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Post by TolusD on Dec 29, 2016 17:41:21 GMT -5
Well, I didn't get any rabbits but I did have a great day getting to know the terrain. I flushed a couple in the middle of thickets I was wading through but I only saw little blurs of fur. I'm too used to idiot urban rabbits that just freeze and stand up like meerkats when they spot you. These rabbits are like ninjas compared to those. When I realized I was too loud and out of practice and unfamiliar with the area to realistically do any good, I decided to just walk the entire place, work on my stalking footwork and gear load out, and map out the place on my phone for later trips. I found a lot of tracks in the patches of snow that were left over and there were several distinct areas that were basically rabbit latrines that were full of piles of pellets. I marked the gps locations of all of those rabbit highways and latrines on my phone. I then scouted out places that I could hide in that overlook those areas and also offer an approach I could make through heavy cover so I could work my way up to the shooting positions with less chance of being seen or heard. I'm hoping that next time I go out I'll be able to set up a shooting position that works out. Either way, I still had a great day out in the field. I flushed about a dozen sets of doves walking around the lake. I wished I had taken my shotgun and some bird shot but then I remembered how much I hate plucking doves. Have to use steel shot out there for doves. Yeah I saw that. I have some nickel plated #6 but I think its nickel plated lead so I'll need to pick up some steel. Honestly though, I walked up on at least 4 pairs that I could have taken with my .22. We used to hunt them that way when I was a kid. You have to catch them unawares but even when you flush them a lot of times one will break and start circling and the other will just fly in a straight line about 20-30 yards and perch in a tree. If you practice with a .22 that's an easy head shot with a decent scope. Is that a legal technique here? I couldn't find any regulations about doves other than the stamp, the restrictions on shotgun magazine capacity, and the shot type rules. Also, if it is legal to harvest doves with a .22, can I do that while also going after rabbits or do I have to declare for one animal type only per hunt and stick with that? Sorry for the new guy questions but I want to keep legal.
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Post by span870 on Dec 29, 2016 18:20:12 GMT -5
No you don't have to declare one or the other. I'd assume that it's illegal to shoot doves with a .22. I know on that property you must use steel shot so that would leave it out there. Don't know about anywhere else though.
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Post by span870 on Dec 29, 2016 18:27:58 GMT -5
It is illegal to use .22
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Post by TolusD on Jan 4, 2017 10:20:57 GMT -5
That's very good to know. I grew up hunting in Tennessee and North Carolina and when you get really deep into Appalachia, the "rules" everyone follows are not always in line with the actual law. I'm an adult in a different state now so as I said, I wanted to double check. I appreciate you finding the answer for me. I'm about to make a big ammo order so I'll be sure to pick up some steel for rabbits and doves. Do you guys ever do group buys on here for ammo? It gets really cheap when everyone chips in on a big order.
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Post by span870 on Jan 4, 2017 14:26:54 GMT -5
That's very good to know. I grew up hunting in Tennessee and North Carolina and when you get really deep into Appalachia, the "rules" everyone follows are not always in line with the actual law. I'm an adult in a different state now so as I said, I wanted to double check. I appreciate you finding the answer for me. I'm about to make a big ammo order so I'll be sure to pick up some steel for rabbits and doves. Do you guys ever do group buys on here for ammo? It gets really cheap when everyone chips in on a big order. No where I know, besides maybe house pond, are you required to use steel for rabbits. Maybe someone else here could chime in. I've hunted most of the f&w properties in indiana for rabbits and never ran into it
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Post by TolusD on Jan 4, 2017 14:31:19 GMT -5
If I load steel, I can go after doves if I flush them while I'm stomping after rabbits. That was my thought anyway. Although now that you mention it, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have non toxic requirements for a given piece of land that only apply to one type of game.
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Post by mossberg500 on Jan 6, 2017 5:23:32 GMT -5
Atterbury is a great place to talk I mean hunt . The game out there was fantastic. The field mice is so plentiful it's a trappers dream . Then there was this guy out of no where running is dogs , during the great conversation I mean hunt .that was going on .
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Post by featherduster on Jan 6, 2017 8:05:24 GMT -5
You can use lead shot on doves when hunting on private land. You must use steel shot for doves on state owned properties. If you intend to hunt state owned land stock up on steel,private ground lead. The only time steel is required at all times is when hunting migratory birds.
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Post by 1shotwade on Jan 6, 2017 10:23:35 GMT -5
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Post by trapperdave on Jan 6, 2017 13:56:21 GMT -5
You can get steel #6 at Walmart for about $5 a box. Don't know if you can reload much cheaper than that
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Post by whitetaildave24 on Jan 6, 2017 20:49:46 GMT -5
Atterbury is a great place to talk I mean hunt . The game out there was fantastic. The field mice is so plentiful it's a trappers dream . Then there was this guy out of no where running is dogs , during the great conversation I mean hunt .that was going on . This sure sounds awful familiar.
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Post by TolusD on Jan 9, 2017 11:17:46 GMT -5
You can get steel #6 at Walmart for about $5 a box. Don't know if you can reload much cheaper than that I'm actually doing the research to do a big online ammo order. I need to get a few things that Wal Mart doesn't carry so if I'm paying shipping I'm filling the order out as much as I can. I lucked into half a case of CCI Stingers at Walmart the other day though so my WalMart luck is blown for a while. The 2 we usually go to are an absolute random mess pretty much all the time so finding anything there, especially ammo, is just a gamble.
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Post by trapperdave on Jan 9, 2017 14:03:52 GMT -5
Half a case? My Walmart has a 3 box limit on 22s.
Otherwise one guy buys it all up..... Usually the local gun dealers
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Post by duff on Jan 10, 2017 5:19:35 GMT -5
Half a case? My Walmart has a 3 box limit on 22s. Otherwise one guy buys it all up..... Usually the local gun dealers I think that is so dumb. If I am selling product for a living why would I care if one person buys it all or not? Faster. it is off my inventory the better. Oh well, Bedford wm has same limit but it does not limit it to 22. They have a ton of shotgun shells though.
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Post by trapperdave on Jan 10, 2017 7:05:15 GMT -5
I'm thankful they do, otherwise most of us would never get any. Its a shame they have to because of the greed of a few. And that inventory only last a day or two usually. Better to have many happy customers than just one imo
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Post by duff on Jan 10, 2017 10:33:38 GMT -5
wm should just buy more!
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Post by duff on Jan 10, 2017 10:34:19 GMT -5
If manufacturing can keep pace it would make the greed go away!
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Post by TolusD on Jan 10, 2017 10:52:46 GMT -5
Half a case? My Walmart has a 3 box limit on 22s. Otherwise one guy buys it all up..... Usually the local gun dealers I should have said half a brick or 5 boxes. The guy at this particular WalMart said the limit was 5 and I had already helped him get his DNR terminal back online so he could sell a license to the guy in front of me so he may also have made an exception. I buy my ammo almost exclusively online specifically because of the shortages in the box stores and the price gouging. I only saw the Stingers because he had them in the front of the display case mixed in with the .22 Magnums. I just randomly glanced over as I was passing by and happened to see them. I was back there looking at fishing gear actually. WalMart only has their fishing gear stocked and merchandised where you can shop for it during the off season. When it's fishing weather it's hard to find anything you actually want.
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