Chuck glad to see ya back I thought you sold your hunting stuff and gave it up. Anyhow I'm not sure what your typical distances are and your potential max shot distance but 12" circle at 20 yards will be about 24" at 40. You may want to try a full choke. I went through a lot of patterning this year with my new shotgun. I used to use the 3" Remington 00 out of my 870 and the shells have changed over the years. I missed 2 nice bucks and decided to check my pattern and it was horrible. I got lucky this year and found a versa max at Wally World for $450 and I threw on a kicks buck kicker shooting federal premium 3.5" 00. At 40 yards I'm getting 15 out of 18 pellets in a 12" circle.

Thx for the heads up//went out this morning...got skunked..someone got a big 8 point...

I did some research Woods 88..upi are correct.I put my full in the barrel///O also checked for Federal Flite buckshot..no local stores had any..I like my modified.BUT when I'm going to go where the shot will be berwwn 30-40 yds..I'll put in full choke.

Woods 88 my pattern was horrible too..but I have turkey sites on them...one rap to the left in BINGO..best group I've ever had...FULL should even be better.

Do you happen to know which check station they checked the big 8 in at?

It wasn't a monster 8 but it was a good buck no doubt. 471 side.
Chuck if you use flight control you need a really open choke. Constriction doesn't allow the wad to do what it's supposed to and it will pattern horribly.

Congrats on the nice deer Chuck. I know how you feel about getting to the point of almost passing out. Time change got me when it first changed about a mile from my truck. Started climbing down in daylight, by the time stand was nested and on my back it was flashlight time. a mile back humping the stand on my back and a bow in my hand through hog rooting and sloppy mud was ZERO fun haha. The next week tried another spot I scouted and paid off with a spike during archery. Finally got out to stick a ladder stand up there Monday so excited about that haha. If I ever run across ya I'll give you a hand if you need it no problem. I try and help out fellow hunters as much as I can.

almost forgot to ask what teeth are on your summit... I bought a climber from cabelas this year under the name of "big game treestands" which is also the same as API and Muddy stands. I've climbed pines, oaks, and a palm with it and it has been superb. It has teeth that come to a distinct point and don't clog up with bark on a pine too. I'm very happy with it. Glad to hear you'll be strapping that sucker off with a ratchet though from now on haha I always strap mine with a ratchet. The slip cam buckle that comes with these things are crap.

I'm headed to richloam in the morning. I found a spot that was loaded with squirrels, and today I looked at the regs and found out that there is no small game season. I know what I'll be doing tomarrow at lunch time.

haha now that's a good time there. :fighting0007:

Heading out to green swamp in the morning. Taking a cousin who has never been out there as he mainly hunts a lease in GA. Anybody else going out?

Well, went out this weekend. First at the gate at about 4:35. Really wasn't too "busy" this weekend however I put my cousin in a ladder stand and I went about 100 yards from him in my climber and around 9:30 two guys carrying rifles and lawn chairs came through about 50 yards behind him. Never knew the prime time to get to the hunting spots was 9:30 in broad daylight. haha anyways. we packed it up around 11:30 and walked back to the truck. Low and behold on the road back to the truck we passed a man in a tshirt and blue jeans carrying a rifle, a little girl in what looked like school clothes and a woman in a white shirt jeans and tennis shoes with a damn dog on a leash who was barking at us as we went by. looks like that spot is off the list now for a while.