gun attachment. It keeps the gun secure to the pack and I have my hands free. Last year for archery elk I used this pack. I really liked it. 2 pockets and a water bladder. If you need more room for archery elk you are bringing to much crap. Leave something in camp. https://www.amazon.com/Unigear-Tactical-Hydration-Backpack-Climbing/dp/B07BT3V8MP/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1532382989&sr=8-12-spons&keywords=backpack+hydration+pack+camo&psc=1 So here is my theory for most elk hunting in this state. You are normally going back to camp (or at least calling camp) for help. Then a group is going to head back in and take the animal apart. So why would I carry game bags, knives, saws, tarps, ect around for days? I don't. Basically I carry my phone (which is a spare light, maps, GPS, ect) then I carry a GPS, normal light, spare batteries, flagging tape, water in the bladder, 2 granola bars. DONE. I don't even carry a knife. I leave all of that stuff in my "kill bag" back at camp. I let someone at camp know where my bag is and then they can get it if I call them. Normally I leave it in my truck. I'm a really big fan of keeping my pack super, super light and covering some ground. Now if I had a hunt that required a tripod and spotting scope. I would bring a bit bigger pack. When I go in for WT deer I would use my 1850 and bring game bags and a knife.

Well antler growth is going to be better than people think. With the monsoons going right now I think the rut will be a great time. I for sure couldn't have turned in the tag. Those hunts are months apart and I would have figured it out. The next time he draws the tag he has to hunt. Can only do that once. Remember back in the day when you got quite a few tags and had to do a bunch of hunting........Ya just figured it out.

Tri tronics all the way. I bought my collars so many years ago I don't even remember how long I've had them. Well over a decade. Still working. Actually the collars are working better than my dogs these days.

BTW - that pic can't be from this year since it is so dry that the animals won't even being growing antlers until next year.

Second tier bull. I will be stealing the rest of your cameras this weekend. Enjoy your last pic of that bull!!!!!!!

Looks like an animal rights group trying to get people very emotional with a bunch of "this might have happened" or "what if this happened". It is all hypothetical crap. The Jaguar could be running around right now eating rabbits and we wouldn't know. Did you ever notice that (name the group) gets people emotionally charged about things that you can't actually see, touch, smell or verify? Global warming and the world is coming to the end. I've never see the ozone but I'm told we could die at any moment. Haven't seen a Jaguar but they could be gone forever next year. This goes hand in hand with the legislation that HSUS was trying to get passed and didn't get the signatures for. They will be back for the cats!!!!!!!

cool part is nobody can go in that area and the animals should have very little stress. Things change so fast once they go hard horned anyways that most of the scouting done before September 1st is not that important. Honestly I look at 2 things before September. Feed (where the cows are at) and Water (where the cows are at). Come the middle of September the boys will show up. Kind of like a lady's night at the bar. Give women a bunch of cheap drinks and dudes will show up.

I'm also not seeing great recruitment but I'm hoping that it is a little early yet. I think there is still time for them to drop. Did have the fawn in distress call going this weekend. Let's just say that I have saved a few calves and fawns!!!!!!! Oh and antlers. I think they will be just fine. The winter was mild and I think growth will be better than hunters are expecting. From what I'm seeing it should be a solid year. Not fantastic but good.

I shot a lion last year on August 5th. This year I couldn't shoot a lion on that date. As of July 1st lion season will be closed for the first time I can every remember while being in AZ. So basically from the 80's lion season has been open every single day until July 1st. Kind of weird. Guess I'll just have to go up this weekend and get one before the season closes!!!!!!

I usually use a longer top shot of flouro. On my 20# rig I usually use 100 yards of top shot and normally 25 yards on all of my other rigs. I don't like using only 3-4 feet and then having to tie new leaders on all the time. I just put a bunch on and cut it off as needed and don't have to worry about putting on new leaders all the time.

I believe the season closes june 30th and reopens August 24th. First time I have seen the season not be all year long.

Cats aren't that hard to call in. You have to think a bit different though. Don't sit down wind. Sit so you can look down wind. The cats I've called in always come from down wind. If you have the wind in your face and are looking at the call.........the cat is right behind you. The biggest reason people don't call more cats in to calls is the cats aren't in the area. If a cat is in the area then you have a chance at calling them in. If you are seeing the cat on camera every 2-4 days then call in the area and see if you can't turn it up. I bet you can.......PS. I'm leaving in about 30 minutes to go cat hunting this weekend. Notice I didn't say predator hunting. I strictly focus on cats.

So when I go on a boat I run a 20# avet SX with a 8' 15-30# rod (bait). 20# penn spinning rod (jigs). A 30# Avet JX 2 speed (over kill but versatile) on a 7' rod. A 40# Avet JX 2 speed on a 7' rod. A 60# HX 2 speed on a 7' rod. 80# trolling rod. All but the trolling rod are spectra backed and I always run 25' or more floro top shot. So, if I had to put this in order of most used I would say my 20# bait rod, 20# spinning rod, 40# bait rod, 30#, 80# 60#. If you are doing a 3 day or under trip I would have a 20# bait and a 40# rod. You can put a 30# leader on the 40# rod and do just fine. I would buy the absolute best reel and rod you can afford and just buy one. Don't buy two that are marginal. Buy top gear and less of it. Start with 20# then the 40# and go from there. Heavy gear rarely gets used (though the last few years have been a bit different. If you are on a budget look at the diawa Sealine reels. They are awesome and I ran them for years. If $$ is no object look at avet/accurate/ ect. My gear took me 10-15 years to acquire and upgrade as needed. All my gear is custom and all the rods are exactly alike. It took years and is absolutely over kill but a blast. Last year I went on a 5.5 day trip and my go to rod was 40# but I still used my 20# rod a bunch. Finally used my 60# rod on some bigger tails (must have brought that rod along for years before I really actually needed it) 2 speeds are cool but I really don't think they have much purpose until you hit 40# and even then only sometimes. I caught a bigger model BFT a few years back and it was awesome to have a 2 speed reel. Still took me 45 minutes to get him to the boat. Keep in mind that a ton of fish have been caught with a penn 500 and a jig stick. Equipment makes it easier to get them to the boat sometimes but getting bit is the key to the whole game.