Author Topic: Game finders. (Read 744 times)

PEPAW · « **on:** December 16, 2005, 04:11:15 AM »

Anybody use one or has used one to find downed game? Sounds like a good insurance to have with a bad blood trail.

thanks,

pepaw

Don Fischer · « **Reply #1 on:** December 16, 2005, 05:17:56 AM »

I should probally keep my mouth shut here. The best down game finder I ever saw was a well placed bullet that get's it's job done! It's one reason I strongly disagree with the small bore fans using 24 and 25 caliber's on game up to elk. A good bullet well placed work's every time. Most claimed failure's are more likely bad shot's, poor calibre selection or poor bullet selection. Seldom does anyone admit to bad shot's or poor cartridge selection.

Chuck White · « **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2005, 06:27:41 AM »

I had one once!
I thought it would be a good thing! Wanted to use it during the bow season! Well it never did work for me! One of our guys shot a deer and I got the Game Finder out and covered the area pretty well and never did find the deer with it! We ended up getting some extra bodies and combed the area and found the deer within 15-20 feet of where I had been! I ended up sending the GF back to the dealer for a refund!

I think the trouble was, during bow season, everything is warm and warm is what triggers the GF!

I think that the GF would be a good thing in cold weather, where the deer will be a lot warmer than the surrounding area, vegetation, etc!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 16, 2005, 08:29:47 AM »

Quote from: Chuck White

I had one once!
I thought it would be a good thing! Wanted to use it during the bow season! Well it never did work for me! One of our guys shot a deer and I got the Game Finder out and covered the area pretty well and never did find the deer with it! We ended up getting some extra bodies and combed the area and found the deer within 15-20 feet of where I had been! I ended up sending the GF back to the dealer for a refund!

I think the trouble was, during bow season, everything is warm and warm is what triggers the GF!

I think that the GF would be a good thing in cold weather, where the deer will be a lot warmer than the surrounding area, vegetation, etc!

I have one and it does not work in warm weather. The tree's will gather heat from the day and set the game finder off. Now it will work in real cold weather, but if there is snow on the ground, a good blood trail is a lot better.

Don Fischer, you are so right, a well placed shot is the bets thing.

PEPAW · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2005, 03:43:33 AM »

Thanks guys. The poor blood trail we had this year was in short sleeve weather, so I guess that a GF would have been a waste. Luckily, it was a short sucessful search before dark.

I agree with good shot placement. But if you shoot enough deer and hogs, one of them will not leave a perfect blood trail. I also like to bowhunt and a GF seems like a good idea if it was always cold on your hunts. Our bow season temps can easily be in the 80' or 90's however.

pepaw

grousehunter · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2006, 04:16:27 PM »

if a person was to practice 1 shot 1 kill there would never be a need for a GF, luckily I have never had to trail an animal futher than a couple hundred yards!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2006, 12:46:40 AM »

Quote from: Marty johns

if a person was to practice 1 shot 1 kill there would never be a need for a GF, luckily I have never had to trail an animal futher than a couple hundred yards!

Easy to say, even a well placed shot does not guarantee a good blood trail.
Also try to trail a wounded animal or a good hit animal into a marsh area with standing water. No trail and see how you do. It is not just a matter of one shot one kill, I am sure we all would like this theory but reality and real life situations sometimes don't allow for it. JMHO.

Daks · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2006, 07:22:23 AM »

http://www.deersearch.org/introduc.htm

Better than any game finder, if one is available to you.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #8 on:** March 27, 2006, 10:14:08 AM »

Quote from: Don Fischer

It's one reason isagree with the small bore fans using 24 and 25 caliber's on game up to elk.

So a .24 or .25 caliber is ok for game bigger than elk? Just kidding you Don, but I have to respectfully disagree with you on at least part of your statement.

I continue to hear the .243 bad mouthed for deer sized game. I guess your experience is different than mine but I've never lost a deer with it and only had 2 run out of the 50 or more I've killed with it.

Granted, our Tennessee deer arn't near a big as our northern neighbors, and maybe this is why I haven't seen a failure. Or, maybe it was the 1000's of rounds I shot while working up loads.....or maybe is was the hundreds of groundhogs and crows that I practiced on.

I would probably agree that elk are larger than what ought to be shot with a .243, but I don't have any experience with elk and not qualified to give a definate answer.

That said, in my experience, the .243 is a fine deer round. Are there better choices? Sure, depending on the situation.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #9 on:** March 27, 2006, 10:53:35 AM »

Naw Victorcharlie, I just have this thing about the 243. I know what it's capabile of but feel the need to bash it now and then. But I've known people that use it on elk. I'm absolutely sure it'll kill an elk and I'm also absolutely sure there's lot's better choice's.

In my experience, larger cal bullet's, 6.5 and up, are better at putting animals down quickly. I say that being a big fan of the 25-06. I had a deer with a well placed shot from a 25-06 w/117 gr Hornady at about 50 yds, run off about 25 yds once. Now that's not bad but with my 6.5's 7mm's and 308's, I've never had them go that far with a well placed hit. Note I said "well placed".

victorcharlie · « **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2006, 11:15:00 AM »

I started using the .243 while a teenager. I had little money and wanted a gun that would allow deer hunting but would be a good long range crow and groundhog gun. A fellow could only kill one deer a year back in those days, but groundhogs, crows and such was open year round, no limit......needless to say, most of my shooting would be at something other than deer.

I started deer hunting with an old 1895 Argentine mauser in 7X57. I paid $27 for it and it would shoot straight on a clean barrel, but would through "sliders" every shot after that. I killed my first deer with it but it was about useless as a groundhog rifle. I do belive that for pure deer hunting, a 7X57 is about as good as it gets......hence the 7mm/08 which is about the same cartridge.

I've always had a .243.....although I now carry a .35 remington in the deer woods.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #11 on:** March 28, 2006, 04:20:11 AM »

Victorcharlie,

I've been thinking about this 243 thing and find it strange that the 308 win is my favorite 30 cal and have never been crazy about the 30-06. But get this, for everything smaller, for me anyway, it need's to be made on a 30-06 case, not the 308! Not sure why that is?

victorcharlie · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2006, 08:43:07 AM »

I'm much the same way, we all have preferences that have been built over the years and some time reading other posters opinions make me re-think things again.

For a guy that shoots at a deer once or twice a year, but wants to varmit hunt as well, then a .243 or 25.06 is a good choice.

rockbilly · « **Reply #13 on:** March 28, 2006, 04:06:42 PM »

It is kinda frowned upon here in Texas, but the best game finder I have ever seen (and I have seen some good ones) is mama's little 20 pound Poodle. He is small, but thinks he is the biggest, meanest dog around. I used him several times to find deer that hunters lost on my place.

I have bird hunted with full sized Poodles, they have a good nose and make great water dogs. I had never heard of anyone using the smaller Poodles, but discovered by accident that he could find game as well as any dog. I don't use hiom on hogs due to his size, but I'd bet he would be right in there if I let him.