Big Game Hunting Tips

Note:  Please scroll down to the next posting if you don’t hunt.

I have had the pleasure of hunting big game for a long time, in the United States and Europe.  I have hunted with family, friends, and by myself.  Although I have not been successful every year, I have killed an antelope and quite a few deer; including a Roe Buck in Germany.

I hunt for the time in the out of doors, and to get away from the cares of everyday living. It is, however, also gratifying to harvest an animal.  Hunting is exhausting, and it helps burn off the effects of accumulated stress.  Just don’t take the fun out of it by putting so much pressure on yourself to “fill your tag” that you can’t enjoy the hunt.

I have learned a few things along the way that I would like to share with those who are thinking about going hunting this year for the first time.  They are a good review for those who have hunting experience as well.

First, if your spouse isn’t happy, nobody will be happy.  If you can, try to get your spouse interested in hunting with you, or at least coming along to enjoy the camping.  If that doesn’t work, be like ET and phone home once in a while.  I know that it feels like you are on a leash, but it will go a long way toward providing reassurance that you are not lost, hurt, or dead.  Now that we have cell phones, there will usually be a few times when you are in range and can call, without a lot of inconvenience.  If you are out of range, then so be it, but at least try to keep it in mind.  Also, do something nice for your spouse when you leave, and again when you get home.  Let your spouse know that you are not taking them for granted.  I’m using gender neutral terms here in recognition of the growing number of female hunters.

Try to involve your children.  Teach them to shoot.  Unfortunately, the way things are going it is going to get bad enough before the Lord returns that they will need to know how to shoot. Try to pass on the love of hunting to your kids, but don't compel the unwilling child.  Hunting and shooting are not for everybody.  They are a good way to have quality time with your kids, but be a patient teacher. 

Put safety first.  There is no way to take back an accident after it happens.  I spent 12 days in an intensive burn treatment center because I made a stupid mistake (not on a hunting trip) at a time when I was fatigued.  You will get very tired while hunting, and it is easy to screw up.  Know the rules for handling firearms safely, and follow them.

The roads in rural areas are deceptively peaceful.  Farm equipment, logging trucks, ruts, blind turns, rock slides, and especially other hunters can present road hazards you may not anticipate.

If you start climbing down a steep, narrow ravine, make sure it goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon, and doesn’t end in a cliff.  Be sure you are able to climb back out if you have to.  If you are thinking of trying to traverse a field of ice or loose rock, and there is a 200-foot slide into the boulders below, don’t do it.  Find a way around.  Don’t try to climb anything to get to game, carrying a pack and a gun, that you would have trouble climbing free hand. County sheriff’s deputies and other search and rescue personnel are usually local men and women with families.  It is not right to make it necessary for them to risk their necks to get you out of a jam.

Be aware of the weather.  If a major snow storm is on the way, get out of the woods and get a motel room until it blows over.  If it starts snowing hard while you are hunting, you may also have trouble getting back to camp.  Everything will look the same, and you can get lost.  Get back to camp when a heavy snowfall starts, whether you go into town or not.  Use common sense.

You owe the game you shoot a clean kill.  If you are an archer, get close enough.  If you hunt with a muzzle loader or a regular rifle, use enough gun.  It should be powerful enough to kill cleanly, but not so powerful that the recoil makes it hard for you to shoot accurately.  Being recoil sensitive doesn’t make you a wimp, but ignoring how you handle recoil will make you sorry.

If you are only going to buy one rifle for all big game, then I recommend a modern, high velocity, flat shooting caliber; no smaller than a .280 Rem; and up to a .300 Win. Mag. (if you can take the recoil).  Consult an expert if you intend to hunt dangerous game. Remember, you may kill on the first day out, but it is just as likely that you will kill after you have been hunting from a few days to a week.  You may be cold, wet, tired, and hungry or thirsty.  You will not always be able to shoot from a good, stable rest.  One or all of these may make precise shooting difficult.  That is why you need to shoot the most powerful rifle you can manage well; especially for large animals like elk, moose, or bear.

Carefully sight your rifle in.  I use the (so called) Weatherby method.  If you sight your modern, high velocity rifle in so that it shoots three inches high at 100 yards, you will be able to put a round into a big game animal’s kill zone out to 300 yards by aiming for the point half way between the line of the back and the bottom of the chest, just behind the shoulder.  If you can reliably hit the kill zone at greater than 300 yards, you will need to practice to see what your bullet drop is at those longer ranges.  Ballistic charts are good guidelines, but things like changes in altitude, air temperature, and humidity may make your rifle shoot higher or lower than the chart says.  I am a fairly good shot, but I do not take shots over 300 yards on game.  Get a good range finder, and use it.

Thoroughly learn how your rifle shoots.  Know how far the bullet will drop at various ranges, and how it is affected by the wind.  A tail wind results in less bullet drop, while a headwind will make it drop faster.  A 90 degree, 10 mph. wind will move the bullet to the left or right about an inch at 100 yards, but as much as a foot at 400 yards.  Find out how your particular rifle shoots in the wind.  If you are hunting on a very windy day, you should avoid long shots.

After you sight your rifle in, find out the maximum range at which you can reliably hit an eight-inch circle (but not from a bench rest).  Do not take a shot on an animal that is a greater distance away than that range.  Practice with the rifle you will hunt with.  If the target is up or down hill from you, you may have to change your point of aim.   Also, shoot at least three rounds through your rifle the week before you go hunting to remind you of what it feels like. 

Learn to use a map and compass.  Take them with you, even if you have a GPS.  Gadgets can break.  Batteries go dead.  A map and compass will get you home.

Be aware of your surroundings.  If other hunters are in the area, assess how they are hunting.  If they appear to be hunting safely, stay cognizant of their positions.  If they are reckless, find another location to hunt.  Don’t confront the reckless hunter unless it is necessary.  It is better to stay away from a Bozo with a gun if you can.  If it is bad enough, report the reckless hunter(s) to a game warden or other law enforcement.  Also, it is your duty to the sport, and to game animals, to report any observed violations of the law.

Look before you shoot.  Positively identify that what you intend to shoot is a game animal, and that it is the one you have a license for.   Know what is between you and the animal, and what is behind and to the sides of the animal.  Be sure there is an adequate backstop.  Make sure that you will be able to retrieve all edible portions of the meat from the spot where your animal falls; and from where it may run to if it doesn’t go down immediately.  You will be excited, so keep your cool.  Remember that an elk can weigh as much as 800 pounds, and it may be difficult to retrieve the meat from steep, rocky terrain; or pack it 10 miles back to camp..  It is a sin to take a life and then waste the meat.

To kill an animal, you have to go where the animals are, not where you think they will be.  You would be surprised how many times hunters go home skunked because they are hunting where there are no animals.  Learn what your game eats.  Find places where they have access to water.  It’s not rocket science, but I have spent a lot of time watching benches between hills where there is no food or water, to no avail.  If other hunters are moving the animals, you may see them in places like that, but you will improve your odds in a big way if you hunt near food and water.  Scout before you hunt.  When you find food and water, look for sign: droppings, hoof prints, day beds, etc.  If you don’t find them, find food and water where there is sign.  Don’t disturb the area.  Relieve yourself somewhere else.  Don’t smoke.  Move to a place where you are close enough to see and shoot, but without spooking the animals.  I have killed big game throughout the day, but the most productive time to hunt, in my experience, is in the hour after legal shooting light begins, and in the hour before it ends.

Take a good knife.  Put another in your day pack in case you loose the one on your belt. They get dull, so take a small quickie-type sharpener with you.  You aren't Jim Bowie.  Big knives are hard to use.  The new knives with replaceable blades are great, but you can't separate bone with them.  So, if you use a replaceable blade knife, take a traditional hunting knife along to do the heavy lifting.

Please remember that a safe hunt is a successful hunt.  God be with you and keep you safe (and me too).