Hunting deer/elk What do I really need? (and need to know)

[bikemaniac1]

Something that I've only seen posted once, maybe twice, was some binoculars. I forgot to mention this earlier myself. You don't want to be pointing your rifle around trying to tell if that is the rack on a deer or a shrub. I carry some with me on a chest harness so they are always easy to grab. You don't want to have to stop and pull them out of your pack every time you think you see something.

 

[eldbillbo]

You don't want to be pointing your rifle around trying to tell if that is the rack on a deer or a shrub.

or someone all camoed out with no orange on

 

[Loaded1985]

i vote for 30-06 for deer and 50 cal muzzle loader for elk, hunting elk in the muzzle loader season is so much fun, the least amount of hunters and they quality of hunters seems to be that much better, some of the rifle elk hunters here on the forum can probably give u a good example why i say that.

 

[whutdidyousay]

 

[rmlarsen]

I killed my first elk at 10 ft with a skinny little arrow.

It's not the size of the hole, but rather the location.
Find a caliber you enjoy shooting, you can afford to shoot often and you shoot well. A miss with a cannon is the same as a miss with a pea shooter. Put the bullet in the right spot and the animal will go down.

 

[nezz69]

lots of great advice here .now that you have your new rifle trigger time is very very important shoot as much as you can .i personally shoot 1000,s of rounds a year through my 22 rifles working on form trigger pull and shooting free hand and then practise these things with your hunting rifle as much as your shoulder and wallet can handle good luck

 

[pokerace]

I stopped carrying a pistol years ago.I will some times carry a 22 for grouse.I carry a rifle
and thats enough. you might want to make up a day pack with water,fire starter,small saw,extra knife or sharpener light rope and more light rope.Remember you will have 600 to 800 pounds of dead meat on the ground and you are NOT going to move it more than a few inches.

 

[torpedoman]

air rises as it warms so hunt from the ridge down in the morning. hunt from the valley up in the evening.DO not watch the t.v. hunters whose job is to sell you useless junk. Most animals in remote areas have had no contact with man and do not quake in fear and run 3 miles at the mear whiff of your scent. I've walked up on deer in the deep wood that barked and stamped their feet when they saw me. Really good pepper spray is a far better bear deteriant than any pistol. GOOD LUCK

 

[Grizzly_A]

The gun looks great. The Vanguard is a great rifle.

So you'd rather carry around binos instead of using the scope on your rifle?

 

[7.62 maniac]

So you'd rather carry around binos instead of using the scope on your rifle?

No, why not use both. The point I was trying to make was that you don't want to use your rifle to check something out if you aren't sure what it is. Being that we are all recommending a hunter's safety course we might want to remember the part about not pointing our gun at what we don't plan on shooting at. That's where the binos come in to play.

 

[bikemaniac1]

Meant to post that under this user name. My buddy was just using the computer and he automatically gets logged in to NWFA. Oops.

 

[johnboy]

270 is fine for elk with proper shot placement (as before stated) and for me a premium bullet...Barnes, N Partition, Swift, etc. Also survival gear, fire starter,saw,compass,map, gps,space blanket,water,etc. The only problem with smaller calibers on elk and larger is that you dont always get an ideal shot so you must decide to pass, or shoot......quickly. For this reason, I prefer a large heavy premium bullet for elk sized animals because I will take a moving shot at close range and in so doing you run the risk of a direct shoulder hit that would cripple, and possibly not kill the animal with an ordinary bullet.

 

[Brandon44647]

Cheap scope ? On my hunting rifle I put on a set of Leupold rings and purchased a Nikon ProStaff scope, cost was around $220 for everything. Expensive ? no , not really... I could have spent A LOT MORE , Why buy a scope now & another one later ? You don't have to go expensive to get a good product.

 

[kentsboots]

so how about when he shoots his deer... whats next with the gutting , skinning and all ?

 

[bikemaniac1]

Remington Core-lokt are nothing special but they work well enough for deer with a well placed shot. The .270 Winchester is a pretty fast round so almost any factory round out there will take a deer. I've taken multiple deer using Federals basic ammo. That was from a 30-06 though. My friend uses a .270, don't know if he has used Core-lokt but he doesn't buy the top dollar stuff for deer. Elk is a different story with that caliber. Definitely buy the good stuff.

 

[kentsboots]

maybe this will help.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmu9-nS5l40

 

[Natty Bumpo]

I you want to hunt, then just get out and do it. Don't obsess over equipment, including "what is the best.....this or that". It is not about equipment or clothing or boots or binos or even guns. You will figure all that out easily enough because all that is easily enough figured out.

You don't need to kill something in order to hunt. You don't need a firearm. Pick out an area in which you wish to hunt. Then spend ten hours pre-season scouting and familiarizing yourself with the landscape ..... for every one hour you plan to spend actually hunting in that area. Learn the country inside and out. Find and identify game trails, scrapes, rubs and other evidence of the quarry. When you see the game, experiment with what you might do if you had your rifle. Take the shot now? Get closer? If possible, camp out and spend 2-3-4 days out at a time and simply immerse yourself in that environment.

Start right now. Don't bring a bunch of stuff. Get up and out at daybreak. Take your time. Walk slow. Be Quiet. Observe everything. Go alone. Focus.

 

[whutdidyousay]

 

[eldbillbo]

the scope we've agreed on is a Simmons Master series #512101..... about as basic as it gets for now.... Maybe it will haunt us in the future, but my hands are tied. This is an ebay special with no sunshade for $80 shipped.

If this is totally crap let me know, maybe she will value someone else's opinion more than mine. Or suggest a scope in the $100 price range.

She is the breadwinner, and no matter what I say I can't explain the need for a $200 scope. I am not able to work, I'm a stay at home dad.

I personally like simmons a lot as far as low prices go in fact i have that was a $59 walmart special and has seen about 1000 rds of .22 600 rds of .223 and who knows what else its been on and off about a dozen uppers and is still holding up. i have one on my 5.45 and its dialed in and holding zero just fine the only thing i don't like is the greenish glare i get with it under certain lighting condition combined with the glare i get from my glasses i have one on my ruger and was killing sage rats at over 100 yards and a couple rock chucks at 200 no its not the quality seen in a leupold but for the money a good value

 

[no5shooter]

OK, I'll toss in my .02 worth also.
First, you've debated the scope issue some. In my opinion, the quality of your binocs is more important than having the absolute best scope available, BUT I will vote Leupold over any other brand. Their 'cheaper' 3-9 x 40 sells for around $200, and it's a very good scope. And don't forget, Leupold has a lifetime warranty and it covers just about everything. It doesn't hurt that they're made in Beaverton, either.
Second, you mentioned a compass. Excellent, but you will value a handheld GPS a LOT the first time you get thoroughly turned around in the woods. A GPS will get you back to the rig/tent/road a lot faster and with more confidence. They're not terribly expensive but they're great to have.
Lastly, boots are the other area where you don't want to skimp on quality. Danners are great, they're made locally, and they have an outlet store over by PDX. An alternate is West Coast boots, made in Scapoose. They can get expensive! Two things about West Coast: a pair will last you 20 years if you take care of them and the factory will rebuild a worn-out pair for about half price when they need it, and they also have 'seconds' on hand that usually just have cosmetic issues or something like that to make them be sold as seconds. Not saying West Coast is the only way to go, but they're worth looking into.
Good luck!