Here it is the last day of 2006, and I need to apologize for not being more regular here for the last few weeks, but what with the trials and tribulations of events it has been almost an impossiblity to sit down and compose my thoughts. I resolve to do much better in 2007.

For those that don’t know, I am working a temporary job in a retail sporting goods establishment in the fishing and hunting department. Hours are rather varied, days are varied, and with the family coming in for the holidays from out of town, it has been hectic.

Ducks continue to flood into the western zone of Louisiana, and my duck hunting partner and I have done exceptionally well this season. That is an understatement of gargantuan proportions. We have managed to kill more ducks in the first split than we have in the past five seasons combined. Not a lot of mallards, only five greenheads in six hunts, but lots of gadwalls, widgeon, teal, and some pintails. And the number of birds we are seeing on a daily basis brings back memories of hunts from the early and middle 1970’s.

Weather in the Midwest continues to shoo them further south than they have been in years, and hunting friends of mine in western Arkansas also report that they are enjoying a fine season. Combine that with a later closing date, and this year will be one of the best in almost a decade.

The deer hunters here are also enjoying a good year with lots of hunters reporting multiple successes. What I find especially encouraging is the growing number of young hunters, those under the age of 16, who are enjoying the sport and the outdoors AND harvesting a deer. Youngest one I’ve heard of so far is 6 years old and took their first deer with a 243 caliber single shot rifle. Sounds to me like someone took the time to teach the youngster how to shoot. No report however, on how many hunters suffered a case of ‘buck fever’ and either missed the shot or didn’t get it off at all.

What all of us who hunt, shoot, fish, and otherwise enjoy the outdoors need to resolve to do is to take a youngster who otherwise wouldn’t normally be exposed to our love of the outdoor sports with us on one or more occasions. Teach them of the beauty and serenity of the outdoors, the ways of the woods and the water, how to shoot, fish, canoe, hunt and why it is important that we maintain the treasure that we currently enjoy.

To all of you, I want to wish you a very prosperous and Happy New Year. May you have the will power to keep all your resolutions. And keep on hunting and fishing.

Salvage33

Recently I have been involved in a “debate” over what caliber rifles are best for deer hunting. Most states have regulations regarding this subject, mandating minimums on calibers. Louisiana regulations state that it must be a centerfire cartridge.

Most of the people involved in this debate “believe” that a 223 is too small a caliber/bullet to use. As we all know, the 223 utilizes a 0.224″ diameter bullet. Same bullet is used in a 22-250, 220 Swift, 222 Remington, 222 Remington Magnum (a very fine cartridge), 224 Weatherby Magnum, and the 225 Winchester. Other smaller cartridges like the 22 Hornet, 219 Donaldson Wasp, and 219 Zipper also utilize this same diameter bullet. All that said, it is my contention that using a 223 Remington is okay to hunt deer with. Almost everyone else states that it is too small a cartridge to use on deer, their concensus being that the “smallest” caliber to use would be the 243 Winchester or 6mm Remington.

As most diligent hunters will agree, it is not the caliber as much as bullet placement. I have friends who will not use anything smaller than a 7mm Remington Magnum for deer. While this is a really fine round, for most hunting situations here, I think it is overkill, so to speak. Others won’t use anything under a 30 caliber cartridge….308 Win, 30-06, 30-30, etc. But this gets us back to my contention that bullet placement is key.

I have had the misfortune to have to help track a deer that was hit with a 30 caliber round, more than once, and found it at distances up to 1/2 mile from where it was shot. I have watched others nail one with a 223 Remington and have it drop in it’s tracks. I call that DRT…Dead Right There.

My brother, who happens to be an exceptional shot, has used the 223 Remington exclusively for deer for almost 17 years. He has never lost a deer, and almost everyone has dropped DRT. Again, it is bullet placement.

As for me, I shoot a custom 25-06 with 100 grain bullets. Been shooting it for over 35 years, and have had one deer take more than two steps after being hit. It took four steps because it was loping across a bean field when I took the shot.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of hunters who think caliber is everything, and my feeling is that they are not spending enough time at the range to hone their shooting skills and compensate for their lack of training and skill with caliber. I know one guy who has hunted deer here in Louisiana for several years with a 458 Winchester Magnum. He isn’t a good shot, doesn’t spend a lot of time at the range, and firmly believes that IF he hits one, it will go down.

Apparently some of the gun manufacturers have zeroed in on this which may account for some of the calibers these folks have introduced in the last ten years or so. Calibers like the Winchester Short Magnums, Remington Ultra Magnums come readily to mind. Not all of these are bad, and one of the ‘newer’ calibers developed and commercially produced are actually really good, combining great knock down power with reduced recoil is the 7mm-08. Ballistics for this round are really very good, with lots of different ammunition manufacturers developing bullets and cartridge loadings for it.

I would like to know what you think. Is a 223 Remington too small for deer? Or…is bullet placement the key?

To date, this has been the best duck hunting in several years. The weather has been harsh and cold in the northern states much earlier than usual, and this is helping to push the ducks further south, and frankly, while some people around here are complaining, those of us in the duck hunting community are ecstatic!

Right now, the season in the West Zone is closed. Between splits, and it gives us some time to do those things that our spouses want us to do. You know, like getting all the Christmas decorations out of the attic, stringing lights, going shopping with them, which is something I absolutely hate unless it is in a sporting goods store.

Most of the ducks we have taken so far are widgeons, gadwalls, teal, a few pintails, and some mallards. No “jewelry” on any of them, yet. Still, they are healthy and fat, having fed on the corn fields on the way down from Alberta and Saskatchewan, the Dakotas, and Kansas.

Geese have been moving south also, but have not had the opportunity at this point to take any. Large flights, some of them numbering as many as 200 in a flock have been seen way up high, several thousand feet up, all moving swiftly south and east, headed for the marshland and rice fields of south west Louisia and south east Texas. My spies down there are telling me that they are having a good season on both ducks and geese, and expect that the geese will get even better, and I have an invitation to head down there for a day or two of shooting snow’s.

Deer season has been good, with everyone I know who hunts them filling at least one tag. One of my co-workers killed the biggest deer I’ve seen around these parts in years. Really nice 11 point white tail, with massive antlers, and with some heavy palmation. It should run, by my guesstimate, in the 160’s. It was a little light, weight wise, as it appears that he had been ‘working’ extra hard during the rut. It still dressed at over 180 pounds. I’m hoping to get a picture of it up here as soon as he can email me a copy.

The Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries had a two day youth hunt, and one of the local clubs took advantage of that to sponsor a hunt for children with disabilities. Almost all of the children, some of them in wheel chairs, scored. I have to tip my hat to the men and women who came up with that, and pulled it off.

That’s about it for this day. Remember to exercise good safety habits while in the field, and try to take a youngster hunting.