I know. I know! I am the first to admit that I am the terminally addicted slave to the mystical flight of the arrow. Archery unto itself is thoroughly fascinating, stimulating and mesmerizing enough to keep my spirit soaring on high, but add to this timeless hand-eye-spirit discipline the phenomenal feat of killing ultra-wary big and small game with sharp sticks for perfect fun, sport, meat, trophy adventure up close and personal, and to this old MotorCity guitar-slammin’ WhackMaster way of thinking, nothing in life quite compares.
Wildthings, you move me!
Bowhunting is my life, but so is every other imaginable projectile management challenge, from slingshots to bazookas, and not a day goes by where I fail to touch off a few rounds with one or more of my 100s and 100s of cherished firearms.
I keep and I bear like a man possessed. Aim small miss small is my quality of life battlecry in everything I do. Life, liberty and the pursuit of sniper happiness is what I say!
Having the good fortune to share so many campfire roundtables and nonstop high-tech global electronic communication on pretty much a daily basis year round with fellow sporters here, there and everywhere, we banter on about every and all topics that have anything and everything to do with outdoor fun, the shooting sports, firearm history and technology and just good ol’ boy discussions of what actions, ammo and calibers we prefer.
About to log my 69th hunting season, I may not be the world’s most experienced shooter/hunter, but from sheer age and boot-leather obliterating miles afield, I have a lifetime of ballistic experimentation to share with like-minded shootemup enthusiasts who love this stuff like I do.
I have killed many a deer and assorted big and small game with my .22s, .22mag, .223, 22-250, .243, 30-30, .308, 7mm Remington Magnum, .270, 30-06, .300WinMag, .375H&H, .450Bushmaster, .460 Weatherby Magnum, .500 Beuwolf, and in handgun calibers, .22, .22 magnum, .25, .380s, 9mm, .45 ACP, 10mm, .221Fireball, .38 special, .357Magnum, .44Special, .45 Long Colt, .44Magnum, .45\70, .375JDJ, .454Casull and .500S&W.
Besides those calibers I also own and enjoy .17WSM, .25-06, 7×57 Mauser, .257 Roberts, 7.62x39mm, .300WSM, .338WinMag, .338 Federal, and of course an assortment of handguns of every kind.
And I think we can all agree that they are all wonderful!
When it comes to cleanly killing deer, antelope and hog-sized critters, there is no argument that a well -placed proper bullet from the old .32 Winchester, timeless 30-30 and ubiquitous 30-06 simply cannot be disputed as terminal.
And when it comes to unlimited choices in the best ammo ever, these are indeed the good old days!
Your average box of ammo at the local sporting goods store today is as good if not better than the mad basement ballistic scientists of yore could handload after meticulous experimentation with brass, primers, propellants and inexhaustible trial and error to discover and create that magic 1/2MOA custom round.
I am lucky beyond words to have been contacted by Mike McNett and his crew of mad ballistic scientists at Double Tap Ammo who now produce my signature line of Ted Nugent Ammo in all my favorite calibers and loads.
Right out of the box this stuff is crazy accurate and terminal on all game.
All sorts of incredible wildcat rounds have made their way into the shooting culture, but a deer will never be able to distinguish a solid hit from a .270 versus a .280 I assure you.
Certainly, especially with the array of bullet weights and designs available today for the venerable 30-06, the “beware the man with one gun” colloquialism has never been truer. There is simply nothing you cannot accomplish with a good shooting ’06.
When I choose a smokepole for killing game I naturally go for my GA Precision .270 first, but am just as likely to grab one of my super accurate .243s or .308s.
As is forever the case with every choice of caliber or broadhead for hunting, killing efficiently will always be about shot placement and very little else.
Of course it is critical to use the properly designed bullet for the game we pursue. For example, it is wrong to use full metal jacketed rounds that don’t expand or varmint loads that won’t penetrate on big game.
When it comes to guitars, bows, arrows, guns and bullets, the best choice is always going to be very personal and the comfort factor should determine our decision more than anything else. I simply love them all but of course have my favorites.
The trick and responsibility to killing clean effectiveness and resultant marksmanship gratification when choosing bow or gun boils down to serious dedication at the range all year round as often as we can muster.
I cringe at the thought of some sporters waiting till just a few days before the season opener to uncase their trusty bow or gun to get back into the swing of things. My family, hunting buddies and I make it a point to keep the triggerfinger tuned up throughout the year, noting the certainty that such dedication pays off in huge happiness dividends when that hard earned moment of truth arrives with the beast in our sights.
Firearm fit, scope fit, trigger-feel familiarity and the sniper breathing regimen are all extremely critical for consistent accuracy and reasoning predator deadliness. The muscle-mind-spirit memory shot sequence is everything and should be as natural and subconscious as breathing itself.
Excellence in precision sniping only comes from extended and focused time with our weapons of choice, and once attained, that joy of supreme accomplishment.
We owe it to the game we hunt, kill and eat to kill them quick and clean. Not only on an ethical level, but a clean kill always tastes better!
Aim small miss small like you mean it, as this is the time of year to keep the predator touch tuned up to maximum efficiency. Go for it. The magic hunting season is right around the corner. Go ahead and rejoice like you mean it!
With more than 40 million albums sold, rock legend Ted Nugent is equally well known as the nation’s most outspoken proponent of our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights, conducting thousands of pro-gun, pro-freedom, pro-American interviews in major media worldwide. Nugent is a New York Times best-selling author whose works include “Ted, White & Blue —The Nugent Manifesto;” “God, Guns & Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Kill It & Grill It.” This year, his award-winning Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebrates its 500th episode! For allthings Nuge, visit www.tednugent.com
