Deer hunting question

[mommicked]

You've finally gotten permission from the farmer down by the swamp to hunt. He's been seeing that buck almost every evening in the back field just about dusk.

You've been scouting there. You've got a nice place to sit a shade over 100 yards downwind of where he crosses. Local regulations require him to be a certain size of antler to be legal to shoot. You've just gotten a rather nice bonus check from work and you know you'll need a good scope to tell what size that buck is in the failing light of dusk. The scope on Ole Faithful is about shot anyways, it's time for a new one that'll let you count points at dusk.

What scope are you going to get? :?:

 

[Kayak Jack]

Do they still make the Bausch & Lomb Balvar 8? Mine is 2 1/2 to 8 power.

 

[tx river rat]

Scopes have come a long way in the last few years so you have a heck of a choice.For what you describe hunting wise a good 3 to 9 with a 40mm is a good all around choice if you wanted to step up one notch a 4 to 12 50mm will do a great job especially in low light conditions.
You left out what cal rifle.
Ron

 

[Wannabe]

I heard tell one time that when you go to buy a scope, get the one whose price makes you break out in a sweat, causes knashing if the teeth and tearing of the eyes and you have enough scope. Me! I'm too cheap to go that far. :wink:
Bob

 

[Kayak Jack]

When I'd sit down with my -06 and the variable B&L scope, I'd pick out various landmarks around, representative of various ranges. Then, I'd screw the adjustment ring around and settle on the best viewing power. After a while, I just set it to 4X cause that was what always seemed to be the best power for viewing with that scope. From six power on up, heartbeat and heat waves began to be distracting. I used the upper powers just for spotting, not for shooting. Near dusk, I went to the lowest power for maximum light gathering.

 

[mommicked]

I hunt deer with everything from a .223 to a .30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag. Buckshot on occasion. My .243 and .308 are both favorites, due to their light, compact size. The .308 has most of the power of my -06, but is lighter and carries better. I can kill deer here with most any normal big game caliber.

My best scope is a Vari X III 4.5-14 with a 50mm bell and 30mm main tube. It has side turrets for quick adjust for windage and elevation. It has a side focus for parallax. It has a mil dot drop system, and is pretty darned clear. It lives on my long, heavy Rem 700 Sendero, and because of it's weight and length, it stays home a lot. It mainly gets hunted where I'm on a logging road or clearcut (cutover, cut down, logging slash).

The second best weighs a lot less. Vari X III 3.5x10 40mm. It is very clear. I just can't do much antler counting with it at dusk. It lives on my short, light, handy Model Seven (not 700) and gets hunted a lot. It can hunt long range or in your eyes close. It handles well, but still shoots like a rifle, by golly!

Regardless of the scope or caliber, I often shoot with the power set at around 4-5x. I just like more power to get a good look up top before I touch one off. I often shoot does for meat, and absolutely hate accidentally shooting button bucks or spikes by mistake. Not that they eat bad, mind you. The hamburger grinder and meat loaf pan can hardly tell a difference! :mrgreen:

 

[Kayak Jack]

<SNIP>I often shoot does for meat, and absolutely hate accidentally shooting button bucks or spikes by mistake. Not that they eat bad, mind you. The hamburger grinder and meat loaf pan can hardly tell a difference! :mrgreen:

When I'd butcher a deer, there were four stacks: steaks, roasts, venisonburger, and scrap. I never could see those little dotted lines running around a carcass. I'd miss'em every time.

 

[oldsparkey]

Down here the State would have what we called a hungry hunt. That is when Does were legal , in fact any deer except for the ones that still had spots on them. Needless to say if a doe had a late season fawn still in spots with her both of them got a free pass.
We would get the Does and when someone ( the antler hunters ) asked us how many points did it have we would reply....8. Then add ......... All of them pointing straight down.
For non hunters a deer has 4 hove's , each split into two sides which equals 8 points straight down. :wink: Plus thinning the Does helps to make the deer population stronger and weeds out a lot of them stopping the overfeeding in a area. Anyway we wanted the meat and not something to hang on a wall.

 

[mosportsmen]

Just got the Missouri Conservation press release today. The season is all over up here. Killed 239 thousand in the state this year with a gun, the bow numbers have not come in yet. Makes for a lot of beef steaks that don't get sold to guys like me with two in the freezer.

 

[Kayak Jack]

<SNIP> Killed 239 thousand in the state this year with a gun, the bow numbers have not come in yet.<SNIP>

THAT'S a helluva lot of deer! I wouldn't have guessed anywhere near that many. WOW!

 

[mommicked]

I like the 8 points, all straight down! That's cute, and it fits the way I feel to a 't'.

I'm an officer on a hunting club (hunting lease from a timber company). The club voted to have antler restrictions. That means when meat hunting (which is most of what I tend to do) I have to be careful about shooting buttons and spikes. Cowhorns are much easier to spot, and pass up. I let a nice cowhorn walk this season; he'll be a decent 4 or more likely 6 pointer if he shows up again next season, and with more meat to boot. But if a club officer gets caught breaking the rules, the $h!+ tends to hit the fan.....

We had excellent doe tacos for supper. I have a nice new electric grinder, 3/4 hp stainless model I bought from LEM (2 buddies went in partners with me).

1.5 lbs ground venison
1/2 diced onion
packet taco seasoning
taco sauce
minced garlic
cup grated cheese

fry the meat, onion and garlic, drain very well (we use a lot of beef fat in our burger).
add taco seasoning packet, water it calls for, 1/2 cup taco sauce, simmer 5-10 minutes
add the cheese and stir till melted in

serve over fried corn tortillas with lettuce, taco sauce or salsa or tomatos, cilantro, and sour cream.

If it ain't good, call me, I be there to dispose of it!

 

[Wannabe]

Momm.
Just when does the season on the Red Caucaded(sp) Woodpecker open? :wink:
Bob

 

[tx river rat]

I have two rifles that go with me when I am serious about putting something on the ground. Both are Rem 700 No one is the 7mm with a 120 grain serria spitzer.
The other is a 243 80 grain serria spitzer
Both will shoot one hole 3 shot groups at a hundred and both are eguiped with redfield 3 to 9 scopes. I use the lower settings at dusk and dawn and 9 power the rest of the time,the better I see the tighter groups I get also it is a lot easier to drop a deer running with it on 9 power.
Ron

 

[mosportsmen]

"Easier to drop a running deer on 9 power" I have always thought the opposite. I have always lowered my power setting when I am walking and might get a quick shot at a moving deer. Easier to find them in the scope with the wider field of view. I crank up the power when I get on stand.

I have not done much practice on moving targets with a rifle so I guess I don't have any comparison. Might have to give it a try. How about a 18" plywood disc with a hole in the center made to hold a clay target. A buddy rolls it and go for it. Need to start this practice with the 22 me thinks.

Tom

 

[mommicked]

Remote controlled car dragging a helium balloon from the grocery store or florist..... .22lr. Buddy drives remote controlled car, you shoot.

A lot of boys here in the Southeast (Texas-Virginia) like to deer hunt over hounds. It's not for everyone, but it was at one time the sport of kings. My English ancestors no doubt sold hunting hounds to the Romans, who were amazed at them. I've never been much of a deer hunter with dogs myself, but the boys who do it love it with a passion, and consider waiting in a tree boring, lol. Some of 'em can really hit a deer 'on the wing' with a high powered rifle and a scope. It's all I can do to hit one sitting still or feeding slowly along! :wink:

 

[tx river rat]

I dont think there is a county in Texas that you can deer hunt with dogs.
I use to hunt in South Texas brush country on the high rack trucks ,we were trophy hunting and just abought every chance you had at big buck he was running full out,jumping cactus.Thats where I learned to shoot running deer .
Now you take that trusty ole rifle set on three power and have a deer jump up and go to running a hundred yards from you ,aint no problem to see him and a lot of country around him then you have to try to line up them cross hairs where you want them and then squeeze off a shot.
What I am trying to say is that is a lot to be doing when that critter is running full out getting farther away all the time ,it is plain tough to do.
Now my way is plumb simple compared to that,I got my trusty ole scope rolled up to nine power, now when that deer jumps at a hundred yards and goes to running I get him in the scope,now if you ever shot a bow with a peep site or a military rifle are a ole buffalo gun you know your eye just automaticly goes to the center of a round hole, so you dont even worry about them cross hairs you just look at them front shoulder in the middle of the scope and then sort of caress that 2 1/2 lb trigger and if you are doing it right see the bullet hit and that pink spray blow out the other side. lot less country in the scope to have to mess with.
Been a many yot hog deer and and cat hit the dust shooting like that so it sure works for me
and its plumb fun.
Ron

 

[mosportsmen]

I can see how that would work. All in all hitting something moving with a rifle is something that takes more practice than I have given it. I once had a 50 yard target in the back yard 10 inch mettle disc....dings when you hit it. When I started shooting at it off hand I would hit maybe 4 of ten shots. After doing it a while it was rare that I did not get 9 of ten. It is all about practice.

I once shot a deer out of the air as it jumped a fence. Now that is deer on the wing.