How many hunts from a box of ammo?

[Rembrandt]

Years ago I hunted Wyoming and ran across an older gentleman in his late 80's. He pulled out a worn 20 round box of 30-06 and loaded his rifle. He had six loaded rounds left in the box, rest were empty cases. All the younger guys were concerned whether they had packed "enough ammo" for the day. The old man laughed and said he only needed one round and still had enough for the next five years of deer hunting. That single box of ammo represented 14 animals and six more hunts.

I've often thought back on this and realized how inefficient we have become with our hunting. Here's a man who grew up during the depression and made the most of each round he had....that experience stayed with him the rest of his life.

Sometimes I wonder how many years we could hunt on a single box of ammo.....

 

[JImbothefiveth]

But are you figuring in ammo for practice? I'd say to be as efficient as that, you'd have to use some ammo for practice.

 

[MCgunner]

I like to carry a BUNCH of ammo on any trip. It paid off once in New Mexico after taking the 4x4 down a gawd awful road and knocking the scopes of two rifles off in the process.

100 rounds ain't too much just in case, but hopefully won't have to sight in, but you never know. I just like knowing there ain't know way in hell I'm gonna run out, I mean, since I'm shooting handloads and can't run to a store (if there was one) and buy 'em.

When I head down to my place, I just carry what's in the magazine. I ain't gonna get, but one shot, anyway.

 

[K3]

I usually bring about 1 box (50 handloads) for any rifle I brng with me. For the rifle I'm carrying, usually some .30 cal type bolt action, I usually load the rifle full and keep another 10 rounds on me in one of those handy cloth/velcro carriers on my belt. The rest stays at camp or the truck, with the truck being camp from time to time. I hate carrying a bunch of stuff.

Not sure how many hunts I get from a box, as I practice regularly with all of my rifles. I *probably* shoot the equivalent of 10 rounds per month from each of my bolt actions if you do the math. More from semi-autos. How can you not?

 

[nathan]

Most old timers are like . I met quite a few of them. Nothing wrong with it.

 

[WardenWolf]

That would depend. I like to calibrate my rifle to the ammo I'll be using. I'll get it set up, and before hunting I'll check it again to verify it still holds zero. Then I'll put it away and not touch it until after the hunt.

 

[Shawnee]

Currently I am at 12 deer with 12 shots. Before I wasted a shot on a tree branch I didn't notice :banghead: my string was 19 for 19.

But like some of the others - I periodically check the "zero" on my rifles and, if I am hunting away from my home grounds, I feel better taking a couple boxes with me just in case I need to re-zero for some reason. So I have no claim to the "20 cartridges = 20 deer" title.

 

[paintballdude902]

ummmm on a box of 20 shells i get around 2-3 hundred hunts but i reload

i usually take 1-2 shots on a deer normally 1

 

[saskboy]

I bring only what my gun can hold, 3 in the clip and one in the chamber. Only ever need one for deer, a few more for running coyotes.

 

[elkhuntingfool]

one shot one kill - so 20 years

 

[tblt]

20 rounds should last 10-20 years or more.
I take 4 rouns with me when I go for a 3 day weekend.The most I have ever used in one weekend is 3 rouns.

 

[MCgunner]

Odd. Nobody ever fires their rifles unless they're shooting at game? Aside from testing sight in, I just enjoy shooting the rifles once in a while. I do a lot of shooting with rimfires, though, and SKSs with milsurp ammo.

 

[JWF III]

All these answers of 20 rounds = 20 years means one of two things. Either ya'll don't live in a state where insurance companies get tired of paying for totaled cars caused by deer. Or ya'll don't have big enough freezers.

I live in Georgia, with a liberal limit on deer. We can shoot 12 a year, 2 bucks and 10 does. If you get chosen for a Quota (Draw) Hunt, the deer you take there do not go against your limit. I know people who have killed 12-15 deer in one season (legally fyi), processed them into different cuts of meat, and ate on nothing but wild game for the entire year. I know there are other states with even more liberal limits. Don't quote me on this, but I believe that South Carolina and Alabama may even be 1 deer a day. In SC, that could be up to 138 deer in one season.

On an offshoot of the original topic, I saw an older man (~80 yo) walk onto a dove field with a single barrel .410. He fired 12 shoots, and walked off the field with 12 birds. My uncle (who knew him well) said that all he ever carries into the field is that shotgun and 12 shells. My uncle couldn't remember the last time he didn't leave with his limit.

Wyman

 

[MCgunner]

Now that's a tall tale befitting a Texan! Bwaaaa, ha, ha!

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Alabama has changed the bag limit on bucks. It was 1 per day as you stated but since 2007 it has been 3 bucks per season with one of the three having at least 4 points on one side(does are still one per day where taking does is legal. All bucks taken must been recorded on license.

 

[paintballdude902]

jfw in nc its 2 bucks and no limit for antlerless deer its a fairly new harvest program to reduce the number of deer in the eastern section of the state where we have tons of deer but they are small (ie a big buck weighs 150 dressed and a monster is 170+)

 

[caribou]

How many years can you get outta a box of shells?

A few years, if your me.


I guess I'm a rank amature, only feeding 11 people in the house.

One bullet a year would certainly starve us, or turn vegitarian

Then again, I do miss, make bad hits and sometimes lose shells as I go. Done all that, and probly will again.

IF I had only one shot, then these fellas would certainly have had to line up....~LOL!~

4 days of hunting there, 5 per day's our limit, so I always bring plenty of shells...I often stay out that many days anyhoo...The pict is taken out my window, and its 20 above in the pict, and they are all frozen for later.

Oh, ya, I buy ammo by the wooden box, 800rds of Cxech LPS, and lord only knows how many I shoot just for fun.

 

[retrieverman]

A "box" of ammo won't last me a week. I shoot my hunting guns at least weekly all year, and that is why I started reloading. During hunting season, I keep a deer rifle with me basically 24/7, and I always have at least a 20-30 reloaded rounds in my pack/truck at all times.

 

[skers69]

I had a good streak going on one box of 20. I was 6 for 6 before my first miss. One box for "hunting" ammo that lasts over 10 years is kind of cool. Now I will shoot "other" ammo out of my deer gun for target pratice all the time.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

That's the way my dad hunted deer when I was a kid. He shot 2 rounds per year. One to make sure the scope was still sighted in and one for that year's buck.

 

[.38 Special]

I remember reading about some Inuit hunter who used a single shot .45-70 and black powder. He was almost always able to recover his bullet from the animal, upon which he would pop it into his mouth to clean off the blood and guts and then reload it as-is.

So it sounds like the old gentleman in Wyoming was pretty wasteful, to me.

 

[Georgia Gunner]

I normally shoot a box (20 rds) a year. A few to check the zero/practice and the others to actually hunt. I have yet to have to take more than one shot on a deer or coyote, but then again I'm very careful when taking my shots.

 

[interlock]

hunting ammunition use

i reload my own ammunition. i also tend to only take one or two shots per hunting trip and i very very occasionally miss. i have taken 15 or so animals in the last 3 months.

But i take at least a box of 20 rounds in addition to what i might expect to use. It maybe that the Rifle gets a big knock and needs to be rezeroed.

I shoot plenty of ammo in practise and would stick my neck out and say that if you are a hunter you should get plenty of practise from a number of different positions using the rifle and the ammunition you use for your hunting.

If you don't you are reckless.

it's not about how few rounds you use it is about taking shots within the area you are comfortable and competant in to ensure a quick kill. so we must practise.

interlock

 

[altez]

If your rifle is sighted in and you don't need to make any more preparation, I would say a box of ammo should last you a few years. This year I took 9 shots, and got 8 hogs ... missed one. Still very angry at myself

 

[zammyman]

My grandma hunted grouse with a 22 LR growing up because they couldn't a shotgun. I do agree we may take more ammo than we need to the field- if we're willing to carry the weight and not get an itchy trigger finger, what's the harm?