I had a Winchester model 670, killed a lot of deer with it, when my oldest grandson got old enough to handle it and i started using AR's i gave it to him.

I need a scope cause i have long shots, i was hunting a cutover for a few years until it growed back up when they planted the trees back. even before that my shooting lanes were 250 yards or better. here we have a 3 point rule and with a scope it's easier to tell if it's legal way off.

The hogs i do shoot if they come by me deer hunting, along with the coyotes. the bears we can't hunt yet. they introduced them into our area about ten years ago and as an apex predator they just have taken over. We do not see no where near the deer we used to.

I didn't get to hunt last year and i won't this year either, so i let my grandsons hunt it all season. my wife has dementia and i can't leave her for any long period of time. she's not real bad yet but her short term memory is gone. and mean she can't remember anything said even seconds after you say it. but anyway enough of that, you guys don't want to hear about my problems. i sure ya'll have problems of your own. we all do in some way.

Here is some pics of the stand and when it was cutover, the trees are bigger now so can't see that far, only the lanes i have cut. When we first started hunt this area there was no hogs or bears and the deer was abundant. How the hogs got there i have no clue, i do know the game a fish put the bears there.

Nice property ^^^^^^^^^

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Sure you did

Thanks, it's not mine Our hunting club has been leasing it from a paper company for many years. we have a little over 2100 acres leased.

An AR platform in 350 Legend is my go to these days. Previously I used one in 450 Bushmaster but found it to be too much muzzle blast and noise.
Works great in barrels from 10.5 to 20”. It smacks deer with great authority. I’ve read it does very well on hogs as well.

The thing that I like most about the 350 is the ability to stay on target or get back on so quickly for a follow up shot. Even though my last 3 big Ohio whitetails were 1 shot kills.

Me with my AAC Suppressed LR 308, in Central Texas.
Also have a 300 BO that I use on whitetail.

Suppressors keep noise level down enough that I don't need hearing protection to save what little hearing I have left.

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Tim
Um, hmm, yes it is so

That one has some tall antlers.

Well, we all have our opinions and that's what makes our country so great, we have a choice. Far as the backup gun i will share this story.

I mentioned being attacked by yotes earlier, now it wasn't an attack as they never touched me.

but it was muzzleloading season and they followed me the 400 yards to my stand growling at me. there was about six of them. it was getting dark and i couldn't see them real good until they got closer. i had one shot, from there on in i carried a backup gun muzzeloading, i don't carry one with the AR cause i have a 20 round mag full.

Belt Fed, The pictures you posted look like the black belt area of Alabama…Went there a couple times with the Morgan Academy program…A Fundraiser for the school on private property of Alumni….Both times, heard Coyotes, especially right before dark and they were close..The Landowner was very upset that Coyotes were killing Calves and and asked me to shoot any I saw.

At the supper the school hosted, a couple of the other Hunters said they heard Coyotes close by ,and One was really concerned…I always carry a pistol, either my Shield .40 or my retirement gun, a Sig 245…Alabama is reciprocal reference CCW and I do the annual Title 18 re-quals…. A buddy has a lease in South Alabama and I’ve been there a few times, but have not heard/seen any Coyotes…Be safe.

I don’t carry 30’s, they’re too long and tend to get caught up. I carry Two 20’s.

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Sure you did

To each his own but I'll address some of this...

I have made multiple shots on deer, all were good hits but if he's standing or walking, I'm going to be shooting.

Hog hunting is a subject of this thread. Hogs are an invasive species, so are coyotes in a lot of areas. Both animals tend to travel in groups. An AR is excellent for this, multiple shots on multiple animals...it's great platform for this. With an invasive species the goal ought to be extermination. Many states are considering areal snipers, dropping poison or birth control drugs in bait. Those options are not ideal, and the birth control or poisoned bait could have undesired and unintended results for many species including humans.


Black Bear...This is a self-protection issue. Who cares if an animal is in season if it's trying to kill you? About 5 years ago or so a New Jersey hiker's last photo was of a "cute black bear" on a nature trail.
There there are two legged threats.
Two years ago, an Alabama hunter was killed in his tree stand by 2 trespassers/poachers who walked up on him.

Hunting can be a very dangerous activity, tree stand accidents, ATV accidents or simply getting lost.
A magazine full of ammo can come in very handy for signaling. Three shots followed by 3 more shots is an unofficial distress signal. In the deep woods a hunter shooting a shot every few minutes can aid searchers.

Me nither, 20's like you on the 15 platforms and 10 round mags on the 10 platforms

No semiautomatic rifles allowed to hunt deer or bear in PA. IIRC coyotes are allowed to be hunted with AR's.
Also, a total of 3 rounds are allowed in the rifle.

Maybe someday they'll be legal here.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

Its just a good rifle. Lightweight, reliable, weatherproof, low recoil, highly accurate. Take the magazine out and its a good single shot rifle. I dont get the big ta-doo about magazine capacity. Dont want 20 or 30 rounds? You can just put 3 or 5 in there. Or spring for a 5 round mag. Theyre cheap.
I like the polymer 10 rounders myself. Talk about light and handy. When you're pushing 60 walking the swamps and thickets ( or the hills!) Well, a lightweight ar carbine is a joy. Heck its the most popular rifle in the country.

I have a Rock River 18" 6.8spc that has taken a bunch of deer.

Last season my buddy's daughter turned 12 and wanted to shoot a doe. She is on the petite size for her age and none of my buddy's rifles were gonna work. Either too long or in a caliber that would have been a nighmare for her.

Took her to the range and she did phenomenal with the 6.8spc.

5-shot mag made her legal here in MI

120gr Hornady SST behind the shoulder and she was a proud successful hunter.

This is my experience as well. Both of my Grandsons took their first deer with the suppressed 300 BO. Adjustable stock moved right to their shorter reach and the suppressor reduces recoil and noise-things that novice shooters don't like.

Did not have a lot of time to set up the gun for either boy, so we went to a blind we were not going to use, staked out a target and had them shoot a 3 shoot group. Next shot from either of them dropped their first whitetail.

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Tim
Um, hmm, yes it is so

IIRC Semi's are now ( last 3-4 years) legal for small game and coyotes and I believe it's a 3 round limit in shotguns.

I don't think many AR hunters are going to the field with 20rds loaded in their mags (unless hunting hogs). Mine holds 3 as well as it does 20 ya know, and that's how many rounds I used to put in my bolt actions. 30 rounders are too long and inconvenient, and in general I just prefer 20rd mags. 5rd and 10rd mags are the same length, and neither are much shorter than the 20rd, so unless you live in a state that has a limit, what's the point?

My son and I have slayed multiple hogs at a time, at night, suppressed, with thermals. It helps the farmers and it’s great fun too. The shooting is fast and furious, we haven’t hit double digits for one stalk yet, but it’ll happen.

I use an 11.5” 6.8 SPC II shooting 110gr Barnes, my son uses a 10.5” 5.56/223 shooting Federal’s 60gr Fusion ammo. Both work great.

An AR is also the perfect weapon for nighttime predator hunting. We hunt suppressed with thermals. He uses the 10.5”, I use an 11.5” 5.56/223. I use Fiocchi 50gr VMax.

There are plenty of times multiple coyotes come to the call. Iirc, we’ve had as many as eight come in a bunch.

For those unfamiliar with shooting suppressed, not only is the volume greatly reduced (and the same rifle shot during daylight seems ten times louder at night,) even with a supersonic round, the target has difficulty pinpointing the source of the gunfire.

7.62x39 for hogs, deer and predators, 4 and 2 legged!

Backup guns? Yeah I carry one in the hunting woods because you never know.
You may have banged your optics on the way in, or had a malfunction of your primary tool, or want to finish what you started with a smaller gun.

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Sure you did

6.5 Grendel. When I was in NY, I used a 5 round mag

I've hunted hogs at night with a .223 AR but I probably wouldn't do it again if I had other options. I shot a 90lb hog right where I intended near the shoulder with a 6.5 Creedmor and it ran off like I missed it. Searched for an hour and luckily found it right before dark about a 100 yards in the opposite direction from where it started running. It was stone dead with a big hole in its side but a .223 would seem too light to me.

Those one shot, one kill, hunters have decimated the herds around here. I need to find another place to hunt.

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Sure you did

This 5.56x45 upper started out in a PSA blem kit. I replaced the upper with another in 7.62x39. I went to sell the spare upper, but had no luck. I traded into a NIB DPMS lower and the Midwest Ind. quad rail. I figured on keeping it as a spare. I did list it for sale, to appease my wife, but had no serious offers.

Then a buddy came around looking for a rifle for his son. I dragged this out, his mother said it “looked too dangerous…like the guns mass shooters use.” Also, it was too expensive, as it still needed a “telescope thingy” so Junior could shoot properly. I wasn’t sure who would cry first, the kid or his dad.

I told them to hold on, let me look in the safe again. Junior followed me. I pulled the butt stock off going down the steps, snatched a bag with green mil-spec furniture off a shelf, grabbed my Allen wrenches and hand guard tool, and showed the boy how to swap furniture. The sling is an AK/SKS type that I replaced the 1/2” leather loops with 1” nylon web strap that had previously been a dog collar, and two Chicago screws.

I pulled $75.00 worth of Magpul furniture and a $145.00 quad rail off the gun and sold it for $425.00. Everybody was happy. Especially his mom, who remarked “that is the gun you should of brought out the first time”.

His mother bought him a dirt cheap Tru-Glo green dot sight. His dad returned that sight and went to Bass Pro and bought a 1x-4x Cabelas AR scope. I doubt anybody would grab that rig and parachute into a third world country intending to fight their way to the border; however, it suits Junior just fine.

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So it went from a scary black gun to a pleasant hunting rifle by a change of colors. lol

Yes, the mom is a piece of work. She also commented that when she was a child, “all the iron parts were bright, shiny blue”. That DPMS lower had enhanced polished trigger and JPE springs in it. He got a decent carbine.

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Always bring your sidearm while hunting! : Hunting

I think the answer is YES!

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Pass it on.
Mark

Wow!

Story time.

I read this, I believe in Field and Stream or Muzzleloader many years ago.
A fellow was big Flintlock enthusiast. His special interest was early U.S. Rifles. He had a big interest in the rifles used in the Lewis and Clark expedition. He had a custom-made M-1803 in .54 caliber authentic as could be replicated.
His side arm was an original US 1805 flintlock pistol. If you are familiar with the crossed pistol emblem of US MPs, the pistols crossed are two 1805s.

He commissioned a guided brown bear hunt in Alaska. Of course, he had taken big game with his 1803 and he practiced for this hunt, especially a quick follow up shot.

The guide who accompanied him on the hunt was armed with a 300-magnum bolt action just in case.

They tracked a bear and he made his shot at about 100 yards. The Brown Bear spun around spotted the two hunters, likely due to the smoke and movement. The bear started his charge as the hunter began loading his 1803. As he was about to ram the charge down, he realized he did not have enough time.

He let the rifle drop and pulled his 1805 pistol all while the bear is barreling down on the two. Just as he leveled the cocked flintlock pistol, the bear dropped dead just a few yards in front of them.

He looked over at his guide, the guy was white as a ghost and shaking. He was still holding his rifle at the port arms position.

The guide had never been charged and had not got up that close before. He was so in the moment, it never dawned on him use his rifle.
If the bear had not dropped....It would have been up to that 200 year old pistol.

As far as I know, I only have a few (if any) mags smaller than 30 rounds for my ARs. They (mostly P-Mags, of course) are what I know and trust. My Wilson AR9 takes Glock mags, and most of mine are 15 or 17 round.

If for some reason I needed low capacity mags for hunting, I would get them.

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NHI, 10-8.

.450 Bushmaster AR last year on a bear hunt.

Would love to host a pic but, from what I can tell, it has to be a link from another pic host provider. If I could just drag it from my desktop to the post, it'd be here.

https://postimages.org is what i use. it's free