Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 2018 Hunting Plans - Guns - Trips

My Deer hunting is over till October so I got started EARLY for the year.

We are Near Record Cold temps. 14 * this AM, Low tonight 8-9 * I had to break ice for my horses first thing and will have to repeat later. I won't do any small game hunting till it warms up some.

I have opened an account for PIC hosting >XXX> not photoPUKEIT. I'm in the process of learning how to upload & then post pix elsewhere.
'PUKEIT' made me mad this yr and I didn't post any pix here .

I already put a NEW scope on my 6mm Rem. this AM. I'll get it sighted in when the WX is more pleasant.
I have a load with 75 gr Speer HP that is devastating on coyotes. So far, I have not had 1 pass thru. I've killed a few with this gun & load in N Ark where they are thicker.

I also have a load with 100 H SP. I have killed deer with this gun & load several yrs. back. Since I'm now shooting CNS shots, I won't have to worry about property lines. I plan to use it this Fall.

I didn't get around to using my 6.5X55 with 120 NBT this year so I plan to use it & the 6mm this Fall.

Those are my plans SO FAR for 2018.

ANY projects you got going or on schedule?


Jerry

Central New York late muzzleloader hunt in December.

I have been invited on a New Jersey archery hunt but am unsure at this time.

A new stainless/synthetic bolt rifle and then I'm done.

Looking at an Ontario moose hunt but that wouldn't be until 2019 at the earliest.

My goal is to optimize every rifle I have instead of buying more, have one sitting acraglass as I type. Bedding, load development, maybe even upgrading optics, and trying out that dynacoat bore polish stuff... But taking my hunting guns to their fullest accuracy potential with my chosen bullets for them. Next year I hope to tag out again, and will probably take more does than bucks again. I like the mangement end of it, and I don’t like picking out between borderline immature/ mature bucks. Occasionally I feel like I should have let one walk for next year...

Now if a monster crosses my path... thats a different story

Texas muzzleloader season starts Jan 8

I understand all of that.
Where I hunt, either at home or on family property...regardless of what/why I pass bucks, neighbors WON’T let them walk. I saw a lot of Does early in our season - Nov 11-25 or so but most had fawns w/them. After they run them off for the rut I saw only a few grown Does.
I QUIT shooting fawns because of nubbin BUCKS. Those would be antlered bucks I’d never see/shoot. I don’t shoot DINKS for the same reason.

This season I killed my limit of bucks (2) but have family w/tags. I planned to kill more Does this yr. and i plan to next year but sometimes things just don’t work out.

Good Luck

Jerry

Probably back to upstate NY in Oct or Nov for deer hunting with some family up there. A few pheasant trips coming up in NY and PA in the next few weeks. Still waiting for my local SCI chapter to figure out what our group hunt for the year will be, but sounding like something in West Texas again vs black bear over bait in Maine.

Waiting for a Swaro Z3 to show up for a CZ550 .308 I picked up a month or so ago. Going to drop that in a B&C stock.

Lots more pigs and maybe something exotic or a trophy buck later on. And I liked the post from "Mjduct" regarding upgrading and maximizing what I've already got. I'm in the middle of that process now with several rifles.
Bob

Going to put in for the same area I hunted deer last year. Will be using my 7x57 custom for the deer hunt.

Just put a 6.5 cm McGowan barrel on my Marlin xs7. Hope it shoots. If so I will use that to kill deer around the family farm. Plan on killing a mule deer and a cow elk with my new fieldcraft in 30-06. If that does well it might mean I move most of my others down the road...

Pig hunt in the spring

Muley's in NE in Fall

PA flintlock in Winter

Want to see what the hoopla is about with RL powders and 150's in the 270. If I can get good accuracy at >2950, I'll give em a go.

Hope to work in some spring/summer trout fishing and groundhog hunting with the triple deuce. Possibly some upland hunting as well.

Guys, sounds interesting. I also like the variety.

Elks - using the « Woman’s 270 huh !

Jerry

Yup,and IF I get drawn for a bull elk tag this year,will use the "Woman's.270."

I will do my normal WY high country mule deer hunt (assuming I don't get drawn for unit 102) and I am sure I will do my normal Montana mule deer hunt. I have been thinking about whacking a whitetail this coming year as it has been a while since I have taken a good whitetail.

If I don't get any good draws for other critters this year from NM, WY, MT, ID or AK, I may try to fit a sitka deer hunt in during the November rut.

I am sure I will hunt with my normal .223 Rem and 6.5x284 NORMA, but one never knows with me.

Combo mule deer/antelope in WY in Oct
Then putting deposit down on my first elk hunt - going to WY in 2019.

If it warms up a bit Jan. through Mar. will be predator and rabbit hunting. April is trout fishing. May spring turkey. June, July and August Bass fishing and woodchuck hunting. September grey squirrels and geese. October, fall turkey, grouse and cottontails. November and December whitetails, first with crossbow, then rifle and finally late muzzleloader.

Boy do I MISS woodchuck (groundhog) hunting. For 3 yrs I experienced some of the most fun CF shooting available.


Also - I thot of this a little while ago. I have had NO luck getting drawn so I don't have great expectations BUT.....

I ALWAYS enter our Elk Hunt Permit drawing----and I will this year. Our first Elk hunting season was in the '90s. I have missed entering ONE year-----NO LUCK.



Guys, I'm enjoying your plans. THANKS


Jerry

I'm in slug territory in MN. After 20 years of muzzle loader I went back to slugs. I'll probably work up a heavy bullet load for long distance for my ml 2. I haven't been to Wyoming since 2012. I'm going to try to make it out for Prairie dogs in the summer and elk in the fall for elk zone 7.

Lots of small game here in N.C .
Deer in N.C.
Deer in either Kentucky or Kansas.
Ducks in Arkansas.

It will start with MN bears over bait in September. I rebarreled a Savage M10 to 358 Win last summer but did not have time to fit the stock. Hopefully, the load with 250 gr Hornadys I use in the BLR will work fine.

Nov will see me chasing deer in MN. I need to work up a load using 117 gr Hornady RN for my 250 Savage. Using the COAL called for in the book had the bullet sticking in the rifling. I did not have time to determine a new load. The other guns I will use in the rifle zone are a reproduction Win 1876 in 45/60 that I finally got around to loading ammo for and a Savage 1899 in 303 Savage I acquired a few years back. 350 gr flat nose over 57 gr black powder is the ticket with the Winchester and some 180 gr loads from a small manufacturer is the load I'm using in the Savage. If I get the new front sight figured out I might substitute an SMLE MK 3 for the Savage. Someone sporterized it years ago to look what Bell described his as being. It is sighted for the 215 gr bullet and throws my reloads with a 180 gr bullet pretty high.
Any one of several slug guns will be used in the slug zone, 12 ga slugs are Federal sabots with Barnes slugs or Lightfield Hybreds. 20 ga will be Remington Accutips.

If I get to the muzzleloader season it will be with a T/C inline I recently purchased. It may get used in place of a slug gun in the slug zone if I have tags to fill. I have not played with it yet so have no idea on load or bullet. Powder will be loose Pyrodex RS as I have 4-5 lbs of it.

Wisconsin will see me carrying one or both the lever guns above or a Winchester 1910 rifle. I'll have a scoped rifle along in case I get a stand where I can see further than I can throw an anchor but I haven't decided which one yet. I have a Springfield M1A that hasn't been properly blooded yet and it does passable with 165 gr Core-Lokts over some IMR 4064.

If I get asked to elk hunt again, I had to pass this year due to a leg injury, I'll probably use either a pre-64 M70 in 300 H&H or a Weatherby Vangard in 300 Weatherby as I haven't taken game with either one. I'll probably use 180 gr Accubonds in the H&H and 200 gr A-Frames in the Weatherby.

I'm planning on deer hunting in the AM. It will be just about zero out, but it will be ok if the wind ain't blowing like it was today.

Otherwise the rest is too far off right now