The shaman’s Magic Mirror
Remember Romper Room when you were a kid?
There was Miss Whatever-her-name-was with that Magic Mirror that she’d always whip out at the end of the show and supposedly she’d see kids on the other side of the TV and call out their names.
Romper Room came on the scene a little late in my life, so I was never really hooked. However, I do remember that magic mirror.
I’ve got a similar version of the magic mirror. It’s called SEO– Search Engine Optimization . I’ve got tools that let me see what folks are searching for out on the web, that cause them to get to this weblog. I figure I’ll hold that mirror up and give the answers to your questions before you ask them:
1) Will ammo with such-n-such Bekker KOV perform better on deer than this one?
Several years ago, I did a study of deer ammo based on the following question:
Given all the manufacturers load info that I could readily get my hands on, what commonly used deer catridges offered the most BANG (Bekker KOV) for the least amount of recoil?
For this study, I used loadings of up to 10% reductions in powder. The answers were sort of interesting.
What made it to the top of the list?
35 Whelen
6.5X55 Swede
280 Remington
. . . and a couple of others I don’t remember. It’s really irrelevant for this discussion.
The point was more in what did not make it:
30-06 — it is a wonderful all-round cartridge. It is a real no-brainer, but if you want to pick nits, a 280 REM produced a slightly better rating, because it has longer bullets for the same weight. Remember, the Bekker KOV rewards higher sectional density.
Nothing with a WSM, WSSM, WSSSSSM or SAUM or anything remotely resembling them made it on the list. These rounds are there to bust shoulders. Period.
Nothing above 35 CAL.
Nothing functioning at 100% of the published MAX load.
The moral of the story is this:
Although just about any centerfire cartridge will kill a deer, many will bust your shoulder a lot easier than others.
The other moral: If you want a light shooting rifle, pick one that is chambered just a hair hotter than you need and then build a load that is close to what you need — about 5% off the MAX . The recoil will be much less, but you will not sacrifice a significant amount of velocity. This will require you getting into reloading, but I have been recommending that to y’all for years
2) Is a 300 Savage better than a 30-06?
It depends on why you’re asking. First let us assume you are talking about deer hunting. Now let us define better. Deer are normally taken by firearm within 80 yards. At 80 yards and closer a 300 Savage will kill a whitetail deer just as dead as a 30-06, but with significantly less recoil. I would call that better. However, the further out you go, the more the differences in the two become clearer. At . . . let’s say 150 yards, I would start to give a clear and definitive edge to the 30-06.
I like the 300 Savage. I don’t own one, but I can take my 308 WIN Savage 99 and download the ammo and make it function identically to the 300 Savage and that is my Ace #1 goto combination for Opening Day. I start resorting to the 30-06 and even the 35 Whelen as the season wears on and I find myself taking longer shots. However, on the Opener, you will probably find me perched in my treestand with a firm grasp on my Savage 99.
If I had to pick one gun for all my deer hunting? Probably a 30-06 bolt gun. For treestands in thick hardwoods? Give me a 300 Savage.
3) Questions related to shamanism:
a) No there is no special hat required for being a turkey shaman (WT?)
b) No, I will not divulge the shamanic rituals related to successful deer hunting. You might hurt yourself.
c) A shaman uses a shotgun to kill turkeys, at least they do on my ridge. No, they don’t use a wand.
d) No, I will not bless your (fill-in-blank). That’s not what I’m here for.
4) No, I have nothing against duck hunting. It is just I have never been asked out.
5) No, I have no idea what is done at a Saint Hubert’s Day orgy that would make it any different from an orgy any other day. What do you wear? Wear the fox hat– you can’t go wrong.
6) I have no idea how to incorporate telepathy into wildlife management. (What? You think I’m making this up? Somebody really went searching for this.)
7) Do deer see. . . ?
Answer: Deer see color. Deer see red. Deer see black, white purple, teal pink. They just don’t see red as well as we do. They also do not see special invisible rays that can only be hidden with a spray bottle of special anti-invisible ray juice.
Answer #2: Yes deer do see blue jeans better than other other clothing. However, there are a lot of guys who hunt in blue jeans and kill deer. If you want to wear blue jeans, it is okay by me.
Answer #3: Yes, camo is a good thing, but you’re getting on my nerves wondering if 4D camo is better than 3D or if Sticks and Stones works as good in a treestand as Stalks and Stubs or Stems and Seeds or. . . Don’t worry. You look fine. Have a nice hunt. That fox hat really works with the outfit.
8 ) Can deer smell dryer sheets?
If you can smell it, you can bet the deer can. Do yourself a favor, buy a big bag of Sodium Bicarbonate and wash you clothes in that. Dry your clothes on the line and put a pinch of Sodium Bicarb in the bin or bag you pack your clothes. Forget all the other hooey.
9) Do turkeys take a dump when they fly off the roost? (I kid you not)
Answer: If you are close enough to find out, you are hunting too close to the roost.
10) Is there any real estate available in Gobbler’s Knob, Midway, or Broken Corners?
Answer: These are places on my farm in SW Bracken County, KY. No. You can’t build a house on them. Before you ask, this also goes for: Garbage Pit, Beaver Seep, Cheesy Hollow, Peckerwood, or Dead Skunk Hollow.
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