sighted in my deer guns tonight

[Gavin_Sons]

Went to a buddies and shot our deer guns just to be sure they were still on. When I got there he was just finishing up sighting in his new 6.5 creedmoor. Awesome gun and now I think I need one. We zeroed it at 200 so it should be good out to 400. I use a .243 ruger m77 and have it zeroed at 200 also. Bullseye first shot so it got put back in the truck and I grabbed the 44 lever action. I use this for timber hunting where you wouldn't get a shot over 75 or so yards. Usually 30-40 yards is the norm at my stand. Moved up to 100 yards and set a frozen milk jug on top of the pallet we were using as a target. Pulled up, shot and exploded the jug. Good enough to kill a deer out to 100.    now I just need a deer to present itself saturday morning. I got 2 does last year at 250 yards with the 243. Hopefully I can get one with the revolver this year also. I have been itching to get one with it. I have a video of the milkjug. I'll try to upload it and post it.

[cookiedough]

.243 is a good gun, but have a 30-06 ruger m77 myself.  My old 30-30 winchester lever action 6 shot with top ejection was a good brush gun as well up to 100 yards, much past 150 yards and did not like how much the bullet dropped.    I could round off 6 shots almost as fast as the rifleman did on that old TV show, well almost anyways.....

Curious,  where does the bullet hit at 100 yards if sighting in at 200 yards dead center? 

I do 100 yards sighting in just about an inch high or so of dead center,  since my areas are usually not open fields but when I do take shots at 300 yards I wish I would have practiced more at 200+ yards....  bullets are not cheap anymore for years were 20 for 10-11 bucks and now lucky to find a 20 pack box of remington core-lokt on sale for 16 bucks.  My local farm and fleet just recently had a 20 pack of winchesters superX 30-06 for 7.99 after mail in rebate but by the time I got there were all sold out of course, no rainchecks.

[Leathel]

I must drag my rifles out, dust of and check them over, My son was asking to go for a hunt.... we hunt year round so not a season to stick to but time flies by and before you know it you haven't been hunting in tooo long!

My deer rifle in a 7mmSAUM, kids rifles are 7-08 & 243AI, but the 243AI is what I use as my main goat rifle too, We used to do some culling hunting off quad bikes so take the 300RUM for the longer shots ...... and AR for mobs but all need a check over and sight in.....a few others in the safe for spares too that need some use 

[Gavin_Sons]

.243 is a good gun, but have a 30-06 ruger m77 myself.  My old 30-30 winchester lever action 6 shot with top ejection was a good brush gun as well up to 100 yards, much past 150 yards and did not like how much the bullet dropped.    I could round off 6 shots almost as fast as the rifleman did on that old TV show, well almost anyways.....

Curious,  where does the bullet hit at 100 yards if sighting in at 200 yards dead center? 

I do 100 yards sighting in just about an inch high or so of dead center,  since my areas are usually not open fields but when I do take shots at 300 yards I wish I would have practiced more at 200+ yards....  bullets are not cheap anymore for years were 20 for 10-11 bucks and now lucky to find a 20 pack box of remington core-lokt on sale for 16 bucks.  My local farm and fleet just recently had a 20 pack of winchesters superX 30-06 for 7.99 after mail in rebate but by the time I got there were all sold out of course, no rainchecks.

It is about 1.5" high at 100 with winchester 95 grain deer season bullets.

[northernvalk]

.243 is a good gun, but have a 30-06 ruger m77 myself.  My old 30-30 winchester lever action 6 shot with top ejection was a good brush gun as well up to 100 yards, much past 150 yards and did not like how much the bullet dropped.    I could round off 6 shots almost as fast as the rifleman did on that old TV show, well almost anyways.....

Curious,  where does the bullet hit at 100 yards if sighting in at 200 yards dead center? 

I do 100 yards sighting in just about an inch high or so of dead center,  since my areas are usually not open fields but when I do take shots at 300 yards I wish I would have practiced more at 200+ yards....  bullets are not cheap anymore for years were 20 for 10-11 bucks and now lucky to find a 20 pack box of remington core-lokt on sale for 16 bucks.  My local farm and fleet just recently had a 20 pack of winchesters superX 30-06 for 7.99 after mail in rebate but by the time I got there were all sold out of course, no rainchecks.

That depends on bullet velocity, drop is created over time. Slower bullets drop "faster" when compared over a distance, but they all drop the same amount in a given time frame.  That's why a lot of guys like the .270 win or 7mm mag, the bullet velocity allows for a greater range without as much drop. 

If you want to have your rifle sighted in at +- 200yards, it's MUCH easier to use the ballistic arch chart for your particular ammo.  the bullet will cross the line of sight twice as it moves down range. For my deer ammo it's around 30 yards and 260 yards. So, set the target at 30 yards to zero, then you know you are back at zero around 260 in my case.  puts me right around 2" high at 100yards. Find the chart for your ammo and use it, that is the best way to make sure you have it right.

[0leman]

My hunting rifle is a Ruger M77 in 7mm mag.   Used it for antelope, deer, and elk.  One rifle using one load, 160 grain boat tail bullet (hand loads).   Had it 2" at 100 yards, zeroed at 300 yds.  Could shoot 1 minute groups at 100 and 6 minute groups off sand bags at 300 yards (used a 4 power scope).  Sighted it in at beginning of hunting season, was good to go for those critters. 

Did try to change bullets after the deer and antelope were in the freezer to a heaver bullet, took too much time to switch.  After one season, just kept the same bullet. 

Last elk went into my freezer in 1997, still enjoy watching them, just don't need the meat any more as kids are grown and gone.   Had a run of 18 elk out of 19 hunts, not a bad run.

[solo1]

All of these posts reminded me of my hunting days. Used a Ruger M77 flat bolt in 7mm mag. Hand loads were 140 gr. Nosler partitions at 3200fps to get mule deer in Wyoming. Scope was 4x Weaver.

I wished that I had the flat bolt yet.  It's gone but I now have a Savage 10P scout rifle in .308. Scope is a Redfield (Leupold made) 3x9 40mm.

Probably could still hunt but too much arthritis and bad knees to walk on rough ground

 I got my last whitetail with a .44 Mag Super Blackhawk. 44 yards open sights. 200 gr Sierras 1500fps.

Good luck on hunting and keep safe.!

[northernvalk]

We just started hunting elk again in Ontario.  After a long re-introduction there are a few tags available. One animal I have always wanted to hunt!

[T.P.]

I shoot a bunch of long range hunting rifles,  All of them are sited in at 25 yards

now all you experts figure that out    T.P.

[northernvalk]

  Yup....No sense sighting at 300 yards if it's on the same horizontal plane at 25 yards

[Hooter]

Ours opens in the morning.  Where I live is shotgun and some straight cartridge use. Don't know what straight cartridges are legal cause I don't use one. Hard to beat a Sabot out of an 1100 Remington ! I sight that and my 270 in a half inch high at 100 yrds.  Hard to shoot over that here. A bunch of my kills are within 50 yrds. Good luck tomorrow you guys and stay safe!

[Jess from VA]

Please practice game recognition between cows and deer.

Yes both are brown (usually), but I doubt you have a tag for a cow. 

[northernvalk]

Please practice game recognition between cows and deer.

Yes both are brown (usually), but I doubt you have a tag for a cow. 

It's funny cause it's true!!

Ours opens in the morning.  Where I live is shotgun and some straight cartridge use. Don't know what straight cartridges are legal cause I don't use one. Hard to beat a Sabot out of an 1100 Remington ! I sight that and my 270 in a half inch high at 100 yrds.  Hard to shoot over that here. A bunch of my kills are within 50 yrds. Good luck tomorrow you guys and stay safe!

Hooter, what kind of group are you getting out of that 1100 @ 100yards? In the southern part of our province, shotgun/muzzle loader only as well, but up here, my last deer was +-350yards...tough shot with a slug gun!

[Gavin_Sons]

Please practice game recognition between cows and deer.

Yes both are brown (usually), but I doubt you have a tag for a cow. 

Sad youhave to say that and sad I have to add this..... practice your recognition between deer and humans. Seems every year someone gets shot because some jack wagon shoots at anything that moves. 

[Patrick]

M77, many folks don't like them around here. Mine is 22-250 and its a tack driver. Shoots better than any other .22 I have, even the M70s in .220 Swift or the  .222

1100. I don't use sabot's. With a rifled barrel and scope it'll shoot 4" at 100yds.  But, I can't remember shooting a deer at that distance.

Put one deer in the freezer and canning jars before heading to Florida. Always brings some jars down with us. But that fella was shot with a chunk of aluminum tube.

[Gavin_Sons]

I use to use an 870 and an 1100 both rifled barrels, killed lots of deer with them both. The 44 is hands down a better round under 75 yards. 75-150 the slug gun works better. You could have never convinced me of that 8 years ago because I was a dedicated shotgun user. Bought a 44 lever action just for the hell of it and killed my first deer at 50 yards. Dropped it in its tracks and it was not a great shot. Went right through both shoulders where a slug would habe had a hard time penetrating one shoulder. I became a believer and exclusively use the 44. The slug guns sit in the safe and have not been used for at least 6 years. Just my experience between the 2 totally different rounds.

[cookiedough]

Ours opens in the morning.  Where I live is shotgun and some straight cartridge use. Don't know what straight cartridges are legal cause I don't use one. Hard to beat a Sabot out of an 1100 Remington ! I sight that and my 270 in a half inch high at 100 yrds.  Hard to shoot over that here. A bunch of my kills are within 50 yrds. Good luck tomorrow you guys and stay safe!

am surprised MI is still shotgun only.  Here in southern WI deer rifles in our county have been accepted for some years now but in the 80s and 90s and earlier, it was slug ONLY (or one shot muzzleloader) and that sucks for deer shooting much over 100 yards.  If you can drop a deer with a slug at 200  yards you done good or more than likely very lucky. 

[northernvalk]

I use to use an 870 and an 1100 both rifled barrels, killed lots of deer with them both. The 44 is hands down a better round under 75 yards. 75-150 the slug gun works better. You could have never convinced me of that 8 years ago because I was a dedicated shotgun user. Bought a 44 lever action just for the hell of it and killed my first deer at 50 yards. Dropped it in its tracks and it was not a great shot. Went right through both shoulders where a slug would habe had a hard time penetrating one shoulder. I became a believer and exclusively use the 44. The slug guns sit in the safe and have not been used for at least 6 years. Just my experience between the 2 totally different rounds.

the 44 is a popular rifle here also. Great bush gun or dogger gun, it cuts a nice hole through brush while staying true.

[Hooter]

Only the southern lower was shotgun. Like I said, the south er rn lower now allows some straight cartridges.  Not sure what they are. I stuck by my Remington 1100 with a paradox barrel and sabots. Can drive nails with it.

[fudgie]

Ind was shotgun/handgun only till a few yrs ago.

My 14 yr old nephew got a nice 8/9 pt with his bow last week. 237 lbs dressed. Dropped him where he stood. Tines are thick as a midgets fist.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Ind was shotgun/handgun only till a few yrs ago.

My 14 yr old nephew got a nice 8/9 pt with his bow last week. 237 lbs dressed. Dropped him where he stood. Tines are thick as a midgets fist.

That's a nice deer. 

[Gavin_Sons]

Ind was shotgun/handgun only till a few yrs ago.

My 14 yr old nephew got a nice 8/9 pt with his bow last week. 237 lbs dressed. Dropped him where he stood. Tines are thick as a midgets fist.

Congratulations to him. That is a big deer for indiana. I did see a big buck the other night that had to be pushing 300 though. He was the biggest body deer i have ever seen in Indiana. He must have been sneaking into the barn and eating the cow feed. 

[Patrick]

Tines are thick as a midgets fist.
end quote





LOL, I like that !

[northernvalk]

Those are some big deer Up here anything over 200 dressed is a monster.  Our tag system has led to an imbalance in the doe to buck ratio WAY too many does, small bucks are breeding, weakening the gene pool every year, yet they wont change the doe tag allocation to bring balance back In Ontario, we are guaranteed a buck tag! doe tags are guarded like fort knox.....Good friend just came back from 7 strait days of 10h/day in the stand, 45 does seen and 1 "mighta been a buck" on the edge of the clearing! I hope they get this figured out soon, before 200lb deer also gone!!!

[Gavin_Sons]

Those are some big deer Up here anything over 200 dressed is a monster.  Our tag system has led to an imbalance in the doe to buck ratio WAY too many does, small bucks are breeding, weakening the gene pool every year, yet they wont change the doe tag allocation to bring balance back In Ontario, we are guaranteed a buck tag! doe tags are guarded like fort knox.....Good friend just came back from 7 strait days of 10h/day in the stand, 45 does seen and 1 "mighta been a buck" on the edge of the clearing! I hope they get this figured out soon, before 200lb deer also gone!!!

That is crazy, In Indiana in my county I am allowed 4 does and a buck. I can also go to another county and fill their quota and so on and so on. So technically you could kill over 100 does in a season but only 1 buck. We use to have a 2 buck rule, one for archery and another during gun season. But now it is only 1 buck unless you get drawn for special hunts like state park deer reduction or military/refuge hunts.

[MarkT]

About to go hunt with my pal near Wichita.  Been going to the range to sight in several rifles anyway, haven't decided what to use.  So I'll take several and decide depending on where they put the stand.  Like to use the M1A in .308.  Will also take the .44 Ruger carbine and the .500mag S&W and maybe the Henry .45-70. First 2 are scoped.  Last 2 just because they are more of a challenge.  Likely to ruin more meat though.  The .44 was my fav swamp gun back in the day in the northern forests of WI. I sight it and the 45-70 at 100.  The M1A at 200. Last time they had the stand 70 yds from the corn feeder.  Too bad I can only take one.  Decisions, decisions...

[northernvalk]

Those are some big deer Up here anything over 200 dressed is a monster.  Our tag system has led to an imbalance in the doe to buck ratio WAY too many does, small bucks are breeding, weakening the gene pool every year, yet they wont change the doe tag allocation to bring balance back In Ontario, we are guaranteed a buck tag! doe tags are guarded like fort knox.....Good friend just came back from 7 strait days of 10h/day in the stand, 45 does seen and 1 "mighta been a buck" on the edge of the clearing! I hope they get this figured out soon, before 200lb deer also gone!!!

That is crazy, In Indiana in my county I am allowed 4 does and a buck. I can also go to another county and fill their quota and so on and so on. So technically you could kill over 100 does in a season but only 1 buck. We use to have a 2 buck rule, one for archery and another during gun season. But now it is only 1 buck unless you get drawn for special hunts like state park deer reduction or military/refuge hunts.

Yup....idiots....and no change in sight!!! We have 3-4 year old bucks running around with 4 points 6" high! The problem is that people have become so "used" to getting a buck tag, that stopping that system seems unbelievable to them!!! They don't even think about the heard population or genetics as a whole....

[Gavin_Sons]

Since our 1 buck rule, i think it was 7 years ago it went into effect. I have seen our bucks go from little 70" deer to giant 200" deer. I see better quality bucks all the time and it is not unusual for me to pass on a 150" 10 point just to let him grow another year. Granted i have not killed a buck in 7 years because i'm so picky but by doing so you are giving the small bucks a chance to get big. I'm all for quality of the deer heard, not the quantity.

[MarkT]

Speaking of deer, have you seen the "buck parade" pic I took out my back window, years ago?  We have deer on the property daily.  Not shooting them, that would be like shooting pets.  Too easy.

The post below is the towel rack for the hottub.  Shot out a back bedroom window.

[northernvalk]

Since our 1 buck rule, i think it was 7 years ago it went into effect. I have seen our bucks go from little 70" deer to giant 200" deer. I see better quality bucks all the time and it is not unusual for me to pass on a 150" 10 point just to let him grow another year. Granted i have not killed a buck in 7 years because i'm so picky but by doing so you are giving the small bucks a chance to get big. I'm all for quality of the deer heard, not the quantity.

The American deer heard is a great example of proper management! It obviously varies from state to state, but the systems in place are there to keep the ratio's in proper balance.  Our system has led some areas to be very distorted.  In one area with a large heard where my parents retired, Manitoulin Island, the ratio is up to 9:1!!!! That is not a healthy balance.....Made even worse each year by people who get doe tags and use them for bucks...which is perfectly legal here, exacerbating the situation greatly!!!  

[northernvalk]

LOL, mulies can be quite easy to shoot.....seems they habituate to humans more easily than whiteys...

[Gavin_Sons]

Since our 1 buck rule, i think it was 7 years ago it went into effect. I have seen our bucks go from little 70" deer to giant 200" deer. I see better quality bucks all the time and it is not unusual for me to pass on a 150" 10 point just to let him grow another year. Granted i have not killed a buck in 7 years because i'm so picky but by doing so you are giving the small bucks a chance to get big. I'm all for quality of the deer heard, not the quantity.

The American deer heard is a great example of proper management! It obviously varies from state to state, but the systems in place are there to keep the ratio's in proper balance.  Our system has led some areas to be very distorted.  In one area with a large heard where my parents retired, Manitoulin Island, the ratio is up to 9:1!!!! That is not a healthy balance.....Made even worse each year by people who get doe tags and use them for bucks...which is perfectly legal here, exacerbating the situation greatly!!!  

Our county doe quotas fluctuate a little from year to year. I hunt in jackson county where the doe limit is 4. I also have property in bartholomew county ( 5 miles down the road) that has a limit of 8 does. So I could really kill 12 does and a buck or a bakers dozen of does just in those 2 counties. And this is all within 10 minutes of my house. The most I have killed is 6 does and a buck in a season. I can not eat that much but it does fill the freezer. I have had a couple people ask if I would get them a deer, which I will but only after I re stock my freezer. Im down to only a few pounds. I really need 3 for myself then I will hunt for the others.

[Willow]

If the point of tags available is to manage the herd only the does matter.  When spring comes if you have fifty does and five bucks you will have fifty pregnant does.   If you have a hundred bucks and fifty does you will still have fifty pregnant does.  

[The emperor has no clothes]

If the point of tags available is to manage the herd only the does matter.  When spring comes if you have fifty does and five bucks you will have fifty pregnant does.   If you have a hundred bucks and fifty does you will still have fifty pregnant does.  

Managing the herd for total population is a lot different than managing the herd for quality of animals.

[Moonshot_1]

Saw this thread. Never occurred to me to put deer guns on the valk. Thinking of going with this set up.

Should take care of the deer. Not sure how to sight them in but I'd think I can get it pretty close.
Would have to take the pods off the I/S, do a few mods.....

[Gavin_Sons]

If the point of tags available is to manage the herd only the does matter.  When spring comes if you have fifty does and five bucks you will have fifty pregnant does.   If you have a hundred bucks and fifty does you will still have fifty pregnant does.  

Exactly, that is why we can only get 1 buck now. A buck will breed itself to death. The doe to buck ratio here in my 2 counties I hunt is about 6 to 1 which is pretty healthy. A buck can easily breed 6 does. I would like to see it get down to around 4 to 1 but then you have too many bucks competing for territory and breeding rights. You end up with injured and or dead bucks. So I think a 6 to 1 ratio is good.

[northernvalk]

If the point of tags available is to manage the herd only the does matter.  When spring comes if you have fifty does and five bucks you will have fifty pregnant does.   If you have a hundred bucks and fifty does you will still have fifty pregnant does.  

Exactly, that is why we can only get 1 buck now. A buck will breed itself to death. The doe to buck ratio here in my 2 counties I hunt is about 6 to 1 which is pretty healthy. A buck can easily breed 6 does. I would like to see it get down to around 4 to 1 but then you have too many bucks competing for territory and breeding rights. You end up with injured and or dead bucks. So I think a 6 to 1 ratio is good.

But the point is not all bucks should be breeding...you need bigger bucks to push the younger "family " members away to mix the gene pool and keep the weaker bucks from breeding. 6 does to one breeding buck is great, but the next couple generations need to be prevented from breeding until they are ready. I think 2 or three to one breeds a stronger here from what I've read.  I remember reading an article about a ranch in Texas that tries to keep the ratio around 2 to one and it was pumping out monsters iirc. I know that two many brothers and sisters are breeding around here(insert joke here) and it's leading to poor genetics and very small deer. Lots of deer, but not healthy.

[Gavin_Sons]

If the point of tags available is to manage the herd only the does matter.  When spring comes if you have fifty does and five bucks you will have fifty pregnant does.   If you have a hundred bucks and fifty does you will still have fifty pregnant does.  

Exactly, that is why we can only get 1 buck now. A buck will breed itself to death. The doe to buck ratio here in my 2 counties I hunt is about 6 to 1 which is pretty healthy. A buck can easily breed 6 does. I would like to see it get down to around 4 to 1 but then you have too many bucks competing for territory and breeding rights. You end up with injured and or dead bucks. So I think a 6 to 1 ratio is good.

But the point is not all bucks should be breeding...you need bigger bucks to push the younger "family " members away to mix the gene pool and keep the weaker bucks from breeding. 6 does to one breeding buck is great, but the next couple generations need to be prevented from breeding until they are ready. I think 2 or three to one breeds a stronger here from what I've read.  I remember reading an article about a ranch in Texas that tries to keep the ratio around 2 to one and it was pumping out monsters iirc. I know that two many brothers and sisters are breeding around here(insert joke here) and it's leading to poor genetics and very small deer. Lots of deer, but not healthy.

I may not like your view on guns in America but you are very knowledgeable about deer hunting and hunting in general.  we have a small population of piebald deer on one of the properties I hunt. With any luck we will take a couple out. It's even said to be a 10 point albino running the same property. Albino and piebalds normally have genitic deformations,  like sunken skulls and poor bone structure so we really do not want them passing those genes along.

[Willow]

It's an interesting theory but has holes in it.  Deer tags are not issued based upon the genetic quality of the bucks.  So long as bucks are available as targets the hunters will prefer and wait for the bigger, healthier males.  That runs counter to the thought of maintaining the genetically superior breeders.

Deer tags historically have only concerned themselves with numbers.  Only the doe tags have any impact on the intended result.  

[northernvalk]

It's an interesting theory but has holes in it.  Deer tags are not issued based upon the genetic quality of the bucks.  So long as bucks are available as targets the hunters will prefer and wait for the bigger, healthier males.  That runs counter to the thought of maintaining the genetically superior breeders.

Deer tags historically have only concerned themselves with numbers.  Only the doe tags have any impact on the intended result.  

Your right willow, in areas where buck and doe tags are controlled, but here there is no control on buck tags and VERY few doe tags issued. the results are most big bucks have been harvested and since only buck tags can be gotten, the smaller bucks get hammered also. So we end up with a few 1-2 year old bucks breeding with cousins/sisters. That gets compounded by people being able to use a doe tag on bucks. I'm not a trophy hunter. We hunt for meat. Big racks are cool but I'd rather have the size of the average animal larger.