Scooter

And now that I think about it- the 180's are a longer projectile which probably carry more rotation downrange before they start to lose speed than the lighter 150s... right? I don't see any keyholing at 150yds so maybe they're just rotating differently and that's what I'm seeing.

I've chrono'd 5 rounds of both. I'm averaging ~2610 at 10"-12" from the muzzle with the Spper HOT-COR 150's using 46gr of IMR 4895 and a CCI 200. I measure each charge individually so I get pretty good The Winchester 180gr factory loads are really all very close to ~2625 right at the muzzle.

Yes. I took a 1943 Izhevsk 91/30 with a Very Good bore and had the barrel cut to 23" and topped it off with an 11 Degree target crown. It's sitting in a pillar bedded ATI Monte Carlo stock and has a scope mounted on it. It took me weeks to clean out that barrel after so many corrosive rounds, but I cleaned it up to a pretty good shine and haven't shot any crappy surplus ammo out of it since the custom work and cleaning was done. I can't claim that it is an MOA rifle yet, or if it ever will be- but I did most of the work on it and it would be awesome to smack a Coues with it this December.

Yeah... Thanks for the tip. So which one would you use? And why are the 180's hitting high and right? Is it because it's a longer bullet? There's only about a 15fps difference at the muzzle- I don't care that I'm not shooting MOA at 500yds. I know I'm lethal at 200 and printing sub- pie-plate 5-shot groups out to 300 is my goal with this monstrocity of a rifle. That's lethal enough to ethically kill a Coues. I'm putting in the work at the range- I just would like opinions on which bullet I should focus on for December.

The best place to start glassing is up high overlooking some draws that have food growing in them. Not trying to be a wise acre- deer are literally everywhere and if you can find food and water- you'll find deer in any unit. Get good optics and a nice soft packable cushion and use the heck out of both.

I have that hunt as well. But the area I plan on hunting is well within the boundaries.

I've ruined a few duck hunts out here in AZ. There's not a lot of water down here... I always try to get to know the guys no matter how mad and nasty they are to me and find out what days and what water they're setting up on.

This elk hunting rookie needs to know what the optimal time is to scout for the late November archery season... I don't want any unit-specific advice- no secret spots, nothing like that. I wanna do the work and tag a bull with my bow in November!

I shoot the Killzone trophy tip and it's a beast! Put my January Javelina on the ground when it hit! 36 yards uphill slightly and hit a little forward. Got all the major vessels between the upper shoulder and neck and cut the spine clean through. Dropped like a bag of hammers.

Thanks everyone!

I use 2" Raptor vanes... Just like Blazers. Tried the NAP shrink wrap Bone Collector Quickspins and found that I did not like them very much- I never got good consistent flight out of them for some reason. People say they work great but I never got them to work as good as regular old 1 degree RH Raptor vanes.

No experience here... I'm curious to see if anyone has ever poked that bear and has data to back it up. great question!

That is one of the coolest pics I've seen!!!

I carry three because, well... I guess I've never asked myself why! The funny thing is I carry extra AA batteries for all three too. I carry my favorite field dressing knife- Buck Pathfinder 110, a skinning knife, a small Puma mini-stag folding knife (everywhere), a Gerber suspension multitool, an original leatherman, matches, two lighters, one headlamp, one mini maglite, and a pocket sharpener. As for guns- if I am bowhunting on-post here at huachuca I cannot carry a sidearm but off-post usually I bring along a handgun with a barrel of 4" or less. Gun hunting I bring my "custom" 7.62x54R rifle and two boxes of handloaded ammo. Then there's my "possibles" bag for when I hunt with a frontstuffer... that's when things get really heavy!!!

will do. That's something I've never messed with because I'm not seeing marks on the fletching... but it's worth a shot!

I've been asked a few times about cams by BP. They apparently can spot them at night because the IR mode cams are like a beacon from the heavens when viewed with some night vision devices. I don't use cams, but that is what the BP agent I saw told me. I'm not sure of the legality involved- but I am wondering if they are allowed to check the SD cards for evidence of illegals on camera.

I carry three radios (2 15 channel FRS 5 milers and 1 22 channel GMRS 22-miler) with me when I hunt. I don't have any hunting partners here in AZ so I'm always hunting by myself. I only carry them for safety reasons and I don't use them to chat with or scan radio traffic from other people. I consider it an absolute essential for safety to have one or two in your pack/camp. If I fall and bust my arse and cannot get myself out- those FRS's and GMRS's can save your life if there are other people in the area. Think about it- if your cell phone is dead or doesn't get strong signal where you hunt- it's a GREAT option to turn on your radio, listen for any traffic and call for help when you find a channel that folks are talking on. Not all of us can afford a SPOT or SATphone- so in my mind an FRS or GMRS radio is the bee's knees in a pinch where you are in trouble. Do I like the idea of ten or twelve dudes working for a big-name outfitter out there posted up on top of ridges babysitting canyons/hills chatting away on the cell phone or radio to the one or two tag-holders letting them know where the bucks/bulls are? NOPE! But the two guys hunting together who split up to find deer/elk and both have tags- that's fine. I don't use them in the pursuit of game- but I'd sure dislike it if they told me I couoldn't have them while hunting as a safety feature.

Nice bulls! I'd settle for much less just to put a tag on one... I really should get up there during the rut- I just don't know if I'll be able to. Last year September during the early archery deer hunt we saw some elk so I have an idea of where to start.

I will PM you momentarily...

I drew the on-post december tag with ZERO points...

Nobody is going to care about arrows though... So you can pretty much shoot your bow anywhere. The Huachuca Mountain Archers and Bowhunters Club has the nicest range and even a walk through course. Membership is cheap and they have monthly 3D shoots that offer awesome targets on real terrain.

The Sierra vista shooting range is your safest bet. They've shut down shooting in the popular canyons under the guise of fire prevention. Better contact USFS and check before you go.

Thanks everyone! Keep the tips coming... So far a couple of folks seem to favor scouting closer to opening day rather than well before. I would agree since the November weather patterns for the area I'm hunting can vary greatly! I've looked up historical data for the area and I've been keeping an eye on rain totals for this year.

I plan on gutting and carrying out on a pack frame in a large game bag. I can carry it, miles if necessary. Get it someplace I can skin and bone it out- my back porch probably then into the freezer in the garage or stuff it through the grinder. Oneshot- I too miss the days back in Western NY when we could hang them in the barn for days then cut them up!

I'm using the early season to get some spot and stalk/glassing practice before my November elk hunt... Pulled a December Rifle deer tag, so it'd have to be an awful big velvet Coues to get me to release an arrow in August or September. Not saying it would be out of the realm of possibility though