What are you hunting this year and what are you taking?

As the title says. What are you hunting & what are you taking? Let's try to share some pics.


I have an Axis doe hunt in June and Sika hunt in September. I think I've narrowed down my choices to my Tikka CTR 308 and my Ruger 77 338 Federal.

Ruger wears a McMillan and a 2-7 VXR Firedot. It now has a CDS turret. Weighs 8.5 lbs. Loads will be 180 Nosler Ballistic Tips over 49 grains of TAC which is good for 2750 FPS.



Tikka CTR wears a SWFA 3-9HD. I've used 150 NBTs the last 2 years but this year I'm playing with 165 NBTs over Varget. Load is still TBD. Tikka weighs 9lbs as configured.

Namibia in May -- Greater Kudu, Hartmann zebra, steenbok, giraffe, duiker, perhaps something else. Then in December, South Texas for a whitetail buck and doe.

In Namibia I will use my Rem 700 XCR II in .300 Win Mag with 180 grain Hornady Interbonds loaded to just over 3000 fps. In South Texas I'll be using the Tikka T3x Hunter I recently bought in 7mm Rem. Mag. using 140 grain Sierra Game Kings at 3150 fps.

Whitetail and Bear with:

Nosler M48 Legacy 35 Whelen, 250 grain partitions at 2500 fps (53 grains of IMR 4064), Swaro Z3 3-10:



or

Marlin JM Stamped Guide Gun in 45/70, Factory 405 grain Buffalo Bore at 2000 fps, open sights:



Upland with 20 gauge Beretta SV10 Perennia O/U

Beautiful rifle Hirogen. I really like the looks of the Nosler rifles and the 35 Whelen cool choice.

Scott



That CTR looks a lot like my old one. If it’s even similar it loves a 178 over too much varget.

For whitetail this Fall, I still haven't decided between my 6mm-284 98 custom and .30-06 M70. Until then, I expect to kill some hogs with my AR in 6.5 Grendel and maybe my custom 98 in .35 Whelen. Of those four, only the .30-06 has drawn blood. Really want to see how the Whelen treats a big ol boar.

That 35 will do a good job on a big boar, or expect it to after using a 350 Rem Mag on Hogs, whitetail, mule deer and elk with the Nosler 225gr partition.

Mostly this year I plan on hunting deer and hogs with the 6.5 Grendel Boltaction and might use the Marlin 1894 in 357 Mag for some critters as well. That is if I get to hunt this year

Hope you do, Kevin.

Another one I want to try on hogs is a 94 in .375 W. Got it in a swap with Dennis in Ft Worth a while back. Nice rifle. I found that suitable jacketed bullets are a bit of a problem when it comes to .375 Winchester (brass is also). What I did was try out some Speer 235-grainers meant of use in .375 H&H. I found that they shoot well, so I filed the exposed lead nose down flush to the jacket to achieve a flat nose. The diameter of the flat nose is very close to some of the very limited custom selections available, then I experimented to make sure that there would be no danger in using them in a tube magazine. It seems to be just fine and I've loaded up some field ammo for it, and acquired additional apertures for the Williams sight on it. I'm getting about 2050 fps out of it and it should be effective out to about 100 yards. Since it's a walk-around hog gun I don't think I'll be shooting more than 30 or 40 yards while in the mesquite thickets. Since it's not proven, I take comfort in the fact that I can get seven or eight rounds in the magazine. I'll find out how well (or poorly) it works sometime this spring, I hope.

That 375 load should work well. They are not cheap but Hawk makes some very good bullets for the 375 Winchester and 38-55 as well and you can buy directly from them. Scroll down the link below and you will find a large selection

Hawk Bullets .

use some of their bullets for my Little Sharps rifle

Already got a great free range Aoudad earlier this year with my Browning X Bolt Stainless Carbon fluted 270 wsm, Swaro 3-10 and 140 gr Accubonds.



Going on a Axis hunt next month and haven't decided what I'll use yet. Got an Alamo Precision Rifles 6.5 Creedmore that is shooting around 3/4" with Chad's 143 ELD-X, but it only has 26 rounds down the tube and I'm sure groups will get even tighter. Got a 30-06 that I had turned into a 35 Whelen that I might take just for the heck of it. Busted a whitetail cull buck and an axis doe with it during deer season. Big holes and DRT on both of them.

Whitetail and axis again this deer season and who knows what I'll be using. May try to shoot a couple does with my Glock 40 MOS 10mm.

I have found another alternative for .375" bullets also:

https://vollmer-bullets.myshopify.com/collections/all/38-55

Not cheap, but since I don't shoot the .375 just for giggles it doesn't matter too much. Vollmer bullets are reputed to work very well at .375 Win / .38-55 velocities.

The only things solid on the agenda are a trip back to Kodiak for Sitka Blacktail, Plain old Texas Whitetails, and hogs. I'll be using my TC Venture 6.5 Creedmoor with 140 SGK over 46.5 gr. of RL19 for everything.

Mongolian Sheep, Tajikistan, Afghanistan.

Sako Quad Varmint

Ha Ha , yea right.

All I got so far is a Prairie Dog shoot in New Mexico. may be all I can afford this year

Alaska Dall Sheep in August taking my WTO custom in 6.5saum and then Mexico whitetail will use my .257wby Mark V deluxe

Aside from whatever unlucky hog or varmint crosses my path, it’s a toss up on what hunting I will do this year. Would like to start in August for antelope with my bow. Then whitetail/axis in October again with my bow (Halon 32 @ 70#).

October may/may not see an elk hunt. If I go again I’ll be packing ( hopefully) my new Mark V ultralight in .300 win mag spitting 180 grain accubonds.

November will bring my annual mule deer hunt and this year I’ll probably bring the .300 although I’m sure I’ll have my .257 wby accumark in the truck and will switch out.

Don’t have any other hunts lined up.....yet. Would like to get in on another mule deer hunt but I’ve been so busy I haven’t devoted any time to looking

Pronghorn in October - probably .257 Wby.
The usual whitetails at my place - the usual .270 Win I’ve had since I was a kid.

Got a new .270 Sako Finnlight ready for when I draw that Rocky tag.

I haven't booked my game hunt yet, these hunts have gotten so expensive, especially for us on fixed income. It's hard to know today what my financial position will be in October., I just missed the last pronghorn hunt Sagebrush had available , So I'm sure I'll hunt whitetail free on my buddies lease near Windthorts, Barret 6.5 Creedmoor.

Have a couple free hog hunting places but I'm just not mad enough to stay up all night to kill one of those stinky varmints.,

I have my WT mount to pick up from last years hunt in Sonora and about out of wall space (small house).

this could all change with a few emails......stand by

Whitetail---6.5/284, .22 Creedmoor

Mule Deer---Bill Weisman .300 WM

Dove------SKB mod.150 20ga. sxs

Hogs and coyotes--Magnum Research Semi. .22 Mag.....

Hogs always - usually my 6.5CM but whatever I've got in my hands!
Colorado Elk hunt. Hopefully mule deer tag this year if I get drawn. But bow only so...

is the sitka blacktail a fun hunt?

I think it's fun, but I think anything in Alaska is fun. It's really just loading everything on your back, hiking up into the mountains, and glassing for deer. It's probably similar to some of the hunting you're used to, but you start out near sea level. Even if you hike up 2,500' of elevation you're still close to 2,500' of altitude versus somewhere like Colorado where that same 2,500' of elevation change may put you at 9,000' of altitude. That makes a big difference to your lungs. The deer are a little smaller in body size than the standard Texas Whitetail and their racks don't get near as big.
Even if we don't see any deer we have been able to watch mountain goats every time out. One of the coolest things was last year. We were sitting on the side of a mountain glassing facing the ocean a few miles away and I watched whales surfacing while I was deer hunting.

I think the savage 99 in 250 savage is going to be the go to hunting rifle this year. And the 357 mag Henry.

Hogs and coyotes- 870 Wingmaster built in 1970 with thermal on top

Deer- Browning A bolt in 270

Will kill some hogs and coyotes with the 6.8s as well

Hogs and coyotes .223, .223 A.I., 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, 7mm-08 A.I. .308, 7 Rem Mag

Axis buck 7 Rem Mag

Cow elk 7 Rem Mag

Whitetail 7mm-08 A.I.

Kevin, the 357 in a rifle is REALLY fun to hunt with. Over the last few years, I have killed pigs, rabbits, bobcat and deer with one of my 357 rifles. If you handload, you can really wake up that cartridge in a rifle!

The 357 is a lot of fun and is my main truck gun several years. My favorite bullet for it they do not make any more but I did snag quite a few shortly after Nosler ended production of the 180gr Partition. Little Marlin LSS1894 16 inch barrel Stainless rifle is a pleasure to handle and shoot.

Central Oregon elk hunt - my Browning Eurobolt 7mag. Hoping to notch it’s 3rd and largest bull

Whitetail with my 10 and 12yr old boys - Ruger American .308 in MDT LSS chassis, suppressed.

Are we there yet?!?!

Varmints & PIGS: 17HMR/17REM/22mag/223/22-250/257Bob/308/357mag/45Acp/10MM

Anything else in Texas: 257Bob/308/30:06

Flying things: 20gauge o/u

First hunt of 2018 took a Old Mossy horned Mule deer in Mexico. Used a Tikka Actioned Horizon upgraded 6.5/284 Norma.
Will make a couple of trips next Fall for elk..... probably use the 270 WSM since I haven’t drawn blood with it yet.

Haven't been to the ranch since Christmas and looks like I won't get there until May. Might not have to worry about it this year.

Lol, you had me going there Buzz. Some real O'Connor and Warren Page (and Jim Shockey) stuff there.

Pigs, nothing but pigs...
With a couple of hand built ARP barreled 6.8s loaded with 120gr SST handloads.