Looking at taking up hunting

[T-Boon]

Thinking about getting into it, where do you guys do it?
What to hunt? rabbit? possum? i think deer stalking is a bit advanced for me just yet?

Likely gonna get my firearm licence soon, then decide what i want to shoot, then decide on a suitable rifle, leaning towards .223 at the moment for a first gun, but feel free to add advice.

[wopass]

get your licence then go out with some guys shooting rabbits and have a go with thier gear to see what you like, most people start with a .22 as they are cheap,and gets you used to shooting etc and you allways need a .22 for small game.

then when your comfotable with that and find your trying to shoot outside the .22's capabilitys buy a .223 or something similar to give you that extra reach and bigger game ability like long range hares,goats, wallabys and you can use them on small to mid sized deer if your a good shot

[flyingbrick]

Awesome dude

Getting my firearms was one of the best things I've done.

[J_Dub]

something i wouldnt mind doing either, i grew up on blocks of land and we used to shoot rabbits and possums any spare time we had, but now i wouldnt know where to go or who to go with...
the thought a going bush for a few days with a pack a dogs hunting pigs is what id love to do

[skid]

let us know if the test thingy was easy when ya do it

coz I'm looking at doing it too and taking up a bit of hunting also

just to add more things to my mid life crisis list

this list is starting to cost a small fortune

[flyingbrick]

Its easy as, Skid.

Just common sense- and you get a big lecture by some friendly folk before hand... and its pretty much open book iirc.

Really low stress.

[muddyhilux]

yeh i downloaded and printed out the license look thingy and have had a read or 2,next step i was gona go see the local cop shop and yeh go from there,my mates about to buy a farm so plenty of fun to be had soon,4wdn,hunting and definetly last on the list at end of day a few beers,ive been surfing trademe and also been checking out http://www.outdoorsupplies.co.nz a bit,got some nice stuff on there,not that i kno alot about them but yeh

[Sadam_Husain]

get your licence then go out with some guys shooting rabbits and have a go with thier gear to see what you like, most people start with a .22 as they are cheap,and gets you used to shooting etc and you allways need a .22 for small game.

then when your comfotable with that and find your trying to shoot outside the .22's capabilitys buy a .223 or something similar to give you that extra reach and bigger game ability like long range hares,goats, wallabys and you can use them on small to mid sized deer if your a good shot

Yep just like Wop said

Personally, and there are people that will disagree, but I rather see people with bolt action 22's rather than semi autos (shit if you cant nail a rabbit or possum with one shot you shouldnt be shooting anyway ) coz theres no live round up the spout waiting to be fired every time you pull the trigger and bolt actions are easy to make safe ie: open or remove the bolt and its safe, and everyone else thats with you can SEE that the guns safe

I hate semi-autos and I hate being around anyone with semi autos

[T-Boon]

yeah, downloaded the arms code a couple days ago, had a read, will re read and prolly do the test then.

[sublime]

getting my liscence also, used to do alot of deer stalking with my dad as a kid and am keen to get back into it. and be good to be ready if a civil war breaks lol

[tweake]

semi's can be very good for teaching one very important lesson....always point the gun in a safe direction.
accidents happen when you think the gun (any gun semi or bolt) is unloaded and point it in an unsafe direction. if you always point guns in safe direction as habit, WHEN you stuff up and have it loaded when you think it isn't you or your mates will live to tell about it.

its important to learn to carry loaded rifles safely. while you may only load a 22 bolt action when required, when you jump into centrefire that will change. you will be carrying it around fully loaded (typically on half bolt or safety). so its best get in the habit of carrying fully loaded rifles safely.

[skid]

I hate semi-autos and I hate being around anyone with semi autos

note to self, take the AK-47 off my watchlist

will never be allowed back to hut 40

[flyingbrick]

reminds me.

An uncle had a .22magnum (iirc) one day he walked into the entry way of his home (farm house) and the rifle went off- firing a bullet into the floor.

Still- a surprising amount of damage was done- bits of lead had punched holes in the doors and wall in the entryway. nearly looked like welding splatter.

Pretty lucky nobody was near!and pretty silly walking into your home with something you were not 100% sure was empty.

[Sadam_Husain]

note to self, take the AK-47 off my watchlist

will never be allowed back to hut 40

[skid]

and where am I gonna take my ritual morning dump

[Sadam_Husain]

and where am I gonna take my ritual morning dump

Just give them a shove theres plenty of room

[Strait23]

And when am I allowed back up at the hut again! Surely you are over me beating you in the "Tour De Coma" by now!!!

[T-Boon]

ok, had a chat to the hunting shop guy,

Had a sign up stating "owner must supervise all customers in this area" reffering to where the guns are.
I asked him if he wanted to supervise me, and he said, nah your ok, your the right colour old racist dudes are funny

He said ideally you could have a semi and a bolt, one for each of whatever your doing, bolt will always be more accurate, but its nice to be able to take another shot quick if you miss. I think that i`ll just go a .22 bolt for my first, and go from there. Makes sence to me.

He said that the .22 is also easier to use in various area's because it makes bugger all noise. can use it at a local range in GggggField or mates farm etc, whereas a .223 makes a bit more noise and will attract attention. and i feel that a .22 bolt will make me choose my shots more carefully. if ya cant do it in one shot your not doing it right

[Sadam_Husain]

I think that i`ll just go a .22 bolt for my first, and go from there. Makes sence to me.

If you can spend a bit extra on it, buy a better quallity 22 rather than a $99 chinese piece of shit that'll jam up every 2nd shot and be a piece of shit, dont think you have to buy something new coz there are some good 2nd hand firearms out there and if you get something nice that you'll enjoy using you'll probably end up teaching your kids and grandkids how to shoot with it

[haynzy]

I think that i`ll just go a .22 bolt for my first, and go from there. Makes sence to me.

If you can spend a bit extra on it, buy a better quallity 22 rather than a $99 chinese piece of shit that'll jam up every 2nd shot and be a piece of shit, dont think you have to buy something new coz there are some good 2nd hand firearms out there and if you get something nice that you'll enjoy using you'll probably end up teaching your kids and grandkids how to shoot with it

Twas me I would buy a good 2nd hand bruno .22 they are hard to find but are very accurate and have stood the test of time, In saying that I have a winchester 5 shot bolt action that My father bought 40 years ago and is near as good as the day it came off the shop floor

[Sadam_Husain]

Twas me I would buy a good 2nd hand bruno .22

[flyingbrick]

Bruno/CZ same thing?

We have had 3 of their .22's. Very nice rifles.

you should also consider a .17hmr or a .22 magnum. Louder but meh.

[J_Dub]

whats involved to get ya license?
theory test and and practical or whats the go???

[MNC]

whats involved to get ya license?
theory test and and practical or whats the go???

Its an easy test and if you get the answers wrong they tell you and get you to have another go. They also ask for 2 people to be referees for you and interview them to see if they think you are responsible enough to own a firearm. Also need to show you have somewhere to lock a firearm away - even if you dont own one.

I've used a few different calibers and for NZ game my preference would be a 243. Have nailed a few bambi's with 243 and havent had issues with blowing away all the good eating meat Not like my mate who uses a 308

[T-Boon]

as far as i`m aware, its study the code of arms, do a 30 question test, get at least 28 right, then the inspector comes and looks at your storage, and your golden.

Storage seems to vary from inspector to inspector, but have a read of this ..

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=16637

[Mud Hog]

X2 on the 17hmr or 17hmr2 that will be my next one.

[flyingbrick]

whats a .17hmr2?

[Mud Hog]

Slightly smaller shell than 17hmr but same projectile its the Hornaday mach 2 round, Getting quite popular now.

[wopass]

whats a .17hmr2?

he meant to say a .17 mach2 . the HMR is a .22 mag case necked to .17 and the mach2 is a .22 case necked so much the same but not as much poke.

the .17 is a neat little pill but i would still recomend the .22 as a first rifle,more forgiving and cheaper to run

[Mud Hog]

whats a .17hmr2?

he meant to say a .17 mach2 . the HMR is a .22 mag case necked to .17 and the mach2 is a .22 case necked so much the same but not as much poke.

the .17 is a neat little pill but i would still recomend the .22 as a first rifle,more forgiving and cheaper to run

I see them advertised as 17hmr2 now. Whats the biggest game anyone has droped with this calibre?