I have been offered the chance to go deer hunting in MO this season with my woman's father and her two brothers. AWESOME! Now, on to the fun news. I've only ever chased after rabbits, squirrels, and quail. All were with 12 or 20 gauge, or a .22. I'll be using a mil-surp rifle from her dad (he's got more rifles than you can shake a stick at) I believe I'll be using a 7mm, but he also has several .308 with some glass on them. Several scattered questions for you all..... What is the recoil of a 7mm as compared to a 12-gauge slug? What is the recoil of a .308 as compared to a 12-gauge slug? (I will have a chance to get used to the gun before we go hunting, just want to have an idea of what to expect before I pull the trigger) Any suggestions you can offer a 1st time deer hunter? Clothing? Shot placement? We will be hunting on their own private property, and I will have a tag acquired before we hit the woods. The four of us should be the only people on the property.
Answers: 7mm - Sharper with a bite .308 Win - Sharper, with a bite 1st time....Wear blaze orange and shoot for the lights!
Any large caliber in mil-surp will feel close to a 12 ga slug. Think metal or wood butt plates. If you can, use one with a sling. 12-14 lbs in a rifle is not something I personally enjoy while hunting. Clothing; make sure you are wearing over the legal amount of blaze orange and dress for the weather. Layers, as you can strip them away if needed. Find out if you will be sitting alot or walking alot. It makes a huge difference in the layering. Shot placement is about the size of a pie plate just behind the shoulder area. Depending on how the deer is standing, i.e.: broadside, quarter away, quarter to, straight on, straight away... You should have no problem googling "vitals" for any animal you might hunt. You will see the location of the heart, lungs, liver, etc. Ask your woman's father for advice on scent control and other deer hunting advice. Sounds like a great opportunity to bond or never to be heard from again. Either way, it won't be boring.
Make sure not to refer to her as "your Woman" around the Father, especially while walking in the woods with loaded weapons.
Within the initial 5 minutes of meeting the man, he started showing me his collection of mil-surp rifles and his pistols (no, not in the "if you hurt her I'm going to hurt you" sense ). He's quite an awesome dude
Well, when you shoot at a deer you probably wont notice any recoil. As for shot placement, when you have a deer standing broadside, look for the point of the elbow on the front leg, then go just above it 2" to 3" inches on the rib cage and squeeze one off. Most times that will take the wind out of them pretty quick. Clothing; buy the best and warmest boots you can find. You'll be able to stay in the woods a lot longer if your feet aren't cold. Good luck on your hunt.
Will you be able to get some trigger time before taking a shot on game? What kind of ranges could you be shooting at?
first deer? Well, use the weapon you have the most experience with! I harvested my first deer in 1980 with a Winchester 94 in 30-30 cal with a .170gr bullet in the neck as it peered at me from behind a tree! The shot was uphill @ about a 45 degree angle @ 100 yards & sent that 6 point muley into a backflip! Call it beginners luck, but that kill from that large muley yielded enough meat for the 4 of us for the season! (We feasted on deer liver & onions the next day)! "That is the easy part...but as an initiation into taking the life of a game animal...you must be prepared to field-dress one! (If you have a weak stomach... then this activity is "not for you")! Btw, Killing a big game animal should never be "fun"...but it has always been a nessessary task to put food on the table for winter & you are serving your part in helping your state manage big game! We waste no part of the game we kill as some of the bones & the toughest meat & trimmings go to feed our dogs!
oh dang ive been hunting for for over 40 years and ive always had fun killing amimals big ones and small ones.
/ I have been hunting for over 60 years and it is the hunt I enjoy and the killing is just the culmination of a great experience. For those who enjoy just the killing I suggest you get a job in a slaughterhouse. Respect the animals you hunt and thank them for the substance they provide and then you become a hunter not just someone who gets a thrill out of killing something.
Well I disagree a little, if a person has paid for their license and all of the taxes on their equipment, and is going big game hunting for the enjoyment of it and is hunting legally as well as ethically, why is it anyone else’s business what they feel is fun or necessary? Let the hunters hunt.
deer hunting for first time Point noted Deadman1! I would be lying if I stated that I was not happy about killing one of my early large muley bucks that was shot thru the heart & a lung @ close range with my .308! The buck (did not know he was dead) & charged me with his 3x3 rack, (not counting brow tines) was put-down by a head shot from 20 feet! And in my past, a whitetail buck & a cow elk were spine shot due to poor shot placement, (again @ very close range) tried to get me with their front legs! And yes, I was happy to see the last breath leave their body with a shot from my sidearm! Hunting is not a (perfect science) as sometimes you expect a "long shot"...but sometimes the critters are surprized by how quietly I can move thru the forest! (I have even shot some of them while they were still bedded down)! I am not bragging about my hunting ability as I owe my succsess to friends & some family members that were very good at putting meat on the table! Btw, Pop is still better than I when poking holes in paper targets... but I have harvested more big game than he has to date!
Yes, I will get some trigger time. Ranges could be anything between 50 - 400 yds. I'll be using a .308 so from what I've learned of ballistics, the .308 should have enough balls at those ranges to do the trick. Thanks for the illustration. I hope to remember this when the animal is in my sites
