new to varmint hunting

C

conman89

New member
Hey guys i have never hunted before but have a great deal competitive shooting experience. I wanted to get started in varmint hunting and was wondering what i need to get started.

Here is what i have as far as possible hunting firearms:

couple of AR riflels in .223
couple of .22LR rifles
over under 12 gauge shotgun

I live in kentucky and was thinking of hunting coyotes and i am planing a trip to the badlands in SD and would love to varmint hunt there and in the black hills

Are the rifles i listed sufficient? if so what should i use if nat what should i buy? What do i need in terms of other gear?
 
First off welcome!!! I take it your planning on doing some ground hog/ predator hunting being you live in Kentucky. Start knocking on some doors. You will be surprised how many farms I have gained access to.
Next your guns are good. Make sure you have descent glass. Sure you do since you shot competition. I would personally get a bolt rifle in a 22 caliber or 243 caliber configuration. Not sure what distance you plan on shooting.

Finally have fun!!!!!
 
Originally Posted By: 1up5downFirst off welcome!!! I take it your planning on doing some ground hog/ predator hunting being you live in Kentucky. Start knocking on some doors. You will be surprised how many farms I have gained access to.
Next your guns are good. Make sure you have descent glass. Sure you do since you shot competition. I would personally get a bolt rifle in a 22 caliber or 243 caliber configuration. Not sure what distance you plan on shooting.

Finally have fun!!!!!

Thanks ironically i don't have glass I shot AR and M1 grand ( grand is not really a hunting rifle) 200 yard+ iron sights. and 22 small bore 50 yards iron sights.

what would you recommend in way of glass range to start off hunting with.

the 2 .22lr riles I have are a ruger semi auto and a savage Mark 2 can't remember exact number
 
First a couple of questions. What distance do you plan on shooting? What is/are your intended targets? Different glass for ground hogs/coyotes. What is your budget?

Dave
 
I think you'll find you'll get all the answers you need and more from this website. The guys are very knowledgeable and very helpful. Give them the answers and you'll be all set.

Just to add my two cents, here are some suggestions that are mostly universal to varmint hunting:

1. Range finding binoculars
2. Variable power rifescope around the 6x24x50 range. Does not have to be super expensive to start out
3. Bipod for prone, shooting sticks for siting
4. Camera for those all important shots to post on this site

The AR in 223 is a great place to start.

Welcome and good luck!
 
well what do you suggest in what to hunt and range fore someone just starting out and what do you suggest in way of glass for the different targets?
budget is about 600 - 1000 to be fully outfitted and ready to hunt

have a good camera already
 
Get yourself a Savage in one of the favorite calibers and a decent scope to top it off. I'm partial to Nikon Buckmasters or Monarchs myself in 4.5-14X40 and Mildot reticle
Lots of options and everyone has their favorites, but I would stick with a caliber that you can find factory ammo for even at Wal mart (except for right now) like 22-250, .223 or .243.
For the price point, it's very hard to beat a Savage for accuracy right out of the box.
 
Originally Posted By: RadioGet yourself a Savage in one of the favorite calibers and a decent scope to top it off. I'm partial to Nikon Buckmasters or Monarchs myself in 4.5-14X40 and Mildot reticle
Lots of options and everyone has their favorites, but I would stick with a caliber that you can find factory ammo for even at Wal mart (except for right now) like 22-250, .223 or .243.
For the price point, it's very hard to beat a Savage for accuracy right out of the box. I have a savage mark 2 in 22lr
 
For "Varmints" (Prarie Dogs, Ground Hogs, etc..) at longer distances, either buy or make yourself a stable shooting table...We go to three large ranches in Colorado (largest is 75,000 acres) for Prairie Dogs and very few shots are under 300 yards...Once in awhile you may find a small town under that but after a couple of shots, they get pretty skittish..

You will find that as the day heats up, mirage will become a negative factor...I have a nice Burris Black Diamond 8-32x scope on one of my rifles and wind up dialing it back to under 18x as the mirage factor increases...

Portable shade is something most people wind up needing..I picked up a cheap beach umbrella that attaches to my shooting table.. Pic below..Not pretty, but it works well...
Shade also helps with the cooling of rifle barrels, as they will get very hot just sitting in the sun..

Plan on an ice chest or cooler for holding your ammunition so that the heat factor doesn't increase the power of your powder charges, especially if you reload months before your trip...

JulyPDTrip-06006.jpg


You can get a lot of opinions on firearms, but depending on your barrel twist rate, your .223s with light (40gr) V-Max bullets will work well for most shooting...I can stretch my 16" barreled ARs (1/9) out to 300 yards with no real accuracy problems...I also have a .204 AR (22" barrel) for longer shots to give my CZ .204 Varmint a break..I've found very little use for more than one .22lr on a 4-5 day trip as most go underground when a vehicle gets close to the town...

If you are planning on shooting on some of the reservations in SD,,,Be sure you understand Tribal Rules...Usually you have to have a resident guide with you and they have been known to leave after a couple of hours, leaving you by yourself and that can be a violation and put you in front of the Tribal Court...

I know that this doesn't address your questions about optics, but it does give some ideas to consider...
 
Originally Posted By: OldTurtleFor "Varmints" (Prarie Dogs, Ground Hogs, etc..) at longer distances, either buy or make yourself a stable shooting table...We go to three large ranches in Colorado (largest is 75,000 acres) for Prairie Dogs and very few shots are under 300 yards...Once in awhile you may find a small town under that but after a couple of shots, they get pretty skittish..

You will find that as the day heats up, mirage will become a negative factor...I have a nice Burris Black Diamond 8-32x scope on one of my rifles and wind up dialing it back to under 18x as the mirage factor increases...

Portable shade is something most people wind up needing..I picked up a cheap beach umbrella that attaches to my shooting table.. Pic below..Not pretty, but it works well...
Shade also helps with the cooling of rifle barrels, as they will get very hot just sitting in the sun..

Plan on an ice chest or cooler for holding your ammunition so that the heat factor doesn't increase the power of your powder charges, especially if you reload months before your trip...

JulyPDTrip-06006.jpg


You can get a lot of opinions on firearms, but depending on your barrel twist rate, your .223s with light (40gr) V-Max bullets will work well for most shooting...I can stretch my 16" barreled ARs (1/9) out to 300 yards with no real accuracy problems...I also have a .204 AR (22" barrel) for longer shots to give my CZ .204 Varmint a break..I've found very little use for more than one .22lr on a 4-5 day trip as most go underground when a vehicle gets close to the town...

If you are planning on shooting on some of the reservations in SD,,,Be sure you understand Tribal Rules...Usually you have to have a resident guide with you and they have been known to leave after a couple of hours, leaving you by yourself and that can be a violation and put you in front of the Tribal Court...

I know that this doesn't address your questions about optics, but it does give some ideas to consider...
thanks
 
I would just get a good scope on one of those AR's to start.The O/U will suffice for the time being with the right choke/load but I would consider adding a decent semi or pump at some point.There are some varmint critters your .22Lr can handle but they're really better suited to small game.Good luck!
 
Originally Posted By: Bernie P.I would just get a good scope on one of those AR's to start.

After a trip to Wyoming where one of my shooting buds was wearing out prairie dogs out to and past 500 yards with a AR-15 I knew that I had to have one. Mine has a Model 1 upper with a 24" barrel. A Chip McCormick trigger in my Double Star lower made the gun shootable. I have a VX-3 Leupold 6.5-20X 40mm sitting on it that has the Varmint Hunter reticle. Love the VH reticle. I swear, but I can shoot more consistant groups (half inch or so) with that rifle than just about anything else that I own. I don't like chasing my brass and brass catchers and I don't get along too well but I am lucky enough to have a few thousand rounds of brass for the gun so if I lose one or two every now and then it's no big whoop.

1up5down on this forum makes some beeyooteeful shooting benchs that he sells for a very reasonable price. That's one in his avatar. A good bench, a comfy chair (I bring two) some excellent binos and if possible, a little shade and you are off to a good start. I go back year after year so I must enjoy it quite a bit.
 
The previous posts pretty well cover it,

a good table:

SB4.jpg


A good set of shooting sticks can be handy too.

A word of caution, don't get too top heavy on the scope, as on warm suuny days you'll be cranking your scope down into the mid-ranges due to mirage and heat waves. I've seen guys out there with high fixed power target scopes that become totally worthless as it warms up. Spend as much money as you possibly can on a scope. From years of experience, you'll never say "darn, I bought a scope that was too good". You can't hit them if you can't see them. When some of the guys start with the "my BSA or Barska is as good as any Lupe, Zeiss, etc, etc", and they will, be careful as IMHO, they are full of krap! Same with binoculars, you'll spend more time looking through them than you will a scope. Cut corners on other things, NOT glass.

Other things that come in pretty handy:

Off-road comode:

offroadcommode.gif


The ever essential:

imagesqtbnANd9GcSt5AyHy5FvefGk9Djq2.jpg


and bring along a good first aid kit, sun screen and bug repellent........and LOTS of water!
 
It's been mentioned above and I think for your first time out, I would get a nice variable power scope with a top end of 20x - 30x and set it on one of your AR's (IF you plan on shooting mostly little critters with it). Being in SD, I shoot a lot of pdogs a year and shoot a fair amount with an AR. I'm with rusty and love that Varmint Hunter reticle for shooting dogs.
 


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