Scooter

Yeah, I had the rifle ready on the shooting sticks and the shotgun was down to my right side which in hindsight was a bad idea because I had to pick it up off the ground and swing it over to of the rifle to get it over to my 9 o'clock where the 'yote was... My predator shotgun is a 28" barreled Mossberg 835 with an extended choke so it's a hefty gun to try to maneuver in that split second when the coyote figured things out. Had the shotgun been on my lap, all I would've had to do was raise it up and shoot... Lesson learned.

Big fan of vintage Ithaca... I have a 1920's Western Arms (Ithaca) side by side 12 and a 60's-70's era Ithaca/SKB 20ga O/U and both are just flat out perfect for upland hunting. The Browning Maxus is tops for waterfowl and the mossberg 835 is king for turkeys and predators. Ruger makes the absolute best .22 semi autos and I have an 80's production 10/22. Hard to pick a single best brand- but given the two choices I'd probably go with Remington over Winchester.

Well, finally after several years- I got one. Actually I ended up with five and a bonus bunny! I hunted alone, and no dog. I just took some water and my 20ga. and started walking through the grass and prickly pear country. Saw tons of birds- but they are fast! They were holding up for me pretty good, and I just did about 6 miles at a snails pace stalking from clump to clump. Biggest covey I saw ran away from me had dozens of birds. Biggest flush was about 8 at a time- two of which fell on one shot!

My dad shoots an older reflex (Hoyt) dual cam from the 90's... The only upgrades he's done in the last 10 years were a biscuit and carbon arrows... He kills a buck every year up in NY and still shoots a fair amount of 3D. Shoot Em off of any bow! Old or new bow- your draw length ain't gonna change a whole lot.

I shoot an arrow that's around 420gr. That's a Cabela's Carbon Hunter 65/80 at 29" with 2" XPV (Blazer) vanes and a NAP Killzone Trophy Tip. Buddy, you gotta go carbon- it truly is a better mouse trap.

Dakota, many prayers are being sent to you and your family. Great buck, and my best wishes to your young family as you carry on.

When you stack rounds MOA... I would only start at 50 if I had absolutely no idea where the rounds would hit. Here's my new scope sight in procedure: 1. With the rifle unloaded and pointed downrange in a sturdy sight-in vise or a good benchrest position, look down the barrel after pulling out the bolt and orient the barrel onto a nice visible target of some kind at about 100 yards or so. Lock down the rifle. 2. Move up to the scope and look for that same target and move the crosshairs to the target. This aligns your crosshairs with the barrel and will tell you whether something is mounted off center, if you need shims, etc... DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK both the bore sight picture and the scope, it will save you ammo. 3. Shoot a 2 or 3 shot group at 100 yards on a standard 100yd sight-in target using a plain white 36"x36" (roughly) sheet for a backer. If you don't hit the sight-in target you should be able to see the impacts "off the paper". I don't recommend sighting in any closer than 100yds because the Nikon Buckmaster is designed for precise adjustments of 1/4" per click at 100yds. If you stack the rounds in a good group (2MOA or less) then go ahead to #4 4. Adjust the scope to the correct number of 1/4" clicks, tap the turrets lightly, and send 2-3 more rounds. You should be good to go if you did it right... If not- repeat the process. Now, if/when you want a 200yd zero- consider that each click will now move the windage/elevation point of impact more than it will at 100yds so figure at least 1/2" per click, probably a little more. For the 30-06, depending on the load-out you choose, I would recommend a zero of 150yds or 200yds. It's gonna depend on the ballistics of your round, but you gotta make that call based on where you hunt and how far you are comfortable shooting. I use a 150yd zero on mine.

As a proud Maxus owner, it's not even in the same class as those listed. It's way better. I promise, you won't find another gas-op shotgun that can touch it! The SX3 is basically the same gun- but it's a Winchester...

Curious: Why was the Browning Maxus excluded from that list???

Anybody shooting steel force or Magnus 2 blade broadheads for elk??? Wondering if I should give them a try or not. If so, how much does your arrow weigh and what did you fletch it with?

Lost all of mine in a tragic, but nonfatal boating accident. I was lost at sea in international waters so I have no location for you... Bummer, huh?

Found a stray dog in 2009, not exactly a hunting breed. That dog somehow has a natural ability to corner and "tree" anything that gets in the yard. If she'd only stay near me when walking off leash she'd make an awesome hunting partner. She can't even behave on-leash. But I digress- I'd LOVE to go on a hunt for lion/bobcat behind dogs sometime before it is completely outlawed.

Well, I have seen the effects of letting deer and other game animals get entirely too comfortable in neighborhoods or around population centers. Many-a-tax dollar has been spent on live trapping/relocation and even edible "contraceptive" options to help control a population... Only to see a "bait-and-shoot" program implemented by the local Police and NYSDEC which really gets PETA's pants in a wad. All the while they could have just quietly issued nuisance permits to qualified archers and let the problem take care of itself. I'll hunt wherever the deer are and wherever I can hunt legally. Yes, I will feel just as accomplished as if I was six miles back into a wilderness area. It comes from an extreme case of self-awareness and not caring what others think. While it may not be everyone's fancy to hunt near population centers- it's a necessity and I'm glad that there are those of us willing to partake.

I am not surprised in the least bit... Too few of us out there.

My milsurp education continues... Thanks IA Born!!! Sadly, I think I know more about Russian and Eastern euro milsurps than I do about the guns our side used!!!

the mudflap girl silouhette paint job astounds me... Nice setup!!!

FYI, the flaming bomb is the symbol of the US Army Ordnance Corps. Also, the rifle was reworked in 1943 as told by the 12-43 stamp which doesn't really mean anything bad- just that it was serviced and made ready for WW2 after being mothballed when it returned from service in WW1.

I'm shooting a rifle with almost identical ballistics to the 30-06, I reload with 150gr Speer HOT COR's, but the 180gr Winchester factory metric caliber rounds have been good too.

Doing better than I do- I call something in on 1 out of every 7 sets pretty much.

This is exactly why I don't buy or use them... besides, the animals do leave plenty of tracks and sign that they've been visiting a particular spot and that's good enough for me and my empty wallet!

Good job reporting it... and thank you! I know it would eat me alive knowing that I didn't do anything.

If you HAD to pick one for a .223 on Coues deer. I know already so save the "too light" or "243 at a minimum" type comments. My thoughts are if you can put a 62gr BTSP into the boiler room, it should do the job. I think a shoulder hit would blow up the small projectile, so placement would need to be where an archer would put an arrow... What are your thoughts??? I've been having conversations with folks lately that want to take their AR's out for Coues and some guys who have been saying that would be unethical.

Yeah, I think you probably should have waited until he left and then turned him in... I understand it was a dangerous situation at the point where you confronted him, but immediately afterwards instead of posting it here online you should have called the GAME THIEF hotline. He broke the law, and just because you're scared you helped him cover it up. I am reminded of a famous quote: All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing...

I've killed enough predators with my single shot .223 from 75yds up to 200yds with 55gr and 62gr Soft points and I'm always impressed at the lethality. I've had some 'yotes and a bobcat run after a solid shoulder bone hit and the bullets just blew up on impact it seemed. so what I'm reading is go bonded or barnes TSX... that way the bullet stays together. Cool, always good to get second opinions!

Your hunting buddies are all wearing Woolrich, red checkered camo...