The Hog Blog

If it seems like I’ve had a run of lead-ammo posts lately, that’s because I have.  It’s a pretty hot topic right now, as the California rifle deer seasons are looming and deer and hog hunters across the state are rushing out to find legal ammunition.

I’ve left the poll running for quite a while, mostly for my own elucidation.  It’s interesting to see the responses and get a feel for the situation out there.  As you can see, the most common response is that ammo is available, but there are limited choices.  I’m afraid that’s not likely to change in the near future.

In the meantime, here are a couple of updates.  First and foremost, remember that any ammo you choose to use in the “Condor zone” must be on the CA DFG certification list.  You can view that list online by going to the DFG website.  The list should continue to grow over time, so check it out on occasion.

One question I’m hearing a lot is, “I’m going boar hunting in the lead-free zone.  Where do I get lead-free ammo?”

My first recommendation is always to check local gun and ammo shops.  Keep your money local, and keep these folks in business.  Sure, the prices may be a little higher, but when the time comes that you need local service, you’ll sure be glad they’re still around! 

If that fails, either they don’t have what you need (because this stuff is so expensive, many small shops won’t keep much in stock because they can’t make enough profit on it) or because there isn’t a shop nearby, the online sources are your best bet.  You can check any of the following:

• Cabelas
• Bass Pro Shops
• Midway USA
• Cheaper Than Dirt

This list isn’t all-inclusive, so if you know of more, please let us know.  It’s also worthwhile to comparison shop online, as you can save yourself a few bucks with a little extra effort. 

A couple of other things…

First, keep in mind that the lead ban only applies to big-game hunters and those shooting non-game such as coyotes and ground squirrels.  Small game and upland hunters are exempt from the ban, as are target shooters and plinkers.  Just be aware that if you switch from small game to big-game, then you cannot possess lead ammo AND the firearm to shoot it.  If you have a pocketfull of lead shotshells, but you’re only carrying a rifle, you’re fine.  However, if you’re carrying a rifle and a sidearm, be sure that you’re carrying lead-free ammo for BOTH weapons.  And if you’re using a shotgun, you can use lead-free slugs for big game, but you can’t also possess lead shotshells at the same time.  Confusing enough?  I’d hate to be the poor DFG warden charged with enforcement.

One last note…  some of you may remember my review of Extreme Shock ammo, a frangible round developed for snipers and law enforcement, but marketed for big game hunters.  California does NOT certify any frangible rounds for hunting big game, native or exotic.  You can use frangibles on non-game. 

Hope some of this is useful.  Get out there, get your ammo, and get to shooting!  Not much time left to dial it in! 

So I’m scanning through my RSS feeds today and managed to catch this column by Green Bay Press Gazette outdoors writer, Pat Durkin. 

I enjoyed the even tone of his piece, and liked the way he dispensed with the “lead-in-venison” scare.  Then I continued to read, and saw that this guy isn’t just pooh-poohing the entire lead issue.  Quite the opposite, he’s taking it seriously, and suggesting that all hunters do the same… particularly as pertains to the impact of lead ammo on scavengers such as eagles, buzzards, and crows.

Given our historic commitment to scientific wildlife management, hunters shouldn’t defensively dismiss such programs [AZ's program to provide free, non-lead ammo to hunters in the condor zones].  Whether we think lead poisoning of avian scavengers is overblown — or minimized — we could sponsor more research ourselves. We could even expand the research into mammalian scavengers from weasels to wolves.

It seems reasonable to determine lead poisoning’s extent before playing victim or savior. We might not like the results of research aided by the Peregrine Fund or Audubon Society, but those studies — and others by state wildlife agencies — provide a starting line.

He goes on to explain that there is growing evidence that indicates lead ammunition residue is a threat, using recent research on eagles in Wisconsin as an example. 

In Wisconsin, for example, lead poisoning is cited as the cause of death for 15 percent of bald eagles examined by the Department of Natural Resources since 1994. Even though lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting in 1987, lead poisoning in eagles hasn’t declined.

Perhaps more damning is lead poisoning in Wisconsin’s eagles consistently increases from October through December, which coincides with our hunting seasons. The most logical source is gut piles from deer, and the remains of birds and other small game.

So maybe lead is a threat, and maybe not.  Durkin says we should investigate further.  Do you agree or not?  What do you think about his column? 

So, this was kind of spurred by the last post’s title, and the fact that it’s left at least one reader, Native, scratching his head and delving into the memory banks…

The slogan was, “I’d rather fight than switch.” 

The question is, which cigarette company did that campaign? 

No cheating and going to Google.  Let’s see who can remember.  You don’t have to be that old, although the campaign has long since terminated. 

I don’t have any cool HogBlog swag to give the winner, but you will have bragging rights and the admiration of the entire blogosphere if you can answer correctly. 

Have at it!

Well, it’s become obvious, as it should have been all along, that all is not peachy-keen in the world of the California deer and hog hunters who are now required (as of July 1) to use non-lead ammunition.

The word, of course, has been out for quite some time.  However, shooting ranges throughout the state have been seeing a surge of last-minute hunters lining the benches as we slip into the final fortnight leading up to our early rifle season.  With shock and dismay, many of them are finding that their rifles tend to put copper bullets in very different points of impact than the old, lead ammunition.  This, as evidenced on the blogs of my friends Hank and Holly, the HunterAnglerGardnerCook and the NorCal Cazadora.

It’s an expensive lesson, of course, since factory-loaded Barnes and ETip ammo are running in the neighborhood of $2 a shot right now… and that’s for standard calibers.  Shoot something fancy, and you’re more in the range of $50-$60 for a box of 20 rounds.  That’s some mighty expensive target practice. 

The other issue some of the late-starters are going to face is ammo availability.  Many sporting goods stores have been out of stock for quite some time, while others never really carried much stock in the first place.  Components for ammunition are also a bit precious due to that thing going on over in the Middle East… since our boys fighting over there need many of the same tools we do.  At least they can still use lead.

A couple of tips if you are switching:

First, remember that any time you switch ammo,  you need to sight-in your gun with the new stuff.  Doesn’t matter if you’re changing bullet weight, composition, or manufacturer.  They’re all slightly different, and under the conditions in which a bullet is discharged from the end of the barrel, slight differences can have significant impacts.  This is a lesson that has long been lost on a lot of shooters, much to their dismay in the field. 

Switching from lead to copper (or gilding metal as in the Nosler/Winchester ETips) is no different.  I found about a two-inch shift in elevation (at 100 yards), and in my .325 there was also about an inch and a half to two inches shift in windage as well.  Your mileage WILL vary, depending on your gun and the ammo you choose to shoot.  The only way to know is to get to the range and put some holes in paper. 

You’ll also want to be starting from a “clean slate”, so to speak.  Make sure the barrel is clear of fouling BEFORE you start shooting copper. Then make sure to keep it that way.  The newer copper bullets aren’t nearly as bad as the old ones for fouling, but they do still leave a residue that will impact your accuracy and consistency. 

Learn some sight-in methods that help conserve ammo. 

One of my favorites is the “two-shot zero”.  To perform this miraculous feat (it’s neither, really… just common sense), you’ll need a really stable rest.  A gun vise is ideal, but not required.  You’ll also do well to have a partner.  I’ve done it solo, but it works better with four hands instead of two.

First, set your rifle up in the rest at the 100 yard range (you can do this at longer ranges, but it’s more difficult).  Get it aligned and snugged in, then get the crosshairs on the bull.  When you’re ready, send that first round downrange. 

Now, here’s the important part.  DO NOT MOVE THE RIFLE!  Keep it right where it was when you fired. 

While you continue to look through the scope, have your partner move the crosshairs until they align over the bullet hole you just made.  Take your time, and try to keep the rifle from moving around as you load and fire the second shot.  If you did this right, the rifle is now “zeroed” at 100 yards.  You can fire a couple of insurance shots to be sure. 

If you insist, as many people do, that you must be prepared for long-range shooting, then you can adjust the elevation to put yourself about two inches high at 100 yards.  For most centerfire rifles, this is pretty close to dead-on at 250 yards, and means you can hold in the center of the killzone on large game (about an 8″ area) out to 300 yards with reasonable expectations.  Beyond 300 yards many factors come into play, including the caliber and load you’re shooting. 

Personally, I’ve been back and forth on this one.  Typically, though, I tend to zero at 100 and know about how much holdover I’ll need in the event that I shoot far enough to worry about it… an extremely rare occurrence.  The vast majority of my big game animals have been taken inside of 150 yards.  I know I can shoot long if I need to, but I don’t like to when I’m hunting.  I think I’ve made that speech before, so I’ll spare it here. 

One more thing to consider is that because there are so few variations on the available factory-loaded non-lead ammunition (Winchester offers three calibers and about as many bullet weights.  Barnes bullets are loaded by several manufacturers, but there are still only a small handful of available bullet weights.), you may not be able to get good, repeatable accuracy from your hunting gun.  This is the best argument you will ever find to start handloading your own ammo.  It’s not that difficult, and with proper care, it’s not very dangerous either. 

Finally, ignore the myths about copper.  The handful of them that are true are based on older bullets and early designs.  The new stuff can be very accurate (properly loaded), and is deadly on game.  This is not only my own experience, but that of many hunting friends and acquaintances, including Jim Hackiewicz, a Professional Hunter in Africa who has had the opportunity to see the effects of many different bullets on hundreds of animals every year, and a staunch proponent of the Barnes bullets. 

Good luck out there! 

California deer hunting is already underway, as the A-zone archery season wraps up and the rifle seasons are waiting in the wings.  The California Lead Ammo Ban is also well underway throughout a big part of the state, and as we can see in the running poll, folks aren’t having a lot of luck finding variety or non-standard calibers for deer or hog hunting. 

While reloading is a great resort for those who have the time or willingness to learn (it’s actually a lot of fun, and not that hard to learn), it’s not a reality for many hunters.  Enter Custom Cartridge, Inc. 

I’ll let Becky Davis introduce them herself.

Hi,

I’m just quickly introducing ourselves to you, in case you weren’t already aware of us.  We make a huge variety of precision ultra high performance ammunition, and have for over 3 decades.  We’re a small ammo factory, right here in central CA (Santa Barbara County), with US patents on some of our ammo, and nationwide sales to serious hunters, law enforcement agencies, federal acronym agencies, competitive shooters, etc.

When the CA legislature passed the “no lead ammo in half the state as of 7/1/2008″ legislation, the CA DFG was tasked with finding a way to implement it with little notice, no budget, and impossible deadlines.  We’d been making precision hunting ammo using the Barnes bullets for years, so sent a 12 page spreadsheet to the DFG, asking “is this what you want?”

Craig Stowers, the poor staffer tasked with making this happen, was delighted to find some way to get the ball rolling, and asked if he could send along our list to most of the other mfctrs who were asking what to do too.

As a result, we’ve been swamped with orders for lead free hunting ammo from all over the state.  Instead of our week to 10 day normal turn-around, we’re running about a 2-3 week backlog, but we’re working 7 days/week, and very long days to get as much ammo built and shipped as we can, so that folks can go hunting.

We’re offering a 15% discount to CA condor zone hunters if they put the word “condor” in the comments field as they place their secure online order from our web site.

Our web site lists <1500 loads, but we make over 50,000.  We don’t post them all, so as not to overwhelm visitors. However, I have posted most of the popular Barnes hunting options, so that CA condor zone hunters can get out in the field.  As soon as I’m less swamped, I’m hoping to add some direct links to condor ammo FAQs and dealer questions.  In the meantime, I’m trying to get the word out to other folks who talk about CA hunting, that they can get most lead free ammo here, ordered online, and get sub-MOA accuracy and great terminal performance.

Hope that’s helpful.
Thanks,
Becky Davis
 
–
Custom Cartridge, Inc.  mailto:sales@customcartridge.com
5878 Hollister Avenue  http://www.customcartridge.com
Goleta, CA  93117-3612  805-967-1138 (M-F 1-4pm)

I’ve been trying to remember the name of this company for quite some time, but it just kept slipping away from me.  Too simple for my addled brain, I think.  “Custom Cartridge, Inc.”.

Anyway, if you’re having a hard time finding ammo for your gun, or if you think you’d like to try some loads made custom, give them a call or check out their site. 

Just catching up with the news from “home”, Wilmington, NC, and saw this article in the Wilmington Morning Star about the Camo Coalition.

The coalition is a perfect example of grassroots activism.  The participants are merging new technology, the Internet, with old, the phone tree.  When an issue comes up, the network comes alive and word is spread from person to person.  Before long, the growth becomes somewhat exponential and a handful of informed individuals becomes a pretty strong force. 

Examples of recent issues include

• The potential purchase of a public access area in the mountain region
• Support of keeping a commercial bycatch limit of seven red drum rather than increasing the limit to 10
• Word of a move by the U.S. Navy to expand its bombing ranges in Pamlico Sound into some of the best tarpon fishing and red drum fishing in the world, which would make the area off-limits to boaters, hunters and commercial and recreational fishermen
• Legislation currently passed by the legislature and is under veto threat by the governor that would rescind penalties for driving large boat trailers on North Carolina highways during daylight hours
• A reversal by the Wake County Board of Education on the authorization of a shooting team at East Wake High School in Wendell. The organization sent e-mails about the cancellation of the team to every member of the board, which eventually found the team not in violation of policy
• 4-H Camp Millstone in the Sandhills had a deer-cleaning and processing course each year. The Richmond County Board of Health shut it down because the meat had not been inspected. But Hamilton used facts of the state’s Hunters for the Hungry program to prove that turning a deer into venison created no health hazard and, with help of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, was able to reinstate the course.

It’s a great idea, and one that could (and SHOULD) be replicated across the country.  To learn more about the organization, check them out at http://www.nccamo.org. 

Just got this from the JHO forums (slipped right by my RSS feeds)…  in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, there’s an article about the MN DNR’s program to research the actual dispersal and performance of lead bullets.  The study is intended to see just how lead ammo fragments and spreads lead through a carcass using multiple ammo types, as well as shot placement.  The outcome will be a report for hunters describing ways to minimize the amount of lead in their venison. 

I’ll be interested in the results too.  I have a bad feeling that they’re not going to learn much we don’t already know, but at least they’re trying. 

For what it’s worth, if you’re concerned with lead bullet fragmentation, here are a few tips:

• Use a non-lead bullet - not a cheap option, and not viable for many calibers
• Use a “bonded” bullet - still pretty expensive, but bonded bullets hold together better, even on impact with bone
• Avoid highly “frangible” bullets, such as the ballistic tips
• Avoid lightweight, high-speed bullets as they tend to fragment more explosively
• Place shots to avoid large bones (think like an archer) - good choices are the pocket behind the shoulder or the neck (head shots are not a great idea, as a miss can result in really horrible wounding and slow death)

I’ll be curious to see if the MN DNR come up with more ideas.

Just browsing around and saw this in last week’s edition of the Savannah Daily News.  Looks like the time to get your applications in for limited entry hunts on the NWRs and other special hunt areas is coming fast. 

Although the deer hunting season is still a couple of months away, those who plan to participate in the area’s National Wildlife Refuge-managed archery and gun hunts can start marking their calendars. Jane Griess, manager of the Savannah Coastal Refuges (SCR), which includes Blackbeard Island, Harris Neck, Wassaw Island, Pinckney Island and the Savannah National Widlife Refuges, has released the hunt dates for each location.

As in past years, both quota (limited number selected by a drawing) and non-quota hunts are on the schedule, depending on the specific refuge area. Depending on the location, the allowable game is deer, feral hog, squirrel, turkey and waterfowl.

Applications for quota hunts are available at each refuge Web site - www.fws.gov/blackbeardisland; www.fws.gov/harrisneck; www.fws.gov/savannah; www.fws.gov/pinckneyisland; and www.fws.gov/wassaw.

Don’t miss it! 

Well, first of all… I didn’t get sprayed by a skunk. I’m a little gun shy of those things. In the last video, when he raises his tail I think there was a coyote down in the draw with him. He had no idea I was there.

For those who haven’t been keeping up, I was bowhunting blacktails during the California A-zone archery season. This was my first outing with the new Mathews Drenalin compound, after many years shooting a recurve. The hunt took place on the Hedgepeth Ranch, which is leased by the Golden Ram Sportsmen’s Club. It’s a great place, and I had success there with a hog and a deer last year.

Anyway, once again as in so many of my hunting videos, there won’t be any kill shots or spectacular close-ups with trophy game (except that skunk). But I hope you enjoy it anyway…