Successful Hunting

I have been playing with some loads and I have had good results with the barnes 168grain TTSX bullets and IMR4831 powder out of my .300wm. I have 3026 fps at the muzzle and I am sighted in for a 250 yard zero. I went to the range again(I have been spending a fair amount of time there preparing for my grizzly hunt and just made sure I was dialed in. The picture on the left is my group at 200 yards today. Here are my numbers according to the Barnes reloading manual for the BC and muzzle velocity I am getting:

For a 250yd zero.
>
> Yrds velocity trajectory
>
> 0 3000 -1.50
>
> 100 2779 2.58
>
> 200 2568 2.14
>
> 300 2368 -3.57
>
> 400 2178 -15.50
>
> 500 1998 -34.77
>
> 600 1827 -62.77

I only shot out to 300 yards and got a 3 inch group.

I have been studying maps, google earth, and practicing my shooting at the range all for my spring grizzly hunt in the B.C. interior. During this time I have also been playing with the Federal Ammunition website to find the optimal grizzly round for my .300 Winchester Magnum. I am sold on the Barnes TSX bullets because of their design and penetration so I was trying to find what  the optimal weight would be for grizzly hunting. The Federal website was very helpful as you can choose what game your hunting with what caliber you are using and it gives you recommendations in which you can compare to find the right combination. For my situation, using a .300WM on a grizzly bear, required a few 180grain and 200 grain options. I narrowed it to the Barnes TSX180 grain, Barnes MRX 180grain, and the Barnes 200 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. I found that the 180 grain MRX bullet had the most velocity (fps) and energy (ft-lbs) at all different ranges. Besides, I like the Barnes MRX bullet design better than the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, even though the latter has killed multiple brown bears I am sure.

So now I just need to pick up a few boxes of the 180grain Barnes MRX in Federal Vital Shok, and sight in with the new rounds!

I also have to buy some bullets for my backup: .458Win Mag 400 grain Federal Vital Shok Trophy Bonded Bear Claw rounds. I do not look forward to trying them out, as that gun has some kick!

I was talking to a friend the other day and he asked me some ideas on what he should get for a rifle. He wanted a rifle that would be adequate for all game. Even though you could use some calibers for most game in North America such as; the .300 wm, .30/06, and varius other .30 caliber cartridges, it would be best to find the optimal caliber for hunting different types of game. For instance; you could use a .243 win for pronghorn, deer, sheep, goats, a .270 win for elk and black bear, and a .338wm for moose, brown bear, and bison. There are many cartridges that could be used to overlap different types of game animals, for example; a .270 wsm would be suitable with the right bullet for deer all the way up to moose. Although it would not be the first choice for moose hunting, it could do the job. A .300wm could be considered a little overkill for deer hunting, but with a 165 grain barnes bullet you could take anything from a deer to a moose. There are a multitude of calibers and bullets to fiddle with to find what you like and using the Federal ballistic software from their site is a great tool:

http://www.federalpremium.com/recommendation/default.aspx

I have purchased a number of new hunting products after doing extensive research and have written about the results on my web site. I always look for economical solutions as I assume most people do as well. If you would like to read about my field tests and reviews on the following items; Bushnell Scout 1000 with ARC, Leupold Gold Ring Spotting Scope, Kenetrek Boots, Avery dog training tools, just click the link and read on. If you would like me to write or test a certain item just send me an email and let me know. I hope you enjoy my field test reports!

As an archer I am continually trying out new gear and testing how to be most effeciant with my setup. I ordered a range finder holder from cherry hill outdoors in order to have a better system for my binos and rangefinder. I used a string from my bino buddies to carry my range finder but found that it would swing and hit my binos and make to much noise. I then kept it in my pocket but found it was not as hand as I like. I just received the range finder holder and hope to try it out in the field soon as I am quite optimistic about how it will streamline my optics rig.

I just picked up some merino wool boxers, socks, and shirt and found them to be excellent. I suggest anyone looking for a good base layer to take a look at merino wool and Ice Breaker Merino wool to be more precise. I wore the items for the whole weekend and it kept moisture off me and did not stink.  I found Under Armor heat gear to make me sweat instantly and stink so if your like me try a natural alternative, Check out this Ice Breaker Merino Wool Gear Review

GPS check, Head lamp check, batteries check, sleeping bag check. "Looks like everything is here." Getting ready for any hunting trip takes time for preperation; preperation for scouting, groceries, gear, and unexpected problems. As I prepare for this years annual spring bear derby I am checking things off from a hunting trip checklist. You want to make sure you go over it twice and make sure you have everything! Things like extra batteries, survival kits, first aid kits, are often forgotten. Check your equipment over for damage; bowstrings, rangefinder, shoe laces etc. I cant wait to get out hunting but I have learnt the hard way from running by the seat of my pants. One memory that serves me is when I was 17 and me and my buddy Dave went fishing for the weekend and we were sleeping in the back of a pickup truck under the stars and living off the fish we caught during the day. No dishes, no plates, and enough food and water for 1 day. We were stupid and young but we survived and since then I decided to be more diligent than just bringing my fishing tackle and a blanket!

My birthday is coming up and I thought it would be a good occasion to get some new hunting gear, I wanted an early season hiking boot and a good spotting scope.

Being on a budget of $500 it was tough to find quality items for this price range. I found a used Leupold gold ring 15-30×50 spotting scope and bought it for $250 on ebay, new these beautys go for 400-500 bucks so I thought I got a good bargain. Leupold gold ring optics have lifetime warranty so no fear is needed when buying used. I found this item to have the best value as it is reasonably affordable and Leupold Gold Ring are top echelon optics. Thanks to the online hunting forums I was informed about this neat line of compact spotting scopes. When looking for spotting scopes you want to get something decent especailly if you are hiking as there is no use packing junk weight!

here is the spotting scope I bought: http://www.opticsplanet.net/picture-2-leupold-golden-ring-15-30×50-compact-spotting-scope-kit-58390.html

For the hiking boots, I have researched for a while and have finally come to try  out Kenetrek’s Hardscrabble Hiker. It is a 7" boot weighing in at 3.6lbs as a pair, The boots are waterproof, full grain leather, with a breathable membrane. These beautys are made in Italy with top of the line material. I am very excited to try these out on my next hunt. Here is where I bought them from: http://store.carterscobblershoppe.com/ke-420-hk.html

My criteria for boots is: Light, tough, waterproof, and comfortable. I will try these items out soon enough and post a review here: Hunting gear reviews

Maybe I am not the only hunter living in a condo with limited storage space for all my hunting and camping gear. It can be good to have limited space, as you prioritize what you absolutely need to function and then turf the rest.

I for one am a gear junkie and have a raft of hunting and camping equipment that is stored at friends homes, at the in laws house, and most commonly used items are put in the store room. I like to have things organized, and after helping another condo bound outdoor enthusiast with his condo storage unit, I asked him to help me with my storage room. What are friends for right?

anyways, we used old plywood and 2×4 for the shelving and I picked up some slat board from the local hunting store to hang my most popularly used pieces of equipment on like: bino’s, rangefinder, pack, sleeping bag, etc. In half a day weconstructed 3 shelves and lined both sides of the store unit with slat board. I am quite happy with the results.

Has anyone seen the new Remington Premier Accutip bonded sabot slug? It looks pretty cool, shotgun hunters will have something to look forward to this hunting season. It probably would be effective for a backup defender shotgun round when bowhunting in bear country as well. Check out the video on Remingtons website:

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/shotshell/slugs/accuTip_bonded_sabot_slug.asp