Madison County Deer Hunting

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I found out recently that there is a proposal to open Madison County in NYS to rifle this fall. It has apparently already passed the Senate and is waiting for final ruling in the house. I have been hunting Madison county where I grew up for more years than I want to think about. I started out with a 12 gauge Browning auto 5 with foster slugs and a gold bead as my only sights. I graduated eventually to an Ithaca deerslayer 12 gauge with a Weaver K2.5 scope on top and again using foster slugs. I took 27 deer with that combo and finally passed that gun on to my son-in-law. I now own an Ithaca deerslayer II Storm model with a rifled bbl. That combo is deadly out to around 125-150 yards and shoots 3/4 OZ Federal Barnes Expander slugs very well. That rig has also accounted for a few deer. From there I graduated to muzzleloading and specifically eventually settled on a TC 209/50 Encore and a TC thumbhole stocked Omega also in .50 cal. I have had better than average accuracy using several different saboted slug combos with 100 to 120 grains of Pyrodex.

It looks fairly promising that this fall I might enter the woods with a centerfire rifle in Madison county for the first time in my life in pursuit of whitetails. I went to the club over the July 4th weekend with my Ruger Model 77 MKII in .270 Winchester and decided to do some bench rest shooting at a measured 100 and also 200 yards. The gun wears a first generation Simmons Aetec 2.5X10X44 rifle scope.

I started at 100 yards and shot a 1 inch group at that distance with Federal's Fusion 150 grain soft point round nose load. I then let the bbl cool and fired two 3 shot groups at exactly 200 yards. Both groups were exactly 1 3/4 inches with two of the three holes 1/2 inch apart center to center and the third one on both groups opening it up to 1 3/4".

Any way you slice it, that is just under minute of angle for 200 yards and I am not even going to try and solve the mysterious flyer at this point. 200 yards is still a long ways in the areas I normally hunt. Why am I settling on the 150 grain round nose as opposed to a sleek pointed tip spitzer of some sort? In a nut shell, I have tried Hornady SST 130 grain loads, along with some left over Federal 130 grain Hi Shocks, and some 130 grain ballistic tips. The Fusion 150 grain round nose factory load outshoots them all at 200 yards, so why lose sleep over it. Most of my shots will still probably come under 75 yards and a little extra bullet weight will ensure better penetration if needed.

I am sure I will be trying additional loads through the 30:06, .308 etc. however if opening day were tomorrow, I would grab the .270 and not look back.

Dan
www.deer-hunting-information.com

Mark 3:1-5 KJV "And He entered again into the synagogue: and there was a man there which had a withered hand (2) And they watched him, whether He would heal him on the sabath day, that they might accuse him (3) And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth, (4) And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabath days, or to do evil? to save life or to kill? But they held their peace. (5) And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, "Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other."