wich rifle to take on south texas deer hunt.

remingtonman1974 · November 29, 2008, 09:02 PM

hi i am just a little lost i have a remington model seven ss in 7mm-08 with a redfield 5 star 3-9x50 scope. and a remington model 700 bdl 30-06 with custom camo kevlar stock and a nikon buckmasters 3-9x50 scope. both rifles shoot great at 50 yards i can hit dime heads. but out to one hundred yards my paterns are opening up to 2 to 4 inch groups at the range today. which rifle would you take to south texas for a deer hunt. thanks dennis hunting below san atonio in dilley texas

kyle1974 · November 29, 2008, 09:17 PM

not sure where in south texas you're going to be.... but typically in the 'real' south texas (not the hill country) shots can be very, very long...

the typical way of hunting is shooting down a sendero that may cross the entire property.

South texas is where some of these 25 caliber wildcats were developed, so plan accordingly.

ken22250 · November 29, 2008, 09:17 PM

what cal is the other rifle?

j.chappell · November 29, 2008, 09:50 PM

I'd be worried why I'm shooting 2 to 4 inch groups.

You didnt state what bullets you were shooting or what type of terrain you would be hunting.

J.

kyle1974 · November 29, 2008, 09:58 PM

I don't understand why you're shooting "dimes at 50 yards and 4 inch groups at 100 yards"

something just isn't right.....

Personally, I won't use a rifle that doesn't shoot 1" at 100 yards down here...., you need to figure out what's going on with the guns before you go down there. I have hunted in south texas my entire life, and 200-300 yard shot opportunities are a daily occurance.

kymasabe · November 29, 2008, 10:00 PM

I'd sort out the Remington 700 and take that.

TPAW · November 29, 2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

wich rifle to take on south texas deer hunt.

A good buddy of mine who has lived there all his life sticks by his 7mm Mag.
Hope it's of some help. Have a good hunt.

Loader9 · November 29, 2008, 11:42 PM

Hunting around Dilley can be a mixed bag. You can be hunting brush so thick you can't fall thru it and hit the ground. Then there are farm fields. Some of the places have gas line right of ways cut thru them and that's a popular game to sit on those and hunt. For the ROWs, you can shoot as far as you can see, usually, as these things may run 50 miles before making a turn. The fields can be pretty large too and shooting 1000 yds is not uncommon. I've got one on the wall from Dilley and he got nailed at over 800 yds from one fence line to another across a field from a tower blind. So be prepared to shoot some distance. If you're not able to shoot that far, I'd suggest the 7-08. It'll kill anything in Frio County at 300 yds and more in the right hands.

zoomie · November 29, 2008, 11:48 PM

Quote:

The fields can be pretty large too and shooting 1000 yds is not uncommon.

Sorry - gotta do it.

1000 yards isn't common for any hunting anywhere. Very few rifles, very little ammo, and even fewer shooters have any business shooting anything but paper at over half a mile.

Swampghost · November 30, 2008, 12:00 AM

I'm siding with zoomie on the 1K yd. shots and I do fool around at that range. That's what I'm good for, fooling around. I'd never attempt to shoot an animal at that range. Personally, I'm most comfortable inside of 300 yds.

armedtotheteeth · November 30, 2008, 12:08 AM

Loader hasnt lost his mind. I know of the pipelines in this area. I wouldnt say 1000 yards is Normal, but very doable anyhow. I my self killed a boar at 1100 yards with a 300 win Mag last month, maybe 2 months ago. I probably couldnt do it again in just one shot, but I did. I hate boars,,, you shoot them and cant eat them. :barf:

Art Eatman · November 30, 2008, 09:12 AM

For the PROBABLE shots, either the '06 or the 7mm08 will do just fine. Probably do better with which of the rifles seems to be the most "shootable"--the one with which you're most comfortable..

TPAW · November 30, 2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Sorry - gotta do it.
1000 yards isn't common for any hunting anywhere. Very few rifles, very little ammo, and even fewer shooters have any business shooting anything but paper at over half a mile.

+1 with zoomie on this one!

speakerguy79 · November 30, 2008, 08:54 PM

The shots can be long, and the deer aren't too big.

Something light and flat shooting. 270, 7mm mag are good. Either of your rifles should be fine.

gb_in_ga · December 1, 2008, 06:07 PM

My experience with South Texas deer hunting is that the shots will be either VERY long down the senderas or fairly short in the brush. South Tx brush is very thick, usually yaupon thickets that you just can't see through. Hence you either need to be up over the thickets on a tripod stand where you can look down on them or you need to be positioned along a sendera/jeep trail and catch them crossing. In the one case you need something flat shooting that can really reach out there. In the other, you need to keep in mind that you may have to fend off some brush at ranges that will be less than a couple of hundred yards, probably less than a hundred. I can't give you any real recommendations other than that since I don't know the specifics of where you will actually be hunting.

Loader9 · December 1, 2008, 09:34 PM

Let's see here, so ya wanna think ol' Loader has lost his marbles saying shooting deer in S Texas at distance is BS? How about the men shooting prairie dogs at those distances? And that's a lot smaller target. Just cause you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.....and on a regular basis. S Texas deer hunting definitely separates the men from the boys. I guess we know who some of you are now.

November 29, 2008, 09:02 PM	#1
remingtonman1974 Junior Member Join Date: February 10, 2008 Posts: 10	wich rifle to take on south texas deer hunt. hi i am just a little lost i have a remington model seven ss in 7mm-08 with a redfield 5 star 3-9x50 scope. and a remington model 700 bdl 30-06 with custom camo kevlar stock and a nikon buckmasters 3-9x50 scope. both rifles shoot great at 50 yards i can hit dime heads. but out to one hundred yards my paterns are opening up to 2 to 4 inch groups at the range today. which rifle would you take to south texas for a deer hunt. thanks dennis hunting below san atonio in dilley texas Last edited by remingtonman1974; November 29, 2008 at 09:20 PM.

November 29, 2008, 10:00 PM	#6
kymasabe Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2005 Location: SW Florida Posts: 2,747	I'd sort out the Remington 700 and take that. __________________ God's creatures big and small, eat them one, eat them all.

November 30, 2008, 12:00 AM	#10
Swampghost Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: Florida, east coast Posts: 2,106	I'm siding with zoomie on the 1K yd. shots and I do fool around at that range. That's what I'm good for, fooling around. I'd never attempt to shoot an animal at that range. Personally, I'm most comfortable inside of 300 yds. __________________ NRA Patron Member

December 1, 2008, 06:07 PM	#15
gb_in_ga Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2005 Location: Pensacola, Fl Posts: 3,092	My experience with South Texas deer hunting is that the shots will be either VERY long down the senderas or fairly short in the brush. South Tx brush is very thick, usually yaupon thickets that you just can't see through. Hence you either need to be up over the thickets on a tripod stand where you can look down on them or you need to be positioned along a sendera/jeep trail and catch them crossing. In the one case you need something flat shooting that can really reach out there. In the other, you need to keep in mind that you may have to fend off some brush at ranges that will be less than a couple of hundred yards, probably less than a hundred. I can't give you any real recommendations other than that since I don't know the specifics of where you will actually be hunting. __________________ COME AND TAKE IT http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/batgon.htm Formerly lived in Ga, but now I'm back in Tx! Aaaand, now I'm off to Fla...

November 29, 2008, 09:17 PM	#2
kyle1974 Junior member Join Date: November 23, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 254	not sure where in south texas you're going to be.... but typically in the 'real' south texas (not the hill country) shots can be very, very long... the typical way of hunting is shooting down a sendero that may cross the entire property. South texas is where some of these 25 caliber wildcats were developed, so plan accordingly.

November 29, 2008, 09:17 PM	#3
ken22250 Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2008 Location: Pennsylvaina Posts: 218	what cal is the other rifle?

November 29, 2008, 09:50 PM	#4
j.chappell Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2008 Posts: 1,125	I'd be worried why I'm shooting 2 to 4 inch groups. You didnt state what bullets you were shooting or what type of terrain you would be hunting. J.

November 29, 2008, 09:58 PM	#5
kyle1974 Junior member Join Date: November 23, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 254	I don't understand why you're shooting "dimes at 50 yards and 4 inch groups at 100 yards" something just isn't right..... Personally, I won't use a rifle that doesn't shoot 1" at 100 yards down here...., you need to figure out what's going on with the guns before you go down there. I have hunted in south texas my entire life, and 200-300 yard shot opportunities are a daily occurance.

November 29, 2008, 11:42 PM	#8
Loader9 Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2008 Posts: 949	Hunting around Dilley can be a mixed bag. You can be hunting brush so thick you can't fall thru it and hit the ground. Then there are farm fields. Some of the places have gas line right of ways cut thru them and that's a popular game to sit on those and hunt. For the ROWs, you can shoot as far as you can see, usually, as these things may run 50 miles before making a turn. The fields can be pretty large too and shooting 1000 yds is not uncommon. I've got one on the wall from Dilley and he got nailed at over 800 yds from one fence line to another across a field from a tower blind. So be prepared to shoot some distance. If you're not able to shoot that far, I'd suggest the 7-08. It'll kill anything in Frio County at 300 yds and more in the right hands.

November 30, 2008, 12:08 AM	#11
armedtotheteeth Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2005 Location: podunk, Texas Posts: 1,610	Loader hasnt lost his mind. I know of the pipelines in this area. I wouldnt say 1000 yards is Normal, but very doable anyhow. I my self killed a boar at 1100 yards with a 300 win Mag last month, maybe 2 months ago. I probably couldnt do it again in just one shot, but I did. I hate boars,,, you shoot them and cant eat them. :barf:

November 30, 2008, 09:12 AM	#12
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	For the PROBABLE shots, either the '06 or the 7mm08 will do just fine. Probably do better with which of the rifles seems to be the most "shootable"--the one with which you're most comfortable..

November 30, 2008, 08:54 PM	#14
speakerguy79 Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Posts: 81	The shots can be long, and the deer aren't too big. Something light and flat shooting. 270, 7mm mag are good. Either of your rifles should be fine.

December 1, 2008, 09:34 PM	#16
Loader9 Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2008 Posts: 949	Let's see here, so ya wanna think ol' Loader has lost his marbles saying shooting deer in S Texas at distance is BS? How about the men shooting prairie dogs at those distances? And that's a lot smaller target. Just cause you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.....and on a regular basis. S Texas deer hunting definitely separates the men from the boys. I guess we know who some of you are now.