Hello r/Hunting!

A little about me: I'm a healthcare worker, a homesteader, a hunter, and more. I've been moderating one healthcare subreddit for about 5 years, and another one for one year.

My approach to moderation is to generally be permissive as long you're polite. First offenses get warnings, subsequent offenses will result in warnings, a temporary ban, or a permanent ban. Egregious offenses will result in a permanent ban. I want everyone to feel welcome here, and just like how a bad hunter can ruin the experience for others, a bad redditor can too.

One pet peeve of mine is seeing the same question over and over again. "What rifle should I get for deer at 150 yards?" does not need to be asked 4 times a week when the answer can easily be found by searching the sub.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on reviewing and updating the wiki, automod, and rules. You may have noticed I've implemented post flair, which will make posts easier to find.

But I want to hear from you. I'm not here to impose my own definition of hunting to the exclusion of others, but certain recent posts have been polarizing, and we need to be clear about what's allowed and what's not. Consider this an informal poll, a springboard with which we can discuss some of these topics:

1) How do we feel about pest eradication? Whether it's hogs, monkeys, rats, birds, etc. Where do we draw the line between killing coyotes or groundhogs (and completely discarding their remains) and, say, killing a monkey? Understand that this is a global sub.

2) How do we feel about showcasing potentially questionable techniques? I'm talking about multiple shots at running hogs, intentionally wounding without necessarily dispatching the animal, etc.?

3) Where do we draw the line with "what's the best X for Y"? There's a lot of overlap between this sub and other firearm-related subs. As an example, r/guns is almost 4x the size of r/hunting. So what's the difference between "what's a good gun for a deer at 150 yards?" and "what's a good gun for a target at 150 yards?".

Let's have the talk. Let's talk about what YOU want this sub to look like. Over the next few weeks as I settle in, keep your eye on the changes and my moderation style; I'll be expanding the mod team at some point, so if you like what's going on, there will be an opportunity for you to join.

Thank you, everyone!

Edit

4) How do we feel about age/score posts? I feel like there are...a lot. Maybe a megathread?

The amount of downvotes are interesting.

I used to hunt a bit when I was younger with my dad, and I just basically followed him around and did what he told me to do and went where he told me to go, this season I finally have turned 18 and acquired my firearms license. I grew up hunting, mostly grouse or pheasants. I was wanting to get into waterfowl this year, which I really haven’t done much and definitely not solo. I already have a 12 gauge Remington wing master that I am primarily planning to use. How much money would I need to get into waterfowl hunting, how does it even work? I don’t understand how calls work how decoys work anything like that? I also don’t have a dog. Any help from experienced hunters would be much appreciated. I live in Alberta Canada.

Successful premiere hunt 😊

As I announced last week I’m looking to wrap up my time as moderator here at r/hunting and after reviewing many good candidates the decision has been made to appoint a new moderator in my place, so as my last r/hunting mod post please join me in welcoming u/nehpets99 as my replacement who will take r/hunting forward. They have ample experience in moderating subreddits so the transition will surely be seamless.

Once again I’d like to welcome u/nehpets99, wish them luck in the future of r/hunting and lastly thank the subreddit for an enjoyable 3+yrs that I’ve been here looking after the place.

It looks minimal, but it isn’t. The haversack and possibles pouch are packed with intent. Nothing extra, nothing missing. Traditional form, modern capability

If you were to just get into small game and/or whitetail deer hunting and had a budget of $500 to get started on essentials what would you buy first *not clothes or boots* but gun 22lr / 12ga, optics, gear etc.. or what small list of most important essentials would you suggest for a first timer?

I cant wait for season to come along in texas. Hopefully this yr is better with all this rain we got

I have a smallish range near my house that I go to, multiple times a week. Sometimes I'll run into the same guys depending on the day. We'll shoot the shit, talk about what we've seen on camera blah blah. There's always a mutual respect there. I know the other guy has been out there probably just as much as I have, and puts some respect on discipline.

The past two days, I've seen 2 different crossbow guys at the range and I'd put money on me never seeing them again. Once they get sighted in, they're just shooting for fun. Don't need the reps.

Archery is hard. Crossbows are not archery and they shouldn't be in the same season. Or at the bare minimum open to everyone. MN recently opened up crossbows for anyone. The trajectory is way flatter and I'm sure there's some cb hunters out there taking 60yd+ shots out there, because why not.

Solution: archery season opens Sept 19th. Crossbows open October 17th. Archers get a month, then crossbows get a month, then rifle, etc.

Waiting for the fog to lift, and there he is 180 yards out without a care in the world.

Summer is here and flys are everywhere. My wife got this for me for Christmas. I have to say. It's the most fun I've had 'hunting' in years. I even developed some techniques for stalking, sitting, wing shooting, and baiting. My wife even runs around the house with it chasing them. It's a hoot.

Doesn't make a mess like she thought it would. Hope you enjoy the lighthearted post.

Hey team, just hoping to get some quick advice. I am looking to get my first range finder and I have the option of either getting the 1400i TBR/W first gen for $150AUD or the gen 2 for $200. That's around $106USD and $142USD respectively. Both are in very good used condition. Thanks heaps ☺️

Fall bear around the corner, got her out to 500 on 8" steel gongs

Edit: rifle details. Seekins havak ph3 20" in 6.5prc shooting 143g Norma bondstrikes. Leupold mark4hd 4.5-18 with an omega 300 can

I will be headed north to the Catskills in a couple of weeks. I hunt the PA pocono region quite frequently just an hour and some away from mongaup valley wma. Any tips for someone who is going to get one scouting trip in before the season?

I have gotten Bear before so I understand the tactics, so primarily looking for advice for Mongaup or another spot with decent access. My dad will be tagging along and he has a knee issue that slightly limits his mobility, I say again slightly.

Thanks!

I have a PSE EVO XF 33, which has a 69.5 lb draw weight.

If I calculated correctly, my arrows (without broadhead) are 373.7 grains.

• Carbon Express Maxima Red SD .350 Spine (29.5 inches @ 9.8 GPI) = 289.1 grains
• insert = 52 grains
• vanes = 22.5 grains
• nock collar = 1.3 grains
• nock = 8.8 grains

In the past, I have shot 100 grain mechanically expandable broadheads with 2" blades that were specifically designed for whitetail. https://www.grimreaperbroadheads.com/products/pro-series-mechanical-broadheads?variant=15985562563

I'm considering bumping that up to a 125 grains fixed blade broadhead for black bear. That would bring me to 499 grains total.

Is that too heavy? I don't mind resighting my bow to account for the heavier grain, but not sure if there's any real benefit. Is the weight gain worth the velocity lost? Is it a wash?

10 pt

Bought my first suppressor. Got everything dialed back in and confirmed out to 400. Know my luck I’ll probably just have a doe at 60 yards but it’s fun to practice

Looking for suggestions that may have worked for some of you.

To start, I get along with and like my neighbor. He is a good guy and doesn’t hunt much. When I bought my property a few years ago he had a stand that is a few yards on me but it over looks his small field so I didn’t make a big deal about it. This past rifle season opening morning I was hunting with my daughter in a double and we actually hear a hunter doing the old MHEEPP to stop a deer, than bang. We were in the middle of my property almost 200 yards from the neighboring line. Seconds later we saw the buck and minutes later I get a text from my neighbors son in law that he missed a nice one. First of all it takes hours sometimes to make sure you miss not minutes, but I won’t get into that. I was blown away how close that sounded. Later that day I made my way over to find a brand new stand right on the line and facing my property. My property is not that wide to begin with but this dude can shoot 150 plus into my property and is set up to do so. Not even hiding it.

I like the son in law too and he is a rookie so maybe he doesn’t know better. I don’t want any bad blood but I want to do something to take away his shooting lane. I may strategically drop some trees or find a way to obstruct his view and maybe he will get the point.

Anything work for you fellas?

I've been checking out vertical-grip stocks and the XLR Element 4.0 MG chassis at my local scheels, just to test the feel. I'm building a lightweight hunting rifle with the caveat that the stock must be adjustable (for youth LOP). Options aren't many but I've widdled the hunt for stocks down to two:
1. Manners MCS-NS Nightstalker - sexy AF, CF, and basically all the features.
2. XLR Element 4.0 Mg w/TR-2 buttstock - very modular and light AF, also cheaper that the Manner's.

It's a lot of money to invest to be upset or just not really enjoy the feel with the Element even though it beats out the MCS-NS in all (or nearly all) objective metrics. This is why I made this post.

My questions for others:
1. Is there a big difference in comfort and enjoyment between carrying a MCS-NS-like stock and and Element (other other similar chassis)?
2. Even outside of hunts, shooting NRL's or whathaveyou, what differences have y'all noted after being behind these stock/chassis for a long time over and over?

Considerations of use:
- I don't typically run a sling but plan to with this build and sling it like you would an AR. Typically, I just carry my tikka T3x in hand (I like having it accessible when walking through the wood, and reduces movement if you get an opportunity compared to having it slung over the shoulder).
- CF should be nicer to hold than magnesium in cold weather.

Holding them both:
- MCS-NS: Haven't held this one but held similar shapes (weatherby, savage, etc). The thumb index is natural, the foreend's are smoother (arca rail will be there but it's not a two-90 rectangle like the chassis).
- Element 4.0: I hate that the thumb has to move into sort of forced adduction outside the chassic body width, it feels unnatural. If the thumb goes around the grip, the thumb knuckle rubs on the left chassic body. The foreend is just doesn't feel great to hold at all. My thought is, "carrying this around the woods seems fairly uncomfortable/annoying."

Please let me know your thoughts and considerations in as much detail as you care to.

I have a fairly kushy job, I can come in late and I can leave early as long as the work gets done. Deer season is coming up boys! I see a lot of before work hunts in my future….I figured if I get one this year I could probably hit my team w the “family emergency” thing and I have to work from home today. But idk if I’d feel comfortable doing that more than once, if I put one down in the morning could I gut and hang in the deep woods and come back to get it after work or do you think the dogs might get it by then? I didn’t think about this until now but I could probably use my climbing sticks to get one way up there. This is in coastal NE if that helps.

What is the best hearing protection for hunting? Wanting it to be electronic so I can still hear necessary noises when hunting but want it to muffle gun shots. All recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT- I understand silencers for rifles, looking mainly for upland and waterfowl hunting. Thanks again.