How Much Ammo

Just curious how much ammo do most of you carry on a hunting trip? 1-2 boxes per caliber for each rifle?
I want to take enough but not carry too much.

If I'm going someplace where I'm say over in central Montana and about 350 miles from home I just take an MTM case that holds about 40 rounds. If I'm just going elk hunting or deer hunting locally I'll take about 15 rounds.

At least 20 rounds but, no more than 40. You never know, maybe you'll bump the scope and want to re-zero.... I like to carry only a few in the field for whitetail but have learned to carry more for elk.......... :>)

I always take two rifles as well.

A full magazine

I only need one round per tag.

Pigs get a full 20 round magazine

I have a “hunting essentials “ dry box that always goes with me. On every hunt. In it, I have an ammo wallet or spare magazine for every caliber I own. So even if I have a complete brain fart, I have at least a few rounds. It also contains a skinning knife, a bipod, towel, rubber gloves, rope, and copies of Texas game transfer papers, plus some other crap I don’t think I can live without.


I’ve not yet been fortunate enough to hunt big game out west. No experience there. I’m sure I’d bring a full box of 50 though.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

For your big hunt Rodger I would be inclined to take 40-50 rounds for each of your guns just in case. Better to be looking at it than for it as they say. In the field I don't carry more than 20 at a time even on long backpacking trips.

Local area hunts- 8 rounds.

Out of area hunts- 20 rounds, 1full box.

I'll take 40 rounds on a trip because after the hunt is done we may find a place where we can do some shooting without disturbing other hunters.

I take an 8 round wallet for whitetail. A full box of varying size is at the cabin. I've rarely fired more than a single shot, but like to have some spares in case of varmints or getting drafted to track and finish off one of the neighbors wounded deer. A wounded whitetail bounding from cover or hobbling across the far side of a hayfield occasionally requires from a couple to a magazine worth of ammo.

When socially camp hopping late in the season, I take a full 50 for the 30-06 camp rifle as a friendly shooting contest or old fashioned deer drive often breaks out.

I take 20 rounds for my annual deer hunt. Big trips min of 20 per rifle.

JD338

I took 40 rounds to Alaska for the grizzly hunt. Figured I might have to sight-in the rifle again. And the bear tag included ten wolves.

Normally I just take a box of 20 with me, and usually have about 6-10 rounds on my person while hunting.

I don't carry like I was landing on Iwo Jima or something... But it would completely stink to run out of ammo on a hunting trip. Particularly if trying to bring down a wounded animal.

Guy

My dad always told me "it only takes one".. :lol: , I usually take 20 or more depending on how many I have loaded up. Carry enough on me to refill the mag.
Take care
Ed

I generally have 10 extra rounds on me while hunting, 3-4 in the rifle, then work out of 50 round ammo box's. This year for Elk The ammo box has 35 rounds for the primary load. Then about the same for the back up ammo for the back up rifle. If I was shooting Factory Ammo on a long trip, I would try to have 2 20round box's for each gun. Or at least whats left of 2 box's after sight in verification.

Thanks for all the replies. I had planed on carrying at least 40 rounds per rifle with 20 on my person and 20 at the camp or in the truck if for some reason I would need more.

Could be caliber specific also. I took about 50 rounds with me on my Alberta moose hunt because I was carrying my 300 H&H. Can’t just walk into a store and find ammo on the shelf. If you had a 308, 270 or 30-06 you could at least pick some up in an emergency.

Camo

Rodger, I would recommend that you take at least 40 rounds per rifle :wink:. You never know when you might need to rezero the rifle.
You can purchase those Uncle Mike's belt shell holders and they hold 10 I believe to carry with you when your are actually hunting .

PS. Rodger shells are the cheapest part of the hunt :mrgreen:.

Blessings,
Dan

30 rounds

LanH,

Welcome aboard. Always pleased to see new people posting and sharing their perspective.

sask boy":329eivcf said:

Rodger, I would recommend that you take at least 40 rounds per rifle :wink:. You never know when you might need to rezero the rifle.
You can purchase those Uncle Mike's belt shell holders and they hold 10 I believe to carry with you when your are actually hunting .

PS. Rodger shells are the cheapest part of the hunt :mrgreen:.

Blessings,
Dan

Click to expand...

Dan I'm not worried about the cost of ammo just if I get pulled over for no good reason and have the truck searched because I have out of state tags. With all the bull that has gone down lately I don't need some one with an axe to grind take it out on me because I have several rifles and maybe a hand gun with a total of 200 rounds of ammo in my possession.
Every case will have a lock on it including the ammo which will be locked in a tool box in the bed of the truck so no ammo will be readily accessible.
It may sound like over kill but better to be safe then sorry.

I'll preface this by saying I haven't hunted with commercial ammo for over 30 yrs, except with a couple of very finicky rifles, so I play on the safe side of Murphy.

If I'm going to get back home the same night, it's just twice what the magazine holds. Never needed it, but....

A day, or two away, 20 rnds.

More than that and still CONUS, 2 boxes.

Flying over big water...a big box, 50. (if law allows)

Thanks everyone I've settled on 25rnds for the back up and 40rnds for the primary any more then that should I need it will be bought locally since both rifles are chambered in commonly found calibers.