Remington XCR ??

[R Flowers]

New Mexico is sort of a sleeper for folks looking to hunt out of state. I have been down there five years in a row now hunting elk, then antelope, now deer.

It is kind of hard to draw in New Mexico. I have put in several times for deer near the Jicarilla, but have not drawn. We got started going with guides who have land owner tags. We still have to pay the going out of state license fees, but we are assured of having a tag. We KNOW that we are going to get to go.

The state does not hand those tags out willy nilly. They really keep track of the land owner's habitat, etc. The guy I just hunted with has 27000 acres of antelope habitat and he only gets 10 tags a year. (And it is only a three day rifle season.) But they work together. The hunt we just went on was a special hunt awarded this guide for habitat improvement. We got to hunt the last five days of November for deer.

We hunted on the V7 ranch which is near Raton, New Mexico and right next to the Whittington Center. In three days we all shot great , heavy, mature mule deer. I understand that the folks from Nosler had just been hunting the Whittington Center the week before us and that they had been there again in August for antelope. The Nosler crew must really like that place, they have been there a couple of times while I was there hunting antelope. Heck, I once went into a store wearing a Nosler shirt and a guy started asking me what kind of deal I could get him on bullets, saying that Bob Nosler had just left the place.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

To get good mule deer and elk tags in NM is like winning the lottery, as with any other quality trophy hunting state. I sure would love to hunt some big ol muleys down there though, or Utah. But then again, you'll be waiting for years to draw it. Hell, it takes almost 10 years just to draw a big bull tag here in Oregon for a decent unit. I still havne't drawn and I've been putting in since I was 13. I think its bull****. So were stuck hunting spikes all the time. Drawing a cow tag is like 1 in every 3-5 years. Oregon sucks for hunting anymore. Its only getting worse and worse and worse every year. To many people/not enough animals. Sure would help if they let us bait and run hounds for bears/cougars again. Its that OTHER side of the state. We should seperate ORegon into 2 parts as far as I'm concerned. They can have that side, I dont want no part of it. Thats why they all come over this side and hunt.

 

[cdrusn4100]

Has anybody actually seen on of the new Remington Extreme Conditions Rifles as of yet?

Last June, while travelling through western NE, I stopped by Cabela's and picked up a new 700 XCR in the .375 H&H magnum caliber. Took it to my gunsmith and had him adjust trigger-pull and add a muzzle-brake. First time I took it to the range the shell-casing extractor broke (second round). Took it to an Remington authorized repair facility and they put in a new one, test fired it, and found it in working condition. I then mounted a new 30mm, 1.5-6X412 Swarovski scope on it and made a second trip to the range. Sighted in the scope with half a dozen factory rounds with no problems with the casing-extractor. Obtained groups of less than 2" at 100 yds, which I thought was pretty good considering the fact that it was a new rifle and I was using factory ammo. As with my .375 H&H mag., Win. 70, that I took to Africa last April/May (see previous posts), I'm sure the precision will increase as I break it in and also start working up some reloads. This XCR I plan to use in Alaska on moose and brown bear.....also a good elk weapon for Canada and/or here in lower 48. I'm also looking at purchasing Remington's .416 Rem. Mag. (mod. 700), in the Alaskan Wilderness model......teflon coated metal and a synthetic stock. For brown bear, I think this weapon would be preferable, when compared to the .375 H&H....just more lead headed down range to kill something that will most certainly attack when hit.

BTW, the new Swarovski scope is awesome......my first purchase of a really expensive scope. I'll be comparing the optical characteristics with those of my Nikon and Leupold socpes to see if the site-picture quality justifies the price. After all, when it comes to optics, it's all about resolving power and lighting characteristics. And.....the XCR's stock is very nice. I like how it handles. Even though the total weight of the weapon w/scope is a bit on the light side, for a large caliber weapon, the recoil was very manageable......most likely due to the muzzle-brake.

If anyone has any experience with Remington's Alaskan Wilderness rifle in the .416 Rem. mag. caliber, I'd love to hear about it. This weapon would also be awesome for Cape Buffalo and other dangerous game.

 

[Jeff Olsen]

To get good mule deer and elk tags in NM is like winning the lottery, as with any other quality trophy hunting state. I sure would love to hunt some big ol muleys down there though, or Utah. But then again, you'll be waiting for years to draw it. Hell, it takes almost 10 years just to draw a big bull tag here in Oregon for a decent unit. I still havne't drawn and I've been putting in since I was 13. I think its bull****. So were stuck hunting spikes all the time. Drawing a cow tag is like 1 in every 3-5 years. Oregon sucks for hunting anymore. Its only getting worse and worse and worse every year. To many people/not enough animals. Sure would help if they let us bait and run hounds for bears/cougars again. Its that OTHER side of the state. We should seperate ORegon into 2 parts as far as I'm concerned. They can have that side, I dont want no part of it. Thats why they all come over this side and hunt.

I like blacktail hunting on the wet side, personally. I know it's too hard for a lot of east-siders, though.



-jeff

 

[cdrusn4100]

Jeff, As you know, getting big game tags in all/most of the western states is getting to be either a "crap shoot" OR, if you are willing to pay the higher prices for "Special" tags (Wyoming/Montana), then you can increase your odds of a draw. I'm so sick of it that I'm planning to give up trying to draw tags for the majority of the western states and save my money for African safari adventures. Yes, it's a "big-ticket" item, but if one plans it carefully, you'll see it is very doable and on a per trophy basis it is a lot cheaper than hunting North American big game. Case in point: I turned 62 in 2004 and elected to start drawing my social security benefits just so I could save those dollars for a safari in Africa. By 2006, I'd over $24,000.00, which was more than enough to pay for the whole enchilada (air fare, 10-day safari in S. Africa, trophy fees, tips, taxidermy work done in S. Africa, plus shipping costs of the completed trophy mounts from S. Africa to MD). I took 9 trophies.....cost per trophy was less than $2,400.00 each. Compare that to any trophy elk/deer/antelope/goat/sheep/moose/lion, etc. that one acquires from a guided hunt in the U.S. and on top of that, one is never guaranteed a trophy animal here in the U.S., unless you are hunting on a fenced game farm. Nothing wrong with that type of hunt, but I'd prefer to return to Africa every two yrs. and have opportunities for a multiple-species hunt, as opposed to what we have here.

I still hunt out west, but it's getting to be "lack luster" in nature and all about "money" for the various states and less about the "sport of hunting". Sad, indeed.

Note: a brown bear hunt in Alaska will cost around $12K - $15K and there is no guarantee of a trophy.....same for a nice Alaskan moose. Similar odds/cost one will encounter in going after Dall Sheep, Rocky Mt. Goats and other species. So, two of those hunts will cost more than one African safari.....and ya still have to pay for your air-fare and taxidermy work.....it's a "no brainer" for me.

Lloyd

 

[Jeff Olsen]

Jeff, As you know, getting big game tags in all/most of the western states is getting to be either a "crap shoot" OR, if you are willing to pay the higher prices for "Special" tags (Wyoming/Montana), then you can increase your odds of a draw. I'm so sick of it that I'm planning to give up trying to draw tags for the majority of the western states and save my money for African safari adventures.

I still hunt out west, but it's getting to be "lack luster" in nature and all about "money" for the various states and less about the "sport of hunting". Sad, indeed.

Lloyd

I hear you! Good tags are hard to find or afford. And then if you DO save up the points, you're hunting alone unless you have a group you have been putting in with (saving up points with).

There's not many critters in Africa I have much interest in hunting, though. I don't know why. I wouldn't shoot a zebra or lion or giraffe or elephant for sport.

I don't hunt because I'm "mad at 'em", nor am I a trophy hunter. I just like getting out in the woods and mountains of Oregon and putting a couple deer in the freezer every year, and maybe an elk every 3rd or 4th year. And if I keep running into bear, one of them is gonna end up tagged but I don't really have much desire to kill a bear. I could've killed a couple in the last few years and let 'em go. Just seemed like too much work for what... 80 pounds of skanky meat?

I guess I'm in large part a meat hunter. The meat I get is waaay more important than the horns. I've never mounted anything. If I'm deer hunting, sure I get excited by big deer and I'd shoot a big one over a small one any day. But acquiring trophies isn't important to me.

Maybe it will be later in life! I'm not making a value judgement, just making conversation.

Thanks for the reply!

-jeff