caliber and round for white tails

View · by **chopper** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:35 am

Mossberg 500 12 ga with nikon slughunter scope, 300 gr sst hornandy sabot and if I get the opportunity for a closer shot Witness 10mm 180gr

View · by **Ghost** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:45 am

chopper wrote:and if I get the opportunity for a closer shot Witness 10mm 180gr

Good point, In addition to my Grendel, I'll also have my 460V with me just in case it makes more sense to take a shot right by my deerstand.

View · by **yukonjasper** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:33 am

I carry a handgun for wolf protection to and from the stand. The fixed blade Buck handed down from my father and grandfather before him is also available for duty beside gutting and skinning. Is that a concern for others?

View · by **chopper** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:55 am

Ghost wrote:
chopper wrote:and if I get the opportunity for a closer shot Witness 10mm 180gr

Good point, In addition to my Grendel, I'll also have my 460V with me just in case it makes more sense to take a shot right by my deerstand.

Holy crap kill and barbque in one squeeze of the trigger

View · by **goalie** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 11:11 am

I changed my mind. My Ruger Ranch in 300BO is coming to be my stalking rifle. More shots, just as handy as the Handi-rifle.

Plus, it's my only rifle that isn't blooded.

View · by **curteric** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 4:35 pm

Dan Wesson 445, 300 gr hard cast.

View · by **smurfman** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:10 pm

yukonjasper wrote:I carry a handgun for wolf protection to and from the stand. The fixed blade Buck handed down from my father and grandfather before him is also available for duty beside gutting and skinning. Is that a concern for others?

If you are talking about concern for wolves, not me personally. I see them on cameras and hear them regularly at the cabin from late summer to about New Year's but rarely see them in person. The wolves gather a couple hundred yards behind the cabin in late summer and hang around until the cubs are fit to travel. They aren't much of a concern for me though I sometimes worry about my dogs. There hasn't been a problem of any kind, not even close, unless one counts a wolf lifting its leg on the pump house wall one night a couple years back. Generally, they leave well enough alone, at least in the transition area the cabin is in.

View · by **xd ED** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:36 pm

I suspect it's far more likely to get struck by a falling tree limb, or lightning, than experiencing a wolf attack on a human.
Healthy wolves avoid humans.
Rabid and injured wolves are another matter, and even then, very rare; as in 1 or 2 attacks in the history of the state.

View · by **yuppiejr** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:01 pm

I had a bear trail me to my stand last year, eerie walking back to camp in the snow and picking up a second set of tracks next to mine in the fresh snow. I've heard of more bear encounters than wolves where we hunt, usually when someone stumbles into a den versus aggressive attacks though. I do not carry a sidearm, with an angry charging bear I'd rather take my chances with a long gun.

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View · by **yukonjasper** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:34 pm

I have been followed by a wolf a couple of times. I don't know the intent but not only did I hear the wolf or wolves behind me in the brush off the side of the trail, paw prints in the snow showed it was on my tracks for about 10 feet before heading back to the side of the trail. Tracks over boot prints are not uncommon. The guys I've hunted with for decades all have stories of being tracked. We all carry sidearms.
Not every year is it an issue. The range seems to ebb and flow. Some years lots of wolf tracks and no deer.

View · by **yukonjasper** on Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:35 pm

We hunt area 176. Togo bear river area.

View · by **smurfman** on Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:37 am

I know what you mean regarding wolves following you. I hunted around Buyck for 20 some years starting in the 70's and wolves weren't unusual. I've seen wolf tracks over mine many times and they worried me at first (being an avid reader of Jack London didn't help) but being around them enough has taught me wolves are curious and lazy like me. They seem to like checking out any new smells which brings them into quasi-contact with people. They also like taking the easy path so are often on trails wth people.

When a cousin married a guy from Babbit I learned more about wolves. They considered wolves more a pest than a threat and my views changed accordingly. I don't consider wolves harmless but the risk from them ranks far lower on my scale than most other things. I worry far more for my dogs than myself when out and about.

One of the neater experiences I had hunting was a couple years back when I watched a wolf come up the trail opposite the way I came into my stand. When it came to the T where I turned to the stand, his nose shot to the ground and then to the air searching for me. He then backtracked me several feet before turning around and going back to where I turned off and followed a couple feet towards the stand. He then spun around and took off into the woods opposite me.

What really amazed me is the wolf seemed to determine my direction of travel in those few feet, even though the scent was over 4 hours old. That got my attention and now I realize that is not unusual for them. This was in Pine County.

Bears are notorious followers, especially in the fall when baiting. I swear some follow behind the trailer waiting for me to leave to replenish a bait just so they can raid what's left. I've also found tracks following me but I think they are a bit more incidental as they like to walk a beaten path rather than push through the brush when given a choice. I would be a little more cautious with a late season bear following me as they tend to be males and are likely still looking for food. Bears are far more likely to attack humans though that risk is still mighty low.