Introducing Myself - A brand new hunter

[eruby]

Welcome aboard!

Why do you hate Velma Kelly?

 

[Huckleberry]

Welcome aboard!

Why do you hate Velma Kelly?

Roxie Hart Approves

 

[hobiecat590]

Hi there everyone,

It's cool to have found this site! I'm glad to be able to connect with like-minded people. I've been interested in guns for a long time and I figured that there's no substitute for real-life experience. At some point you just have to jump in.

A bit of background on me - I've completed the hunter safety course and have been researching white tailed deer in preparation for the upcoming hunting season. I'm mainly interested in guns for hunting, but I also think that they are a cool item to collect. I have shot a lot of guns but never owned one myself before. I'll be buying my first gun very soon, most likely a 30-06 or maybe a 30-30? I would like to be able to use the same rifle for elk hunting or similar (once I have several years under my belt and a lot of practice) so having a rifle that can move up with me in game size is somewhat important to me.

Since this is my first ever gun purchase I would be happy to hear what others recommend. I will have a little while to practice and work on my marksmanship before the upcoming season.

One question that I have - how do you go about finding private land for hunting? I am happy to work in exchange for land use, but this is something that I am unfamiliar with as I am new to the sport.

Many thanks and I look forward to talking with you all.
Roxi

There are so many options for a hunting rifle and caliber less options for finding private land to hunt on.

While I appreciate the sentiments of others about “overkill” on whitetail, I don’t fall into that line of thinking. If you want a versatile rifle I’d recommend 270 Win, 308, or 30.06. All would be suitable for a whitetail and elk.

Personally, I have rifles in all of the calibers mentioned above plus more and generally grab my 300 WSM even when hunting whitetail, because I shoot it the best.

If you’re looking to accumulate rifles you could hunt whitetail 260 remington, 25-06, 243 and then buy a 30 cal rifle for your western hunt.

Take a look at Wildlife Management Areas and other public land hunting options. Make sure you scout where you hunt, have a plan to get in and get out and have fun.

^^this^^ 25-06, 6.5 Swede or any 6.5, 243, 270 for WT in order of my preference although some use these for elk, but I would not. Get a 300 Win Mag or equiv for bear, elk etc. and you can skip the 30-06/308 until later :-)

 

[RRomig]

It will also depend on if a hunter is in a Shotgun only county.

In this case, a good 12 gauge with a rifled barrel and scope mount will serve him well.
I have a Mossberg 500 Pump with such a setup and a 3x-9x scope

What county is shotgun only. Last year someone brought this up even though the hunting regulations say that a straight wall cartridge can be used in place of SG. I called DNR for more clarification and they confirmed what is written in the hunting guide. I’m not saying your wrong I’d just like to know your reference.
Thanks

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

RRomig,

I very well could be wrong in that nothing ever stays the same.

I believe it used to be that Baltimore, Harford, Cecil, Fredrick, Howard, PG. Mont and others were all Shotgun only. BUT certain areas may have changed in the past few years since I last went.

Since 2018, I have not been able to go hunting due to downturns in my elderly parent's healths and my needing to care for them.

Curious to find out too about these Straight Wall mentions.

 

[hobiecat590]

None per 2021-2022 MD guide looks like ALL counties:

• Shotguns, rifles and handguns that fire straight-walled cartridges, muzzleloading firearms, air guns and archery equipment may be used to hunt deer in all counties during the Firearms Season and Junior Hunt Days.

• Rifles and handguns that shoot bottleneck cartridges may only be used to hunt deer during the Firearms Season and Junior Deer Hunt Days in certain counties and areas (see map and description).

 

[Uncle Duke]

Begin your search with the thought that there isn't a firearm made that isn't a compromise, in some way or other.

Priority one is versatility for both deer and elk sized game? Hard to beat .30-06.

Nobody ever bought a .30-30 for ballistic performance. But damn they're sweet handling with deer in mind, for the vast majority of shots you'll encounter in this state.

You can go lighter, say if deer hunting is primary, but maybe bench shooting would be much more likely for you than say, elk hunting. It can get old leaning into .30-06 at the bench all day. Best compromise between fully adequate for deer, and bench shooting comfort? I'd look to one of the 6.5 flavors. They are associated with the long range games here in the States, but have long been understood to be excellent mid-size game cartridges in Europe. Or maybe consider a 7mm-08 also, if the desire is comfortable to shoot for extended periods used lots of days, and could also fill the bill for an infrequent elk hunt, "perhaps one day."

Wanna cover Maryland "shotgun" counties with a rifle instead? You can now do that with select straight wall rifle cartridges also. Be aware of Maryland's 1200 foot pounds of energy requirement for rifles used for deer. Choose your platform as well, be it AR perhaps, or lever or bolt action. Or if you want a dedicated shotgun for deer and bear, the Savage 220 is capable of slug gun accuracy that was simply unimaginable years ago.

One other thought I'll throw out here. If you're perhaps in the used rifle market, target hunters, not shooters. There are some sweet rifles out there that were sighted in by hunters with a few shots a year, shot maybe a time or two a season, were otherwise well cared for in storage, and after 40 years now have seen a grand total of (maybe) 250 fired rounds. Finding such rifles can be FUN!

MDS is much more of a shooters forum than a hunters forum, like say Maryland Whitetail. But some folks here are all around deplorables. A number of us are hunters and shooters both.

Welcome aboard! Enjoy your stay!

 

[Harrys]

Welcome to the puzzle palace,

Me presonnaly I live in southern MD so I use a 45/70 , a .500 S&W and a single shot rifled 12 gauge. In MD you can use straight wall cartrages check out DNR site for regs. So basically I can hunt in all of MD. 30/06 and 30/30 limits you to the nothern zone of MD.

 

[bratgirllcp]

Welcome from Eastern Shore

 

[Doco Overboard]

Both my girls and daughter in law use 308's.
Browning micro midas x bolt in 308 is a good choice for a bolt action rifle.
They also select a Wyndham ORC and a Winchester M70 super grade (full size) at times.
They know what a 243 will and will not do on big east coast deer.
I dont need to argue that here we/they know better.

 

[mauser58]

It will also depend on if a hunter is in a Shotgun only county.

In this case, a good 12 gauge with a rifled barrel and scope mount will serve him well.
I have a Mossberg 500 Pump with such a setup and a 3x-9x scope

I was thinking the same. Member is from Baltimore and most counties you can only use a shotgun and slug or straight walled cartridge rifle.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

The maps and which type weapons permitted in which counties/ zones can be found here. Yes it seems a change to include straight walled calibers was added in some former shotgun only areas.

Deer Seasons & Bag Limits - Maryland Hunting

12 in certain counties (See Sunday hunting chart, Sunday Deer Hunting ) Region A White-Tailed Deer 1 antlered or 1 antlerless deer Region B White-Tailed Deer 3 deer, no more than 1 may be antlered Sika Deer 1 antlered or 1 antlerless deer (See map for regions, General Deer Hunting Rules ) Junior…

www.eregulations.com

 

[hobiecat590]

While re-reading these posts, it might not be super clear to a newbie that in MD you are not allowed to use high powered rifles throughout the state to hunt deer due to human population densities. Western MD and other parts of counties (Frederick) allow rifles. Everywhere else used to be Shotgun slug only. MD recently changed their regs to allow for straight walled cartridges, (35 win, 45/70, 44 mag etc.) in addition to shotguns.

This changes your requirements depending on where you want to hunt, what sort of terrain and range, and what you plan to hunt. If you plan to hunt in formerly shotgun only counties for WT and might want to try for Black Bear in WMD, a 45/70 might be a great all round rifle for you. A 45/70 is a short range (<150 yards) rifle that will bust thru bush and take anything in MD. For that occasional elk hunt, I'd borrow or buy a purpose specific rifle. BTW, welcome to MDS.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

This is the Maryland Hunting and trapping guide for 2021-22. Remember to verify things once 2022-2023 comes out once it is time.

Maryland Hunting Seasons & Rules

Official Maryland Hunting regulations. Season dates, license info, bag limits and more. Deer and Turkey Season info.

www.eregulations.com

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

While re-reading these posts, it might not be super clear to a newbie that in MD you are not allowed to use high powered rifles throughout the state to hunt deer due to human population densities. Western MD and other parts of counties (Frederick) allow rifles. Everywhere else used to be Shotgun slug only. MD recently changed their regs to allow for straight walled cartridges, (35 win, 45/70, 44 mag etc.) in addition to shotguns.

This changes your requirements depending on where you want to hunt, what sort of terrain and range, and what you plan to hunt. If you plan to hunt in formerly shotgun only counties for WT and might want to try for Black Bear in WMD, a 45/70 might be a great all round rifle for you. A 45/70 is a short range (<150 yards) rifle that will bust thru bush and take anything in MD. For that occasional elk hunt, I'd borrow or buy a purpose specific rifle. BTW, welcome to MDS.

Hobiecat, my first hunting rifle was a sweet Marlin lever action 44 magnum. I believe the scope and my forehead/nose became intimate a time or 2 while practicing prone shooting.

 

[Uncle Duke]

While re-reading these posts, it might not be super clear to a newbie that in MD you are not allowed to use high powered rifles throughout the state to hunt deer due to human population densities. Western MD and other parts of counties (Frederick) allow rifles. Everywhere else used to be Shotgun slug only. MD recently changed their regs to allow for straight walled cartridges, (35 win, 45/70, 44 mag etc.) in addition to shotguns.

This changes your requirements depending on where you want to hunt, what sort of terrain and range, and what you plan to hunt. If you plan to hunt in formerly shotgun only counties for WT and might want to try for Black Bear in WMD, a 45/70 might be a great all round rifle for you. A 45/70 is a short range (<150 yards) rifle that will bust thru bush and take anything in MD. For that occasional elk hunt, I'd borrow or buy a purpose specific rifle. BTW, welcome to MDS.

A number of the lower Eastern Shore counties allow bottleneck rifle cartridges also. But yep, be sure to check the regulations for the specific counties you plan to hunt.

 

[Roxiheart]

Checking back in again now that I have some things to update with! ^_^ I appreciate the suggestion of going with a bow for the first season, axshon. After checking out the lengths of bow vs gun seasons, I agree that it would be better to have more chances to make the first hit. I would rather have more opportunities to learn from my mistakes in the field and not feel so pressured to make something happen. I think that participating in bow season will definitely help slow me down, allow me to take my time, and force me to get closer to the deer and a bit more comfortable with being in the woods. It should help with my animal tracking as well.

I've picked up my first bows from Craigslist and have started practicing with them. I need to get the poundage set to a more comfortable pull weight for me on the lighter bow that I intend to use, but I think that they are a great starter set.

I have started to learn as much as I can about the deer that I'm going to be hunting. It will be a good challenge to get my first deer on my own and I'm excited to share my progress with you all on my journey.

 

[Squaregrouper]

Checking back in again now that I have some things to update with! ^_^ I appreciate the suggestion of going with a bow for the first season, axshon. After checking out the lengths of bow vs gun seasons, I agree that it would be better to have more chances to make the first hit. I would rather have more opportunities to learn from my mistakes in the field and not feel so pressured to make something happen. I think that participating in bow season will definitely help slow me down, allow me to take my time, and force me to get closer to the deer and a bit more comfortable with being in the woods. It should help with my animal tracking as well.

I've picked up my first bows from Craigslist and have started practicing with them. I need to get the poundage set to a more comfortable pull weight for me on the lighter bow that I intend to use, but I think that they are a great starter set.

I have started to learn as much as I can about the deer that I'm going to be hunting. It will be a good challenge to get my first deer on my own and I'm excited to share my progress with you all on my journey.

Welcome aboard from Pikesville. Many of us are members at The Associated Gun Clubs (AGC) which is a big range at the south end of Liberty Reservoir (easy to map). If you haven't bought a rifle yet, many of us would be happy to let you try out some different calibers to narrow down what might be best for you.
As many others have stated, just about any deer rifle is big enough for MD sized deer. Elk would likely require longer range and a relatively powerful round. I would not recommend a .30-30 for Elk, but they're great for Whitetails in MD. I would shoot a .30-06 or two before buying one. They're a great caliber for hunting, but not the best choice for recoil sensitive shooters. Look into 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester calibers before shelling out cash on your first hunting rifle