Category Archives: Big Game Hunting

Articles about Big Game Hunting.

Rifle Cartridges and Historical Perspectives for Hunting North American Game by Ed Hale

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Any rifle cartridge that can come close to, or better than the 30-06 Springfield in energy and speed can take all North American Game. Lesser cartridges exist to hunt deer and black bear only.

I was never a fan of the 30-30 because the Marlin I was exposed to as a youth had a bad firing pin and sometimes would not fire. In analysis it could have been a lubricant issue in 6 degree weather. Never the less, I was not a fan but history shows it is magnificent on deer size game.

The .243 Winchester with 100 grain bullets is fabulous on deer in open terrain out to 300 yards and recoils little. It’s limitation, I believe, is that a small branch in the way can damage the path and delivered energy.

Most of the local New England clubs saw the .270 Winchester and 30-06 as a Cartridge that was not only available but it could be used on Yukon Moose and Brown bear, though many would prefer “more gun.” Especially those who wound the bear and he decides to come for you. Then a bazooka would be just fine, right! Truth be told, they are good performers but on a scale of good, better, best they were just “good” on really big game. On my upcoming Russian Boar hunt, the 30-06 is in the “better to best” category.

“Better” for big bears and moose are above the 30-06 cartridge beginning with the .300 Winchester Magnum. The problem was that the 300 Win. Mag. and larger kicked like a mule, and some after being pummeled, just sold their purchases to go back to a lighter rifle. Then along comes the Simms Recoil pads and Pachmayr Decelerator pads that often reduce felt recoil by 50%. Next is the .338 and .358 Norma Magnum. I owned a .338 Winchester Magnum and have no experience with the .358 so I will leave that for others.

I found that I could shoot my Ruger M77 in .338 Winchester Magnum and Nosler 250 grain Partitions with my T-shirt on, as long as I was not Bench Resting. Here is  my Record Book Kudu with the Ruger M77 in .338 Winchester Magnum and hand loaded Nosler 250 grain Partition bullets. One Shot, one Kill.

Magnums could be easily tamed with these recoil pads. Jim Carmichael of Outdoor Life killed Cape Buffalo with the .338 Winchester Magnum. Hand loading gives a lot of versatility.

Years later, I purchased the Ruger M77 African in .375 Ruger which, when loaded down can take small game to deer, then loaded up to bear, moose, bison and cape buffalo. It is perhaps the most versatile cartridge I own for shots out to 300 yards with a Nosler 260 grain AccuBond. Further for elk size game out to 600 yards if you practice with a laser rangefinder. Left is a Nosler AccuBond and right is a monolithic alloy solid for dangerous game. At 100 yards the impact is nearly identical.

Today there are numerous cartridges that are available such as the new 6 mm and 6.5 Creedmoor for deer and elk which are thin skinned. I have written extensively on the 6.5 Creedmoor and believe it to be the most accurate in its CXP class.

From the website below;

“Winchester calls these “CXP” classes, from CXP1 through CXP4, and has registered CXP as a trademark. CXP stands for “Controlled eXpansion Performance.” Federal lists Usage numbers from 1 through 4 for rifle hunting ammunition. With or without the CXP designation, the numbers 1 through 4 represent the same four basic types of game in both ammunition catalogs.”

See CXP classification by Chuck Hawks on bullets and game for a detailed look.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/cxp.htm

 

Bullet construction and material have made great strides like the copper bullets, partitions, and bonded bullets. Bullet engineering has manifested itself in its ability to be manufactured economically in copper, and bonded with lots of followers so really it is not just about the cartridge but the bullet and its construction as well.

Good Shooting!

© 2017

Countdown to my Russian Boar Hunt in Maine by Ed Hale

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Just a week away from the Super Bowl and the next day begins the short journey to the deep woods of Maine with a friend to hunt the prehistoric Russian Boar on a hunt park with long razor sharp tusks to eat or kill whatever it desires for food. It is one mean looking, some say ugly, tusked animal that widely roamed Europe since the Pleistocene Period of over 2 million years ago along with the Wooly Mammoth. The Alpha male of the species can grow to unheard of sizes far in excess of 600 – 800 lbs and grow tusks over 6 inches long. Below is an image (courtesy of Bing.com Images) of a mature Russian Boar. He looks to tip the scales of over 300 pounds.

Image result for pictures of russian boar

Lots of ham and sausage here but may be too big for better eating. I may want a smaller tastier boar but I will wait till my animal is down with my TC Pro Hunter 30-06 Springfield single shot using 168 grain Nosler E-Tips ( see my articles on E-Tips). I am also thinking of taking my Hoyt Compound Bow too for perhaps other game but we shall see.

The key here is a respectable representative of the Russian Boar that is good eating as I will be butchering this animal at home over the remainder of the week if I get one. Look for my series of articles on the hunt and the food prep end like hams and sausage and burger and ribs for the “barbecue”.  If this hunt is as fun as I think then I will be back next year.

© 2017

Nosler Expansion -Tip Bullet – All Gilding Copper – Kills Fast – Fragment Resistant

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I have been a fan of Nosler Rifle Products for Hunters from the get-go. In particular the Nosler E-Tip (Expansion Tip) bullet I write about time and time again. It is not like the pure copper bullets that can smear copper in some barrels.  The E-Tip is solid gilding copper like a harder copper alloy bullet jacket. It has a hollow cavity that expands (controlled Expansion) like the petals of a banana into a perfect mushroom below. I know the words E-Tip aren’t glamorous like “Hammer” or such but in fact you can say that it is like a hammer that gets created upon touching skin and tissue. It plows through the toughest tissue and bone and stays together. It creates large wound channels for vital blood to flow rapidly and kills quickly for fast recovery of downed game. I have seen it.

If you are like me, I like to eat all of my wild game, not cut hunks of meat that are likely fragmented with bullet pieces from my big game meat. If you haven’t used the E-Tip you are missing something big. Nosler sells them loaded up in your caliber or as heads to reload.

Give them a try you will be glad you did!

 

New BELLM Trigger for TC Pro Hunter -update

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UPDATE : I had trouble installing the new spring for the trigger so I am sending the frame to BELLM to do the work.

As  most of you know, I tested the TC Pro Hunter 50 cal. Muzzleloader/30-06 Springfield Rifle Combo this summer and fall…and I bought it! The cheek rest and ammo pouch is an add on of mine.

I love the combination as I can now buy barrels for shotgun and other calibers for it. The only thing that can be significantly improved upon is the trigger. So I ordered the G2 kit below from the new website. http://1gunshop.com/catalog/?ret_id=1485279

G2 Trigger Job and Spring Kits

I want the trigger pull in the 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pound range so Kurt from the 1gunshop set me up for it. The kit should be here soon so I can install and test it before my Russian Boar Hunt.

In addition I will test the trigger with Nosler’s 30-06 Springfield 168 grain E-Tip that Zach Waterman of Nosler is sending me.

E-TIp Lead Free Ammunition Banner

 

along with Leupold’s VX-6 zoom scope. It has a lighted crosshair too…

Good Hunting!

© 2017

 

Nosler E-Tip and AccuBond Bullet – Best in Class! by Ed Hale

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We all enjoy eating our wild game don’t we! I have shot Nosler E-Tips in my game and into media (fir planks) and find that the bullet flairs into petals for the E-Tip and stays together. It is a gilding copper bullet that will leave less copper in your barrel rifling than other bullet manufacturers.

In a deer hunt in 2015, I killed a spike buck at 300 yards with my test gun, a Savage 11/111 in 7mm Remington Magnum’Leupold VX-6 combo, loaded with 140grain Nosler E-Tips. Below is the exit wound.

 

I shot once a bit high and got full penetration, the deer fell like lighting but stood up moments later. The second shot was 4 inches lower through the lower ribs and shoulder and exited. The deer fell in its tracks for good!  No trace of either bullet was found and I liked the fact that there was no chance of lead fragmentation from a bone strike that I have seen in my non bonded cheaper bullets of other manufacture. In bone strikes of early deer kills, I had to cut a large chunk of meat around the bullet path as lead and copper fragments were seen.

AccuBond Bullets are designed where the lead is bonded to the copper and stays together BIGLY, while other bullets come apart.  The AccuBond keeps the lead together much more so, thus I believe it is also best in Class.

The AccuBond has been produced as an “all range” bullet, for near and far. Below is a 800 lb Bison I took with a 260 grain AccuBond with my Ruger M77 African Rifle and VX-3 Leupold Scope at 100 yards quartering away. The bullet entered the last rib and angled forward through the heart and lungs and exited after busting the opposite shoulder. The buffalo dropped in its tracks! No fragments found around the bullet path or wound site.

Another AccuBond Kill was a nice Moose with the same rifle and load.

 

For those who are shooting beyond 500 yards there is the Long Range AccuBond which has one of the highest Ballistic Coefficients for its bonded design as a hunting bullet. See the video below.

I have not had an opportunity to shoot this LRAB as I have no immediate need to hunt that long a range at this time, but if I do, you know I will use this bullet.

In closing, I have had more meat, and less fragment damage with the E-Tip and AccuBond than any hunting bullet EVER!.

UPDATE – My good friend Zach Waterman at Nosler is sending me Nosler gilding copper E-Tips to use on my upcoming Russian Boar Hunt so we can again see how a shoulder hit on a big game animal can still be accomplished with little or no fragmentation and no lead in the meat.

Good Hunting!

© 2017

Bullets and Shot Placement on Russian Boar -Updated by Ed Hale

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First, let me say that I have taught Hunter Education and shot placement on many animals. I have studied African Game shot placement with rifle as well. Wild boar seem to have their heart a bit lower and the shoulder/leg bone is a bit more forward than deer do. If you shoot just above the forward leg, you will have a heart shot but it is important to give yourself some additional room that will always kill your animal. Many experts agree to target the heart/lung area which is larger than just the heart. Further, that you want to damage both shoulders in the process if possible so that your boar has zero chance at a charge from a big ornery boar.

The lower picture shows a high heart/low lung hit in yellow. This is ideal. To do damage to both shoulders you need a bullet that can penetrate. Yes you can kill with smaller bores but if really close, it is comforting to have a big bullet.

Image result for Wild Boar Kill Shots

See https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Wild+Boar+Kill+Shots

Image result for Wild Boar Vitals

Research in shooting “very large” Russian Boar is that a large caliber slug from a shotgun like a 12 guage or a 30 or 40 caliber such as the 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag,  444 Marlin or 45/70 or a .375  does the trick and provides for the phrase used so often by Robert Ruark – USE ENOUGH GUN!  In addition it is wise to carry a big bore side arm if possible.  I am opting for my Ruger M77 African

with the .375 Ruger and 260 grain Nosler AccuBonds if I decide on a giant Russian Boar. On left. The AccuBond is a bonded lead bullet to the copper and will not come apart. Right is a monolithic solid used for Cape Buffalo and Elephant as a back up shot.

I have seen these boar fall dead in video and in others charge the hunter while wounded. Years ago my African PH said quite simply, “it is the dead ones that will kill you.”  Your guard is down and in close proximity there is no time to react. Give your boar some respect and a little time to die.

Head Shots and Neck Shots drop them fast if you can get your boar to stand still.

My Outfitter is a chef and likes head shots so it does not ruin meat and suggests that the 375 for a head shot is not necessary so will take my Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor too as it is akin to the .270 Winchester and quite capable. Lots of lesser Wild Boar are killed with .243 Winchester but a giant bruiser Russian boar up close, well…you better be a good shot.

Bow and Arrow

Heart Lung shots with bow or crossbow are quite common and are big medicine on Russian Boar. My Outfitter has a crossbow that I will try out while there.  I may even take my own Bow on this trip.  Who knows!

All in all should make for some adrenaline moments to remember.

Good Hunting!

© 2016

 

NH Hunters: Where Did the Deer Go?

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Congratulations if you got your deer! For those of us still hunting, the deer have caught on to us. They have left their October/ early November feeding areas due to hunting pressure and are likely in southern NH living in unexpected places. So be extra careful! The bucks are still roaming and will roam for some time but mostly at night like this guy who looks like a young 2 1/2 buck with perhaps 6 points or even 8.

MOULTRIE DIGITAL GAME CAMERA

MOULTRIE DIGITAL GAME CAMERA

 

These bucks will roam in their core area at mid-day as the rut, Phase I is at its peak. Phase II is early December for those does that have yet to be in estrous and mated. So don’t give up. All it takes is you being in the right place at the right time.

© 2016

Why the 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge for Big Deer, Elk and Kudu Hunting? By Ed Hale -Weatherby Update

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I have tested 3 rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor, the Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator which I wrote about in 2015,  Savage Model 12 LRP (Long Range Precision) Rifle, and the Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor both I joyfully tested this year.  The Creedmoor was created for long range target shooting and is a supreme newly designed cartridge just a bit smaller than the .308 Winchester Case. It shoots fast, hits hard and recoils little, and is accurate as all get-out in the right rifle. Perhaps you read an article I wrote in 2015 on it.

All three test rifles were fantastically accurate, shooting sub-MOA and packing a wallop to boot! On the target range I busted 8 inch balloons at 1000 yards with this cartridge shooting the new 143 grain Hornady Precision Hunter ELD -X(Extremely Low Drag) 143 in the Savage M12 LRP. With a high ballistic coefficient such as the G1 .625 Hornady bullet it comes out of the barrel at a modest 2700 fps.

But more than that, it is a dynamite hunting cartridge with the right weight bullet like the 143 grain because it has very high Sectional Density (SD) where bullet weight vs diameter, a key factor in penetration of vital organs. The SD of the Hornady bullet is .293, hold that thought. Calculations of killing energy for Elk and Kudu are 1500 ft-lbs and can cleanly kill out to 350 yards where the bullet is still traveling at 2200 fps yet not punish the hunter in recoil

I purchased the Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor which shoots sub-MOA for hunting. At 6.6 lbs with 4 round capacity and Moss Green it is a shooter that is easy to carry.

My grandkids can kill deer with it too someday. Ok, now the Sectional Density is .293 which allows more mass to penetrate in a smaller diameter than some other bullets.

It was Winchester that invented a way to classify bullets based on Sectional Density for the taking of various game animals; and call it Controlled eXpansion Performance or CXP and where game animals were broken up into 4 categories CXP1 thru CXP4. CXP1 for game less than 50 lbs., CXP2 for game 51 to 300 pounds, CXP3 for game animals 301 lbs. to 1000 lbs. and finally CXP4 for animals over 1000 to 12000 pounds such as Cape Buffalo up to Elephant.

The 6.5 143 grain bullet meets the CXP3 criteria for game up to 1000 pounds provided it delivers the energy for a clean kill. For Moose it is recommended to be 2500 ft-lbs. The 6.5 Creedmoor can’t develop the recommended 2500 pounds of energy to kill Moose but many hunters use the .270 and .308 and 30-06 delivering energies less than recommended yet kill due to excellent shot placement and meet the CXP3 criteria of having at least an SD of 0.260 for deep penetration. You recall that the SD for the 6.5 Hornady is .293 and way up there in CXP criteria. Just .007 from hitting the CXP4 bandwagon.

I love my Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor as a hunters rifle, not flashy, love the color, handles like dream, adjustable trigger, shoots hard and kicks soft and really cost effective. I make mine bark with a Leupold VX scope on it.

For more on Sectional Density go to http://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm and on CXP info go to http://www.chuckhawks.com/cxp.htm

For the Ruger American Predator rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor go to http://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/models.html

© 2016

2018 Update:

At New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine we are continuing to test the Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard in 6.5 Creedmoor and sports a handsome Monte Carlo stock with a higher cheek rest, 22 inch barrel, a 2 stage trigger, Weatherguard barrel coating and shoot sub moa groups. (retail $585.00) And has one of the best actions in the world. This is a hunters rifle and able to withstand the rigors of rain and snow yet need little attention to exterior rust.

Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard

We now prefer the Weatherby for its very low cost and very high quality and weather resistance.

© 2018

 

Getting Ready for New Hampshire Muzzleloader Deer Season?

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I have been getting ready with my muzzleloader here in New Hampshire for quite a while. Opening day for Muzzleloader is October 29, 2016.  Season details can be found at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/hunting/deer.html along with a hunting video there.

I feel very optimistic and you should too if you hunt in the southern half of NH where the deer are plentiful… provided you have done your homework. No you just can’t walk in the woods and get one. Yes, if you do everything right and you shoot straight, it can happen.

First and foremost you should be shooting your Muzzleloader now, not just at the bench, but how you are going to use it in the woods.  I shoot standing and freehand at 50 yards or less or better yet…use a tree to stabilize my rifle. Using shooting sticks such as a monopod, bipod and tripod do work. I have a monopod with a telescoping v notch that I have used on occasion. I will be hunting with the TC Encore Pro- Hunter Rifle with Muzzleloader barrel as you could certainly guess from the numerous articles here at New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine.

Time to load? Loading black powder or a substitute in the muzzle and then your bullet (with or without a separating sabot) being sure that the bullet is fully seated atop and against the powder. Recall that it requires some technique. I have found some plastic sabots make it very hard to load and reload as the provide too much resistance in my particular rifle.  I use a bullet with a built in sabot base, and they shoot, and reload easily with good accuracy. You can purchase a speed loader tube to hold bullet, powder and primer for your back up shot.

The archery season and muzzleloader season is a huge leg up on hunting deer that have not been spooked or shot at all year. But the most important part is that if you want to hunt bucks, there is no better time to call one in or rattle one in than during muzzleloader season because the first does will come into estrus and drive the bucks crazy and they WILL make mistakes. It has been my experience that if you hunt from the ground or even in a tree, you need to be ultra clean and scentless. On the ground you must walk into or quarter into the wind. Tree stand hunting is great when you know unspooked deer movement patterns and active trails or you are going to call or rattle. Remember when calling, less is more. Scouting should be high on your list in prep for the hunt. Use a compass and map. Have a drag rope or wheel carrier, license, knife, pen for filling out your tag, flashlight, first aid kit, water, a snack, and TP (I use orange or camo toilet paper if nature calls), a phone… and let someone know where you are hunting.

Be Safe and Practice, Practice, Practice.

Shoot Straight, Shoot Often.

Good Hunting!

© 2016

 

Coyote Trailing New Hampshire Whitetail Fawn by Ed Hale

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In preparation for Deer Season I sometimes bear hunt in northern New Hampshire. A few weeks ago I placed a Moultrie Trail Cam and got these videos. It has been a three years since I used this camera and forgot to set the time and date correctly. This was taken September week 1 of 2016. Here setting the cameras I am carrying the Ruger American Predator Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor with a Leupold VX-6 3-18x44mm. Great bear medicine and great anything medicine for deer, bear, and moose. At 6.6 pounds the Ruger American Predator carries like a feather and shoots like a target rifle with the the finest Leupold Scope!

 

as you can see this coyote looks healthy and right behind a doe with a single young fawn in the next video. No mice for this yote, it wants venison!

Both look very healthy and already eating acorns and unaware of the danger that lurkes behind.

I was hoping to get a bear to step into the camera. The next video you can hear a huff sound and that may be my bear but was reluctant to step into the camera lens.

 

I was very pleased to capture these short videos for my NH Rifleman Readers. I hope there is more to come. I found an old primary scrape nearby as it has the remnants of ground that has been scraped and beat-up though covered with leaves and the overhanging spruce branches all knarled from his antlers. I will set up the camera on it later in October perhaps.

 

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