Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Things that worked / Things that didn’t 2024 version

Things that worked well
• Crispi Shimek: These are 400 gr, shorter version of the Guide/Wild Rock. They weigh exactly 1 lb less than the Wild Rock – and feel like it during a long day on the mountain.
• 6.5 Creedmoor/150 ABLR: Killed 4 animals with this combo (cow elk, an 8 pt, 2 does). The elk was close, quartering to (40-50 yards). She went 75 yards total but mostly stumbling downhill. Blood trail was excellent. All the deer were pass throughs with jellied innards. None traveled more than about 40 yards. This combo is more effective than any of the similar sized 6mms IMHO. Any new hunters from this point on in my family will start with a 6.5 creed versus the standard 243. As to the 150 ABLR, I know the 147 ELDM has a higher BC but the ABLR appears to hold together well. This winter, I’ll figure out drops and calculate a real BC. I’m hoping its near what Nosler claims (0.634).
• Sitka Ambient Series: I bought the first gen 100 gr ¼ zip hoody the first year they came out. It has replaced all my fleece as a mid-layer. Last year I bought the 200 gr zip jacket. My theory was that I could hike in with the ¼ zip, cool down a bit, and put the 200 gr on to still hunt the remainder of the day. Worked to perfection, at least for me. That combo is quiet, breathes, lightweight, and is very comfortable even when sweating. It moves sweat well. Some kind of wind break over this (Black Diamond Alpine Start works well), makes it a wind resistant puffy combo of sorts.
• Buck Pursuit Pro (659): I’ve used Gerber Gators, clip point, for years. I have no complaints with them, except they are black handled. I’ve spent more than a few minutes searching for one at dark while field dressing. The Buck Pursuit Pro comes in 2 flavors – a camo, 420 steel version and an orange handled 35VN steel blade. The 35VN steel stays sharp and isn’t horrible to sharpen. I did 4 deer this year before I touched it up. You can get it shaving sharp inside of 5 minutes. Interestingly, I shot an 8 pt 2 weeks ago, gutted it, apparently laid my knife down, then commenced to dragging. I got to the skinning shed and discovered I had no knife. Went back to the scene of the crime and it was sticking out of a small leaf pile, apparently where I laid it. Took 15 seconds to find. Paid for itself that day. I also bought the smaller companion (661). I skinned my buck with that knife. I like it for that purpose.
• EXO Packs: I’ve been using EXO packs for 3-4 years now. This year my buddy and I killed 2 elk in 24 hours and we hauled elk for 2 straight days. Not IDdave packout but 2 miles, up/down about 1000 feet. Loads ranging from 70 lbs to approaching 100 lbs (rear bone in + boned front). We averaged 1.5 miles/hour, rest breaks included. I pondered buying a new K4 but the K3 does everything I need it to do – comfortably. I use this pack year round for hunting and training. It has a lot of miles on it and despite a few blood stains, it remains in great shape. Highly recommend them.

Things that didn’t work well
• Dry Shod Teebeedee boots – My daughter needed a pair of boots for deer PA season. Went to our local boot store and found Dry Shod Teebeedee boots. “Rated to -20 degrees" as stated on the box and boot. I decided I needed a pair as well so we walked out with 2 pair of wonder boots. Ah – not even close. It was ~ 25 the first day and windy. Our feet were cold by 10:00, really cold, like not feel your toes cold. We took turns climbing down and going for short walks to get feeling back in our feet. They will work great for barn boots, but cold weather hunting boots they ain’t. Prob good for 40-50 degrees.

What worked/didn't work for you all?

180 grain Barnes ttsx shot from a 358 carbine. But they always work.

Worked:
.308 Winchester and 130TTSX
.308 Winchester and 125 Nosler BT

30 caliber 160 grain Hammer Hunter out of my 300 Win mag. Two shots, two animals. Two icepicks, hit @ top of heart/lungs. One whitetail buck ran 600+ yards and had to have a follow up shot. One 6x6 elk, ran 800+ yards, still alive. Neither animal recovered showed any internal damage, no apparent expansion based on what myself and two buddies, in each case, saw. Just zipped through.

Changed to 168 classic hunter, four straight DRT’s on deer. If I use this rifle on elk again, I’ll go with Accubonds or NF’s.

That is interesting but not from a positive standpoint......

I've shot a few elk with 180 AB from a couple of 300 magnums. They work as advertised.

160 grain hand loaded NP in my wife’s CZ 7x57 on her moose hunt. One perfect shot at about 80 paces through the trees hit the cow and went through top of heart and bottom of both lungs. Nine steps and 30 yards later she tipped over. Poured all the blood out of the chest cavity. Fairly easy as these things go.

Good info - I have a moose hunt planned for Sept. I also have a pile of 160 gr 7mm Partitions on my bench. I've always liked the NPT for just plain killing.

Didn’t buy a lot of new stuff this year. Did pick up a cheap Wind Shear vest at Cabelas this Fall and I think it worked well. A couple of mornings in PA were cold and windy and my torso stayed warm. I am happy with it

I still hate Muck boots, especially the Arctic Sports. When cold their soles become rocks

Thats my go elk load in same caliber

One additional to things that worked: Fenix HM50- R

This light is a rechargeable light, weighs less than 2 oz and throws 400 Lumens for several hours with 700 Lumens possible. I like a minimum 400 Lumens for wandering around the mountains at night. Anything less and I feel I can miss things. Cliffs are something I'd like to see before I get to them.

I've been using the HM70-R the past few years. It weighs 7+ oz just the light, plus another 3 oz or so with spare battery. You could land an airplane with the Lumens it puts out but it is big, bulky, and heavy.

If I was doing it over, I'd buy an HM60-R and be done with it.

+ Excalibur 340 Mag - Killed 2 bucks last fall with my 340. Can't beat this crossbow for the money. Didn't get a buck with my rifle or shotgun (too picky) but that was OK since I tagged out with the 340.

- First Lite Kiln Hoodie - Bought this for use as a mid layer thinking I could use it along with a light poly base layer and medium weight fleece top under a wool shirt and gore tex jacket down to 30 degrees. The hood is nice if it's breezy but it didn't really add much to the typical warmth of this system. I would've been warmer if I just wore a heavyweight fleece mid layer. Limited use last fall but kind of disappointed so far. I should add that I'm hunting whitetails out of an elevated stand except for the walk in and back out.

44 grains of IMR 4350 over a large rifle primer. Guessed about 2500 fps from the 22” barrel.

I didn’t work in 2024 and I’m gonna do my best not to work in 2025. Edk

Finally saw the black bear I'd been hunting for 2 years, on the last day of the hunt (for me) on Oct 15/24. I knew he was dominant from all the evidence. But when he appeared coming out of the trees toward me (really the bait behind me) at 65 yrds he was stunning in both beauty (fall coat ready for winter hibernation) and size. I watched him to 20 yds below me and he was ready to climb up to where I was standing. He smelled me and was used to that scent as it meant the "grocery man" had arrived, but he never looked up at me. I turned and walked away because he was too big (~500 lbs) and too gorgeous! I was wanting a bear of not more than 200 lbs but knew he was a monster from all the sign - no other bears, no other wildlife and his scat marking the area. I didn't get a pic because I'd have to drop my rifle to get my camera from its case around my neck on a strap - my only regret.

The other plus was the load in my .375 H&H: I finally got some 300gr SBTs, and with a new powder (StaBALL 6.5) the mean from 3 shots into moa was 2674 fps/4763 ft-lbs from the 22" barrel as per Garmin Xero.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

Worked:

The Remington Corelokt Tipped 150 grain in .300 WSM took my cow elk at 250 yards. Hit behind the onside shoulder and lodged behind the offside shoulder. I was worried it was too light of a bullet for elk after gallon jug tests.

Nope.

Recovered bullet retained 93 grains of weight for 62% retention!

Hornady GMX bullets - never any complaints.

That's interesting. I haven't noticed that. I wear Arctic Sports for nearly 6 months of the year, hiking around and snowmachining down to -40F. No issues that I have noticed and certainly haven't noticed the soles becoming too hard.


As for me, what worked:
7mm 150 grain Scenar on elk. No surprise there but it was a first for me.
King's XKG line. Normally I consider King's Camo as Walmart level quality, but took a chance on some extreme cold weather pants in the line. From Arctic Sea Ice to hiking through 30 MPH winds on ridge lines in blowing snow in negative temperatures, they blocked the wind and were warm. I did have a 3 inch section of sticking seam unravel, which I still need to repair but other than that, they have been impressive.


What didn't:
Nothing I can think of, this year at least. The two things above was all that I used that was new to me.

Worked, 120 BT in 7mm-08
Didn’t work, 165 Horn interlock in 308, 2 deer both broadside and shot thru the ribs. Little hole in little hole out, couple drops of blood. Must be to hard

Worked- Havalon knife and 130 ttsx.

What worked-A puffy, Elements coat from Kuiu. I never thought I would buy a puffy because my thought was they must be noisy and fragile. Due to the cold and wind we had in November, and being on sale, I bought one. Turns out I really like it. Kept me nice and warm on long glassing sessions and sits. It easily stuffed in the pack when going on the move.

What also worked-A Marsupial bino harness/case. This one closes up fully and did a fantastic job of keeping dust, rain/snow, pine needles, off the glass. Just a pinch more effort to pull from the case compared to my Kuiu case/harness, but the Marsupial gives much better protection. Always trade-offs.

What didn't work as well as anticipated was the 125 gr. Partition shot from a short barreled/suppressed 6.5 CM. A lung shot buck ran way longer than I've ever had go with the exception of an 85 gr Barnes TSX. If it wasn't for some patchy snow here and there, I doubt I would have found the dead buck that day, if ever. This isn't the first buck to go some distance with with the 125 NP from my 6.5 CM. I know NPT's are supposed to open up just fine even at reduced velocities, but I'm going to try some 120 NBT's. Those worked very well on deer in my .260.

Reminds me: my buddy shot his elk this past year with a 150 gr Tipped CL from a 7 RM. At 40 yards it worked <G>

Yup. Wore them today shed hunting. Was -9 when I left and 9 when I finished. Soles were hard as a rock with little to no traction. Maybe I’m unlucky but the last 2 pair I have had were the same.

What worked:

Winchester PowerPoint 270 Win - 130 grain
Federal Blue Box PowerShok 7.62x39 - 123grain
Norma Whitetail 308 Win - 150 grain
New Primos Gun Hunter orange vest. Perfect amount of pockets and placement

Didn’t work:

Deer sightings were way down for myself, my kids, and hunting club. It’s been a tough year
Rut has been almost nonexistent in our corner of the world

Plausible (think it’s more personal preference):

After having lots of folders through the years - and they work fine - I have decided folders for pocket knives and fixed blades for field-skinning-butchering. A pair in the 2.5-2.75” and a 3.75-4” range cover all of my needs!

But it sure was fun!

I haven't bloodied my 6.5 LTR yet but what is working for both accuracy and confidence is 120gr TTSX's and 43gr of H4350.

New Kuiu bino pack-after running the Badlands for ten years I found this to be better (for me anyway)

Havalon knife. These make sense as an additional knife but not a primary (again, just me)

The one thing I tried that oddly enough didn't work for me as far as hunting was a S&B PMII 10x42. Everything about the scope is exceptional except the reticle. Great as a target scope but for myself and the areas I spend a lot of time hunting the bold part blocks too much field of view in thicker cover and watching lanes. Wouldn't pose a problem in open country.

Ditto.


I'd done a similar lookback at this year's kit earlier. A couple clarifications/additions would be:

While I mentioned a specific spotter, I think the general idea is that if one's not packing a really good spotter, it might not be worth the weight. Granted, the Athlon I had was miles ahead of what guys carried maybe even into the 1990's, but it's far, far behind today's offerings.

I grow more & more fond of Tim Olt's Michigan Slim every time I use it. It just does so many things, so well. Not a monster, by any stretch, but it'll do a good bit more than one might suspect. The excellent craftsmanship goes without saying.

KUIU merino shirt seem to punch above its weight. I haven't tried to out-nasty it yet (x days afield with no washing), but it's awfully comfy in a wide range of temps, and handles moisture extremely well.

Crispi Valdres boots didn't work. They use a loop for the ankle locking point, instead of a cleat. Unable to lock my ankle, my toes would shove into the end of the boot on downhill stretches. I tried every imaginable lacing setup, & couldn't make them work. I spent too long in the effort, and wound up roaching my toenail bed on one foot. I went back to the Crispi Wyoming, and it's perfect for me: absolutely love that boot.

PPU brass outperformed my expectations in the family 7x57. Sure, it's a mild load, but the brass has been consistent out of the bag, and has held up quite well through several firings.

Worksharp Pocket Knife Sharpener is hella handy, & quick to bring an edge if the blade's not too far gone. $15 well-spent.

A good poly bandana has been awfully useful. From keeping sweat out of my glasses when worn as a doo-rag, to keeping dust outa my nose as a bandana, to giving much more warmth than I'd have guessed when 'round my neck, it's definitely worth having one around.



FC

What worked:

The trail camera scouting for a big Blacktail buck that I found the year before.
He was coming to the water hole every day at either daylight or dusk - but he always showed up each day. 8X6 with tons of mass and very long eye guards - I wanted him pretty bad.

What didn't work:

"The Plan" - All I had to do was set up within reasonable rifle range and good wind. No sweat....
I checked the trail camera after sitting all day on the water and his last daytime photos were from the morning before. After that he went totally nocturnal on me. That was Oct 5th. I finally got eyes on him on Nov 1st. He was a lasered 480 yards away and alert to my presence. He boogied after about 30 seconds or so of mutual admiration...lol. I saw him two more times, both in the early morning and even further away each time. I probably had 15 solid days of hunting just for him and passed on at least 6 lesser bucks that would have been easy kills. I didn't want any of them and never punch the tag.

The Lesson:

He's killable, but not with the tactics I normally use - so I'm going to change them. I love the rifle. But the timing isn't in my favor, so I plan to use my compound bow this year. If he (or another like him) is using the water hole again this year, I'll set up my large popup blind well in advance and then monitor it to see if he accepts it. If all goes well, I'll sit it during the early archery season when he's a regular visitor. I don't have to buy a tag and commit to a season until the day before it opens, so I can bail and hunt rifle if he doesn't want to play......

The 165 gr ILock in 308 win. I’ve been using the for many years over 44 gr of Varget and have shot many deer and heave animals up to Eland. I have always been very satisfied with their performance.

Worked:

1:7 .224 Lilja barrels in Kimber Montana contour. 1 in 223Rem and a 2nd in 22 Creed. Also a Lilja #2 .308 chambered in 300Win is a hammer as well. I'm not opposed to other barrels, but, the number of factory contours you can just order up right from their website typically has me looking there 1st.

Q Mini-Fix in 223Rem. I like it a LOT more than I thought I was going to. My intent was to have it as a backup for use with a thermal in case an AR got wonky in the cold. I topped it with a 2.5-10x42 NXS MOAR in an ADM mount and put the Q Number Shrimp suppressor on the end. It's accurate, short, handy, and feeds like a dream from 10rd Lancer mags.

Suppressors, I went from 0 to 3 in 2024. A 5" Thunderbeast, 5.7" Q Jumbo Shrimp, and 6" Scythe Ti. I resisted the trend for a LONG time but the lightweights keep a rifle's balance much more to my liking and so I plunged.

Wicked Edge knife sharpener. Midway had an open box model marked way down. You can really perk up a worn-down, dull, basket-case blade, all the way to the tip.

first report I've ever heard of a hammer hunter not doing the job quick. Of course high lung hits tend to go a long ways at times.
But the bullet not opening twice is weird. I won't use them because they open and frag and do more damage than I want.

Things that worked:
1) Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 boots. My buddies had raved about these, so I finally got a pair. I broke them in as recommended with 50 miles of daily walking. Then I wore them on seven hunting trips from Arizona to Montana over the last season. Weather was never wet, nor was it terribly cold, but some of the terrain was really brutal. My feet held up well after getting kind of foot-sore at the end of the day with my previous boots.
2) Hornady 103 ELD-X in a 6mm ARC on a Montana whitetail doe at 448 yards. I bought this 7.5" twist 6mm ARC AR-15 upper on our 24HCF classifieds for what I considered a very fair price. It turned out to be so accurate with the 103 ELD-X load I worked up for it that I wanted to "take a poke" at long range on a Montana "B-Tag" to see how the bullet would perform as it got down to its low end velocity.
Based on how the 6 ARC did at 448 yards, I would expect the same bullet performance out of the 6mm Creedmoor out to 600 yards plus.

One of my favorite buys from last year. Never knew what I was missing.

Flat base or boat tail?

I don't worry if my super, high power, extra high BC, latest and greatest, solid turned and tuned copper bullet wonder cartridge will work or not. Funny, how we say 150 year old, lead hard cast will kill a bear the best, but we need some Guns and Ammo touted super new wiz-bang cartridge and bullet to kill a deer.

What did not work, my CIA spy satellite, boots on the ground, previous hunting experience in the area, and trusted-friend intel. Even the lame warden's suggestion to try a different area was void of elk. The elk got some memo that said, yo, that Mountain 10 guy is on his way, time to blow this lodgepole stand and make for new cover. Saw one elk over 14 days of hunting - two seasons. Elk, were, just, gone. Like f-ing gone. And they 100% were there three weeks earlier at opening of archery - from first hand knowledge of a friend. Moved camp four times over two seasons and still nothing. Last year took a cow in the exact same area. Bizarre to say the least.

What worked, let's see, Moose. Moose worked. Saw 14 moose and almost got charged by one very large bull. Could be the reason there were no elk. In any case, if anyone wants to see ultra rare, better protect them and limit hunting tags, moose, I know some spots.

I made a small, simple, chest rig. Worked better than the half-dozen, oversized, chest, bra, front-chest-back-pack things I've tried in the past.

Sold and bought a new travel trailer. The new one is a toy hauler type. Bought it used and redid/upgraded it. Lifted it, put on bigger wheels and tires, added lights inside and out, replaced the mattresses, added USB/C outlets everywhere, heated the water/grey tanks, and prepped for solar which will be added this year. The thing rocked big time. The lift alone was worth the $ and time. I dragged that thing in places where even a Subaru would turn around. Worked epicly awesome.

Any pics of the trailer? My buddy and I have been pondering that over the past few months.

What was the velocity at impact?

What was the condition of the innards between the in and out holes?

These Interlocks are usually quite reliable at 308 type speed.

Total fail: Kuiu camo "waterproof" gloves. Wore them on a 4.5hour goose hunt two days ago... completely soaked through within an hour of moderate rain. By two hours water was pooled INSIDE the glove. Complete and total fail.

On the other hand, I wore their Yukon jacket all day and was bone dry.

Yes, I'll see if I can upload some here.

The Helinox lite cot kept my 220lb self off the ground, dry and comfortable. I expected it to be flimsy, but it was pretty solid. Spendy, but worth it to me. Better yet, I found them on sale and saved a little.

The Razor Lite folding knife punched way above its weight class. I think I used 4 or 5 of the replaceable blades to skin and break down a moose. Lightweight and cheap, I’ll take an extra one along next time. Oh yea, I wore a cut resistant glove on my off hand. It fit under a rubber glove and provided some insurance.

Cheap stretchy suspenders with hardware removed and sewn on permanently. I’ve got a few of hunting pants rigged like this. Can still wear a belt for pistol or knife if needed.

5 years and the elastic is still perfect.

Worked:
Streamlight Wedge XT - Clips in shirt or pants pocket and does not roll when set on a flat surface.

Nosler 160 gr Accubond in a 7x57 - worked on golden wildebeest, impala and springbok. One shot on the wildebeest and impala, two on the springbok but the second was not needed. PH in camp had lost one earlier and mine wanted to be sure.

bwinters, good to hear about the ambient jacket. I'm looking at getting one and like to hear it works. Is the 200 or 100 better?

What worked great for me this year was the Tactacam Reveal. I have one spot that gets crappy signal and this worked like a charm.
It was very dry this year so I was able to wear my hiking boots more than my rubber boots. My hiking boots breathed much better and my socks did not get damp. Adding in a toe warmer or artic shield boot cover and my toes never got cold this year. Even down into the teens.

What didn't work, Treesaddle. Even when adjusted the standing/leaning was tiring. Didn't like all the ropes. Has it's place but not my go to set up. Rappelling down was nice.

i purchased a Bog pod Death grip tri-pod for my permanent deer stand made it easier for 12 year old grandson too shoot more accurate and with less recoil too at this years deer a spike buck at 125 yards put that 1st bullet perfect thru that bucks lungs with his 257 Roberts Ruger #1 i gave him ,with my handloads using a 75 gr. Hammer Hunter bullet at 3600 FPS and after that i used this Bog pod too holds my rifle very nicely too in my deer stand for me. Pete53

too too.....

Better is a tricky metric. I wear the 100 hoody every day in hunting season, many days hiking and fishing in cool/cold weather. It has replaced almost every piece of fleece I own. The 200 to me is a niche piece. I bought it to wear on cold days that I still hunt. It provides enough warmth to keep me warm and moves moisture when I'm climbing. I wore both of them at the same time quite a bit last year. I pair either/both with a Black Diamond Alpine Start (wind shirt) and it will keep you warm while stationary for more than a bit. The BD AS weighs 10-12oz.

and F.U. TOO liberal !

Greencover fall release seed blend worked well for my deer and I had more deer feeding on the small plot I planted this year.


Norma whitetail ammo in .308 was a great bullet dropping a decent size hog in its tracks and my best buck year to date. They both were dead in place.

I took a moose with Interlocks this year, 180 grain pills out of a 30-06. Two shots at 60 yards, entered behind the near shoulder, punched through the offside shoulder blade, found nicely mushroomed under the hide.

I also took a decent WT buck with that load at 20 yards, to avoid hitting brush I had to make a shoulder shot. Bullet smashed both shoulders and was under the hide, DRT... I was pretty surprised that it did not exit.

Between those two experiences, and a few other deer I've shot with them, I'd consider that to be the best "all-around" 30-06 load I've used, though I could see the results on deer being less dramatic at long range.

I can't think of any real "Fails" on the gear list.

I did start using a Gunfighter's Inc. Kenai chest holster and have one for Ruger Blackhawks (also fits the Single-Six "OK") and a Glock G20. Total win in my opinion and plan to chest rig every handgun I carry in the woods from now on.

bWinters.

Years ago I safety orange spray painted my Gerber Gator knife. Now I also use some orange handled ones, Edge, I think. they work well.

I've never warmed to the idea of those replaceable razor blade things, tho I hear good raves about them. What I have works, so no need to buy more.

Didn’t work - my back after a 14 point stag.

What did work - enjoying smaller deer, my new wool shirt and probably best revelation - zip on/off thermal bottoms

What worked but didn’t like - thermal spotter for deer location. More efficient- yes, turn hunting into a low resolution b&w video - yes, returned - yes

Dewalt 20v pole trimmer was awesome for cutting back lanes, over growth in plots and roads.

Nosler 115 gr Ballistic tips worked every time I applied them to deer and hogs like every year.

GreggH

My Silky vs. Osage Orange

Did you buy those new last year? My cousin had the same experience on two different deer in 2024, on a buck and does with no blood at all. It was a brand-new box. The previous box he had, those 165gr bullets passed through his 2022 buck, 2023 buck, and a couple of does those same years with great blood trails. Where he hunts, all were shot within 50 yds. Wonder if they have a bad batch of bullets floating around.

I got really backed up on projects, because of the cancer/chemo. That was 2.5 years ago. I finally worked through the backlog this fall.

The first of the two remaining projects were a 7mm-08 139 grain Hornady IL SP load. I was already sold on the rifle, a TC Compass. I'd already taken deer and hog with the bullet, but I wasn't sold on Varget, the original powder. I finally got hold of some WIN StaBall 6.5. It boosted the velocity by 200 fps. Yowzah!

The second was a 25-06 100-grain Speer Hot-Cor load. I'd tried 117 grain Hornadys previously, but felt like more experimentation was in order. I've been using H4831 SC throughout. I caught a doe in the boiler room and she disappeared off the field. I was worried she'd headed for the ravine. I had already resolved to never shoot this load again, but I found her in the weeds just at the treeline. She hadn't gone more than 10 yards. It took a few weeks for me to rethink this. I finally decided that if I'd shot her with a 30-06, I'd have been overjoyed with the performance. The same would have been true if I'd shot her 10 yards further out in the field and actually watched her go down. In the end, I marked it a success.

I had one failure. In 2023, I went to the LGS to pick up new Ruger GP100, and there was a stainless Rossi M922 in 44 Mag. For giggles, I asked to see it. Zoot Alors! I could actually see the sights! You gotta understand, I haven't been able to work with irons in over 20 years. However, the chemo had screwed with my eyes and improved them. I'd just come from the doctor with the new prescription. This was in the 20" version. I ordered the 24" version in the spring, and had a ball with it in the summer. However, when I got it out in the fall, I found that my eyesight had worsened. Not only could I not see the bullseye, but I couldn't find the 8.5" X11" target on the cardboard backing. I had to shelve this one until next year. I went back to the doc and got a new script. I'll get my checkup again in early fall in 2025, well before season. The load for this rifle is already a proven deer killer.

One project is still on hold: the Brown Bess. It is still unblooded. I had bought it with the intention of taking a deer, a turkey and a squirrel all in one year. The thing of it is, I really only have one weekend of ML season to get the deer. KY has a late December season, but I'm usually mashing down the top of the freezer by then. Truth is, 11 Gauge is a bit overkill for deer. However, an advancing line of determined infantry is hard to come by these days. I'm open to ideas.

Schnee’s Kestrel boots and Athlon Ares Spotter were the new additions that worked great.

Loaned my Kifaru pack to my son and had to borrow a Mystery Ranch Metcalf for myself. It didn’t fail but I can’t say I was too impressed with the comfort.

A bit off subject..
Heart shot on a deer. I shot one that had been pushed hard. She ran across a field, into the woods, to within 5 yards of the base of my treestand. Due to the angle and distance, I ended up shooting her in the heart. I was using a 35 Remington, top end load of LVR powder under a Speer 180 JFP. Usually a great load. At the shot she bolted back through the hemlocks. I could see the blood on her chest. She still ran over 100 yards before collapsing. Upon dressing her I found that the entire bottom of the heart had been destroyed. But with adrenalin, she still ran that far. I had once heart shot another one with a 45-70 and top end Marlin loads of Speer 300 JHP and he still ran about 15 yards.
Shots through both lungs drop them where they stand. Same thing with archery. Heart shots run farther than shot through both lungs.

I find that almost every time we hit the bottom of the heart they can go a long ways. Up to 300ish yards.

Every time we hit the top of the heart they tend to not make 100. Often barely 50ish...

The other thing is there are other variables as to how far they run. And especially double lung shots. Its really rare for a double lung to drop a deer from years of hunting/guiding and seeing results from over 1000 animals. But it does happen.

I figure if they run a bit or drop I got lucky in a way. If they run further its not a big deal and just how it was.

Adrenalin. All bets are off. I shot a HUGE hog once, sow with little ones. I know pig weights and she was over 400 and probably over 500 actually. Perfect double lung.(which can actually heal up depending, have seen it both with rifle and bow) and a close shot. She was still going over half a mile of brush later following bits of blood... the adrenalin from having piglets kept her going. We never found her and never found buzzards or cara cara in the next 3 days...

Those things are like cheating. 8 year old used stand for first deer. Dead. Bog pod from stand 2nd deer. Dead. But he shoots much better overall with that bog pod. Its a shame grown men have to use them and dont' know slings and positions etc... BUT they are cats azz for doing what they are meant to do.

Used those years ago in the 308. They did what we wanted. Caliber in. maybe half inch exit or so. Perfect. Animals ran a bit. fell over.

Worked:

Also worked:
LED light bar in my blind wired to a ceiling fan pull switch and feeder battery.

DeWalt 20v fan

Poop bucket in my blind

Didn’t work:
$2500 thermal, right in the heat of the battle.

$180 scope, right at the moment of truth. Missed, what would have been, my personal best with two back to back shots.

I have 2 Fenix lights, and they are superb. One of the very few brands that I would say had my utter loyalty at this point. They are also both rechargeable. Fantastic stuff.

Worked

Barnes TSX 300gr. .411 caliber.

Lead. It can be made to do about any task that's asked of it. 900 feet to 1800 feet on three critters. Friend used one at 2500 feet, again. He may be up to a dozen now. He quit using Speers and Barnes now and actually prefers getting buckets of wheelweights and flashing for the price of 50 name brands.

Didn't work.

Pull tab on Deutsche Kutche Mango Pepper herring.
Had to pry open a bit an fish out the fishes....

Two things for me. I continue to enjoy using my marsupial bino harness more every year as well as my Summit Titan Climbing stands.

Worked:

Sig Kilo 6k rangefinding binos. Was able to get a good range on my antelope in very tricky conditions.

140gr nosler BTs in a 6.5 creed. My first year shooting these. Took a pronghorn and a couple whitetail and was impressed with the performance on all.

Cutting down the front base screw when mounting talley LWs to Kimbers.

Seek Outside Divide pack

Yep. Found these a few years ago and as someone who gets very warm when hiking they are pretty much my favorite clothing item ever. Not having to take off skis/boots is absolutely amazing


Didn't work:

TR 360 blind chair I ordered on amazon. Not sure what possessed me to get a fancy blind chair but I did. The 400lb capacity should have been a giveaway. It's sized for complete fat asses, which I am not. Doesn't go down low enough to comfortably see out of the blind windows unless I slouch way down or lean forward. The good news is that it's so damn wide both my kids can sit in it at the same time while I sit on a dove stool.