One more Krag hunt

[jon_norstog]

Another year of not making the draw to hunt eastern Oregon, another year of not wishing to mix it up with the shoot-if-you-see-the-bushes-move city hunters west of the Cascades.

I bought a lifetime hunting license before I left Idaho but I still have to pay the non-resident price on tags. So once again I'll buy a general deer tag - lets me hunt anywhere in the state from roughly early October to early December. My brother is interested in hunting the "big hole" a 2,000-ft deep refuge area in the Coeur d'Alenes. We have a couple younger friends who hunt there and they have horses if we get something. It's kind of steep and a lot of deadfalls, chances of getting a 300-yard shot are slim to none. It's the kind of country the Krag "carbine" (cut down rifle) is made for. If one of us gets an elk we'll split the meat.

ID F&G cut the number of tags for the Lolo Zone, our old hunting grounds, by 75% this year. There are elk there, big ones, but they have never recovered to their old levels and the wildlife managers, after throwing a lot of money at killing wolves, have thrown in the towel. They did break up the packs, but that meant any female could get pregnant and have a litter without the permission of the alpha male and female.

You can learn a lot hunting ... I'm well into my seventies now and am thankful I can get out, and thankful to have a brother who can get out in the field.

jn

[Emri]

I bought a lifetime hunting license before I left Idaho but I still have to pay the non-resident price on tags

You have to buy a hunting license to hunt and a tag for elk, is that what you are saying ? Just curious. Here in AL if you buy a lifetime license it is still valid if one moves out of state, but we have no "tags" for deer.

I'm well into my seventies now and am thankful I can get out, and thankful to have a brother who can get out in the field.

Yes you are !! Good Luck !!

Emri

[jon_norstog]

You have to buy a hunting license to hunt and a tag for elk, is that what you are saying ? Just curious. Here in AL if you buy a lifetime license it is still valid if one moves out of state, but we have no "tags" for deer.



Yes you are !! Good Luck !!

Emri

Thanks Emri. You can hunt small game on the license alone. Grouse! But big game animals are all managed with a tag system.

My 'carbine" with the Winchester M70 barrel is a little wobbly shooting 220 gr. RNs so I have dropped back to 180 RN for elk and 150 for deer. This particular rifle doesn't like feeding spitzers and I am a firm believer in having a follow-up shot available if needed.What has worked for me is this Sierra 180 RN 40 4895 or 42.5 H 380. These are strong loads that pretty much match RemWin factory ballistics. Only reason to load that heavy is to bring down a big animal. For deer loads I have been using any 150 RB over 44 gr. H 380. This is a pretty EZ load, just a little stronger than the old 150 gr. 30-30 load. Just fine for deer in the woods. Both those powders light up OK with standard CCI primers. I weigh my charges on a CCI scale,

jn

[p246]

Good luck Jon,I’ll be hunting white tail soon in my usual place. Probably won’t get a elk hunt in, too much OT at work, and it is not letting up. I’ll also be after some ducks and geese to. We shall see how it goes.

[jon_norstog]

Good luck Jon,I’ll be hunting white tail soon in my usual place. Probably won’t get a elk hunt in, too much OT at work, and it is not letting up. I’ll also be after some ducks and geese to. We shall see how it goes.

Thanks, P! And here is a PS or fo0tnote on those 180 gr loads: They are above max listed in most handloading manuals. I worked up to them, checking for primer flattening, sticky bolt operation, and other signs of high pressure. I think they are OK in the Krag, and Rem-Win seem to think 180 gr @ 2400 fps is a decent load that won't get them in legal trouble. My own thought is that the people who [put together those manuals take an overly cautious approach when loading for the Krag.

If any of you use those loads, please work up to them and see how your rifle/carbine likes them.

jn

[Liam]

Enjoy reading about old hunters (and even older guns) still able to get out. I take my share of groundhogs/marmet in WV with a 100-plus year-old Swedish Mauser with a long eye relief scope mounted. And will continue doing so until I can't get back up off the shooting mat! Good hunting, Jon!

[jon_norstog]

Well, the Big Hole hunt fell through. There was one hunter in the group who would barely toleraTE my brother and certainly didn't want any more old men ... I'm thinking about just biting the bullet and buying an Oregon deer tag, hunt the free-fire zone in the Coast Range, probably down in the Siuslaw River drainage. At least I can use the Krag there. If I can get away a few days I'll probably go up to our old hunting grounds below Mex Mountain above the Lochsa, scout it and get a ton of chanterelles and as many grouse as we can eat. ID Fish and Game has cut the number of elk tags it sells in the Lolo Zone by 75% to see if they can balance out predation and what hunters take.

jn

[sdkrag]

Hate to cut in on the wolves.