Favorite Calibers & Guns for New England Hunting

[Bossloper]

Just a fun post to get folks talking about their beloved hunted partners. :-)

My arsenal consists of the basics. A few .22 riles & revolvers, a couple shotguns, lever actions in 45 Colt & 35 Remington, a single shot 357 maximum and S&W revolvers in 38spl & 44mag as well as a .50 caliber inline & flintlock. But I do love to hunt with bow & black powder as well and do lots of that too. If I'm small game hunting I have one of the .22's with a .22 revolver as well. If it's bigger game, then so is the rifle & revolver.

Small Game: Semi-auto or BA .22lr or BA .22mag

Birds & Waterfowl: 12ga SxS or Marlin Goose Gun

Coyote: BA .22mag

Turkey: Bow or 12ga. I wish rifles were legal in Maine  

Deer: Bow, Lever in 45 Colt, 35 Remington or single shot in 357max or 44 revolver

Bear: Bow, Lever in 45 Colt, 35 Remington or single shot in 357max or 44 revolver

Moose: Will be one of the above if I ever get drawn.  

[Savage_99]

You did not include a woodchuck rifle!  I started out in the early 50's and woodchuck hunting was the greatest rifle sport.

Now the darn coyotes have eliminated that sport.  What a shame.

My primary deer rifle has been a 99F in .358 for the hills of VT.  As of late, due to my old age, I have got lighter rifles like the Kimber 84M's.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

 ;)While I have never hunted New England proper, I have hunted on and off for 50 years in Penna. I guess the conditions in that state are similar to other northern states. I have traveled though most of them. One thing I have noticed that is present in Pa. that seems to be absent from other states in that region is the interest in long range shooting at either woodchucks or deer. By long range I mean shooting at over 500 yards for this game. Pa. always seemed to be a hot bed of long range riflemen. But when I hunted there it was always with more conventional weapons and conditions.
 Small game- usually an 870 12 ga. for grouse and ringnecks. A 39 A for squirrel and a .22Hornet also. Rabbits in that country were usually shot with shotguns infront of hounds. Normally, a shotgun with about 1 1/8 oz. of #5 or 6 was the medicine used. This type of hunting in the area I hunted is about a thing of the past due to lack of cottontails.
Coyotes/woodchucks-All of my coyote hunting has been in the west. If I were to call in Pa. I would probably use my BPS 10 ga. with BB shot. For chucks, I have three favorites. A .22 Hornet, .222, and .22-250 what I used depends on the farm I am hunting.
Turkey-I only hunt the fall there rifles are legal. So a .222 or 223 has been my favorite for my fall turkey hunts.
Deer-Never hunted with bow or blk. powder, Shot my first with a 94 .32 Special that is my Dad's now mine. The most deer were taken with a model 54 .30-06 that was by Grandfathers.. But I have also used 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm Wea. Mag., my old .300 Win.,and my .25-06. Most of my hunting has been in areas of old strip mines, clear cuts etc. Shots were longer than those of the stump sitter, or tree stands in the timber. I think the last one was about 250 yards with the little .25-06. This fall will be 50 years since my first hunting license, so I think I will carry Grandfathers old .30-06.
Bear-When I visit Pa. I usually only take a few rifles and sometimes make hunts in between so what I have is what I use.  Pa. has some huge bear. Several around 800 pounds have be taken. Of course for every huge one, hundreds of small bear down to cubs are killed. So I usually use the rifle I have brought back for hunting deer.
No moose, but elk are hunted here. I never put in for a permit due to the fact I hunt them every year in Wy.

[wild country]

I would have to say...............

.223 for yotes, 50 gr vmax if you want the hides.........

30/06 for deer bear and moose.

recurve 55-60lbs deer bear moose

12ga ducks geese partridge as well as yotes

.50 cal for deer bear and moose

[bigbore442001]

I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day. He used to hunt but I made the comment as the topic arose. If someone were to ask me what would be the best advice for someone deer hunting in Massachusetts I would tell them the following. I would hunt heavily during the archery season. It is six weeks long and you are unlikely to see anyone else for that matter. Then I would use that knowledge if I didn't get anything and hunt the opening day of shotgun season all day long. After the first day or two of shotgun season it all goes down hill.

I do most of my deer hunting with the bow but I still use other means. So not to get off tangent.

Wild Turkey: H&R 12 guage with a 3 1/2" chambering and a Leupold scope mounted on it. Other than that, I use my Bowtech Guardian compound bow. I ma impressed with bowhunting turkey out of a ground blind and I believe that is the way it will be done from now on.

Whitetailed deer: In shotgun only Massachusetts, the same shotgun for turkey but with a 4" rfiled choke tube in place using Federal slugs. It shoots very well and since I hunt out of a treestand 99% of the time I will only get one shot. My usual armament is again my Bowtech Guardian compound bow.

In Connecticut where I have permission to hunt private land with the rifle it is a Remington M700 in 30-06 with a Leupold scope. During muzzleloading season I use a TC Black Diamond .50 with a Burris 2.5x scope and see through mounts. I like that rifle because I won it at our club raffle. Shoots very well.

Out of state I like to handgun hunt. I love my TC Contender with a Super 16" 45-70 barrel and a Burris scope. I have taken deer, black bear, wild boar and moose with it.

Varmints. Well, I can handgun hunt for varmints in Massachusetts and Connecticut. TC Contender with a 22 WRM barrel or 223 for coyotes. I also play with the 22 Horent but not as much as I like to.

[cwlongshot]

  I have grown very fond of the pistol caliber rifles for hunting deer here in Connecticut. We have some large enough tracts of land but this state is shotgun only for state land. If you get private land permission and its over 10 acres, you can hunt with centerfire rifles. I am lucky enough to have a couple private pieces, but most are surrounded with houses. I plenty safe, I stay clear of them and never shoot in their direction when I can see them. Also the noise of the hi power guns. Better off they dont realize I am here. Not speaking of land owner, REMEMBER I HAVE PERMISSION AND AN COMPLETELY LEGAL.  I speaking of the home owners with their 1/4 acre lots abutting/surrounding the property I hunt on. I REALLY like my 45 Colt, 357 Max for these properties.  SO in keeping with your outlines:

DEER state land:  shotgun 12/20 gauge

DEER Private land:  45 Colt/357Maxi

Turkey/Waterfowl:  12Ga Rem 870 3.5"

Summer varmints:  17HMR/22H, 223Rem.

Winter varmints: What ever I am carring OR my 223 Rem.   

Small game:  25/20 and 32/20 for private. and 22RF for state.

CW

[Doublebass73]

I live in Central New Hampshire in a rifle area but I plan on hunting mostly with my 20 gauge single shot NEF for deer this year because I hunt mostly thick woods and shots are just about always less than 50 yards. Hunting deer with the 20 gauge gives me the added benefit of being able to bring birdshot rounds and take the occasional partridge if I want. For rifle hunting I love the classics - 30-30, 32 Special or 35 Remington.

For small game I plan on going out with my 7 year old son this fall and hunt with single shot .22's.

[Savage_99]

;)While I have never hunted New England proper, I have hunted on and off for 50 years in Penna. I guess the conditions in that state are similar to other northern states. I have traveled though most of them. One thing I have noticed that is present in Pa. that seems to be absent from other states in that region is the interest in long range shooting at either woodchucks or deer. By long range I mean shooting at over 500 yards for this game. Pa. always seemed to be a hot bed of long range riflemen. But when I hunted there it was always with more conventional weapons and conditions.

Most of my hunting has been in New England.  I have had a 'camp' in VT since 1964 and I live in CT and hunt here too along with other states.   I have taken two bucks in Western PA as well.

I have some long range rifles such as a 264 M70 Westerner however it seems that when I lug it to some field nothing shows up.  Perhaps its the lack of long rifle ranges here in CT that has made it difficult for me to practice and get interested. 

Long range chuck hunting has always been popular here in New England.  In 1957 I bought a new M70 Varmint model in 243!
I do have a laser RF as well.

A treasured and well used gun is my Sauer drilling 8-57JR-16 ga.  I have used it for the bird and bear seasons in VT and elsewhere since I got it in the 60's.  The bear season there used to open in April and even now its open all fall from Sept.  What a gun.

I have other target, schuetzen, varmint and big game guns.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Pretty sharp looking drilling.  That 264 was pretty popular in Pa. among the long range shooters.Especially when it first hit the market. I have always wondered if the mts. and road systems in Pa. had much to do with the development of the long range shooting cult there.

[Savage_99]

Certainly long range hunting has become a major topic on the net forums.

Now there are lasers to measure the range and other devices.   We have a long range 'club' here now I suppose, you and I.  Thats what it takes and then someone may try it who had not thought of it as a way to get their game.

As for myself I would rather shoot them up close on game.   On woodchucks we shot at all ranges.

Prior to opening day I had found a spot with a terrific view and I lugged my 270 WSM or whatever I had that day along with a bipod and the laser there in the dark for opening day AM.   There was a  guy already in my spot!  He was sitting there with a Remington 740.

I took a spot where I could still see some of the field.   After a few moments he got up and walked by me saying his gun was jammed.  I reclaimed 'my' spot.   Nothing showed all day.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  99, I would have to look back at my notes, but it has been years since I shot a deer that I had to hold over.  In open country i usually use a 7 or 30 cal. mag. Elk seem to get more long shots than deer, but they are a whole lot bigger. Still one can hold on an elk and take him at 400 yards with a 30. cal. so I guess that would not really qualify for a long shot when I held on the elk. I have watched some open country in Pa. when hunting deer, but a truely long shot never came there, maybe a couple hundred yards. Most of my long shots come at coyotes, and when I hunted woodchucks in Pa.  But I still like the long range stuff. How does that .264 work??? I used one quite a bit, then the barrel was pretty worn and I had it rebarreled to something else.

[Savage_99]

As I say I don't hunt big game much at long range as I don't need to.  I have had the Westerner for decades and I now 'have' a 270 WSM, a 7mm WSM and have had a 300 HH for a long time too.  I don't use them much. 

If the only way to get a deer was long range then I would do it.

Here is a very nice rifle that I picked up.   Its an 06 made by an old smith.  Its set looking at some fine deer country.  Most of the shots there are in the 125 to 250 yd range.  I hope to use that nice old Mauser there soon.

[cwlongshot]

Those are two very purdy rifles you have posted there savage. Mauser's hold a special place for me, nice ones with good wood are even more special.
VERY NICE!!

CW

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

   99, That is a pretty 06. I have an old one my Grandfather had. It was a 54. The stock had lots of drop, so I had it restocked with maple. The guy who did it was a fine craftsman. I will have to learn to post photos. I really like nice wood. Have several custom or semi custom rifles. What are you going to shoot in the old 06?? I plan to use Granddads' gun this fall if I hunt Pa. It will be my 50 hunting season. So it is fitting I give it an outing.    Is your H & H a model 70?? Had a couple of those in model 70 and a couple in 721. Kind of wish I had kept one in 721...

[Savage_99]

Westerner,

Thanks for your compliments on that 30-06 Mauser.  I got it recently from a dealer for a good price.   Two smiths here say that it looks as if it was made by Dietric Apel.

It has a 22" octagon barrel, a Argentine 1909 action with a Dakota safety.  The scope is a VX11 2-7.   I shot it today with some 165 Coreloks and it did 1.5" at 100 yds.   It shot a very small group with the 155 Berger VLD's!   

It has a problem with its extractor droping random empties.  It will go to the smith soon.

The 300 HH I have is a pre 64 M70.   Its mostly a collector but its sighted in and has loads ready.

[tony212]

 Most of my hunting, Turkey, deer in massachusetts, is with a Remoington 1100 12ga.
 Bear and deer in VT is with an H&R .30-06. I also have a .223 barrel for the H&R that I put on during the winter months and summer for coyotes.  I have other guns and have used them often, but these are my main three.
Tony

[cwlongshot]

   

It has a problem with its extractor dropping random empties. 

Mauser claws can be adjusted or easily replaced with a new one. Brownells has them.
 
 I love the Mauser bolt, I also have a couple of these fine bolt actions, built on the 1909 Argentine action.  As well as mostly stock, Fabrique Nationale, 96, 94, VZ-24 and a Gew 8mm. All, fine firearms.

CW

[Savage_99]

   

It has a problem with its extractor dropping random empties. 

Mauser claws can be adjusted or easily replaced with a new one. Brownells has them.
CW

The so called Mauser extractor from Brownells was small in height and length.  It would not fill the slot when you look at the 1909 action from the side.   I sent it back.

Then I  bought a 'new' Mauser extractor from some site.  I had it put on and it compressed the collar so much that the bolt is not easy to lift or close.  Also that extractor rubs on the inside of the action.  Overall it is not good at all and on top of that the extractor drops extracted empties onto the top of the follower.

I will take a pre 64 M70 over a 'mauser' anyday!

[cwlongshot]

I have this extractor in at least two on my 1909's. Neither was a drop in, they need to be fit and tuned.

The early pre '64's are nice.. but they still are just a copy. 

CW