A few questions from a beginner

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Wildest

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Good evening everyone.

I was referred to this forum by a friend, and am relatively new. I'm living in Nova Scotia.

I am taking up deer hunting this year, have long since planned to do it but i finally went out and did all the paperwork and courses. The only thing i have left to do is choose a firearm and equipment.

I have done some research and have decided on starting out with a .270. I have looked at buying new and going with either a savage axis or remington 783 (I would prefer to buy used and get a higher end rifle that has some mileage).

I am fairly confident in my shooting ability, although the only thing i have shot is C7/C8/sig sauer (So nothing with much kick). I don't plan on shooting anything over 150 yards so a basic scope that i can sight in at 50-100 will suffice.

My question to you all is what would you recommend in terms of equipment? i hope i can draw on the wealth of knowledge so i know where to concentrate my efforts. any tips to do with first time hunting are greatly appreciated.

The primary equipment expense in my mind would be a pair of boots and a decent pack. How important is pocket space? should i go all out on a vest or just stick to the basic blaze orange vest with two front pockets?

What should i carry with me other than compass/map/gloves/knife/box of 20 rds/warm clothes/water/FA Kit?

I appreciate any help or just friendly conversation so i can get to know everyone.
 
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Buy used and get a better gun, or if you go the "entry level" route, the Axis is 100x the gun vs the Rem 783

I'd rather have more pockets then less.

What you carry depends on the type of hunting you do. I "base camp" and am never away from my camp for more then 4 hours or so, so I carry compass, whistle, gloves, pocket knife, belt knife, ammo, water, a bit of food, small first aid kit, lighter, flashlight, and rope.

If I was going any longer then that I'd carry a backpack with more stuff, enough to ensure I can get through at least one night.
 
Make yourself a survival kit, and always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. If you get lost, which can easily happen, these two things could save your life.
 
Welcome to CGN. Nothing wrong with your choice of .270 Win. Everyone has their favourite cartridge so be prepared for that. I would suggest you upgrade your choice of Axis or 783 and buy a better quality rifle that has been previously owned. A decent scope of 2-7x, 3-9x or even a fixed 4x is all the scope you will need in your situation. Always be prepared to spend a night or two in the bush even if you only planning a day trip. Dehydration and hypothermia are killers. Make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back. Stuff happens.
 
If you're focused on deer, I would use 130 gr bullets vs. 150 gr and zero that 270 win at 200 yds. You will be able to shoot anything you point at over that range with 100 yds at about 1.5 " high.

A ground blind might be something to think about, along with a quality knife and a hanger with pulley when you get your deer. Good luck!
 
On survival thinking, don't worry about food, it is low on the list and going a day or two without food is a nothing.. I went for years and years and never carried water, depending on finding some in the area I was in. After a trip or two, you will see how much water you can find, or maybe you will have to carry some.
I will present here a very common occurrence that can kill you over one night. It is late fall, weather just above freezing, it clouds over in the afternoon and rains, getting you soaking wet. The rainy weather confuses your time and directions, you wonder if you are going to make it out of the bush, so you hurry more and work up a great sweat.
The storm moves on and the temperature gets below freezing over night.
If you have to spend this night in the bush, you will be dead by morning, unless you get a good fire going, get warm and your clothes dried out.
Thus, reliable fire starter, waterproof matches in a closed little jar, with some cloth that has been soaked in warm paraffin, stuffed in the jar.
The most important tool you can carry is a small, sharp hand axe.
The most important information you can learn, is how to start a fire in a wet bush.
 
H4831 said:
Thanks for that comment.
Bruce
Click to expand...
You'll more than welcome. A lesson that was hammered home for me when I became disorientated on a cold, heavy overcast day in thick, northern Ontario bush. I was 14 and unprepared for a very dark night in the bush. Saving grace was it didn't rain during the day/night and I happened to stumble out onto a logging road around mid-morning the next day. I was found by a logging crew about an hour or two later that was out searching for me. I thought my parents would be totally pissed at me but just the opposite. :)
 
Wildest said:
Good evening everyone.

I was referred to this forum by a friend, and am relatively new. I'm living in Nova Scotia.

I am taking up deer hunting this year, have long since planned to do it but i finally went out and did all the paperwork and courses. The only thing i have left to do is choose a firearm and equipment.

I have done some research and have decided on starting out with a .270. I have looked at buying new and going with either a savage axis or remington 783 (I would prefer to buy used and get a higher end rifle that has some mileage).

I am fairly confident in my shooting ability, although the only thing i have shot is C7/C8/sig sauer (So nothing with much kick). I don't plan on shooting anything over 150 yards so a basic scope that i can sight in at 50-100 will suffice.

My question to you all is what would you recommend in terms of equipment? i hope i can draw on the wealth of knowledge so i know where to concentrate my efforts. any tips to do with first time hunting are greatly appreciated.

The primary equipment expense in my mind would be a pair of boots and a decent pack. How important is pocket space? should i go all out on a vest or just stick to the basic blaze orange vest with two front pockets?

What should i carry with me other than compass/map/gloves/knife/box of 20 rds/warm clothes/water/FA Kit?

I appreciate any help or just friendly conversation so i can get to know everyone.
Click to expand...

You have asked a bunch of good questions. And so far, have gotten a bunch of good answers. I won’t get into a rifle or caliber recommendation other than to say the 270 will do you just fine.
What follows may not be a good fit for your situation or style of hunting. So take from it what you think is of value to you.

When it comes to gear, so much depends on the time of year and the weather here out west that I have been carrying a moderately sized day pack now for many years while hunting big game. There is enough stuff in my pack that I could easily stay out for a night or 2 if I had to.

I carry my Hunting gear- knife, ammo, para chord, license/tags, binos and a foam garden kneeler, or as my brother calls it, a “sit-upon”, a knit orange toque and light gloves. Lunch, TP and a Nalgene with a litre of water. A light rain coat is also part of my kit.

The other stuff I carry is more for emergency/survival. Headlamp. Spot satellite signal device (a life saver and worth every penny). Fire starter and a bic lighter or 2. A small (6x8 ft) sil-tarp- a great shelter in an emergency- light and compact. A folding hand saw, also for quartering your game if desired. Map and Compass. (haven't jumped on the GPS wagon yet)

Dressing for the weather conditions is also important. Dress in layers and carry an extra wool undershirt. Stanfields makes a heavy wool underwear shirt that is the best bit of hunting apparel I own. Proudly made in Nova Scotia and immensely popular here on the west coast with loggers, fishermen and hunters.
 
Start slow and stick with the kiss rule ( keep-it- simple-stupid )
Stick to the basic a simple nothing fancy rifle ,packboard, a good knife , compass and a headlamp don't over think it till you get a couple years experience
Rifle pick a caliber that is easy to find ammo at your local store
the most important thing is to just get out and go hunting you will gain the experience and figer out exactly what you need don't mixup what you need with what would be nice to have
The nice to have can get silly and expensive quickly
Over time you will collect the nice to have , but this is your first season so just go out and enjoy it for what it is
Your doing the right thing getting ready now and not waiting to the last minute to plan
Start getting out scouting pick your spot befor season opening I think this is the best thing you can do for success (time spent in the Area your going to be hunting is more imported then any equipment you can buy )
Good luck and have fun
 
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this is a bit different but this is some of my pack contents for up to 3 days back pack hunting.

IMG_3183Backpack%20content%20AH.jpg~original



and this is something I would day pack all day with a chance of getting lost
IMG_3181AHDaypack.jpg~original
 
Thanks for the incredible amount of responses. I'm at work now but will go over them more thoroughly when i get home.

I think I will definitely take te advice and go with a used rifle that is better quality. its what i was leaning towards initially.

The info regarding pack contents is extremely valubal, so thank you very much. It will centrainly be taken into consideration when i get my kit prepared.
 
The basics to start is a good pair of boots, a compass and a sharp knife, the rest from there ranges from useful to luxury items. For a beginner on a budget it's hard to go wrong with a Mora companion.

As for vests I like to have as many pockets as possible so that everything has a place. I hate trying to dig through a backpack full of a bunch of things looking for the one thing that has made its way to the very bottom. The only thing I am on the fence about is a big rear pocket, I loved having one on my surveying vest and would be great while walking around, but it would be a pain if you ever stopped to sit for any amount of time.

For me with the essentials being in/on my vest, I typically have the backpack for all the extras, stuff I don't need with me 100% of the time, but have in the truck, or I may carry it out and leave it in the stand. This would be extra clothes, lunch, flashlight, etc.

I also know people who have the barebones vest and have an army surplus web belt and use it and all the small compartments as their pockets, and some who are lucky to remember their gun and are unprepared for anything that might happen throughout the day, everyone's got a different system.
 
.270 is a very good choice for anything in NS and the recoil is hardly excessive (heck, even I can shoot it comfortably).

I would suggest that you try to find a hunting partner. While everything that's been said is good, there are so many subtleties which cannot be picked up even with a lot of canny people trying their best on a forum.

I myself wear a vest with half-a-dozen rounds of ammo, a laser range-finder, a small pair of binos, GPS and a very small survival kit. Fixed-blade knife and small flashlight on my belt. Bic lighters in several pockets.

If I move away from my camp, stand or vehicle, I have a small pack with (depending on season and such and in no particular order):

- Sweater, gloves and toque. Sometimes a shell in case of rain. Dry socks in ziplock bag
- Rubber gloves, often a roll of paper towels, sliver of soap
- Toilet paper in ziplock bag (always!)
- Lunch, canteen of water, snacks
- Small sharpening steel
- Head lamp
- Gutting knife, small hatchet and folding saw
- A few more rounds of ammo
- Cleaning kit, specifically including a cleaning rod (sling broke one time and rifle barrel got filled with mud)
- Somewhat larger survival kit in a billy, teabags
- Sometimes, stuff for a stand - folding shooting tripod, folding chair and camo, etc. Para cord and a bt of string.
- A few spare AA batteries for GPS
- Map, hunting tags, etc

Some would say too heavy, but it suits me.
 
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For affordability sum of the use Mauser's from trade-ex canada are very good and hard to beat the prices on there used rifles if you can get ammo the 6.5x55 its a grate calaber so is the 30-06 wich you can get reduce recoil lodes and you will grow into it in no time I checked no 270 wich surprise me a little bit
remember you can ask for a layaway plan most small retailers will work with you
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/produits/95
 
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