Northern Wilds

Recently, I went to an outdoor “box” store in search of nontoxic shot shells.
What better place to find a wide selection in shotgun ammunition? Several rows
of shells offered such an assortment that it took a few minutes of perusing
just to get a handle on what was available. Still, without an exact brand or
load in mind, I was unable to find just what I was looking for—an affordable,
lethal round for public land pheasants made of a material heavier than steel.

In the next aisle, I met a deer hunter with a similar quandary. He was looking
to upgrade the ammunition he used in his .270. He had no problem locating the
premium loads. He just didn’t know what to buy.

“There’s just too many choices these days,” he said.

Feeling like Goldilocks trying to find the perfect porridge, I had to agree.
Eventually, I ended up with some Number Sixes made of a material that promised
on the package to be heavier than steel. They weren’t quite what I was looking
for, but they were closer to what I wanted than the available alternatives.
I’m not sure what the deer hunter brought home.

Ammunition has improved significantly over the years. Across the board, we now
have ready access to quality products for an array of hunting and shooting
situations. Many of these offerings perform amazingly well. However, they are
not necessarily cheap and overall ammunition prices have increased. And, even
if you are willing to pay a premium price, having an array of choices doesn’t
mean the store will stock what you want to shoot.

Some hunters face more of an ammunition dilemma than others. A Minnesota deer
hunter with a .30 caliber rifle—the average centerfire hunter—can consistently
kill whitetails with ammunition readily available at the corner convenience
store. This is because most Minnesota deer are shot at distances of less than
100 yards and deer are small to mid-sized big game animals. These hunters may
seldom buy ammunition, because they only fire a few sighting-in shots and
whatever it takes to kill their deer.

On the other hand, if that same hunter decides to make a western hunting trip,
they may find their convenience store ammo isn’t quite good enough. It is
likely their favorite .30 caliber whitetail load won’t perform well at 200
yards and beyond, which is uncharted territory for Minnesota shooters, but not
uncommon in western hunting situations.

At this point, our hunter heads for a store stocking more than the garden
variety of ammunition. Quite likely, the hunter is then bewildered by the
available selection. Unless a friendly clerk happens along to help the hunter
find a proper load, quite likely he’ll head West with something less than the
best choice. Knowing what to buy isn’t easy unless you subscribe to gun
magazines and spend time at least window shopping—if not buying and sampling
ammo—at the local shooting store.

Of course the trouble with trying new ammunition is that you can’t buy a box
and just go hunting. First, you have to determine how it shoots in your gun.
For rifles, this requires some time on the sighting-in range, where you have
to shoot enough rounds to see how the ammunition performs in your rifle and
make sighting adjustments if necessary. Then, when the rifle is properly
sighted in, you should shoot enough at expected hunting distances to build
confidence. Do it right and you’ll burn up a box or two of cartridges—an
expensive proposition at today’s prices.

Shotgunners are more likely to encounter more situations requiring special
ammunition due to lead shot restrictions and the variety of available game
birds. Again a trip to the shooting range is in order, primarily to pattern
your shotgun with the ammunition to determine the best choke for your hunting
purposes. You might even want to shoot a few clay pigeons as well, although
with premium nontoxic shot shells, such practice is cost prohibitive.

In fact, some shotgun ammunition is darned expensive for wingshooting. When
the cost of a single shot shell exceeds $2, it’s hard for this hunter to use
it for duck hunting. Sorry, but I’m not that good of a shot, even with the
best ammunition. I don’t want to put myself in a position where I can’t afford
to miss. So, like most of the duck hunters I know, I stick with less expensive
steel shot.

When it comes to rifles, I am fortunate to have a friend who reloads, so I can
get top-notch ammo for a somewhat lower price. However, I also buy premium
rifle loads on occasion. Despite the cost, I also try to do some target
practicing through the year to stay familiar with my rifles. Ditto for
shotguns, although shot shells for target shooting remain reasonably priced.

While I bemoan the increasing cost of shooting, I don’t think it will drive me
away from guns and hunting. As pastimes go, both are still less expensive and
more rewarding than many other activities. I don’t know about you, but I’d
rather spend my spare time in a pheasant field than in a shopping mall or casino.