I am getting my gear together for a week of deer hunting in the north east corner of the lower peninsular near Curran Michigan. This will be my 21st year at this particular camp. We lease about 300 acres of a larger 1800 acre private parcel. Hunting has always been good and I have shot my share of Big Bucks in this camp. My question to myself every year is what rifle or rifles to take.
My go to favorite is my 1955 99F in 300 Savage. It wears a Weaver 2.5X scope, it is light and fast handling and holds point of impact year after year and shoots a 1 inch group at 100 yards with
hand loads. I also have a 1938 99K in 300 Savage that I have never taken a deer with and is also a great shooter with the Lyman folding peep sight. All of my other savage rifles have scored deer
over the past years with the exception of a 1926 Model 20 in 250-3000 with a bolt peep sight. It is also a tack driver with hand loads. All my Savage rifles have iron sights except the 99F and
a very nice 110 WLE in 250-3000 that has Burris 3-9 Full field scope and is a clover leaf shooter with either factory or hand loads. It has taken many deer. So at age 70 I can still shoot irons, god gave me good eyes, but need help with a scope at twilight conditions. I have no issue with taking two rifles, or even three. My other Savage rifles are a 1925 99G in 303, and a 1917 1899H in 22Hi-Power. Both of those have Receiver mounted peep sights and shoot very well and have scored deer for me. I have until Monday to narrow down my choices. Good luck and Safe hunting to my
fellow Michigan Savage collectors who take their rifles into the field for the annual deer hunt. What are the rest of you taking into the woods this November?

300 Savage

I will be taking my 99E 308. First hunt for it with me. Also just got a 840 30-30 for son and grandsons to hunt with. Both are good shooters. Will be fun watching kids say witch one paw-paw will give them. Not even ready to part with yet.lol. Have land in western Indiana. And also live on it.

Sometimes I ask myself, "At the end of this day, what will I be most glad I did?"

I'd say take the K out for a well-deserved trophy 300Savage, and use the F when you plan to stay out until dusk.

This is the toughest question you can ask of a owner of many Savage rifles. I have 4 that I truly want to take, but only one goes out to the blind. This year after many sleepless nights I have decided to take my 1940 99T in 300 Savage with w Stith mount, Lightfoot split rear ring with a Nikon Monarch 1-4.5 scope. All tho I still have 4 days to change my mind for the other 3 candidates. One is a 1926 303 F, which is wearing a nice Lyman 29 1/2 peep. I can't believe how much I agonize over this decision. Truly a looney thought process.

take the 6.5 Creedmore you cant shoot anything else! am tired hearing about them!

1926 F, Joe.

The Barrel Band 250 gets the nod this year Im thinking! was out this afternoon, 3" fresh snow 16 out was a cold sit in the tree stand, had one doe walk in, calling for 44 and sunny for wed.

My opinion--Don't get pissed at me.:)

Scopes for game is cheating.

Iron sights (Buckhorn or Peep) is hunting/getting close enough for a good clean shot. I've never hunted game with a scope.

Scopes---For hunting humans or bench rest shooting/competition.

(Sportsdad gets soap box kicked out from under him as a crowd rushes the podium)

Flying into Detroit tomorrow then up to the UP on Sunday with my 1959 99F 308 which is staged up there just for this purpose.

You can't go wrong with the 300 Savage for MI deer season. R/t gets the nod again this year.

Agree with Whelenman and respectfully disagree with Sportsdad.

I agree, for the most part. I think the modern American shooter has been brainwashed into believing that effective hunting can't be done without optical sights. Scopes have become the panacea for lack of hunting/stalking ability. I'll put my money on a steely-eyed rifleman who is competent in Three Position competition with an iron-sighted M1, Springfield, or AR over a weekend warrior who does nothing more than sit at a bench behind a Leupold-guided Whizbang- when it comes to practical riflemanship.

Nice post but "Age" eventually catches up with us all.

I am also hunting the Michigan opener. I will be in the Wolverine area. I am going to be using my 99A in 250-3000. My friend Bill gave me that rifle and I cherish it. Inside my bag will be my Ruger 44 pistol that my friend John gave me and I also cherish it.

Since I live up north now, I am becoming the default guy to set up deer hunting. I already have 2 guests coming this year.

Nothing wrong with your train of thought....BUT.... I love the extra 15-20 minutes in the morning and late evening that optics bring to the table. Legal shooting time in Michigan is 1/2 hour before, 1/2 hour after sunset. If cloudy overcast conditions are in the equation, add to the 15 - 20 minutes. I have taken a couple deer that without the light gathering of the optics would not have been in the freezer. I most certainly love my peep sights, and feel as comfortable out to 100 yards or so as scoped but appreciate the extended viewing time at potentially the best times to spot the bigg ens.

Should be in Gladstone in the beautiful upper Tuesday afternoon to prep for opening morning. Good luck to all y'all Michiganders. Be safe and successful.

Blacktail deer usually inhabit dark places. Scopes are nice.

Good luck to all you Michiganders!!

Don't get me wrong, I have a couple scoped rifles and enjoy shooting them. All my .22 target guns have target scopes on them, as do the rifles I use for squirrel hunting- threading a .22 bullet into a squirrels eye at 50 yards is nigh impossible without one. I just relish the challenge of iron sights on a deer rifle. I would probably sing a different tune if I hunted out in the wide open spaces. (But even at that every mule deer and antelope I ever killed was well under 100 yards because I had the moxie to either stalk in close or refused to take 3-400 yard shots. It's called "hunting".)

As for aging eyes, my crappy 64 year old eyeballs aren't up to the task of iron sights without employing a couple simple tricks which serve to keep me in the iron sight game. Really not a big deal.

I also like scope, here where I hunt Bucks have to have at least 3 points on one side to be legal! I had to pass a nice buck last season, I just couldnt see a thrid point, and I had a large buck in that area with a set of big forks, Im sure it was a diffrent buck but i hunt by the book! I have a 303 H with a lyman 291/2 peep that I may use, for a doe tag I have!

Very well stated, my friend. You have the knack of injecting common sense and rational into your dialogue. It is refreshing to hear some folks have a strong sense of tradition in their game plan. But forgive me, I'll scope for previously stated reasons.

Wishing to Best of LUCK to All our Savage Hunters this season! Happy Hunting!

Hi and Good Luck to all who replied to my post. I have made my decision. 1955 99F in 300 Savage and my 1938 99K also in 300 Savage. I do have one long range opportunity from my blind
so I am also taking my Savage 110WLE in 250-3000 with a quality 3X9 Scope. I have taken two big bucks on this heavily used game trail, but you got to be at the top of your game because you
only have a second or two to get the rifle and find the deer in the scope. I glass all day long with some very good 8X42 Bino's that give me the heads up to get ready and grab the rifle.
I leave Monday, I am just as excited as my 5 year old grandson the day before Christmas.

Good Luck and Stay Safe!

300 Savage

Alright you Michigan boys...you got one more sleepless night to go and then shots at big bucks. How about a big ole Swamp Donkey on opening morning. powdr

Good luck tomorrow, guys. Be safe and shoot straight!

Hunted with my 250 BB today lots of rain, i hunted out of a tent blind, have a bad cold to begin with! no deer sighted tho! I took some of the members on here advice and got some Renaissance Wax, put a couple of coats on the BB, I dig this stuff, water just beaded up and ran off! my other guns are going to get Waxed also!

Glad to see yer results. Bought some, but haven't tried it yet. Good luck getting rid of the cold and hope you start
seeing some deers.

Wax your nose and chest, John. It'll help with the cold. Stay healthy my friend, there hasn't been a deer yet that is worth a bout of pneumonia.

Opening morning was sitting in a T-P style pop-up blind. To make a short story long, got soaked on my north and south side cause of the nature of the blind. Seen nothing worth letting the air out of. For the evening hunt, went to a rectangular blind with straight sides, stayed dry. At 4:45 in the evening, had 4 walk through my area, picked the biggest one, and the 99T did the rest. Had copious amounts of Jargermister to celebrate the occasion. The 165 grain Nozler Partition did a stellar job putting a quick demise to the critter in the cross hairs. Only had to track 40 yards. Dragging in was a biotch for a 58 year old fart. had to stop every 25 feet to regroup. Getting old is nothing to brag about, and as a matter of fact, it sucks.If that didn't give me a heart attack, I guess I'm not doing too bad.

I got my buddy a buck this evening in Wolverine, MI. His first deer and I was acting as guide. My loaner gun for him wasn’t one of my 99s. He used a 1962 Rem 700 Carbine in 30-06.

I seen some deer but nothing to let my 1895 in 30-30 bark at.

Rainy day one with nothing. Beautiful day today with nothing this morning and a doe this afternoon. Only shot the camera

we had a bit of snow today had a large deer come by me at 1st light, but it was a doe, I have a tag but for private land, so I sat there this evening but saw none!

This is exactly the conundrum I find myself in every year. I have every confidence in my ability to hit what I am aiming at with receiver sights as long as I have enough light to get through the peep to my aging eyes. But lets face it, the best time to shoot a big buck is at first light and at last light, when you can get the job done with a quality scope and your receiver sight is useless

That all being said, I am taking my RT with Redfield 70 this Saturday for Virginia opener.

Edit: Just want to be clear on one point. I've taken countless big game animals with scopes and never considered it cheating at all. Nobody that takes any animal legally and ethically is cheating. There are only good hunters and bad hunters, Somebody that only choose to hunt with open sights isn't any better or more skilled than a hunter that choose to hunt with a scope. Nuff said on that.

There comes an age where a person aught to be able to objectively look backwards and figure out what he does and how it works or doesn't. Decide if he wants to keep doing what he's doing, getting the same results, or maybe try something else for different results. Sometimes it's the process, sometimes it's the results that matter most.

Looks like even Old Otters even get wet now and then, thought you would be splashing around in the rain.I don't have a lucky "T" yet. When you say "copious amounts", were you drinking out of a half gallon tin pail like the old days. Up in PA I think you and Gary were just getting started about the time I passed out. Wish I was 58 again, maybe I could have made it a couple more rounds.Congrats on the freezer filler.

RAS, good on you for hooking up your buddy on his first. Hope to get to a fest that you can make also, would love to hold that 30-30, 95.

LLoyd, beautiful Pics, just enough snow, hope the next pic has horns.

John, did you have the 22HP? I hear they grow bigen's up there. Keep at it, he's out there.

Continued good luck for all you guys. WV opens Monday, I'm heading for camp Saturday. Should see 99guy for dinner Sunday. I might have a couple Loose Cannon IPA's in the fridge. My hunting buddy, since high school, can't make it this year. His print shop got bought out and shut down, so he's starting a new job. Stinks to have to get a new job at 62 years old. But you gotta do, what you gotta do, Joe.

No Joe I had the 250 Barrel Band, I have to Bloody it yet! wed opener was Flat out wet, even in a tent blind still got wet! all the fellows are heading Home this morining, Im driveing south an hour to see my Brothers, ones up from FLA. hope to get back out this evening!