Deer Hunting
O.D. and the 2 of 7 Rule
I mentioned the 2 of 7 rule a while back. I’ve had a bunch of people ask me about it. I have to come clean. It is not my idea. It is not original. I cannot even say I fully believe it. However, I know the man who seems to have invented it. That fellow is O.D. I have mentioned O.D. before. He’s related to O.T, my turkey hunting buddy that owns the mower shop. O.D. is one of the regulars at the store in Browningsville and I frequently find myself propping my feet up next to his, drinking the … More . . .
Muzzleloader Season 2015
Even though I have been hunting the early Muzzleloader season in Kentucky for 15 years straight, it always seems to catch me by surprise. One evening in October, there is a mad rush to get home, get packed and get back on the road. There is the mad rush at camp with final preparations, and the mad rush to get myself fed and into bed, and the alarm always goes off way too early. Last year, I discovered that we’d left all the powder and balls back at the house. I started making the trek back to town, figuring I’d … More . . .
The Deer Camera, Introducing the 2 of 7 Rule
I have a confession for y’all. After several years of refusing to do so, I broke down and bought a new trail camera. It was a Bushnell Trophy Cam Essential. It was on deep discount at Amazon– under $80. It does everything I could think of, stills, video, it even has a “trail watcher” mode that lets you take pics every few minutes round the clock. It works in total darkness. It runs on 8 AA batteries and one load of rechargeables lasts over a month. What’s not to like? I do not want to bash this camera. It is … More . . .
The Zen Garden
It has been quite a while since I wrote anything about the spiritual aspects of deer hunting. Frankly, I have been bogged down so much in the nuts and bolts of things like lead casting and such I have not had a chance to spend the time to really formulate what I needed to say. That does not mean I do not give it a lot of thought. Thirty-some years ago I used to travel around the I-275 loop on the west side of Cincinnati and wonder what it would be like to hunt the vast stretches of bottom land … More . . .
Pre-Season Scouting with Google Earth
It is not every day I get to break serious new ground in deer hunting, but I have found something with Google Earth that I simply must tell. I have been able to find actual deer trails and deer bedding areas on Google Earth. It is not easy, but it can be done. We were long overdue for an update on Google Earth. The last image I had was from 2010. Over the winter, we finally got an updated image, and it was extremely high resolution. I can easily pick out the lawn furniture at the Thoughtful Spot. It was … More . . .
The Bug is Starting to Hit
It is still only the first week in August, but I am already getting ready for deer season. Two new treestands arrived from SportsmansGuide.com. These buddy stands cost less than $90 each and by rejoining the Buyers’ Club, I got the shipping for free. I’ll be scouting for new stand sites when I get back down to Camp, hopefully this weekend. I have also been hard at work in the Reloading Cave. I’ve got several new cast lead deer loads worked up. The finished Whelenizer load: 43 grains over H4895 over a lead bullet cast from a RCBS 35-200-FN with … More . . .
The Whelenizer Makeover
The Whelenizer is back on the rack, I had a blast trying out my new cast loads down at camp over the weekend. I went with the idea of loading as I went, 5 rounds at a time, and I got a chance to survey all the territory between 42 grains and 50 grains of H4895. Accuracy was best between 42 and 44. I was able to break 2500 with 50 grains, however both the accuracy was poor and the velocities were all over the place. My conclusions are as follows: 1) 43 grains of H4895 gave consistent velocity and … More . . .
News from the Shooting Bench
I have been working feverishly with new cast loads for my 35 cals. This past weekend, I finally got a chance to run them through the chronograph. 35 Whelen I pulled the Whelenizer out of the rotation last year in preference to my new 30-06 Ruger Hawkeye. This year, it was time to put it back in. I have been casting RCBS 35-200-FN with gas checks, and then powder coating them. My old Whelenizer load for the Rem 7600 was a 200 grain Rem CL over H4895, running at slightly reduced velocities– roughly equivalent to a 358 WIN. I started … More . . .
Now THAT was 8lbs of Powder!
I just purchased an 8 lb container of H4895. When I went looking, Brownells had the best price I could find: $210.44 delivered. Brownell’s cancelled the order right after I placed it. I guess somebody finally got around to looking on the shelf and realized they were out. Graf’s was only $10 more. It replaces an 8lb jug I purchased from Powder Valley in 2006, about this time of year. I probably won’t have to do much more in the way of loading before deer season, but I was down below a pound, and with all the shortages, I decided … More . . .
Indiana Deer Rifle Changes Nixed
The word I have is that the Indiana DNR has pulled support for the recommendation that would have liberalized centerfire rifle restrictions in this year’s deer hunt. Board to vote on use of high-powered rifles for Indiana’s deer hunters See Indiana Deer Rifle Changes Nixed “We saw it as a social issue and since it was not societal acceptance for it overwhelmingly or opposed to it we have asked for it to be withdrawn,” said DNR spokesman Phil Bloom. The DNR says public hearings and community input shows the decision making process at work, but they’ve made it clear where … More . . .
More on Indiana Deer Rifle Changes
I have some more info on the proposed rule changes that would let Indiana deer hunters use most centerfire rifles starting in 2015. Pointer, a buddy from 24hourcampfire.com has sent me some links. See below: Here’s the news article: http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/commu…ed756f6074.html Here’s a link the Natural Resource Commision website: http://www.in.gov/nrc/ Here’s a link to the actual proposed rule change. This does not just deal with rifles, it’s all rules. http://www.in.gov/nrc/files/lsa14453_proposed.pdf From what I understand, the rule change is still up in the air. You can still comment on it: Comment on Rule Get going. Let them know what you think. From … More . . .
So What Now?
Since the announcement in of Indiana’s rule changes allowing centerfire rifle for deer, I have been deluged. The same was true earlier in the year when Ohio announced PCR for deer. Everyone wants to know what it all really means. My guess is it means y’all are going to be wanting some new deer rifles. The big thing to remember in both cases is that the average deer is taken inside 80 yards. If you hunt out of a stand in the woods, that distance will be shorter still. Hunting in Kentucky for 15 years, I think my longest shot … More . . .
More on Shotgun vs. Rifle
Some of my deer friends over the line in Indiana are taking me to task for my support of the new centerfire rifle rules. In particular, they would question the issue of safety. To them, I offer this: Study: Shotguns not safer for deer hunting Ballistics tests, prompted by accidental shooting of Valley woman, give surprise results. March 29, 2007|By Christian Berg Of The Morning Call FOR THE RECORD – (Published Friday, March 30, 2007) A 12-gauge sabot slug fired level 3 feet off the ground can travel 8 percent farther (including ricochets) than a .30-06 rifle bullet fired in … More . . .
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