yooperkenny

I am honored to be included in your esteemed group. To commemorate this occasion, this weekend I'll spice up my sauna experience with a refreshing plunge into a snowbank! What could be more Canadian than that?

I'd like to apply for honorary Canadian status, please. Here are my qualifications: - I lived in Soo Michigan for 5 years and was a frequent visitor to "the other side". In fact, my daughter was almost born there but we got back in time! - I go to Ottawa once a month for work and hope to try every restaurant in the Byward Market before I'm done - My brother and I were at Mirage in Northern Quebec in early December and brought home 2 caribou each along with one of those racy french girl calendars - My wife's brother graduated from University of Toronto and both of my nephews were born there (they had dual citizenship until they were 18) - We honeymooned in Toronto and Alconquin Park, and then took our kids on a camping trip through Toronto and Niagra Falls to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary - When traveling outside of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we all get asked if we're Canadian because we say "eh" a lot - We've camped on the Bruce Peninsula many times and even rode the ferry to Tobermory - If you blindfolded a Canadian and dropped them off in the UP, the frigid wilderness would fool them into thinking they never left home - I've been to that spot in Detroit where you can point south and bewilder your friends by saying "Hey that's Canada south of us, eh?" So what do you think? Am I in?

Dang! I was gonna ask if you'd just sell the hat and decals! Seriously, someone is going to get an unbelievable deal on a great bow! If I didn't love my Reflex Buckskin so much, I'd jump on it.

I've never owned a Weatherby, but I love my Tikka. You never hear anyone say anything negative about them. They're known for smooth bolt, crisp trigger, good value, and out of the box accuracy. Must be that Finnish craftsmanship! I put a Nikon Monarch 3x9x40 on my 7mm Rem Mag Tikka T3 Lite, and it's just a sweet setup. It's always hard to choose once you narrow it down, but if you buy the Tikka you won't be disappointed BTW Learn all you can from that Leo guy - he knows his rifles and his Tikkas!

My bro and I hunted with Mirage in N Quebec early this month and we each brought home 2 animals - I used my Tikka T3 in 7mm Rem Mag with Federal Fusion 150 grain rounds. I found this bullet lodged under the hide in my second caribou's front left leg. He was quartering away as he tried to elude us by heading off the lake and up a hill about 80 yards away - the bullet entered near the diaphragm, took out a lung, exited the chest, entered the upper leg and got stuck on the far side under the hide. So it had enough energy to penetrate the hide 3 times but not 4. I haven't weighed it yet but it looks pretty good to me. Nice expansion and it held together. This is the first time I've recovered a bullet from an animal I've killed. In any event the big bull immediately knelt down in the 40" of snow and died.

Shaun - is there a gun shop or outdoors store near Ottawa? I'm always on the lookout for one when there for work and the only one I've found so far was actually up in Deep River - nice shop and he stocked a few Tikkas. Leo - Thanks for the wealth of info - I'll be trying some of your ideas. I shoot the Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 7mm Rem Mag and love it. Will be trying it in Quebec later this month for caribou. For deer (and caribou) I prefer to use 150 grain, and the best groupings I've had to date are with the Federal Fusions.

Congrats! I love my 7mm Rem Mag (Tikka T3). Mine likes the Federal Fusions - you may want to give them a try.

Howdy - Another trip to Ottawa (for work). Stopped in a shoe store and there was a display rack for these socks, which the owner spoke very highly of. Picked up some liners and a pair of Icelandic 30 below merino wools for my upcoming trip to Mirage for caribou. I usually use Wigwams or Fox River socks for the cold we experience at home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Ottawans are surprised to learn I'm so much farther north than them). Anyway do any of you Canadian outdoorsmen have any opinions on the quality of these cold weather socks? BTW he had a display of a special 100th commemorative edition of Sorels - he claims only 1500 pairs were made worldwide. Rubber bottoms/soles, the uppers are made of bison (elk for the lady's version) and the liners are sheepskin. Nice looking and warm! They come in a cool looking wooden box with Sorel insignia carved into it with a leather handle - very nice and functional - but $500! I passed but they would be sweet and last for decades.

First Official North American Thanksgiving - 1578! They not only have Thanksgiving, but as I learned on my last trip to Ottawa They Invented It! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

Do a search on "barrel" or "break" on this forum and you'll find a lot of info and opinions on barrel break in. AJ doesn't seem to think it matters, while others have some pretty elaborate procedures. As far as trying ammo to see what your rifle likes without breaking the bank, some swear by the Remington Core Lokts. I've had good luck with Federal Premium - the Vital Shocks are more pricey than the Power Shocks. Also the Federal Fusions perform well and are priced reasonably. Good Luck!

I've been trying different factory loads for my 7mm Rem Mag and the Fusion 150 grains are grouping the best. I've been shooting at least weekly since June to get ready for our trip to Quebec for caribou in late November. I've read good things about the Fusions expanding well and not fragmenting on impact. I'll let you all know how it goes sometime in December!

I've got a spot in some heavy cover that's near a well used trail, and I strongly suspect that it's a staging area for late afternoon approach to a food source. I plan to sit there with my .357 mag Ruger Blackhawk sometime during early firearm season. I've had some success using Winchester 180 gr Supreme Partition Gold ammo for deer but Gander up here hasn't had any for a while so I'm looking at other options. I may try the Federal Fusion handgun ammo, but the Hornady custom handgun ammo 158 gr JHP/XTP caught my eye. Have any of you used this ammo for whitetails? How did it perform? Any input is appreciated!

I use a Monarch 3x9x40 on my Tikka T3 and love it - they claim 95% light transmission, but all I know is that it's bright and clear. I also have the Garmin eTrex Legend GPS and so far it's worked well - I don't have the loss of satellite reception that others claim they get in thick woods. I got it in a package with topo maps included and it's pretty cool! Good Luck

My new Reflex Buckskin has a machined riser and weighs less than 4 lbs. Compact, light, fast and built with quality. It's a Hoyt - I just didn't have to spend $700 for it! Good Luck!

I've killed black bear with my 30-30. It's an entirely adequate caliber assuming your shot is under 100 yards. A bear is typically not going to run 100 yards after it's hit like a deer can. And this thread would not be complete without someone stating that bullet selection and shot placement are as important as the caliber of the firearm. Good Luck!

Timberline's No Peep works great for me up here. It'll give you an extra 10-15 minutes at prime time. I'll never use a peep again!

Agree with above that 30-30 has killed more deer than any other caliber. I've taken many deer and a bear with mine. Light, well balanced rifle with minimal recoil. I'm taking the scope off mine and replacing it with a Lyman tang peepsight - this will be my still hunting/tracking rifle. Also agree with the 100 yard or so limit. Mine likes the Federal 150 grain softpoints mentioned above too. Anything above 150 grain is not necessary for deer and will drop faster also. If you think you may need more range, try those LeverEvolution which will provide more energy further downrange. I believe they're only available in 160 grain for 30-30. Good Luck!

"He stood there like the house by the side of the road" Thanks for the Heads Up - any true baseball fan won't want to miss that. Ernie is the epitome of a southern gentleman, a wonderful storyteller, and it is simply a pleasure to hear him call a game. One of the few announcers in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just hearing his voice takes me back to the dog days of summer listening to him on the radio as he painted pictures for us describing the play of Kaline, Freehan, and McClain and then later Trammel, Whitaker, Parrish and Gibson. Many don't know he called Bobby Thompson's "shot heard round the world" in 1951 - here's a pretty good story on Ernie for anyone that loves baseball: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/story?id=1591168 (Sorry to go on and on but Ernie is truly one of life's "good guys" and that's so rare in sports these days)

Re: Planned trips this upcoming season! The normal bow, rifle and muzzleloader hunts for whitetails near home and camp this fall, AND Caribou in Quebec near James Bay in late November! Can't wait....

Re: nikon monarch? That's a great price for a Monarch. 95% light transmission, I believe. IMHO I don't think spending over $100 more for the Zeiss is going to make a significant difference - you'll love the Nikon!

Re: Am I allowed in here? I don't want to be part of any club that would allow someone like me as a member, eh!

Re: Why not an autoloader?? I killed my first buck with a Woodsmaster 742 30.06 that a friend let me borrow when I was just getting into deer hunting. It had been his father's rifle. A few years later I killed my best buck so far with my own 742 - a 5 1/2 year old 12 point that field dressed 204 lbs. The next year that rifle froze up on me after a huge dump of wet snow and it cost me a decent buck. I decided that I simply didn't want to take any chances at the moment of truth, so I sold the rifle and bought a bolt action (Tikka T3). That said, it was my fault the 742 froze up because I didn't take the proper precautions to protect it from the elements. My understanding is these rifles need a lot more attention, cleaning, and maintenance than most and have more points of failure than other actions. If you're going to hunt with one, you need to take the time to make it right. I've also read that bolt actions are inherently more accurate than other actions, so that's something to consider too. Just my 2 cents - what's important is to be in the woods hunting with Something as often as you can

Re: Your next rifle? [ QUOTE ] my first rifle that i buy will be a tikka t3 lite in 7mm mag... whoa im i ever pumped to get it.... sooooon [/ QUOTE ] I have that rifle in composite/stainless and love it! I put a Nikon Monarch 3x9x40 on it and it's my Go To rifle for stand hunting. For the immediate future, I agree with Bob - "I'd rather spend my money using the rifles I already have" - I'll be in Quebec for carribou in November!

Re: Badlands packs I have the 2200 and it's great. I use it to carry all my gear and in cold weather my heavy outer layers so I don't get too sweated up on the way to my stand. It's quiet, functional, comfortable to carry and seemingly indestructible - worth every penny. I like my 2200 so much, I just picked up a Badlands Monster fanny pack - I'll use either or both packs depending on the situation. Do a search for Badlands here or on archerytalk.com and you'll get plenty of info - Good Luck

Re: Marlin 336C in 35 Remington A high school classmate of my son's was given his Grandpa's 35 Rem (a Remington pump) when the Grandpa passed away last year. We invited the boy to deer camp with us and went target shooting a few weeks before to get him sighted in. I researched this caliber a bit and learned that it's been around for a long time and killed many deer (and black bear). Ballistics are similar to 30-30 but many swear the 35 Rem hits harder. Also many swear by the 200 grain bullets, which is what the Grandpa had used and what we sighted in with. So it's an Old School caliber that's killed plenty of whitetails and will do just fine with the traditional ammo if your shots are 100 yds or so. Good Luck!