Category Archives: Big Game Hunting

Articles about Big Game Hunting.

Tactacam 5.0 Video Rifle and Crossbow Test

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As I stated in a earlier article, I purchased the Tactacam 5.0 with Scope or barrel mount. It takes a while to charge a battery so for another 20 dollars I bought a second battery. I like this product to film my own hunts. This article focuses on the standard 3x zoom vs 8x zoom on rifle and crossbow.

Tactacam 5.0 Product ImageTactacam Custom Gun Scope Mount

Tactacam 5.0 Video Standard 3x Zoom

I am shooting a .375 Ruger with the Tactacam attached to the top of the riflescope. Here the target is at 100 yards and looks small to me. If I were videoing a deer hunt shot sequence.  I could not see details at that distance with this setting but the picture at the 4K setting is great. Older PC’s have difficulty with it but mine does not and it is youtube compatible. There is a Tactacam App that I put on my I phone and it syncs fine once you choose the correct wi-fi setting.

This Sequence below is at 8X Zoom. Much better detail at 100 yards.

 

Zoom test is best at longer range.

Excalibur Crossbow Tactacam 5 Test at 8x

 

I like the easy on/off and light weight of the Tactacam. I installed a 128 gigabyte micro SD card. According to the instruction manual, this should give me 2.5 hours of video.

Am I impressed? Yes! Great purchase so far? You do have to read and follow the manual to get the  most out of it!

Good Hunting and Video!

©Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

Hunting Texas Trophy Whitetails

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Prepping for my second Texas Whitetail Deer Hunt with Wildlife Systems, Inc. this November.
They let the bucks grow to maturity on a 24000 acre (nearly 40 Square Mile) cattle ranch. Can you say BIG!
Often well managed Texas bucks there can reach their genetic potential, and live beyond 6, 7 and 8 years. Where in New Hampshire for example bucks are harvested at 2.5 years or younger on average. Hunters in New Hampshire rarely get to see a mature fat 4.5 year old buck like the one below. Yes they exist in NH but are a rare sight on huntable land.
Personally, I study the land as well. It is central Texas, Hill Country, called the Edwards Plateau east of the Pecos River along the Balcones Fault and comprises 24 million acres of sprawling very wild low tree and cactus scattered savannah, arroyos, sendero’s and creeks. My hunting area is 40 square miles of low fence cattle ranch just west of San Angelo and contains thousands of whitetails that must be scientifically managed to balance the flora and fauna as well as feed the cattle.
The Edwards Plateau area, and its caves, contain some of the largest population of bats in the world. Not only am I a hunter but a Conservationist and have 2 degrees in science as well. Texas A&M pours millions into Wildlife Research each year.
In 2018 I hunted with my friend Larry Weishuhn who’s life has been dedicated to wildlife management and hunting. 

 Cattle Ranch Texas Trophy Whitetail hunt costs range from $4500 on up. And at any one time there are only a handful of hunters in it.  I am not getting any younger and can afford this hunt.   I am heading back in November.  You figure in cost of flights shy of $400 round trip and a $400 to $500 tip for guide and 100 or so for cooks. Your looking at a $5500 hunt for 3.5 days. What do you get? You get Texas Hospitality, 2 on 1 expert guides, great food, a great bunk. Mostly you get some of the best deer hunting on the planet and a very good chance to harvest a buck of your lifetime and two does for management purposes and venison. Most all hunts are from a combination of elevated stands and ground blinds. Antler Rattling is often used during the rut to bring in big bucks. Prickly Pear Cactus abound in this bush environment so watch your back side!

Up at 4am, shower and breakfast and hit the trail on quad’s.  Morning  and afternoon hunts you can see 10 to 20  or more deer a day and 8 point bucks every day. Patience is a virtue, let them pass, you are looking for a mature buck with a thick plump body and swollen neck and rack that will drop your eye teeth and rev up your adrenaline till you shake in your boots! I am hoping for a chance at larger Mr. Boone and Crockett. 

 I harvested a nice 11 point 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett buck in 2018 on the afternoon of my second day with my TC Encore muzzle loader, shooting 80 yards with 295 grain Power Belt bullets behind 150 grains of powder. Can you say Boom!

Your guide cares for your animal quickly and gets it ready for taxidermy if you desire. I took 2 does as well and had all the meat boned and shipped home.

Same buck above but the photo was taken right away! For me, that is a fat handsome monster. I will be writing more when I get back from this hunt. Can’t wait to see what I bring back this time!

Good Hunting!

©Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.

Great Deer Cartridges for New Hampshire Deer

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Here in New Hampshire we have a variety of fields and forests. There are southern zones that do not allow rifle hunting however with that said, calibers such as the 243 Winchester to 300 Winchester Magnum and everything in between are great choices. Young and women hunters are often seen with the 243 Winchester and 6mm as they has very low recoil and great deer killing energy with a well placed shot. These are not ideal for heavy brush. Next is the 7mm-08 (based on the .308 Winchester case and necked down) and all the new and old 6.5mm cartridges but still not great for heavy brush. These are also easy on the recoil and bullets weigh more and have better penetration with a bit more recoil.

The 7mm cartridge’s are geared for longer range and higher energies, such as the well known 7mm Remington magnum.  Perhaps one of the most often used cartridges is the .308 Winchester, hard hitting and medium recoil. Northern hunters opt for the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Winchester Magnum because of their fire power. But these aforementioned cartridge’s come with lots more recoil. Recoil sensitive shooters should stay away from these cartridges unless hand loaded down in power, something I am very good at.

As far as bullets go, I prefer bonded bullets, where the copper jacket is bonded to the lead, which makes for a bullet that mushrooms correctly and stays together. If you hand load your cartridge then the world is your oyster for bullet choices. My favorites are the Nosler Partition and the Nosler AccuBond. The latter is my go-to big game bullet. Veteran hunters who prowl in heavy timber use larger calibers in the 40 or 50 caliber class. My brother’s thick timber rifle was the venerable 444 Marlin and others shoot the 45-70. Both great cartridges. Often flat points or the newer rubber tipped 240/260 grain heads. Again, if you shoot regularly, consider loading your own ammo as I do. It is great fun and you get to customize the load and bullet for the rifle, the game, and the hunter too.

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2020

All Weather Rifle Barrels and Dry Lubes Are Best

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During deer season here in New England the weather is ever changing, sunny in the morning and drizzling rain or snow in the afternoon. It is wise to choose a rifle that is somewhat impervious to moisture and that includes the barrel and things attached to it. My Ruger African .375 Ruger is blued but not highly weather/rust resistant by the factory so I use bowling lane wax everywhere on the wood and barrel before going afield. Let it dry and it has little odor.

I hear that a hunting guide in Alaska paints his barrels. It works but must be a bit ugly! Of course there is stainless steel but as a new rifle, manufacturers offer spray on rust resistant coatings such as Cerakote, https://www.cerakote.com/project-gallery?tab=color

Or for example my Weatherby Rifle barrel with Weathershield coating. This website, Haus of Arms has this video on the difference between stainless and weathershield on Thompson Center rifles. I Own two rifles with weathershield coatings. I love them both for weather resistance. Easy to care for and no rust.

Just remember that the intricate parts in your guns action are likely not coated so you must take care for these parts as well. I use a dry lube (not stinky) that has a solvent to get the oil where you need it and then coats to protect the surface.

I hear that Otis has a nice dry lube created for the military. Remington offers a dry lube too!  Check them out! I use the Remington Dry Lube with Teflon! Very cost effective!

On waxes there are car waxes that work to repel rust and moisture from wood and steel and my bowling ball wax as well as commercial gun waxes by Birchwood Casey.

Hope this helps!

Good Hunting!

 

Hunting with Rifle and Tactacam 5 Video Camera – Intro

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I have not done a lot of hunting with video equipment because, I believe for a solo hunter, that it changes the focus of the hunt toward the video aspects of the hunt and not the game being hunted. Another family member or a friend can help or you can pay a camera man or you can get a Tactacam™ Video Camera and mount it to your scope as I am going to do and focus on the hunt.

The Tactacam 5 is “state of the art” has lots of options, is highly rated and looks like a very small spotting scope that can be attached to rifle, shotgun or bow or even a fishing rod. Admittedly, I am not a camera expert but a serious novice. The camera and scope mounting bracket will be arriving next week so I get to mount it on my Leupold Scopes on my .375 Ruger, Weatherby Rifles and on my Excalibur Crossbow scope. It is a push button on and off and can record an hour or more video they say. So stand-by and see what happens  when I mount and try to use it.

Tactacam 5.0 Product Image

In the mean time this video I found on the web is very helpful to see all the options this product offers.

Good Hunting!

BOG Pod Death Grip- Rock Steady Like a Field Bench Rest

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There are so many rifle and crossbow tri-pod and bi-pods and mono-pods for many reasons. The BOG Pod Death grip was created to firmly hold and clamp your rifle, shotgun or crossbow at the ready and give you a rock steady rest when the moment of truth arrives.

I used it last year in Newfoundland on a Moose Hunt. The wind was whipping me at near zero temperatures gusting to 30 mph. I was rock steady for a 100 yard shot at a walking moose.

Truthfully, I likely would have missed or placed the shot wrongly without the BOG Death Grip.

If you go to my site search engine you can see my other articles on the BOG Death Grip. 

I will be taking the Death Grip to Texas for Trophy Whitetails just over a month from now! When the buck of my lifetime steps out it helps to steady that overwhelming adrenaline surge, I hope the BOG Death Grip will be there! 

In practice, for setting up my crossbow, I find it an essential tool to sight-in my broadheads out to 40 yards.

On high dollar hunts, especially,  it is an essential tool for shots of a lifetime!

I am a BOG Death Grip believer. 

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved!

Flat Nose and Round Nose Bullets for Big Game

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Today’s bullet sales and profit seems to cater to where the bullet volume is. Specifically, sales cater to the long range crowd, shooting very low drag bullets and to the big game long range crowd. Long range in this case is beyond 200 yards which is a common sense limit for round nose ammo. Yes, I am one of those guys who likes to play with long range stuff but what about a hunter who owns rifles of odd calibers and/or those hunters who invariably do not hunt long range such as the deer hunters of my state of New Hampshire. These hunters often harvest deer in the woods at 40 to 60 yards on average with bullets that are of long range design.

And finally to those who believe, like  me, that a well placed round or flat nose or semi-spitzer bullet will drop game faster than a fully pointed spitzer would because more energy is delivered to the animal given that the range to the game animal needs to be relatively short, say 100 yards or less. Of course energy, frontal area of the bullet, and sectional density play a part.

The tug of a bullet entering game hide is, for all practical purposes, crushingly more powerful for a round or flat nose bullet than for a pencil pointed bullet which pokes a hole in the hide. In fact, you can often hear the slap (surface shock) of a flat or round nose which often instantly drops the game and highly recommended for dangerous game. I shot a red doe with a .375 dia flat nose bullet traveling at 1500 fps and she went 20 yards. Similar to the .375 Winchester or 38-55.. That speed is too slow for a spitzer to even open up and mushroom. Spitzers often need at least 1800fps to mushroom adequately. Semi- spitzers mushroom faster as they are more rounded.

Of course there are pro’s and con’s.

I have harvested deer with spitzers which mushroom ideally and have harvested with round and flat nose as well. Both work! My limited experience is that game seems to drop more often, on the spot, with round or flat nose than with spitzers give that it is short range. On long range I trust Nosler AccuBonds and E-Tips. Round nose and flat nose bullets are still out there. Hornady, Barnes, Speer and Sierra  makes them too.

My Texas buck in 2018 was taken with a muzzleloader and semi-spitzer tip and a flat hollow point design under the tip. He never took a step. Of course 150 grains of powder and a 300 grain bullet dropped him right there because of the huge energy delivered and frontal surface area.

My brother loves his 444 Marlin lever action with 240 grain flat points for New Hampshire thick stuff. Otherwise he likes his 300 win mag that does it all. I like the .375 Ruger for hunting everything because I handload. Of course, if it is a rifle, I love them all and of nearly every caliber.

Great campfire fodder!

© Copyright 2020

 

 

My Labrador Retriever Puppy for Hunting and Family

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There are many outdoor friendships we have and my best hunting friend is my dog. We have had several dogs over the years. Our newest is a female Labrador Retriever we named Bella.

Bella is going to be my hunting dog (ducks for sure) and family dog for my wife and I. We got her from an purebred breeder at the age of 10 weeks old. She is now just over 12 weeks and growing like a weed on “Miracle Grow”. She chews on everything and especially likes my leather shoes. She is heavy into the investigative phase sticking her nose into everything and eating what I can’t get out of her mouth when outside. All that said, she is very loving and loves to have her belly rubbed. She is growing so fast in fact that i must increase my education and her training now! Accordingly I have a few dog hunting books now and ordered DVD’s and some dog training supplies which I will discuss later. The most important thing is to love  Bella and get me up to speed in the training department. More to come…

Good Hunting!

© 2020

The .375 Ruger Makes Me Smile; Talking with Larry Weishuhn…

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In 2018, my readers knew I was hunting Texas at Wildlife Systems, Rocky Creek with Larry Weishuhn (Mr. Whitetail). Larry invariably had a friendly smile and soft Texas drawl. Photo below Larry’s buck antlers for rattling made my NH antlers look small!

I mentioned to Larry that I left my Ruger M77 Hawkeye Africa rifle in .375 Ruger home. Larry pipes right up, “shot a number of deer with my .375 Ruger, you should have brought it”!  Love that cartridge! Me too, “I’m thinkin” Now (November 2020)  I am taking the .375 Ruger back for a Trophy Deer Hunt to Texas — lots of land to self distance!

I recently sent an email to Larry:

Hi Larry,

You and I have championed the 375 Ruger for years certainly for me since 2012/2013. I have written dozens of articles on the .375 Ruger as part of my Ruger M77 Hawkeye African Rifle.

Here are just a few of my articles. I shot hand loaded 260g Nosler AB’s at 600 yards prone “High Power Practice” full power and my groups were 3 ½ inches at 600 yds and 3/8th inch 3 shot at 100 yards. As a handloader “the .375 Ruger makes me smile”. Sounds like the title of a new article!!

https://www.nhrifleman.com/hand-loading-the-375-ruger-for-deer-bear-moose-and-cape-buffalo/

https://www.nhrifleman.com/the-375-ruger-cartridge-a-handloaders-dream-cartridge/

https://www.nhrifleman.com/reloading-the-375-ruger-changed-me-by-ed-hale/

https://www.nhrifleman.com/best-deer-bear-moose-bison-cartridge-for-handloaders-with-375-ruger-in-a-ruger-m77-hawkeye/

https://www.nhrifleman.com/the-375-ruger-enough-cartridge-and-accurate/

https://www.nhrifleman.com/ruger-375-buffs-cant-get-enough/

 

Robert Ruark always said; USE ENOUGH GUN and the .375 Ruger does that splendidly.  I am taking my .375 Ruger to Rocky Creek in November.

AND LARRY E-MAILS BACK

Ed,
THANK YOU SIR… Great articles!
Perfect choice for Rocky Creek! In my opinion!

I’ve taken elephant, hippo, several African and Australian buffalo, African lion, and plains game on down to blue duiker; in Europe
roe deer, fallow, red stag, mouflon, ibex; in North America a near 11 foot brown bear down to whitetails.. Still my one most favorite round with which to hunt the world. Have shot it out to 700 yards.

I do like your new title!

All the BEST,
Larry

*********

 Larry notes that he uses factory Hornady Ammo for all his hunts.

I on the other hand have almost never hunted game with a factory load of  any caliber and derive great satisfaction from hand-loading my own rounds customized to each rifle. 

Each to his own, right. Larry is a good friend and a world class sportsman!

You can find Larry on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/larryweishuhnoutdoors/

Happy Birthday Larry!

Perhaps I got that reloading bug from Jim Carmichael of “Outdoor Life” Fame. I recall that Jim had a 458 slug taken from a bull elephant that he harvested and said that it was in such great shape that he could hand-load it again. Jim was a great shot and at the time reloaded for his bench rest competition, as I recall. Being of an engineering mindset hand loading is a great hobby!

Just yesterday I loaded up some more .375 Ruger rounds with SR 4759 (now out of manufacture) with an additional grain of powder with Speer’s 235 grain Hot Core Bullet made famous by Vernon Speer. Molten lead poured hot with the copper jacket is near enough to bonded in my book. I achieved around 2200 fps, my secret deer load goal and shot a 3 shot one inch group at 100 yards. Why 2200 fps? Because, I believed that out to 150 yards I would still get decent mushrooming and delivered energy with this reduced load in a semi-spitzer and still have hit that big buck with the .375 diameter “Hammer of Thor”!  Yet the recoil was just a bit less than a full power 30-06 shooting 180 grain ammo. 

It is interesting to note for the technical folks out there that in 2005 Chuck Hawkes, the owner/managing editor of Guns & Shooting Online  first published his formula called Killing Power Score or KPS where the frontal bullet area (.1104 for the .375 vs .0745 for a .308) was instrumental in the calculation along with BC and bullet speed. The .375 has more frontal area and thus if you can control speed and BC you can customize your so called “Hammer”. 

Below is a big bull moose with a smaller rack that I whacked with a 300 grain Nosler AB with a load of RL-15, the bull dropped in 2 steps at the shot. The wind was blowing up to 30 mph and the thermometer was in the teens. With Wind Chill being well below zero I was happy to have this bull in my Leupold VX-6 crosshairs.

800 pound Newfoundland Moose October 2019

First reduced load harvest was fat Red Deer with Hornady’s now defunct 220 grain FP traveling around 1500 fps. At 30 yards I got full penetration and the deer fell dead with a heart shot.

Below is my New Hampshire bull taken with the .375 Ruger and 260 grain heads. My partner followed up with his .308 Winchester. 

Below is an 800 pound Bison, a one shot kill with the .375 Ruger and 260 g Nosler AB. The bull was moving fast at 100 yards but felt confident at the shot. He fell dead as a door-nail entering a rear rib and up thru the heart and lungs, broke the far shoulder and kept going. We were lucky as all get-out to have a skidder nearby to load in the truck.

The .375 Ruger, Larry and I agree is one cartridge for the World!

Good Hunting!

© 2020

 

More 375 Ruger Reduced Load data for Deer and Black Bear – Updated

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These websites below offer experienced hand loaders more research options for powders that provide reduced loads in the .375 Ruger for deer and black bear. I use magnum rifle primers in load development to ensure complete ignition. Carefully work up new loads inspecting each case after firing. I do not advocate the data in these websites but provide them for your information and fun to read articles.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.375+Ruger.html

I do read that A 5744 works well in the .375 Ruger for reduced loads though I have not loaded or shot it.

375 Ruger Reduced Loads from Chuck Hawkes with A5744 Powder below and grain weight loads.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/reduced_big_bore_loads.htm

IMR 4227 used in Handloader Magazine for 375 Ruger

https://www.handloadermagazine.com/reduced-rifle-loads

Hodgdon Reduced Rifle loads below using the 60% rule with H4895 powder below.

https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/h4895-reduced-rifle-loads.pdf?_ga=2.52837998.715241781.1595099969-1370190430.1595099968

I am lucky to have purchased one of the last cans of SR 4759 powder and am successfully using that for my deer hunting load development for .375 Ruger.

Good Shooting!