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...in certain situations. I was on a population control hunt this week, and afterward I thought about how I could have hunt it differently. I just brought my slug gun (shotgun only area) with me, and, since we don't have the opportunity to scout, picked out a spot using a topographical map and walked to it. After sitting for awhile once the sun had come up and fully revealed my surroundings, I decided to get up and scout for another spot. In doing so, I spooked several does that were hiding in thickets...all bolted within 20 yards of me. Had I been traveling with my slug gun strapped on my pack and a buckshot-loaded shotgun in hand, I could have done what I came to do, and that is more effectively contributed to a population control hunt.
Anyone run with two guns when the situation calls for it? Keep in mind, I wasn't trying to catch big great grandaddy.
Oh, does anyone know...FOR SURE...if buckshot causes damage to rifled barrels? It makes sense that it would, but I haven't done the actual testing to find out for myself.
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"Well if it ain't loaded and c0cked, it don't shoot." -Rooster Cogburn
You know it isn't legal here in Illinois, right? But assuming you were elsewhere, shooting shot that isn't tungsten shouldn't hurt a rifled barrel. Tundsten IMO is hard enough to probobly or possibly damage the rifling.
But I wouldn't expect much of a tight pattern with just a rifled barrel. It certainly won't print like a shot barrel with a choke would.
Frankly I think you are better off with one gun and picking your shot. You'll eventually need to make a decision on which gun to use. I think it's better to make that decision before you are out there. Otherwise you have a 50% chance of using the wrong gun. Deer hunting isn't golf.
This isn't an Illinois forum, is it? I don't live in Illinois, so I have no reason to become familiar with Illinois firearms and hunting regulations.
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Originally Posted by Wingbone
Frankly I think you are better off with one gun and picking your shot. You'll eventually need to make a decision on which gun to use. I think it's better to make that decision before you are out there. Otherwise you have a 50% chance of using the wrong gun. Deer hunting isn't golf.
No, deer hunting isn't golf, and that would be a good analogy if I were talking about toting 10 or so guns on a gun cart.
Though I'm fairly new to it, a lot of whitetail hunting seems to be based on playing the odds. You could pick a great spot based on the wind, lay of the land, deer sign, etc., but no deer (or deer you want to shoot) may come by the day you actually hunt.
For the situation I was in, when I was slowly moving to locate another place to set up, I would have much preferred to have a buckshot-loaded shotgun against the deer I encountered along the way. When I found a spot that I wanted to set up in, I would have preferred my slug gun.
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"Well if it ain't loaded and c0cked, it don't shoot." -Rooster Cogburn
I wouldn't see the point of packing in two similar options but....I have been known to travel with an aresenal. Currently, I carry my .30-06 and a .45 ACP pistol because dark + big hogs = you never know. When my crazy uncle tells hunting stories, they usually end up with one of his cousins climbing a tree to escape and angry boar. Then again, he is crazy so it might be the same story retold with different details.
Until I got my house robbed, I had a Remington 700 in 7Mag that was my primary gun. for back up, I had a Remington 740(?) in .30-06 that had an extra short custom barrel. It was lightweight, agile and a bad blanker-blanker. If I was stalk hunting, rattling in heavy brush or running hogs, that was the choice. Otherwise, it was the big dog. I used the .30-06 to take the 11 point I posted in the 'favorite calls' thread. Shot him in the lower neck, head on off hand at 125 yards. With the 7Mag, I took plenty of game where I had a chance to get a rest and take a longer shot.
Different optics among options might make a difference too.
Aren't the the most successful deer hunters the ones who analyze their experiences and those of others? You don't drop big bucks on a regular basis by just picking what appears to be a nice spot and just sitting still long enough. The more I read about whitetail hunting, the more I find analysis plays a role in hunting success, whatever you define that to be.
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"Well if it ain't loaded and c0cked, it don't shoot." -Rooster Cogburn
Thinking of hunting with two guns...
