Handsome Rob

Thanks guys, lots of good info there.

I have a .357 Rossi carbine that I'm wanting to deer hunt with, but I'm unsure what I should use ammunition-wise? Due to it being a handgun caliber, it seems that just about everything available is hollow point & I don't know if that will be OK out to 75yds (Don't even know if this maybe stretching things a bit) I've been advised that the Hornady Leverevolution would be ideal, but they seem to be pretty much unobtainable! I know I'd be better off with a .243 or .270, but I'm on a tight budget & I don't know if rifle hunting is something I'll do more than once. I've bow hunted for 12 years, but gun-hunting larger game is totally new to me. Can anyone offer any advice to a complete novice?

The Winchester Wildcat's a fantastic little rifle, straight from the box. Very accurate & a great triger (although non-adjustable, mine was set perfectly out of the box.)

Didn't think the rut kicked off down here until mid to late November??? Everyone I've spoken to says that right around Thanksgiving is usually getting to peak rut.

Does anyone know of anyone that's producing an aftermarket stock for the Winchester Wildcat .22? I have one (my first gun!) & I love it to death, but the LOP is tiny (10-1/2" I think) & I find it a little 'cramped' I'd love to get hold of a new stock if possible.

Opening day was a blast! Beautiful sunshine (when it rose) up on Bear Hollow. Got to position & into my ghillie suit at around 5.30 am. Got winded by 2 nice does at 6.15 & shot clean under a small 6 point at 7.00. Then the people arrived Got busted by a Church group out for a ramble. Gotta love hunting public land!

People who lie about the condition of an outboard motor on Craigslist & force me to drive 5-1/2 hours for nothing. I wouldn't mind so much, but I spoke to the guy on the phone 5 times before I decided to go & look at his boat with 'perfect running motor' Got there & the damn thing needed at least a grand spending on it. BASTARD!

Either one of these..... OR, one of these..... All are around 63# at my 30" draw Arrows are 340 spine Beman MFX with various 250gn broadheads. Total arrow weight of 678gn.

YouTube - Family Guy Grind My Gears

Slightly side-stepping, but not completely off topic; Anyone know how that rip-stop stuff is supposed to work? I've got a pair of ripstop pants for hunting & the first time I wore 'em, they ripped on a thorn. Seriously, how crap is that!

None taken! As far as I'm aware, Black Diamond bows are fantastic quality for the price. I used to shoot a Bowtech Allegience & a Guardian myself & I wouldn't have swapped either for any other compound on the market. Black Diamond are made in the same factory, by the same folks (as far as I can remember) out of slightly lower quality components than the Bowtech branded bows. I know a good few field & target shooters back in England that shoot Diamond bows & have great results with zero complaints

Just playing Devil's advocate here, but do you not already have a bow? If so, why do you want to change? Have you ever bowhunted before? Only reason I ask, is that I kinda get the impression that you've not done much, if any, bowhunting (If I'm wrong, please, please accept my sincerest apologies) Bowhunting can be one ofthe simplest forms of taking game known. I've harvested many, many animals with (literally) just a bent stick & string. You don't need the fastest/newest/shinyest bow to take game both legally or ethically. If this isto be yur first season, you would be far, far better served by shooting the bow you've go now & learning how it performs & then working with those limitations. If you ever watch the 'hunting' shows on TV, you could easily believe that you need to be a perfect shot out to 60 yards + & you need to shoot a 340fps IBO rated bow. Well, to use the English vernacular.....BOLLOCKS! Out of all my bows, I have 1 that shoots a hunting weight arrow at over 200fps (It chronos at 203 with a 683gn arrow) I have taken well over 100 animals both large & small, on 3 continents with only traditional gear. 90% of those animals were taken at well under 20 yards, some as close as 3 or 4. The trick to bowhunting, is to know your gear, accept it's limitations & do the best you can with what you've got. The more familiar you are with your bow, the better a hunter you'll become. As I say, Devil's Advocate, no insult to anyone intended.

He he he! Good sound advice though, thanks!

You want to try it from the perspective of a middle-aged foreign guy! I've hunted since I was 14 in the UK & as a visitor to the US, Australia, Europe & Africa. However, as a resident, getting my head around all the rules & regs for TN is unbelievably difficult! I feel like a 14 year old again, having to learn at 35 what most kids already know! The way the rules are worded, with no obvious explainatons, is mind-boggling. I still can't figure out when I'm allowed on any of the WMAs! Can I hunt anytime during the relevant season? Am I not allowed to hunt during quota hunts? WTF????? The sooner as I find a friendly farmer with +/- 200 acres of woodland, the better!

Yep, just done a Google search. Junk. Good fun in the back yard as a plinker, definately NOT a hunting crossgun.

If it's anything like Barnett's other crossbows it'll be junk. Low-end, cheap quality toys is pretty much all they are. Mind you, I have a personal loathing of all cross guns so you may want to seek other opinions.

I've been on the lookout for a .36 cal smoke-pole for a while for the skwerls. Any recommendations? I really do want to get into black powder (NOT inline stuff) hunting this next year, to compliment bowhunting.

Try hunting 'em with a longbow! It's about the most fun you can have I'll be out next weekend with my bow, a bucketfull of old arrows & a skwerl call. Mmmmmmmm skwerl stew....lovely!

Probably awesome, but I can't get the dadgum thing to download

Thanks Jason If you don't mind a link to another forum, here's the full blow-by-blow story of the hunt (Please delete if innapropriate) Trad Gang.com: Back from Namibia (Finally finished!)

All the time I've had animals at 3 yards look right 'through' me in ASAT. te 3D leafy suit is, to my mind, the best hunting camo money can buy. That said, I do like to mix up ASAT & Predator Spring Green or Fall Gray, usually pants of one pattern, top of the other.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I've spent 2 weeks looking for that dang study! I saw it via a Google search & couldn't locate it again

+1 here. I have lots & lots (& lots) of bows, none of which havewheels or sights Longbow & recurve only for me. Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

Personally speaking, I'd take the Muzzy Zero Effect rest over a whisker biscuit any day. It's a cable operated drop away rest that prevents arrow knock-off & doesn't rely on a tie to the cables. Bit of a pig to set up, but ultra-reliable, gives zero fletch contact & self-centres your arrow.

Piss in his exposed shoe. If that doesn't get him out your car, nothing will!