r/Hunting 1d ago

News & politics Weekly political and news thread

1 Upvotes

This is the thread for political articles, discussion and news related to hunting, designed to provide users with a designated space to discuss politics and news hunting-related.

Please use this weekly megathread for posting political articles or news related to hunting. As always moderators remind users that usual subreddit apply here and so discussions should remain civil and on topic. Comments displaying Inappropriate behavior or derailed discussions will be removed.


r/Hunting 14d ago

What score/age/size? What's the score/age/size megathread

27 Upvotes

This is the ONLY post allowed where you can ask for an estimate on your animal's score, age, size, etc.

Keep in mind that it's practically impossible to judge many characteristics of an animal based off of pictures. For one, your cameras aren't usually the greatest (especially grainy trail cam pics), for another, it's hard to judge scale. Finally, not every animal can be aged by picture.

Rules:

  1. Top-level comments are for asking about your animal.
  2. One top-level comment per animal.
  3. Images should clearly show the animal. Albums should be linked, do not post multiple images in multiple comments.
  4. Include pertinent details: location (state, province, country), species, known reference for scale, distance from camera, etc.
  5. Be polite. Snarky comments ("not getting any younger") are subject to deletion.

Resources

Techniques for Aging Live Deer - University of Missouri

Aging a Deer by Examining Its Jawbone - University of Missouri

Boone & Crockett Online Scoring Calculator


r/Hunting 4h ago

Success! Got it done in Atka, Alaska

Thumbnail
gallery
171 Upvotes

After not being able to make it to the hunt in 2025 due to weather, I was lucky enough for Mother Nature to cooperate this time around and make it out to Atka in the far Aleutian Islands of Alaska for a reindeer hunt. I ended up getting my bull on the third day when we noticed some had swam out to an island and took a skiff out to get after them. Once we landed on the beach, we hiked up the mountain and were able to get on three bulls feeding in a saddle where we pulled off a simultaneous shot to get mine and another one. Easily one of the coolest experiences I've had on a hunt.

I tried to get a second one during the rest of my time there and it didn't end up happening, but I was able to see some incredible scenery and wildlife while I was out there! This isn't something I plan on doing again for a long time given how unreliable travel can be due to weather, but it's set a high bar for future hunts!


r/Hunting 5h ago

Success! South Africa was a blast

Thumbnail
gallery
78 Upvotes

Hell of a time. Great memories and made some good friends. Next trip is in the books already.


r/Hunting 3h ago

Success! Hope everyone had a great opening day

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

52 Upvotes

r/Hunting 14h ago

Success! Success in Greenland!

Thumbnail
gallery
381 Upvotes

Just finishing up my first trip in Greenland. Ended up shooting these two bulls - this is one of the coolest hunts I've ever done in some of the wildest places I've ever been. I put the whole story on my Trophium profile with my other pics.

Now I wait for the outfitter to send my stuff to a Danish taxidermist so they can work on it before I get it home!


r/Hunting 3h ago

General question/discussion Little Hunter. What would make you carry or not carry it?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

9 Upvotes

Here's another one that's out the door. Used 80CRV2 and natural micarta for this one with a little bit of a different rock texturing on the handle.
Let me know what you think!
Thanks for looking!
AW Forge


r/Hunting 7h ago

Firearm/caliber/bow/arrow question/discussion First Time Ammo Selection

Post image
15 Upvotes

I’m going to try and go deer hunting for the first time this year in Oklahoma. I have a 308 bolt gun and I bought some ammo from a buddy. Any of these options better than another? Obviously I assume the SB is out but I’m not sure about the others.


r/Hunting 7h ago

General question/discussion Meat packing question

Thumbnail
gallery
12 Upvotes

I have an elk hunt coming up and I’m curious about how to pack out the meat, God willing I fill my tag.

The Eberlestock brand has caught my attention. I like that the mod frame or mainframe 2 both are very modular in that you can attach different packs and even pack out meat at the same time. If you’re doing a shorter hunt you can attach a smaller bag and vice versa. At the moment the mainframe 2 is on sale 20% off. Even at that price it’s quite a bit of money.

My questions are:

Could I enjoy a similar set up for less? For instance the rustic ridge frame pack + some pack? Any lash setups you recommend?

Is the Eberlestock brand worth it? Anyone have experience with their warranty? If the premium price equals better long term experience, both in the field and on the phone, then that might tilt the needle.

Is the 20% off a good discount? Or would I be better off trying to borrow the equipment I need for the hunt and take advantage of the Black Friday sale or will the price be the same? Any other known ways to get a decent discount?


r/Hunting 2h ago

General question/discussion Female spruce? Or ruffed.

Thumbnail gallery
5 Upvotes

r/Hunting 10m ago

General question/discussion Best Upland Hunting Shotgun

Upvotes

Looking to buy my first O/U shotgun (Beretta Silver Pigeon III) for primarily pheasant and partridge hunting with occasional turkey.

I was leaning towards a 20g since it can hit above its weight with Bismuth or Tungsten shells if really needed for turkey or larger birds but I just realized that prices have over tripled since last looking a year ago. It can be almost 10$ a shot for tungsten!?

Is this alone a good reason to go 12ga or is it not worth the extra weight and power. Is it safe to assume prices come down when the government gets whatever stockpile it needs?


r/Hunting 12m ago

Taxidermy Got my 24’-25’ bucks back from my taxidermist

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

r/Hunting 12h ago

Equipment question/discussion What’s one piece of gear you refuse to deer hunt without?

32 Upvotes

We recently sat down and talked about the deer-hunting gear we consider must-haves versus nice-to-haves. I’m curious what everyone else thinks—what’s one piece of gear you refuse to hunt without?


r/Hunting 15m ago

Success! Deer rifle restoration

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

Got the honor of restoring my best friends fathers 1975 Remington 700 7mm REM mag with a custom made stock from 78 I grew up drooling over this rifle and the stories that came with it of big game hunts out west so when asked to bring it back to life I was ecstatic


r/Hunting 9h ago

General question/discussion First time hunter.

14 Upvotes

long time listener, first time poster. Like for anything, I've never made a forum post before in my life. I am 36 years old, living in the foothills of North Carolina. I moved after growing up in the city and have been here almost 10 years. i have a group of friends that get together to shoot every friday at a private home range, mostly three gun and ipsc type stuff. I'm no pewvew, but I'm not a stranger to guns. Well we decided that we were going to hunting this year. I went out and purchased a 308win ruger american predator gen 2, and a Ki 405 crossbow. i have zero experience with crossbows and every time i pull the string back I'm more nervous then i have ever been with a firearm. I will be hunting private land that wont have to far of a trek and have access to a side by side. i put up some cameras and caught some good activity around the been field and raised a deer blind maybe 40 yds from where they like to go. i plan to process the meat myself. the friend I'm hunting with has also never hunted. I'm looking for tips, tricks. Maybe something you realized you needed after the fact of getting out there. good youtube channels to watch? should i make a youtube so people can learn from the mistakes i am bound to make?


r/Hunting 23h ago

General question/discussion Invited to hunt private land

Post image
160 Upvotes

Hey all, I helped a neighbor look for their pig after it got loose and appeared on my 1acre plot. We were unsuccessful, but I told them I’d leave a feed pile and a bucket of water out & that they could stop by and check any time throughout the day until she’s found. Before they headed home, they mentioned that they’d be happy to let me hunt their 35ac homestead (20ac of it is just dense forest).

They mentioned the last guy they invited a few years ago basically shot at anything that moved. They assessed that it would be too risky having him continue to hunt their land because a pig, llama, etc would have no chance against someone so trigger happy. The “if it’s brown, it’s down” just wasn’t an acceptable mantra on their homestead, and understandably so.

The said that the wildlife has been struggling to rebound since he basically turned their woods into a giant kill zone. They proposed that if I’m willing to take care of their property as I do my own, I could feel free to hunt there. Our 1ac is small, but my wife and I are great stewards/hosts of the wildlife that stop by and we take pride in that.

This is potentially a huge benefit to me because they live right down the road. I had typically been hunting public land about an hour away. My main question is: what steps can I proactively take to make my presence a blessing to them rather than a liability? I would prefer that our new neighborly relationship trend upward rather than how it went with the last guy.


r/Hunting 23m ago

Taxidermy a deadhead i found in march and some questions for hunters ^^ NOT A NEWBIE POST ASKING ABOUT SKULLS

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

Hey hunters ^^ i am planning on getting my archery mentor/friend to help me learn to hunt, but i had a question: What do you guys do with the skulls? Do you mount them? Sell them? Throw them out? I really like collecting bones (hence why i have the 9 point i found there) and so was wondering if y'all ever sell your find's bones, skulls, claws or hooves?


r/Hunting 5h ago

General question/discussion Western Hunting

4 Upvotes

What’s going on everyone. I was hoping to pick a few brains for just some advice and direction. Next year I want to head out west, Colorado or Idaho for my first Elk hunt with a rifle. I am from western NC around Cherokee in the Appalachian trail so I’m not stranger to walking miles through rough terrain but as a whole to Elk, I’m fairly new. If you guys could look back at your first time going or your first kill, what do you wish you did or didn’t do differently? What did you do that went well? How do these animals traverse the terrain ( generally, I’m sure they move all sorts of ways but I’m sure it’s different than how whitetail move in what I’m used to ). All advice is welcome.

EDIT: What does your general pack look like? How far are you guys hiking?


r/Hunting 6m ago

General question/discussion Auto Insurance

Upvotes

Where I’m from deer and vehicle collisions are very common and from what I understand, they dictate how harvest targets are set in the state. As hunters, I think it would be a neat idea to show your deer tags and license to our auto insurers for a slight cut in the annual premiums we pay, to reward us for trying to lower deer numbers, which essentially saves them money. Are any of you aware if this has ever been proposed in state governments? I think it would be a cool idea and let us hunt for a discount, or for free. What do you think?


r/Hunting 4h ago

General question/discussion Duck Caller Survey for High School Project

2 Upvotes

I'm doing a high school project where I design a duck call, and if you are familiar with duck calls, could you answer the following questions.

Do you duck hunt?

What is the average price for a good duck call?

What is the best material for a duck call? (wood, plastic, etc.)

Have you run into any problems with duck calls? (too quiet, too loud, doesn't work, etc.)

Are there any things you wish manufacturers did better with duck calls? (made cheaper, more environmentally safe, etc.)

If you could help, that would be amazing! Thank you. I hope you have a good day!


r/Hunting 36m ago

General question/discussion Is it safe to eat cougar meat if I'm allergic to cats?

Upvotes

Obviously a stupid question and I guarantee I already know the answer is "no you dipshit", but it's worth a try lol.


r/Hunting 54m ago

Conservation Hunting Starlings in urban environment

Upvotes

Will be using a pellet gun, but i have been wondering what is the best way to lure starlings? I've been thinking about using a combination of suet and an e caller. Wpuld decoys help as well?


r/Hunting 1h ago

Equipment question/discussion Extended eye relief 2Xsight on vent rib?

Thumbnail
Upvotes

Looking for input expert input on this: I have a Burris 2X hangun sight that I'm thinking about putting on my 28" Winchester SXP via 2 vent rib picatinny adapters. Use cases are mostly squirrel and turkey hunting. Research seems like it would hold up fine to recoil. Any reason not to do it besides slower target acquisition? Any possibility of damaging the vent rib? It's a handgun scope, so not heavy at all.


r/Hunting 1d ago

Pics & Videos (Trail, GoPro, etc.) Two more days!

Thumbnail
gallery
300 Upvotes

Walked up on this stud 6x6 in our lower back pasture


r/Hunting 1d ago

Pics & Videos (Trail, GoPro, etc.) Absolute stud!

Post image
83 Upvotes

Is it deer season yet!?