Got my doe permits today!

[NYH1]

 Yesterday my son (10) asked me if I was going to get doe permits this year.  I haven't gotten them in a few years.  Just don't think about it until I get my hunting license a few days before deer season opens in the northern zone.  By then it's to late.  Today was the last day to put in for doe permits.  I picked him up from school and we went to Gander Mountain and got them.  7J was my first choice (I hunt hogs and deer there) and 7F was my second choice.  I wanted one for 7M, but the first choice was medium and the second choice was none.  I split most of my hunting between 7J and 7M.  They border each other.  The areas I hunt in them two areas are allowing rifles this year for big game thankfully. . . . .I hate slug guns!  7F is my home area, and slug guns or muzzle loaders are required.  The choice for both first and second choices were both high so I took the chance and put in for it.  I hunt my home area when I decide to go hunting at the last minute or don't feel like driving a half hour so I just say around home.  Hopefully we'll get one this year.  It's been a few years for me.
 
NYH1!     

[LanceR]

NYH1, you've got to be fairly close to me.  Our farm is in Sennett, halfway between Auburn and Skaneateles.  We are in 7F but 7J starts just south of us across US Route 20.

Good luck with deer hunting this year.

Lance

[NYH1]

I'm in the Syracuse area.  I hunt up in Happy Valley until the southern zone opens.  Shot my last deer at Happy Valley.  Then I split my hunting time between the Preble/Scott area and the Morgan Hill area.  If I don't feel like driving a half hour, I usually hunt in the Cicero Swamp area.  I'm going to try to find a few more areas around my house to hunt.  As much as I HATE using a slug gun, some times I don't have a choice.
 
NYH1.

[LanceR]

I could never find a slug rifle I was happy with until I got my first Savage 210F 12 gauge bolt gun.  It needed a trigger job to get down to 4# but shot a couple of different slugs very well.  For some years I used the 2-3/4" Remington Copper Solids with good results and roughly 1-1/2 to 2" 100 yard groups.

When the 20 gauge 220 slug gun came out I jumped on it for the sake of 3/4# less weight and less recoil.  It has the Accutrigger and shoots 3" Federal Barnes 5/8 oz. tipped Expanders into 1" groups as long as I point it in the right place.  Last year I shot five shots at five deer and dropped them all within 60 yards.  One had already been shot and was out of sight of the buddy who had already hit it so I dropped it for him.

It will shoot that load to around 165 yards with the slug staying no more than 3" above or below the line of sight.  There aren't too many places around CNY where you need more range and most folks shouldn't be shooting that far anyway if my experience watching them  trying to sight in a 25 and 50 yards is and indication.

Post back if you want to try mine to see if it is something you might be interested in.

Since they are built on a Savage 110 rifle frame they act and shoot like a centerfire rifle.  The price is pretty good too.  Bass Pro had them for around $400 (I think $378 in a flyer?) a while back.

Lance

[NYH1]

Sorry for the slow response.  I have a 11-87 20 ga. with a 21" rifled barrel with the cantilever scope setup.  It's about 3/4 lbs. lighter then my 11-87 12 ga. set up the same way.  I like both shotguns.  This year I'll probably use the 20 ga. because I took my Leupold VX-II 2-7x33mm off my 12 ga. to put on my new 7600 Carbine 30-06 Spr.  Things are very tight right now so I'm not going to be able to buy another scope before the southern zone opens.  I'm not going to take the scope off the 20 ga., might as well use it the few times I'll hunt in the land of slug guns. 
 
A friend of mine has a bolt action 12 ga. slug  with a rifled barrel.  I can't remember if it's a Browning or Savage.  He loves it.  I do most of my hunting in counties that allow rifles so I'm all set.  My 11-87's work for the few times I'll use them.
 
NYH1.   

[LanceR]

The older Brownings are good rifles, to.  They have 12 gauge recoil though and cost a lot more than the Savage.  The new Browning is 2 or more times the cost of the Savage and does not seem to shoot as well but since I'm relying on what others who have shot them say I don't know that as a fact.  I do like the availability of a walnut stock on the Browning but don't think it's worth $4-500 more.

If the 20 gauge 11-87 is a dedicated slug rifle you might want to take it to Dave Klotz, the gunsmith in Weedsport.  He has a few patents that deal with making them shoot better and pins the barrel to the receiver to end any movement.  That seems to tighten up the groups even more from what appears to be an already pretty consistent shooting gun.  Most of the guys I know with 11-87 deer guns love them and several have had Dave tweak them.

Good luck.

Lance

[NYH1]

Yeah I know Dave from when he used to work in Solvey.  Good gun smith.  He's supposed to be pretty good with 1911's too. 
 
Both my 11-87's have cantilever scope mounts and the barrels get switched.  I've thought about getting the Timney trigger kit for them.  I believe the kit works in the 870, 1100, 11-87 and 7600 rifles.
 
I won't setup a dedicated slug gun now.  Probably 75% or more of my deer hunting is with a rifle.  Taking the new 7600 Carbine out tomorrow! 
 
NYH1!