I hunt heavily pressured public land and I try to take 3.5 year or older bucks. I’ve been hunting the area for almost 30 years and have rarely seen a really mature buck, so I’m happy with nice bucks every year or two rather than holding out for the super sneaky old ones. Two years ago I was...
35 lb limbs to 50 lb limbs is a huge jump for a recurve. I hope you can shoot it well. But if 50 lbs proves too much, rest assured in the knowledge that lots of guys hunt with and capably take big game up to moose size with 40 to 45 lb recurves (Ken Beck, former long time owner of Black Widow...
Congratulations to you and your daughter! I bet you were so nervous that the buck would get away without a shot with all the time that transpired. I'm glad it worked out.😁
I killed an antelope buck in Wyoming that had been shot through the neck broadside. His trachea and esophagus were both ripped open, most likely that day or the day before from the look of it. He was essentially breathing through the gash in his neck.
As I walked up on him I was initially a...
I've had four bull tags over the years, and have taken two bulls. My biggest, a 320" 6x6 ,was 2016 in Utah. I haven't hunted elk since, but I will draw Colorado unit 49 second season this year. I don't plan on holding out for a bull bigger than my Utah bull on this hunt, but I know there are...
I quit putting in for the Kentucky elk draw for the above stated reasons. I'd love to hunt elk relatively close to home, but it sounds like it would be an exercise in futility. I'll pass.
Very nice! You gotta love using a Marlin lever gun for deer.
I have one identical to that one but in .41 mag. Aperture sight instead of a scope though.
I'll have a CO bull tag this year. If I have the money to put one of them together, a fast twist .264 Win mag with 129 gr Absolute Hammers or a 7mm STW with 140 grain Absolute Hammers. If not, my 8mm Rem Mag with 200 grain Partitions will probably get the nod. I've already chalked up one huge...
I can't recommend the 250 gr SST as found it to not be up to the task when I shot a medium sized whitetail doe square on the shoulder bone on a quartering to shot. A really skimpy blood trail and several pieces of humerus bone eventually petered out and I lost the deer. It was a rock steady rest...
I currently have a 6mm Rem, 7mm STW, 8mm Rem Mag, .35 Rem, and .41 mag. Fortunately, I have enough brass for each to meet my needs for the foreseeable future.
The .280 AI requires a smaller bolt face as well, so it's a no go for that reason.
.257 weatherby or .264 Win mag would be other options, especially for a handloader. Recoil isn't objectionable at all, especially with lighter projectiles and less than max loads.
Sheltowee,
Nice rifle! Rich installed a take off barrel for me that was tapped for iron sights. I received it back properly headspaced and with the sight screw holes dead nuts on. I would not hesitate to have him do more work for me. I can't say that for multiple other "gunsmiths" that I have used.
I killed a cow in 1996 in CO unit 62 on the first day I ever hunted elk. I found tracks in the snow and snuck up on a group of cows and calves. My push feed model 70 .338 WM failed to fire twice (dirty firing pin spring and cold weather I think). They ran off and I dogged them for about 3 hours...
You probably did hit the first bull high above the spine and the shock to the spinal cord temporarily dropped him. Chances are he'll survive just fine. In hindsight, the only thing you could have done differently is to close the distance on him while he was down, assuming you could have kept...
In my experience, Leupolds are not the best scopes out there. Great glass, but I've had three of them flat out quit on me and need to be returned for repairs. I've had multiple others not track correctly or retain zero. I'm done with Leupold. Interestingly, the best luck I've had is with Nikon...