wannahuntit

Wow...just did some research on that caliber and damn thats nice. As soon as I get a ok from some hunting grounds I may pick that up instead.

CalHunter

Okay dude, if you put this all together, you have simply got to post a report back with PICTURES. I'm still researching the caliber myself but 50 rounds for around $15 with no reloading would make for a lot of varmint hunting at a pretty affordable ammo price.

wannahuntit

Ya ill let everyone know. I will be out shopping for the rifle within the week if I get some answers from the game wardens saying the caliber is ok. Still no responses in the midwest forum about the caliber issues in illinois so we will see.

Nomercy448

Illinois (and PA I believe) predator hunters are who the .17WSM is really meant for. As long as the new savage action feeds them to the fantastic savage barrels well, the .17WSM is the best option these hunters have.

In fairness, however, if I lived in Illinois, I'd take a long hard look at a savage 212 or 220 slug gun. 200yrd accuracy, and controllable expansion, I'd be tempted to take that over any rimfire. Not sure, honestly, which one i would buy right now if I were in that position, but luckily for me, I'm not.

wannahuntit

Honestly I would rather hold off all together and figure out where in IL these people are hunting yotes with larger caliber rounds. I have a while before deer season ends and I would much rather hunt with a rifle Im comfortable with then a slug or rimfire. I have been searching for about a week now and have started several threads on various websites for where these people are hunting with no luck. I'll keep looking till I get a positive answer.

GTOHunter

I think the new .17 WSM would be a great Predator/Coyote Caliber along with the .17 Hornet,.22 Hornet or the .204 Caliber!

Maybe You need to find an affordable Lease so You can Hunt Big Game/Deer and Coyotes in the Off Season?Here in Missouri we can go to several different Public Areas to hunt all types of Game.....it seems Illinios wants to get into the Hunters pockets for money before You can even begin to Hunt or learn the Sport of Hunting,they have so many Rules,Regulations,Tags Stamps and guide lines it's mind boggling!

How close are You to Missouri.....seems like You need to find a more Hunter Friendly State?

You may need to find someone that will take You Hunting or Mentor You into Predator Hunting.Most Farmers would love to have someone thin out the Coyotes...usually if You know someone for a while or earn their trust they will let You Hunt on their Property,others may require You to have some type of Insurance since they are in fear of getting sued!

Hang in there and keep at it....hopefully You'll get a straight answer about what Caliber is allowed and on which Public Land?

wannahuntit

I may end up purchasing 2 rifles. The 17 wsm for hunting on public land and a 22-250 for private property. I dont have anyone to mentor me on hunting. Well no one in my area. I am about 5 hours from st louis. I am trying to keep this going but with minimal progress mostly from lack of local help and hunting grounds. The forums from many sites have helped but it doesnt help me get into the field.

Nomercy448

I have a few feelers out to predator callers in your area. One guy is just down in Oswego in Kendall County. I'll let you know if any of them answer back.

Have you made any phone calls to the guys at the Illinois Trapping Association or the Fur Takers? You should have tried the fur buyers too, they could point you in the right direction for some callers in your area.

If you haven't already done so, you should also try calling those fur buyers I sent you, they should be able to hook you up with some of their 'regular customers' that might be able to help you out.

wannahuntit

I have made a few calls and left some voice mails. No one has gotten back yet. Im sure everything will start picking up as the season gets closer. I have a question on skinning knives. How do folding skinning knives compare to the non folding. I have seen 2 knives i like, both are gerber. One is folding with a sharpener built into the sheath and a non folding with no sharpener. Only difference I see is the non folding is .25" longer.

Nomercy448

Difference between fixed and folding blade knives for skinning is subjective. More or less up to the user which is better.

Here's how I feel about knives:

I have both, use both. I generally keep fixed blade knives in my fur shed, since they're a bit easier cleaning. For my pack knives (i.e. knives I skin in the field with, and keep in my pack), I keep folding knives, mostly to store and haul them more securely.

Fixed blades are easier to clean and often a little lighter weight than a similar sized folder. Fixed blades can often have blades longer than the handle, whereas getting more length out of a folder means having a longer handle, more weight, more bulk.

Folding blade knives are nice to just throw in a pack or pocket. Blood, fur, fat, etc gets plugged down into the blade groove, so plan on extra diligence to clean that out.

Don't get caught up in long bladed "hunting knives" for skinning either. You'll only ever use a few inches of blade for skinning small game & predators, so no sense in handling 10" of extra weight.

I prefer about 4" of a nicely curved blade, preferably a drop point or straight back blade. Lightweight, good grip, and high quality steel. Up to you whether you use a 'skin hook' version or not. I don't really like hooks on a folder, since it inevitably snags on stuff, but on a fixed blade, it can be nice.

The Gerber knives I have now are just fine (7-8yrs old?). They're plenty cheap, rubber scales, and hold an edge nicely. Kershaw makes fairly affordable knives as well, I've use a Kershaw "Blade-Trader" for about 15yrs, ordered several extra blades years ago, have only had to have the grip replaced on warranty once as the unit wallered too much and the blades got 'wobbly'. I just picked up a Buck Knives "Omni" fixed blade, figure I'll get another one soon after I get to see how it holds an edge.