TexasDeerHunter

Alabama ( aka: greatest country band ever, IMO ) have been long time supporters of St. Jude's . After their retirement, Randy Owen went solo to make that song and it definately will get your eyes to watering.

I absolutely agree that in most areas warm temps will limit daytime movement of whitetail. Let me paint a better picture of this: This guy was hunting in south Texas and the weather was a bit warmer than most of us like to hunt, he was watching several doe and a couple of bucks feed in front of him when he made the statement. It was'nt the fact that the warm weather was limiting deer activity, it was the fact he said they should be rutting but the weather was too warm. I do not claim to be an expert by any stretch , I feel this guy completely misinformed all who were watching. Some of us know better and some don't, the fact he claimed to be a whitetail expert is what kinda threw a wrench in my sprocket.

Maybe, based on his statement it definately did'nt sound that way. Here in Texas the temperature does not affect deer movement as much as it does up north , it is usually pretty warm during the peak. This guy was from Texas and hunting here when he made the comment, figured he should/would know better.

Very nice

I was watching a hunting show and the host, who had the caption " Whitetail Expert" under his name, commented that the deer they were hunting should be rutting now , but since it was warm outside they were not. Scientific data compiled over the last few years has proven that the temperature does not have any affect on the rut, it is the photoperiods ( amount of light in a day ) that onset the rut. This guy is a proclaimed expert , yet he is making statements like that. What we know is: Onset of the rut is caused by photoperiods ( not weather ) Most all breeding occurs at night The rut can last months ( peaks usually for 2 weeks ) If a doe is not successfully bred she will usually come back into estrus about every 28 days The gestation period of a whitetail is about 200 days A buddy shot a doe the last week of December, she was pregnant with twins nearly fully developed and close to birth. If you do the math theis deer was bred around June/July, and here it was about 100 degrees. This backs up the data that she came back into estrus after being unsuccessfully bred and the warm weather did not affect the breeding. It just bothers me that there are so called experts still giving out false information on national television . Just a pet peeve of mine and I needed to vent.

You may have seen the old Center of the U.S. motel right outside of Lebanon? My father in law bought it years ago and we use it as our hunting camp for deer and pheasant. Red Cloud has a place called the Palace that usually serves up some good steak.

I definately agree with a minimum post of 200, and agree there should be a check in time frame.However, I think it should be longer than 1 week after teams post since some folks may already be out on hunting trips and have no access to a computer.

Thanks, I will check it out.

I am looking to find some info public hunting or an outfitter who will set me and 3 buddies up in a drop camp for rifle mule deer. Thinking maybe Wyoming or Montana. Just looking for a good experience that does'nt cost a fortune. Any help is appreciated.

I would reccomend using a VX-3 of choice and standard duplex reticle, I am just not a fan of the B&C reticle because it feels like my scope picture is full of useless stuff ,try installing turret knobs. Develope a load and calculate data at the range so you become proficient with the adjustments. Look into the video by John Burns called "Beyond Belief" , it gives the information you need to get set up.

It's a pretty simple fix for the gunsmith, I definately reccomend letting a skilled gunsmith take care of it. The cost would be minimal.

Very Funny. I actually had that emailed to me a year or two ago. Surely there are several new incidents they could add for 2007.

Just wondering if we hunt near the same place. I hunt right near Lebanon in Smith County.

It's a possiblity, soak them in cold water for 24hours and then apply a whitening paste. Let dry over night and clean off the next day.

Where exactly in Kansas are you hunting?

I see that a couple of folks brought up a good point about ammo cost and availability. The .243 would be your best bet for those reasons, I recommended the .260 because of the versatility to shoot 100gr on up to 140gr. Like I stated before, it is hard to beat the .243. I also noticed some folks reccomending a couple of larger calibers ( ie: 35, 308, 270 ), while they may not think the recoil is too heavy , I don't think they are considerin that we are looking for a rifle for a beginner female. I am blessed to have the opportunity to guide hunts for several children and some new hunters each year and will tell you from experience that in most cases it is best to bring them in shooting a rifle or shotgun with very minimal recoil. I definately would not consider a rifle with a felt recoil energy of more than 10lbs.

That's great news.

Recoil will be affected by the load and the rifle, but here is some general info on recoil energy. .243 - about 8lbs .260 - about 10lbs .257 - about 10lbs .25-06 - about 12.5lbs .270 - about 18lbs As you can see, there is a considerable difference between the .270 and the others. I am a short action fan and would not reccomend the .270 for a woman. You can load the .260 with 100gr, 120gr, and 140gr bullets, so it is a pretty versatile round for coyote,pigs,pronghorn, and deer.

They look great...What method do you use? I am always looking for a better way to do mine.

The .257 is a great round with very minimal recoil, however, the .243 is hard to beat. The .257 shoots a 115gr bullet I beleive and most folks shoot an 80gr or so in the .243, so the .257 has a little more meat to the projectile. I think the .243 probably shoots flatter and would be my choice. As far as knock down, well a bullet does not actually knock down a deer. The direct shock to the central nervous system is what causes a deer to collapse, not the impact force of a bullet. The more energy transferred to the deer by the projectile betters your chances of shocking the nervous system and putting him on the ground. I am not certain without looking a ballistic table if the .257 delivers more energy than the .243.

I would recommend a Remington model 7 in .243 or .260.

Prayer's are sent.

I am a homebuilder / contractor

If you wants ballistics just go to an oline ammo site and look at a chart. I personally carry a .45 Colt Officer's Model, but the .40 is a good choice as well. As far as the brand, I would look at Glock, Springfield , Sig, and Kimber. There are alot of cheaper brands out there, but if you are looking for a personal defense gun then I would not risk my life to save some money.

Personally I have never killed a deer with a 44mag, but would consider it a great choice. However, I am a huge 357 fan and would have no issue recommending one. I will say that bullet selection and shot placement would be crucial. With proper loads I would say the 357 is just as effective as the 44. I don't know if it's an option, but I would highly reccomend the Freedom Arms .454 Casull.