Entering the world of hunting ... hopefully well armed!

ASTRYX

ASTRYX

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Hi,

I am entering the world of hunting.

I have long since pondered the idea of combining my love out the outdoors with the desire I have always had to try and bring home my first deer or moose. I have always had friends who would give me a bit of their kill, but somehow that did not cut it.

I am getting ready for my CORE program and hopefully will be ready to be taken out next year by those who actually know what they are doing.

I look forward to it.

Should ANYONE want to give me any advice about pre trip or actual hunting trip prep ... PLEASE!

Below you will find my first rifle, a Remington 700 VTR, .308 with a Redfield 3-12 accu-range scope. Bought on advice from those behind the counter!

Cheers!

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Deer or moose. Drive in and then hike.

Without the bipod! But I like the bipod for taking it to the range.

I will have a sling while hunting.

Thought I might get flack for that.
 
Your rifle looks like it will do the trick. It sounds like you just bought it, so my pre trip advice would be get a membership at a gun range and practice a lot. Not just off the bench either, practice freehand shots as well.

Get a good sense of your abilities and limitations, so when you get into the field you will know if you are capable of making a shot, and you will be able to hit what you aim at.
 
ASTRYX said:
Deer or moose. Drive in and then hike.

Without the bipod! But I like the bipod for taking it to the range.

I will have a sling while hunting.

Thought I might get flack for that.
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For what the sling or the bipod? Either are perfectably acceptable. I replaced my bipod with shooting stix. I don't appreciate your rifle choice but the cartridge is and scope is great. I hope you enjoy yourself!
 
I am a member at PoCo.

I have mostly been into IPSC and trap.

I plan on practicing before I go. To not do so would be silly.

I was told to sight in at 100 yards and go from there. Some said 200, but 100 sounds like a good start.
 
Sight it in about 2 inches high at 100 yards and it should be near dead-on at 200. Then shoot it at 200 to verify. It will drop 8 or 10 inches at 300 yards. This is all approximate and you will want to tweak it to your bullet weight and ammo brand.
Good cartridge choice. Enjoy your hunt!
 
Learn to shoot from field positions: off hand, sitting and prone. Shoot prone off your pack or whatever you will be using in the field. Buy a rimfire rifle and shoot it a LOT. I practice offhand with rimfire at 100yds and am not satisfied until I get at least 18 of 20 rounds in an 8.5x11 piece of paper, with most in a 6" circle.

I have shot 3 deer in my first two seasons. All were inside 100yds, shots happen fast and the game doesn't stand still broadside for you to have a perfect opportunity. You want to have your head around the fact that the game is often moving and be ready for quick opportunities.

I would sight your .308 in 3" high at 100yds, which will put you ~1.5" high at 200yds and zeroed around 225yds. You can hold dead on from the muzzle out to around 260yds without worrying about holdover at all, which simplifies range estimation.

As for gear, buy quality stuff to stay warm and dry and good, comfortable boots (and break the boots in on evening walks, not your first hunt). Make sure you are physically fit enough for the hunt you plan and walk to get used to the hiking so you don't gas out on the hunt or suffer unnecessarily during the hiking.


Mark
 
Thanks for all the input.

As for gear, I plan on using my MEC pack to hike from camp with (should make an amazing platform to shoot from!). I figure that if I drive to a spot, a two or three day outing may be in order. As I said I am new to hunting, but not to the outdoors. I have enough proper equipment and skills to survive in the outdoors for some time. Not trying to sounds arrogant, just the way my father raised me.

I will be at the range either tomorrow after my speed steel shoot or on Sunday prior to work. I will try and figure out which tidbit of advice to use first and let you know the results.

Anyone have any tips with regards to ammo choice. I bought a few different brands to try first time out, including some hornady.

I will eventually reload my own, as I do for my pistols.

Be well and thanks again everyone!
 
For ammo in a .308....165gr anything. I would lean towards Hornady ammo, and Federal Fusion. Great bang for the buck. But 165gr gives you the best velocity vs weight balance for that cartridge. The only exception would be a TSX or other super premium in 150gr.
 
ASTRYX said:
Thanks for all the input.

As for gear, I plan on using my MEC pack to hike from camp with (should make an amazing platform to shoot from!). I figure that if I drive to a spot, a two or three day outing may be in order. As I said I am new to hunting, but not to the outdoors. I have enough proper equipment and skills to survive in the outdoors for some time. Not trying to sounds arrogant, just the way my father raised me.

I will be at the range either tomorrow after my speed steel shoot or on Sunday prior to work. I will try and figure out which tidbit of advice to use first and let you know the results.

Anyone have any tips with regards to ammo choice. I bought a few different brands to try first time out, including some hornady.

I will eventually reload my own, as I do for my pistols.

Be well and thanks again everyone!
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No worries, I read that part but didn't process it. If you are an experienced outdoorsman, that is one less thing to worry about. So many people new to hunting are also new to the outdoors that I guess I just launched into the standard spiel. ;)

For ammo, the best plan is to try a number of brands and bullet weights to see what your rifle likes. Once you start reloading the world opens up to you. People will tell you to go with the super premium stuff, but to be honest, any decent cup and core 150gr or 165gr hunting bullet will perform well at .308 velocities. I would worry more about finding ammo that your gun likes than getting brand X or Y with a fancy bullet.

My first choice would be a 165gr, it will do everything you want and hits a little harder with more penetration for big animals like moose, while still performing well on thin skinned game like whitetail deer.

Much more important than the bullet weight/type you choose is putting it in the right spot when the moment comes. One thing I forgot in my first post was to learn where the actual vital areas are on game animals. You can go online and find diagrams showing where the correct areas to shoot for are on deer, moose, elk and most everything else. The animals don't come with bullseye's painted on them, so you need to know the spot you want to hit and from various angles.


Mark
 
Went to the range today with about five different types of ammo. Three factory and two different hand loads from a friend.

Being very new to long guns of this type, my friend helped me sight in at 100 yards. Once there I tried all the different types of ammo.

I found that the handloaded 178 hornady amax worked the best for me. I was able to group four shots in an inch and a half. Not bad for a noob!

I will need to go back and have a few more shots with some of the Hornady 165 I used early on in the day to see what I like best. I very well may have to buy 178s from my friend. ;)

When I am able I will grab my targets and take pictures.

Now I have to find a CORE course!!!
 
ASTRYX said:
Went to the range today with about five different types of ammo. Three factory and two different hand loads from a friend.

Being very new to long guns of this type, my friend helped me sight in at 100 yards. Once there I tried all the different types of ammo.

I found that the handloaded 178 hornady amax worked the best for me. I was able to group four shots in an inch and a half. Not bad for a noob!

I will need to go back and have a few more shots with some of the Hornady 165 I used early on in the day to see what I like best. I very well may have to buy 178s from my friend. ;)

When I am able I will grab my targets and take pictures.

Now I have to find a CORE course!!!
Click to expand...

Amax's are target bullets, not hunting bullets. I know of a number of people (including myself) who have used them on game, but they are not the best choice to start with.


Mark
 
After being so happy with my shots, I called my hunting friend and he said the same thing!!

He said I should try and find all copper bullets so as not to get too much lead in the meat. He uses barnes TSX. I looked into it and will get s few different weights and see what works best for me.
 
Nice cartridge choice, an all round load!! Will do the trick for moose and will drop a deer in it's tracks for the most part (depending on shot location). The gun is a good choice as well, I own a remington 700 BDL 25-06 solely for deer and love the gun. Remington makes a dependable product. Best of luck with your hunting and practice, practice, practice!!!
 
For an all copper, try Federal Vital-Shock loaded with 165gr TSX (Barnes Triple Shock X Bullet). If they group satisfactory in your rifle, you have a factory load that will work well for deer, moose, bear...and pretty much any big game you'll likely be hunting in Canada.
 
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