Chipmunks can be a real nuisance when they start invading your property. They can damage plants, gardens, and even homes. If you’re looking for tips on how to get rid of chipmunks, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we will share some tips on how to get rid of chipmunks using different methods. Read on for more information.

What Is a Chipmunk?

A chipmunk is a small, ground-dwelling squirrel that is found in North America. Chipmunks are members of the squirrel family, which also includes rats, mice, and voles. These animals are easily recognizable by their striped backs and bushy tails. Chipmunks are usually brown or gray in color, but they can also be reddish or black.

Chipmunks typically measure 8 to 10 inches in length, including their tail. They weigh between 2 and 5 ounces. Male and female chipmunks are similar in size and appearance.

What Do Chipmunks Eat?

Chipmunks are omnivorous animals, which means that they eat both plants and animals. Their diet consists mostly of seeds, nuts, fruits, and insects. In the wild, chipmunks typically live for 2 to 3 years. However, in captivity, they can live up to 10 years.

Chipmunks are active during the day and sleep at night. They are solitary creatures that only come together to mate. During the winter months, chipmunks hibernate in underground burrows.

Chipmunks Versus Squirrels:

It’s easy to confuse chipmunks with squirrels, but there are some key differences between these two animals. For one, chipmunks are much smaller than squirrels. They also have stripes on their backs, while squirrels do not. Finally, chipmunks typically eat insects and other small creatures, while squirrels primarily eat nuts and seeds.

If you’re not sure whether you’re dealing with a chipmunk or a squirrel, the best way to tell them apart is by their size and appearance. Chipmunks are small animals with striped backs, while squirrels are larger animals with solid-colored fur.

(Do squirrels carry rabies? See this post for more)

How Do Chipmunks Get in the House?

Chipmunks typically live in the wild, but they will sometimes enter homes in search of food or shelter. If a chipmunk finds its way into your house, it can be a real nuisance. These animals are known to damage furniture, gnaw on electrical wires, and contaminate food sources.

Why Are Chipmunks a Problem?

Chipmunks are generally not a problem for people. However, these animals can become a nuisance if they start invading your property. Chipmunks are attracted to yards and gardens because they offer food and shelter. These animals will eat plants, fruits, and nuts from your garden. They can also damage trees and shrubs by burrowing into them. In addition, chipmunks can carry diseases that can be harmful to humans, such as rabies.

Are Chipmunks Dangerous?

Chipmunks are generally not dangerous to humans. However, these animals can carry diseases that can be harmful to humans, such as rabies. If you are bitten by a chipmunk, it is important to seek medical attention immediately.

If you have a chipmunk problem on your property, it’s important to take action quickly. These little rodents can cause a lot of damage and may even carry diseases. If you’re not sure how to get rid of chipmunks, read on for some tips.

How to Get Rid of Chipmunks Indoors?

• Isolate dogs and cats in a room or crate;
• Close all interior doors;
• Open windows and doors leading to the outside;
• Wait for the chipmunk to find its way out.
• Set a humane trap with sunflower seeds, pumpkin, raisins, cereal, or nuts to lure it;
• Release the chipmunk back into the wild.

How Do I Know If I Have Chipmunks?

There are a few signs that you may have chipmunks on your property. The most obvious sign is the presence of these animals. If you see a chipmunk, it is likely that there are more nearby. You may also see burrows or holes in the ground. These are typically located near foundations, trees, or shrubs. In addition, you may hear chattering or scampering noises coming from inside your walls or beneath your floors. If you think you have chipmunks, it’s important to take action quickly to get rid of them before they cause any damage.

How To Get Rid of Chipmunk Tunnels?

Chipmunks burrow underground to create their homes, which can be a problem for people if the tunnel is located on your property. These animals will dig holes in your yard, which can damage your landscaping. In addition, chipmunk tunnels can create trip hazards. If you have a chipmunk tunnel on your property, you can get rid of it by filling it in with dirt or rocks. You can also try using traps or repellents to discourage the chipmunks from digging new tunnels.

How To Deter Chipmunks?

There are several things you can do to deter chipmunks from your property. First, try to make your yard less inviting by removing food sources, such as bird feeders, pet food, and garbage cans. You can also try using traps or repellents to discourage the chipmunks from coming onto your property. Finally, if all else fails, you may need to call in a professional pest control company to help get rid of the chipmunks for good.

How to Get Rid of Chipmunks Outdoors?

• Keep Your Yard Clean: Remove potential food sources, such as bird feeders and pet food.
• Set Traps: You can purchase chipmunk traps at your local hardware store. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully so that you don’t accidentally trap other animals.
• Repellents: There are a number of commercial repellents available that can help keep chipmunks away.
• Spicy Spray: You can make your own repellent by mixing cayenne pepper and water.Professional Help:
• Introducing Predators: One way to get rid of chipmunks is by introducing predators, such as owls, into your yard. For example, to encourage owls onto your property, create an owl box as an easy-to-use nesting spot
• Call a Professional: If you’re still having trouble getting rid of chipmunks, you may need to call in a professional pest control company.
• Do-it-Yourself Method: Using an air rifle is one of the effective ways to get rid of chipmunks on your property for good.

(For more on the best air rifles for pest control, see this post)

Traps to capture birds can come in as many forms and designs as types of techniques, but they all have the same origin source in that they were constructed to capture food. Trapping fowl of any type was as a whole, not regulated or tracked in any way.

When populations were depleted or the species started showing strains from being trapped, such as when songbirds where in fashion at court for their voices or native species were hunted only for their plumage, regulations and laws were put into place to protect the birds.

Bird Haven

In the middle 1700’s, in the region of Ontario Canada, the native people were hit hard with diseases like TB (Tuberculosis) and Small Pox. The remaining people fled to more populated areas, leaving the land unpopulated and unhunted for about 75 years.

It just happens the opposite was occurring in the bird community, and a certain species had a big boom in growth. In this region of Canada, it was berry rich and predator sparse with a lack of competition for food, so a sweet haven that was perfect for birds to flourish.

Rise of the passenger pigeon

This bird was the passenger pigeon and some of its relatives like doves, and the population rivaled those of the buffalo on the plains of the west. Just one flock could swell to numbers of 2 billion birds. Due to this high number of birds, native peoples begin to move back to the prey rich lands.

This abundance in food with forests untouched by people served the native population quite well and several tribes of the Anishnaube moved into the area, with the strongest being the Ojibway.

In the Columbidae bird family there are about 42 breeds and 310 varieties. The stout bodied bird that has a short neck and slim bill many people think that dove and pigeon can be used for both. But dove is from the French for “peeping” and pigeon from the Germanic name for diving.

The larger types of this family are called pigeons, and the smaller ones are doves. But in common terms, the rock dove is what most people refer to as a pigeon and its subspecies are domesticated and the feral ones in the cities.

The passenger pigeon, at one time was thought to be one of the most numerous species on earth. One colony recorded in 1871 by ornithologist A. Wilson was reported to have over 100 million breeding birds.

Evolution of bird trapping

The type of bird and its habits help explain how the bird trap evolved to be most efficient at providing catch as a food source. In the thick Canadian forests not all traps are successful. Traps like the deadfall, spear based traps, or the scissors derivatives do not seems to be that effective for the environment.

The pole was meant for birds to serve as a perch. With birds such as grouse or grosbeaks they are more ground birds that fly straight up into the protective trees if startled to hide. As the passenger pigeons are perching birds, the Ojibwa bird pole snare was developed.

The Ojibwa Bird Pole Snare

Although a primitive trap, it has a design that is quite sophisticated in its elegance.

The basic set up consists of 4 main elements:

The Pole

The main piece is a tall pointed pole, about 4 feet in height that you drill a hole in. The hole is bored so there are no snagging pieces inside. You can use flint like the native people, or a hacksaw.

A cord or rope must go through smoothly and without any resistance. The method a lot of bush craft people use is contributed to Kochanski and it is cutting a hole with a long Bowie or hunting knife.

This method makes more of a conical bore on each side so the cord has a range of motion, you can drill the hole of course. Either method would be functional as long as the walls of the hole are smooth inside. You can use your knife to carve a point at the pole’s top. This will discourage birds from landing atop it, and aim them more towards the trigger stick for a seemingly better perching place.

The Triggering Stick

The next piece is a stick that is long enough and thick enough to let a bird perch on it, preferably non-resinous wood (so no pine or cedar). Think of the dowel rods used in bird cages to gauge the width. This triggering stick will fit into the hole as a plug, keeping the snare open by preventing it from sliding shut until it is activated by a bird’s weight on it.

When the bird lands and pressure is presented on the triggering stick, it will cause it to be released. This will allow it to close the snare and shut it.

The Snare

Through the ages many materials have been used from leather strips, natural twines, to wire. I don’t like wire as its too rigid for this type of snare trap and can get misshaped quite easily. After a few uses, it may not slide closed properly, allowing for your catch to escape, or can bend a few times then just snap right in two.

So the consensus is using cord is the best all around. I like the inner strands from paracord as they have a great tensile strength, will not rot or mildew like other natural cords, and slide pretty well allowing for the snare to shut. If you have no paracord, then most cords will do for a while.

The Weight

For this type of snare to work, the activation of the trigger will need to be countered with a weighting mechanism. There are 2 types of mechanisms that will work. A bent sapling to snap the snare closed when activated, or a rock for weight to pull the snare closed with gravity.

The rock method is the one employed by the Ojibwa as it can’t break or be affected by weather like a sapling. So during the long and harsh winter months, the rock won’t fail making it the best choice.

This is the finished Ojibwa bird pole snare:

Here is a closer view of the trigger, and the way it fits into the pole with the snare set.

This is the properly sharpened tip of the pole, to insure the pigeon or any bird to choose the trigger branch as a landing spot for a safer grip.

One variation on the Ojibwa bird pole snare is to add a toggle clip to keep the bird off raised quite a way off the ground and some say its smoother and safer for the prey, but it is not needed. The Ojibwa people used the Ojibwa bird pole snare for many centuries and it is still a reliable trap to this day, so either way is fine.

Using a toggle does insure the birds legs don’t break when the snare is closed, so it is a more humane method. It also may mean the bird, depending on its type, may escape if a particularly strong breed.

Setting the Trap

It is a fairly simple set up. It would be better to practice a few times to make sure your snare line feeds smoothly and the trigger fits snug enough to not fall too soon, but loose enough to be triggered when needed.

A note: To stop the rock for pulling the snare by gravity alone, I have seen people put a knot in the snare close to the rock. This is not advised as it may prevent the snare cord from sliding correctly and let your bird loose.

If the trigger stick is snug enough, you will not need any knots or special ties to keep it from shutting before being triggered by the bird’s weight.

This is what the trap looks like when it is set properly:

As the bird lands here (marked with red), the weight will offset the balance of the stick that has been placed in the pole’s burrowed hole, dislodging it, and letting the rock pull the snare shut as seen below.

One way to entice birds to land and perch is to scatter grains and berries around the stand, or place a leaf with seed in the snare hole. As they come in for landing they will perch first to survey the land for competition, or predator hiding spots.

Have your trap close enough to trees that the birds will fly down onto your perch, but not too close to the local foliage that they just go straight to the seed or bait that you have placed to lure them in.

As stated before pigeons and other migratory birds that perch will be a good prey for this type of snare. This trap was made to harvest the larger passenger pigeon, so it can catch a good sized bird. Rock doves and grouse can also be caught with this type and a few more birds quite effectively.

Final Thoughts

As laws and seasons can differ in many states, you will want to check with your local Wildlife and hunting Bureau for the legality side. For a post collapse situation, using a trap such as the Ojibwa snare can mean life or death in the rough terrain of places like Canada and Alaska.

As you take your seat next to the crackling campfire at elk camp, you look up as the sparks flutter into the night sky. The evening is brisk, and you are looking forward to the hot coffee that is starting to boil in the blue enamel kettle on the fire.

Your hunting buddies soon join you after a long day of stalking and regale their tales of the events that transpired. Near misses, huge bull elk sightings, and jokes about who are the worst shooters in the group pass the time as you soak in the atmosphere and scent of the forest that surrounds you.

As the evening progresses, the discussion turns towards which hunting cartridge is ideal for big game hunting in North America.

When it comes to long-distance big game hunting, the 30-06 Springfield and 300 Winchester Magnum are ever-present in the discussion around the campfire or internet hunting forums.

Many claim that the high muzzle velocity, flatter trajectory, and longer effective range make the 300 Win Mag the obvious choice. However, some contest that the 30-06 is more than sufficient for any large game, and the added recoil and hunting rifle weight of the 300 Win Mag are not needed.

But which of these 30-caliber cartridges is ideal for your next hunt?

The Difference Between .30-06 vs .300 Win Mag: Two 30-Caliber Giants

The 30-06 Springfield and the .300 Win Mag are two extremely capable long-range shooting cartridges that will serve you well when the moment arises. Both hunting cartridges fire the 30 caliber bullets accurately and it’s unlikely that we will be able to determine a winner per se.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was designed as a long-distance magnum cartridge to fire heavier bullets with extreme precision at a high effective range like that of the 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 30-06 Springfield was designed as a military cartridge that found amazing success in the realm of big game hunting. With its spectacular terminal ballistics, the 30-06 has claimed every large game animal on the North American continent and has been the hunting rifle chambering of choice for no less than 3 generations.

Each hunting cartridge has its advantages and disadvantages, and you need to be aware of these when choosing the caliber of your next target shooting or hunting rifle.

Cartridge Specs

Both the 300 Win Mag and the 30-06 fire the same diameter bullet, 0.308”. This means that they can typically fire the same 30 caliber bullets, so it makes reloading simpler for both calibers.

The first striking difference that you’ll see when comparing the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 is the difference in case length. The 300 Win Mag is a full 0.12” longer than the 30-06 and you can easily see this when comparing them side by side. However, once loaded, both the 30-06 ammo and the .300 Win Mag will have the same overall case length.

The overall design of the 300 Win Mag also lends itself to increased case capacity. The .300 Win Mag has over 35% more case capacity than the 30-06, allowing for larger powder charges and higher velocity that lends itself to long-range shooting.

As far as pressure, the .300 Win Mag is capable of handling over 3,000 psi more pressure than the 30-06. But all of that increased case capacity and powder charge come at a price, recoil, and barrel life.

Recoil

There’s no denying that the recoil plays a key part in accuracy, and neither the .300 Win Mag nor the 30-06 is a slouch when it comes to recoil.

Recoil also plays a part in follow-up shots, as you can get your sights back on target faster with a lower recoiling rifle.

As I’m sure you have guessed, the 300 Win Mag has higher felt recoil than the 30-06. Assuming a 7 lb rifle for both calibers, the .300 Win Mag has approximately 35 ft-lbs of recoil, while the 30-06 is slapping your shoulder with 23 ft-lbs. That’s a good 12 ft-lbs less recoil for the 30-06, and that’s not nothing.

However, there is another factor that we need to consider, and that’s rifle weight. Often a .300 Win Mag will garner a larger rifle. Although this might be uncomfortable to backpack through the woods all day, a heavier rifle will reduce the felt recoil a shooter has to endure as the rifle soaks up some of the recoil itself.

With a rifle weighing 9 lbs, the felt recoil for .300 Win Mag will come down to about 27 ft-lbs of shoulder punishment.

Although this is a lot more manageable, you still must carry a 9-pound rifle through the woods all day, and that can wear on your endurance as well. In the end, it’s a trade-off, a heavier rifle recoils less but is more uncomfortable to carry while a lighter rifle will recoil more but be more comfortable to carry through the woods.

Many hunters will just say you need to “man up” because shooting the more powerful .300 Win Mag is worth it. But is it?

When shooting at longer ranges, consistency is key. Although the flat shooting trajectory of the 300 Win Mag is more favorable for long-range shots, the added recoil can add a level of difficulty focusing on the fundamentals of shooting, particularly a clean trigger squeeze.

For younger shooters, there is no question, the 30-06 with less recoil is the obvious choice. For more seasoned hunters and shooters, you need to be honest with yourself about your marksmanship skills and ability to handle the recoil.

Because a little trigger jerk at 400 yards will send that 220 gr Hornady ELD-X under the belly of that trophy mule deer. Or worse, you wound the poor animal with a shot that misses all the vitals entirely.

The simple truth is that it is easier to be more accurate with a 30-06 as it has less recoil, and you can practice with it more.

Barrel Life

This is another category that favors the 30-06 Springfield as the .300 Win Mag is notoriously hard on barrels. This is due to the larger powder charge that the cavernous case capacity of the 300 Win Mag allows.

Sure, you can send those 30 caliber bullets screaming out of the barrel at ridiculously high velocity, decidedly higher velocity than the 30-06. But those magnum powder charges are going to accelerate your barrel wear, especially in the throat where the rifling begins.

Traditional wisdom states that a 30-06 barrel is good for 3,000 to 4,000 rounds while the .300 Win Mag barrel will maintain peak accuracy for 2,500 to 3,000 rounds.

For most hunters, it is unlikely that they will ever wear out a 300 Winchester Magnum barrel.

However, for long-range shooting competitors, it is not uncommon to go through a lot of rounds in a practice session. These shooters demand the pinnacle of accuracy from their handloads and barrels, therefore barrel life is much more important for competitive shooters as opposed to hunters.

Accuracy

Accuracy is a tricky category to empirically analyze as there are factors that cannot be calculated. The rifle system being used, barrel life, consistency of ammo, the skill of the shooter, and environmental conditions all play a part in accuracy.

All things being equal, both the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 are extremely accurate within their effective ranges and sub-MOA accuracy is achievable with match-grade ammo, proper optics, and proper execution of the fundamentals of marksmanship.

As the .300 Win Mag has a flatter trajectory, this gives it a slight edge in accuracy over the 30-06 as a shooter will need to make fewer adjustments to account for bullet drop.

Furthermore, the Army selected the 300 Win Mag as its ammo for their new Enhanced Sniper Rifle in 2010 (though the 6.5 Creedmoor is turning some heads at USSOCOM).

Effective range also plays a part in accuracy, as once a bullet goes subsonic, accuracy goes out the window.

The .300 Win Mag is rated out to a maximum effective range of 1,300 yards while the 30-06 starts going subsonic right around the 1,000-yard marker. Under 800 yards, with all things being equal, I doubt many shooters could detect any differences in accuracy. Over 800 yards it will become more apparent as the 30-06 starts to hemorrhage fps quickly and the 300 Win Mag is still trucking along.

For shots over 800 yards, the 300 Win Mag will be the better option. However, for shots within ethical hunting ranges and below 800 yards, accuracy should be equal for these two hunting cartridges.

Trajectory

Trajectory is how we quantify a bullet’s flight path to its target measured in inches of bullet drop.

For the purpose of discussion, we will look at the 180 grain bullet that both cartridges fire.

Short-range trajectory for the 300 Win Mag and 30-06 are fairly close, at -18” and -27” respectively. Nine inches is not insignificant, but the difference between these two cartridges really shows when you hit the 1000-yard line.

At 1,000 yards, the 30-06 has dropped on average -397” while the 300 Win Mag has only dropped -295”. That’s 8.5 feet difference between the two cartridges.

This is one of the main reasons that the 30-06 is not used in long-range target shooting competitions and the 300 Win Mag is often seen on the 1,000-yard firing line.

The .300 Win Mag was specifically designed to be a high velocity, flat shooting round similar to the 6.5 Creedmoor and it excels at this role. There’s no denying that for longer ranges, the .300 Win Mag is the superior choice.

Effective Range

This is another category where the .300 Win Mag runs away with the victory.

As mentioned earlier, the 300 Winchester Magnum can maintain supersonic bullet speeds out to 1,300 yards, with some match grade loads reaching out to 1,400 and even 1,500 yards.

The 30-06 Springfield will start to go subsonic right around the 1,000-yard line and accuracy will drop off significantly.

The .300 Win Mag has cornered the market in terms of effective range.

Ballistic Coefficient

When I start talking about ballistic coefficient (BC) to my shooting buddies, I often get a “deer in headlights” look.

In short, the ballistic coefficient for a given bullet is a measure of how well it resists wind and air resistance. It’s a numeric representation of how aerodynamic a bullet is, a high BC is preferred and means the bullet will buck the wind easier.

The way a bullet’s ballistic coefficient is calculated is a bit complicated, so we won’t cover that today as I don’t want your eyes to glaze over!

Generally, a heavier bullet will have a higher BC.

As the 300 Win Mag and the 30-06 Springfield fire the same bullet diameter, there is not a lot of difference in ballistic coefficients between the two cartridges.

The .300 Win Mag does pull away a little when you start to factor in the heavier 190+ grain loadings, but it is not a significant difference.

If we look at this in a hunting context, I doubt that any hunters will be able to detect a difference in wind drift under 300 yards, which is where the majority of shots will occur.

Therefore, there is not a major difference between these two rounds in terms of ballistic coefficient as most offerings stick between the 0.45-0.5 range, which is an exceptional BC.

There are a few 30 caliber bullets that break the 0.6 BC, which would be ideal for long-range target shooting for the 300 Win Mag. Those bullets would be the Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range 190 gr (0.64 BC) and the Barnes Precision Match OTM 220 gr (0.611 BC).

Sectional Density

Sectional Density (SD) is the measure of how well a bullet penetrates a target. This is extremely important when hunting big game, as you need a bullet that can punch through thick hide, bone, and sinew.

Sectional density is calculated by comparing the bullet weight and the bullet diameter, the higher the number the more effective it will be at penetrating a target. The higher the SD the deeper the bullet will penetrate the target.

Just like for ballistic coefficient, there is not much difference between the 30-06 and the .300 Win Mag as they fire the same .308” diameter projectiles, with a slight advantage for the heavier 300 Win Mag loadings.

Another small advantage is the higher velocity that the 300 Win Mag can achieve with its higher case capacity. This added velocity over the 30-06 Springfield will allow the .300 Win Mag to penetrate just a bit deeper.

However, both the 30-06 Springfield and the 300 Winchester Magnum will give you devastating penetration that will punch through the toughest bone and sinew on any large game that dares to end up in front of your crosshairs.

The average sectional density for .300 Win Mag is approximately 0.284 vs 0.26 for the 30-06.

Hunting

Now we come to the big question, is the 300 Win Mag or 30-06 better for hunting?

And I’m going to go out on a limb here and state that the 30-06 Springfield is the ideal hunting round between the two.

Now, before all my 300 Win Mag shooters get up in arms, let me present my case.

The biggest selling point on the .300 Win Mag that I read constantly in hunting forums online is that has a flatter trajectory and longer effective range. And those are both true.

On those same forums, I see hunters justifying their purchase that they “might need to shoot out to 1,000 yards at some point…”

I have a question, have any of those forum posters actually practiced 1,000-yard shots?

I’m not talking about using reduced-sized targets to simulate 1,000 yards at 100 yards, I’m talking about an actual 1,000-yard shot.

The calculations and skills that are required to make a shot this long require years of practice and specialized training.

There are a ridiculous number of factors to consider in taking a shot this long: changes in wind direction along the flight path, bullet drop, relative humidity, temperature, the Coriolis Effect, bullet travel time, the curvature of the Earth, even the type of powder you used in your handloads.

Oh, and you actually need a shooting range that can accommodate 1,000-yard shots. In my home state of Indiana, there is exactly ONE range that allows shooters to go out to this distance and they have extremely stringent marksmanship requirements that you must meet before you can even set foot on the 1,000-yard range.

If these forum posters think they can pull off even an 800-yard shot without practicing, well I say, “Good luck to you sir!” Because you’re going to need it!

The simple fact is this, most hunters do not have the equipment, skills, time, or money to develop the ability to shoot this far. And you know what? That’s OK!

If you are an ethical hunter (which if you have read this far, I know you are), you should not even be considering taking a shot on any game animal at those distances because the probability that you wound the animal is significantly higher (if you hit them at all).

An ethical hunter will try to close the distance to a range they are comfortable taking the shot or passing on the animal altogether. Therefore, the internet group reasoning for purchasing a 300 Win Mag because of its ability to shoot out to 1,000 yards is null and void in terms of hunting.

In my experience, ethical hunting shot distances are 500 yards or less with 300 yards being the average maximum distance most hunters are comfortable with. Shot placement is always the most important thing to ethically harvesting an animal, and the closer you are the better your shot placement will be.

Bearing that in mind, what advantage does the 300 Win Mag offer over the 30-06 Springfield at 300-500 yards? The answer is not much.

Both hunting cartridges will have more than enough muzzle energy to take down a bull elk (1,000+ ft-lbs) at these distances, which means they are more than enough for Whitetail and Mule Deer as well.

Therefore, it makes logical sense that the better option is the cartridge that has less recoil (better shot placement), allows for faster follow-up shots, and is generally less expensive.

Hence my reasoning for selecting the 30-06 Springfield as the superior choice for hunting medium to large game animals across North America.

Neither cartridge is recommended for varmint hunting as they are simply too much bullet for the job. For something like this, I’d recommend using the cheaper and softer shooting 223 Rem or perhaps a 22-250.

For deer to black bear, the 30-06 loaded with quality hunting ammo like a Nosler Partition will serve you well.

Ammo Price and Availability

In terms of ammo availability and price, without question, the 30-06 is the superior choice.

As the 30-06 has been in service for well over 100 years now, the amount of work that has been done on the cartridge is extensive. Advancements in bullet technology and powders have come a long way to make the 30-06 an effective large game slaying cartridge.

Virtually every ammo manufacturer has an offering in 30-06, but the same cannot be said for .300 Win Mag.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was not released until 1963, and although it has gained a lot of popularity, not as many ammo options are available for this caliber.

You still have plenty to choose from, but overall, there are fewer options for .300 Win Mag.

As for price, cheap full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo can be had for about $1.50/round for 30-06 compared to $2/round for 300 Win Mag.

That might not sound like a huge difference, but when you start looking at premium hunting ammo from Hornady, Nosler, Barnes, Norma, or Federal, the price jumps up significantly. Premium hunting ammo for 30-06 will run you anywhere between $2-3/round. In contrast, you should expect to pay no less than $3 and up per round for the likes of Federal Premium 300 Win Mag ammo, Hornady Superformance, or Barnes VOR-TX.

With 30-06, you can practice with your hunting rifle more which means you will be better prepared when hunting season comes around.

Rifle Price and Availability

Rifles for both the 30-06 and 300 Win Mag are not in short supply.

Every major rifle manufacturer will have an offering in both cartridges.

Some popular bolt action rifle options are:

• Remington 700
• Savage 110
• Browning A-Bolt
• Ruger American
• Winchester Model 70
• Tikka T3

And although you will not lack options in either caliber, there will simply be more in 30-06 as it has been a military caliber. There are many surplus options for 30-06, like the 1903 Springfield and M1 Garand, that are simply not available for 300 Win Mag.

It was only within the last 12 years that the 300 Win Mag was adopted as a military round, and as such there are no surplus rifles available. And when there are more rifle options available, this means that the price will be lower.

In general, a rifle chambered in 30-06 will be a little cheaper than one chambered in .300 Win Mag.

Reloading

As the .300 Win Mag and the 30-06 shoot the same .308” diameter bullet, it is nothing short of a reloader’s dream as you can stock up on one bullet type for both calibers.

Furthermore, if you want to shoot long-range (and have the location to do so), handloading is the best way to tighten up your groups and squeeze every fps of muzzle velocity out of either cartridge (Warning: never load over the maximum charge listed in your reloading manual!)

The widespread success of the 30-06 (and 308 Winchester) means that you have a wide variety of different bullet weights, bullet profiles, and powders to choose from to create your ideal reload.

Reloading for both the 30-06 and .300 Win Mag is a breeze and you should not worry about any lack of components or reloading dies as these are both extremely popular cartridges for handloading.

.300 Win Mag vs .30-06: Ballistics

Below are the ballistics tables for both .300 Win Mag and .30-06 Springfield comparing multiple popular loadings for each cartridge. Here you can see how each cartridge stacks up against the other, and the differences in the ballistics are impressive.

The 300 Win Mag has a clear advantage over the 30-06 in terms of muzzle velocity and muzzle energy as we have alluded to earlier in the article.

When looking at the lighter bullet options for the .300 Win Mag, you’ll note that the 150 grain 300 Win Mag has a higher muzzle velocity than the 55 grain .223 Rem! (3,400 fps vs 3,200 fps, respectively)

Generally, the 30-06 Springfield is going to be about 800 fps slower at the muzzle than the 300 Win Mag. The same can also be said for muzzle energy as the .300 Win Mag will have about 500+ more ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle compared to the 30-06. There’s no denying that the 300 Win Mag is a high velocity, hard-hitting round!

.300 Win Magnum Ballistics

Note: This information comes from the manufacturer and is for informational purposes only. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.

.30-06 Springfield Ballistics

Note: This information comes from the manufacturer and is for informational purposes only. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.

300 Win Mag: Joining the Magnum Lineage – Go Big or Stay Home

Let’s call a spade a spade my fellow shooters, here in North America we like our Magnum cartridges!

From Dirty Harry and his .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson handgun to big game hunters in the forests of Northern Canada, many shooters like that extra stopping power that magnum cartridges bring to the table.

And the 300 Winchester Magnum steps into the Magnum Lineage like any other magnum cartridge on the market…with a deafening BANG!

Before the 300 Winchester Magnum exploded onto the shooting scene in 1963, there were several other 30-caliber options that we would classify as Magnum ammo by today’s standards.

The most prominent of these was the 300 H&H Magnum that had been on the market since 1925. However, the 300 H&H Magnum could not fit into a standard action Mauser or Springfield receiver and required a custom Magnum action, which severely handicapped its acceptance in the shooting community.

The next attempt at a magnum rifle cartridge was attempted by Roy Weatherby with the 270 Weatherby Magnum in 1943 and the 300 Weatherby Magnum in 1944.

300 Win Mag: Genesis of the Quintessential Big Game Hunting Cartridge

In 1958, Winchester figured they should probably get in on the magnum craze and introduced 3 new cartridges to their line: the 264 Winchester Magnum, the 338 Winchester Magnum, and the 458 Winchester Magnum.

Notice any glaring omission from that list? There’s no 30-caliber option!

Wildcatters (hand loaders who take it upon themselves to develop new cartridges) quickly jumped on this glaring hole in the Winchester line and developed the 30-338 Winchester. Norma Precision also took the opportunity to get in on the action and developed the 308 Norma Magnum in 1960.

It was at this point that Winchester figured that maybe they might do well by introducing a 30-caliber magnum rifle cartridge offering. And in 1963, Winchester introduced the 300 Win Mag in its long-action Winchester Model 70 bolt action rifle.

Remington quickly followed suit, introducing a 300 Win Mag offering in its popular Rem 700 bolt action rife. Since then, the 300 Winchester Magnum has quickly become one of the most successful magnum rifle cartridges on the market today.

The 300 Winchester Magnum was developed from the belted 375 H&H Magnum cartridge and sports a whopping case capacity of 91.5 gr of water and a max pressure of 64,000 psi based on SAAMI specifications.

This voluminous case capacity allows the 300 Win Mag to pack in the powder and push the .308” diameter bullet to its limits.

At the muzzle, a 150 grain bullet is screaming downrange at about 3300 fps with a back-breaking 3600 ft-lbs of energy. That is some serious power! Standard loadings for the 300 Win Mag range between bullet weights of 165 and 220 gr.

Many shooters believe that the belt around the case head is required to contain the “case-splitting” pressure that the 300 Win Mag must exude. However, this is a common misconception.

Based on the case design, the belted cartridge is superfluous. However, Winchester retained the design as a marketing strategy to link the cartridge to its heavy-hitting predecessor, the 375 H&H Magnum.

The strategy was wildly successful as the 300 Winchester Magnum has become one of the most popular magnum cartridges on the market, surpassing the 300 WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, and 270 Weatherby Magnum in popularity.

A Brief History of the 30-06 Springfield: America’s Beloved Rifle Cartridge

America’s love affair with 30 caliber rifle rounds began back in the Wild West with the introduction of the 30-30 Winchester. Later, the U.S. Army developed the 30-40 Krag to be its smokeless powder replacement for the .45-70 Government.

Around 1901, the U.S. Military started developing a new cartridge to replace the 30-40 Krag. The American Expeditionary Forces were very familiar with the effectiveness of the 7mm Mauser cartridge, suffering staggering losses at the hands of the 1893 Mauser at the Battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War.

It was clear that the 30-40 Krag was an inferior design compared to the Spanish Mausers and the military did not want to fall behind with advancements in bolt action rifle and cartridge technology.

At the time, heavier bullet weights were thought to be the superior ballistic choice. Therefore, the initial design submitted in 1903 used the same 220-grain round-nose bullets fired by the 30-40 Krag.

The 30-03 Springfield was patterned after the famous 7x57mm Mauser cartridge, sharing identical case head dimensions.

However, it didn’t take long for the American generals to take note that multiple European nations were favoring higher velocity, Spitzer (pointed) projectiles in their new bolt action rifles.

Not wanting to get left behind, the U.S. Military was quick to adopt a similar design. In 1906, the new cartridge that fired a 150-grain Spitzer flat-based bullet was submitted and accepted. The original design for 30-06 Springfield achieved a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps, packed 2,429 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and a maximum pressure of 60,200 psi (SAAMI specs).

And thus the 30-06 Springfield was born. The “30” designates the bullet caliber and the “06” (pronounced: aught six) designates the year of its adoption.

Although the 30-06 initially gained popularity with the Army’s new bolt action rifle, the 1903 Springfield (which looked surprisingly similar to a Mauser…coincidence I’m sure), it truly became World Famous with the introduction of the semi-auto M1 Garand during World War II.

The 30-06 Springfield was the ammo carried by our soldiers who fought in the trenches on the Western Front in World War I, stormed the beaches of Normandy in WWII, assaulted the 38th Parallel in Korea, and saw limited use in the jungles of Vietnam.

Not only has the 30-06 seen massive success on the battlefield, but it has also seen immense commercial success in the civilian market. Big game hunters loved the amazing terminal ballistics and long-range that the 30-06 offered while having a recoil impulse that is not punishing to the shoulder.

Since its introduction to the civilian market, the 30-06 has been the de facto hunting cartridge that all other hunting caliber cartridges are measured against. The most popular loadings for 30-06 range between 150 and 180 gr bullet weights with the 180 grain bullet being the most popular with big game hunters. However, specialty ammo can go as low as 110-grain bullets and as high as 220 grain projectiles.

The 30-06 Springfield is incredibly versatile, allowing hunters to customize their loads depending on the game animals they are stalking. Lighter bullet weights like the 150 and 165 gr Nosler Partition or Accubond can be utilized for whitetail or mule deer, while you should have good luck with the 200 gr Barnes TSX when you have a vital shot lined up on that trophy elk in your crosshairs.

The 30-06 is truly a rifle cartridge of American legend and has survived the test of time, as it is still one of the most popular hunting rounds in the world over 100 years later. But does the 300 Winchester Magnum simply outclass the tried and true 30-06? Let’s compare these two spectacular long-range cartridges.

Final Thoughts on .300 Win Mag vs .30-06 Springfield

The .300 Win Mag was developed to be an incredibly accurate long-range rifle cartridge capable of shooting past 1,000 yards. And it does this extremely well.

The 30-06 Springfield was battle-tested on the beaches of Normandy and has proven to be a capable hunting cartridge in the forests across North America.

On paper, the 300 Win Mag has superior ballistics in terms of muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, trajectory, effective range, and ballistic coefficient. However, all these benefits are at the cost of punishing recoil and reduced barrel life.

But with all these advantages, should you go out and sell the Remington 700 or Browning A-Bolt chambered in 30-06 that you inherited from your grandfather and get a 300 Win Mag? Absolutely not!

The 30-06 is a versatile hunting cartridge that has withstood the test of time, claiming every large game animal from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains. Less recoil and faster follow-up shots allow the 30-06 to be just as potent as the 300 Win Mag within 500 yards and you should never feel under-gunned when you bring your 30-06 into the woods.

But if you can take the recoil and you take comfort in knowing you are bringing a high velocity, flat shooting cartridge to bear on that Whitetail in your sights, the 300 Win Mag won’t let you down so long as your shot placement is on point.

Hunting season is fast approaching, it’s time to get out to the range and practice with your favorite bolt action rifle and get ready. Your trophy deer or elk is waiting for you, show him what a 30-06 or a .300 Win Mag can do!

Over the past few weeks, I surveyed over 100 shooters who competed in this year’s Nightforce Extended Long Range Steel Challenge in Wyoming. I know a lot of you had questions about calibers, scopes and other gear guys were using, so I put together a survey, and the match director, Scott Satterlee, sent it to all the competitors. Over 100 shooters completed the survey, including 85% of the guys who finished in the top 25 overall. Thanks to all the guys who took the time to share.

One of the fun things about the NF ELR match is it has less established paths to success than most rifle matches. In most PRS/NRL style matches, it’s very likely the guy who wins was using a 6 Dasher (or other 6BR based case), 6mm Creedmoor, or maybe a 6×47 Lapua or 6XC, which are all very, very similar in the grand scheme of things (see the data). In many Extreme Long Range matches the winner is likely using some variety of a 375 CheyTac or 416 Barrett (see the data). This Wyoming match that Scott has designed is one of a kind, featuring features targets from 700-2100 yards in a wide range of scenarios and conditions. (Learn more about the Nightforce ELR match)

While there aren’t formal definitions that anyone agrees on, those distances are further than what most people think of as “traditional” long-range (average target distance at this year’s match was 1,180 yards), but also shorter distance than what many consider “extreme” long-range (90% of the targets at this year’s match were 1500 yards or less). Scott calls this “Extended Long Range,” which is somewhere between the two. As competitors, we’re still trying to figure out what works best, which makes cartridge and equipment choices much more interesting.

“This information will be super helpful to a lot of folks that want to get into the extended range type of engagements,” explained Scott Satterlee. “The Nightforce match is unique to our sport because we had calibers from 6mm through 416’s and everything in between.”

I agree, so let’s dive into the data!

Most Popular Caliber at the Nightforce ELR Match

Let’s start by looking at the calibers guys chose to run, and then we’ll dive into the specific cartridges they pick. While many shooters use the term caliber and cartridge interchangeably, when I say “caliber” I’m referring to the bore diameter of the barrel (e.g. 30 caliber) and when I say “cartridge” I’m referring to the specific type of case the barrel is chambered for (e.g. 300 Norma Mag, 300 PRC).

The chart below shows a breakdown of the total number of shooters who completed the survey grouped by the caliber they were using. I wanted to also provide context for where those shooters finished in the overall standings, so the colors in each bar is used to segment how high up they finished on the leader board. Black indicates those who finished in the top 10, blue indicates 11th and 25th, green indicates 26th to 50th, yellow indicates 51st to 99th, and light gray indicates 100th to 191st.

Like Scott mentioned, there were literally shooters running 6mm to 416 caliber rifles. However, you can clearly see in the chart above that the majority of shooters were running one of these calibers: 6.5mm, 7mm, or 30 caliber. In fact, those three calibers combine to represent 80% of the surveyed shooters!

You can also see above that some guys finished in the top 25 with 6mm and a 25 caliber rifles, and there was also one shooter who finished in the top 10 with a 338 caliber rifle. Having six calibers represented among the top 25 shooters just shows how many opinions there are in terms of what is optimal for these distances!

Now let’s filter down to just show what caliber guys the guys who finished in the top 50 chose to compete with this year. I know a few very well respected shooters that have competed at the highest levels that finished outside of the top 50 at this match, so its safe to say the guys who finished in the top 50 are all exceptional shooters. Let’s see what those guys chose to run:

The chart above shows that more shooters were running a 6.5mm cartridge in the top 50 than any other caliber. However, more shooters were running a 30 caliber cartridge in the top 10 and the top 25 than any other caliber. But, once again the 6.5mm, 7mm, and 30 calibers were the top picks, with those three combining to represent 81% of the surveyed shooters who finished in the top 50.

Most Popular ELR Cartridges

Now let’s look at the specific cartridges these shooters were using to engage targets from 700-2100 yards … in sustained winds up to 35 mph and wind gusts measured on-site up to 60 mph!

You can see a huge range of cartridges, including the 338 Lapua Mag, and precision cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6 Creedmoor, and 6.5×47 Lapua, and larger cartridges like a 7mm Rem Mag, 6.5-284, and even the 28 Nosler. But, 5 cartridges seemed to be most popular, with several people using each of these:

1. 6.5 PRC
2. 300 Norma Mag
3. 300 PRC
4. 7 SAUM
5. 6.5 SAUM

Those 5 cartridges represented 44% of the 100+ shooters surveyed.

6.5 PRC

The most popular choice among the 100+ shooters surveyed was the 6.5 PRC, which is a new cartridge Hornady released in 2017. The 6.5 PRC had been SAAMI approved for less than two years before this match, which is a short amount of time to already see such widespread adoption among the precision rifle community.

The 6.5 PRC is the big brother to the very popular 6.5 Creedmoor and offers up to 10% more velocity while still maintaining relatively low recoil. PRC stands for Precision Rifle Cartridge, and it was designed from the ground up with this kind of precision shooting in mind. The 6.5 PRC is a compact, magnum cartridge that can drive bullets like the 147 gr. ELD-M 200+ fps faster than the Creedmoor, which allows it to stretch well beyond 1,000 yards. Like the 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor, Hornady offers high quality, match-grade ammunition for the 6.5 PRC at affordable prices. I noticed at least a couple of shooters at this match using Hornady 6.5 PRC factory match ammo.

Among those surveyed, it seems like most shooters were using their 6.5 PRC to push 144-147 gr. bullets around 2950 to 2980 fps, which should give context for the class of ballistics the 6.5 PRC provides.

300 Norma Mag

The 300 Norma Mag has been popular at this match for the past few years. It’s worth noting that the shooters who finished in the top 4 spots overall in 2020 were all using a 300 Norma Mag. The winners of this Wyoming ELR Match in 2017 and 2018 were both using a 300 Norma Mag, too. I’ve talked about this cartridge extensively in my previous posts, so I won’t cover all that again. Note: This is different than the older 308 Norma Mag, which was designed in 1959. The 300 Norma Mag is a larger and more modern cartridge designed in 2012.

The 300 Norma Mag is a large magnum cartridge that has been adopted by USSOCOM, so it’s popularity continues to rise. With heavy-for-caliber bullets from 215 to 230 gr., it’s ballistics rival that of the 338 Lapua Mag, but with less recoil (although faster barrel wear). USSOCOM’s Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) solicitation specified the 300 Norma Mag as one of the cartridges that rifle should be chambered in, and now there are lots of rifles being chambered for that cartridge.

Another big attraction for the 300 Norma Mag is that Lapua is now selling brass for it, which means you can get the best of class brass for it if you need extreme consistency and low variation in muzzle velocity. That is an important thing in this game! (Read more on the 300 Norma Mag)

Among those surveyed, many shooters were running 215-220 gr. bullets around 2980-3000 fps, and 230 gr. bullets around 2940-2970 fps. Jorge took 1st place overall and he said using a 30-inch barrel to push Berger 220 gr. Long Range Hybrid bullet at 2980 fps – with an SD of 2 fps!

300 PRC

The 300 PRC was also very popular among this group. It was released around the same time as the 6.5 PRC, so it’s a bit surprising to see how many precision rifle competitors have adopted it – but there is a lot to like! The 300 PRC was tested and selected by the US Dept. of Defense to use in its extended long-range sniping program.

Long-range expert and former special ops sniper, Ryan Cleckner, explains, “The 300 Norma handily beats the 300 PRC on ballistic performance. This is because it can shoot the same or similar bullet faster. However, this comes at a cost. The 300 Norma requires the same XL-sized action as the 338 Lapua Mag because of its large cartridge case and it recoils more than the 300 PRC.” The XL-sized action is due to the Norma being a “fatter” cartridge, requiring a larger bolt face.

The 300 Norma Mag has slightly more case volume, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it can provide slightly higher muzzle velocities and a small edge in ballistics. In my survey, some shooters using a 300 Norma Mag were pushing 230 gr. bullets around 2960 fps, while shooters using a 300 PRC said they were pushing 230 gr. bullets around 2860 fps. So the 300 Norma Mag can provide roughly 100 fps faster velocities than the 300 PRC, which is more but not a drastic difference.

With the overall length of 3.7 inches, the 300 PRC requires a magnum length action. You can use it with a Remington 700 Long Action, but it requires a few modifications. Some also believe the 300 PRC addresses other drawbacks of the 300 Norma Mag, but I’ll side-step that debate. After reading a ton about both and personally talking to experts closely involved with their designs, I don’t think one is inherently better than the other. Clearly, there are good shooters using each one effectively, so it likely comes down to your particular application and personal preferences.

7 SAUM

There were also several shooters using the 7mm SAUM, also known as the 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Mag, including one in the top 10 and another in the top 25. The 7 SAUM is a short-action, magnum cartridges similar to the 7 WSM. One of the draws to the 7 SAUM is the availability of high-quality brass through companies like Norma and ADG. The 7 SAUM offers better performance than the 300 Win Mag in a package that is almost as small as the 6.5 Creedmoor. I read a great article written by nationally-ranked precision rifle competitor, Caylen Wojcik, that walks through how he landed on the 7mm SAUM cartridge for a dual-purpose rifle build to use in extended long-range competitions and long-range hunting. Caylen said he runs 180 gr. bullets around 2900 fps with his 7 SAUM. Lou Smith finished in the top 10 with a 7 SAUM in the Wyoming ELR match, and he was running Berger 184 gr. Hybrid bullets at 2930 fps from his 30-inch barrel.

Honestly, with so many guys using either a 6.5mm or a 30 caliber, it seems like the 7mm could prove to be the happy medium. I talked with Scott Satterlee about this a couple of years ago and we both believe some flavor of 7mm magnum could arguably be the ideal choice for this match. Now with the release of 7mm bullets like Hornady’s 190 gr. A-Tip, and Berger’s new 190 gr. Long Range Hybrid Target (LRHT) bullet – I would be surprised if we don’t see more 7mm magnums in the future. Cartridge choice follows bullet design, so when new bullets are released you can always expect it to disrupt cartridge popularity as new bullet designs open new opportunities.

6.5 SAUM

Finally, several shooters chose to run a 6.5 SAUM at the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge, which is obviously very similar to the 7 SAUM, but necked down to a 6.5mm bullet. If you just look at what the shooters who finished in the top 25 were using, there were as many running a 6.5 SAUM as any other cartridge! The 6.5 SAUM and the 300 Norma both had 4 shooters represented among the top 25. The 6.5 SAUM had two shooters represented among the top 10 and two other shooters in the top 25.

The shooter highest on the leaderboard that was using a 6.5 SAUM was Carson Rutherford, who placed 5th overall. Carson said he was using Hornady 153 gr. A-Tip bullets, and was pushing those at 3,090 fps with an SD of 6 fps. The shooters surveyed that were using a 6.5 SAUM reported a variety of velocities, but many of those who finished in the top half were pushing 140-147 gr. bullets 3090 to 3115 fps.

Here is a closer look at the cartridges used by those who finished in the top 25 at the 2020 Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge:

First, it is interesting that while the 6.5 PRC was the most popular cartridge among these 100+ shooters surveyed, nobody finished in the top 25 with a 6.5 PRC. The highest finishes were 26th, 39th, and 47th, so it wasn’t far off. I can’t help but wonder if the combination of the extended target distances and the 20-35 mph winds were a little too much for that smaller magnum cartridge. Of course, “correlation does not imply causation,” meaning the fact that those shooters were using a 6.5 PRC and didn’t land in the top 25 doesn’t mean their cartridge choice caused them to finish where they did. In fact, one of the guys who finished in the top 10 was using a 6.5×47 Lapua, which has less ballistic performance than the 6.5 PRC (and is extremely impressive!), so there is probably more going on here than raw ballistic performance. Knowing the 6.5 PRC is a relatively new cartridge, another plausible theory might be that some of the guys who just got into this style of shooting had their new rifles chambered in that cartridge, and maybe that represents a large segment of those using a 6.5 PRC. Either way, it is interesting there were no 6.5 PRC’s among the top 25.

When you narrow it down to just the top 25, you can see the 300 Norma Mag moved to the top spot, with its four shooters finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th overall.

Again, the 300 PRC and 7 SAUM are still popular cartridge choices among those in the top 25. Behind those, you’ll see a mix of cartridges among this year’s top 10:

7-300 WSM

The 6th place shooter was using a 7-300 WSM, which is a 300 WSM case necked down to a 7mm bullet. You might ask, “Why didn’t they just use a 7 WSM?” Great question! In that article about the 7mm SAUM I mentioned earlier, nationally-ranked precision rifle competitor, Caylen Wojcik, said he was originally thinking he’d build a 7 WSM. Caylen explained that with a “7 WSM and a 180-grain VLD (very low drag) bullet pushed at 3,000 feet per second (fps), the numbers were convincing. When I shot a WSM, I was impressed with the mild recoil but received a rude awakening when sourcing brass. It was officially unobtanium. One would have more luck sourcing unicorn tears.” Ha! Well said, Caylen. It’s sad to see that a very capable cartridge is handicapped by poor brass selection, but that’s the case with the 7 WSM.

I know there are brass manufacturers reading this. Can you see the business opportunity here? Someone should offer some high-quality 7 WSM brass!

When faced with the 7 WSM brass issue, some guys jump to the 7 SAUM and others buy the more readily available 300 WSM brass and neck it down to 7mm – and viola, you have the 7-300 WSM. The 7-300 WSM has slightly different chamber dimensions than a 7 WSM. Robert Whitley explains, “The difference is that the 7mm/300WSM has a .038″ shorter head space and a .038″ longer neck than a factory 7mm WSM, and you need to make brass for the 7mm/300 WSM from 300 WSM or 270 WSM cases.” (Read more here)

The one shooter who said they used a 7-300 WSM reported that they were pushing Hornady 190 gr. A-Tip bullets from their 30-inch barrel at 2,905 fps with an SD of 3 fps!

6.5×47 Lapua

Okay, this one surprised me! The 6.5×47 Lapua is much smaller than anything guys were using in at least the top 15 spots, but Jason Brinkman used it to finish 8th overall. The reason that is so impressive is a bullet’s time of flight to the target would be measurably longer with the 6.5×47 than something like a 300 Norma Mag or 6.5 SAUM, which means it would be significantly more affected by the wind, giving you less room for error on your wind calls. There were a ton of targets from 1,000-1,500 yards at this match, and there were sustained winds up to 35 mph! That is definitely stretching what the 6.5×47 Lapua was designed for, which means Jason must be a heck of a shooter. Jason reported that he was pushing Berger 144 gr. Long Range Hybrid Target (LRHT) bullets at 2820 fps from his 28-inch barrel. Give that man a magnum and no telling where he would’ve finished!

Of course, I’ll also mention that sometimes a big magnum might not be as “shootable” as a mid-sized case like the 6.5×47 Lapua. So I don’t want to assume Jason didn’t pick that cartridge on purpose, because of the reduced recoil and the 6.5×47 Lapua’s legendary consistency. I’ve heard many veteran shooters claim it’s one of the easiest cartridges to load for. I asked Jason if he built a full custom rifle just for this specific match, what cartridge would he pick and he said a 6.5 PRC. So clearly he is not one of the guys who would jump up to a 300 PRC or 300 Norma Mag, even if he had one. Either way, that is immensely impressive shooting, Jason!

338 EnABELR

The last cartridge in the top 10 that we haven’t talked about is a 338 EnABLR, which Chase Stroud used to claim 9th. This is a case that was designed by the Applied Ballistics team. EnABELR stands for Engineered by Applied Ballistics for Extreme Long Range. 99% of the cartridge designs out there are based on some existing case that was necked down and some slight dimension changes. However, AB’s 338 and 375 caliber EnABELR cartridges are completely original designs with no parent case.

“There are larger cartridges that make more velocity, but they’re also higher maintenance and less predictable. The EnABELR was developed to provide practical, long term, reliable performance for ELR applications for many shots, making your brass investment take you further across more rounds. What we’ve learned competing in ELR matches in recent years is that the value in consistent and reliable performance is more important than the extra +100 fps of a higher maintenance cartridge. These lessons are incorporated in the EnABELR design.” – Applied Ballistics Team

The 338 & 375 EnABELR cartridges were also designed to feed from a magazine, which can sometimes be an issue with larger ELR cartridges like the popular 375 CheyTac. Applied Ballistics provides all kinds of components related to EnABELR cartridges including chamber reamers, brass, reloading dies, complete rifle builds, and even match-grade loaded ammo with Berger Solid Bullets. Consistent ammo is important in the ELR game, and I’d bet AB produces some high-quality ammo.

Chase Stroud used his 338 EnABLR to push Berger 300 gr. bullets near 3300 fps! Here is a pic Chase posted on Instagram a few days before the match:

I don’t even need to run the ballistics to confidently say a Berger 300 gr. bullet traveling at 3295 fps clearly has the best ballistics of any cartridge in the top 10. I compared it to my ballistics, which was a 300 Norma Mag pushing 230 gr. A-Tip’s at 2,968 fps, and Chase’s 338 EnABELR had almost 20% less wind drift at 1600 yards. That is crazy! For a sample scenario at 1600 yards my elevation adjustment was 12.2 mils, while the 338 EnABELR was just 9.6 mils! I bet the trace on that thing looked like a laser beam! My 25 mph wind drift at 1600 yards was 4.6 mils, but the EnABELR was only 3.8 mils!!! That may sound similar, but anyone who has competed in this game knows that is a massive difference. But, of course, there is no free lunch. Ballistic improvements that large always come at the cost of higher recoil and shorter barrel life, which is why we’re all still trying to figure out what the “right” balance is for these distances and scenarios.

Cartridge They’d Choose If Building A New Custom Rifle Optimized For This Match

Finally, I asked people on the survey a similar question with a twist. Here is exactly how I worded the question: “If you built a new custom rifle that was 100% optimized for this one match and cost was not a factor, what cartridge would you pick?” That question seems to cut to the heart of what each shooter feels is optimal for this match, and takes into account the experience they gained from shooting the match this year. Here are the results:

Our top 5 cartridges are still the same, although they’re shuffled in a little different order. These 5 cartridges combine to represent 63% of all those surveyed:

1. 300 Norma Mag
2. 7 SAUM
3. 6.5 PRC
4. 300 PRC
5. 6.5 SAUM

While there were just 9 shooters surveyed who used a 300 Norma Mag during this year’s match, there were almost double that number that said they’d go with a 300 Norma Mag if building a rifle optimized for this match. There were even a few other shooters who would go with wildcats of that cartridge, like the 300 Norma Mag Improved, or 7-300 Norma Mag (which is simply necked down to a 7mm bullet), or even one 7-300 Norma Mag Improved!

The 7-300 Norma Mag Improved means you are taking a big magnum, necking it down to a 7mm bullet, and then changing the angle of the shoulder to get slightly more case capacity and higher velocities. So it’s a wildcat of a wildcat! A 7-300 Norma Mag Improved could push a 190 gr. Hornady A-Tip over 3,200 fps and would provide some crazy ballistics! I ran the same scenario as I referenced for the 338 EnABELR and it was very similar, with 10.0 mils of elevation adjustment to 1600 yards and 3.9 mils of drift for a 25 mph wind. But, the bullet you’re launching is 190 gr. instead of 300 gr., so I’d bet the recoil would be significantly less. I’d bet the barrel life would still be abysmal (likely 500-1000 rounds) because that cartridge would be extremely overbore. Could it be precise and predictable? Who knows! But, I bet it’d shoot like a laser! Kind of makes me want to try one just to see. 😉

There was also a big jump up in how many said 7 SAUM, with 8 of those surveyed using it in the 2020 match, but 15 saying that is what they’d do if they built a custom rifle for this match. As I mentioned earlier, a 7mm magnum seems to be a great choice for this match. Norma and ADG offer brass for the 7 SAUM, which many consider high-quality. If Lapua started offering brass for a 7 WSM or even a larger 7mm case, I’d suspect we might even see a more pronounced move to the 7mm for the target distances in this match. I guess you could always start with a 300 Norma Mag case from Lapua, and neck it down to a 7-300 Norma Mag. Dang, it’s got me thinking about it!

There was roughly the same amount of shooters using a 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, or 6.5 SAUM as the number that said they’d pick those if building a rifle optimized for this match.

Another interesting note here is that none of those surveyed said they used a 375 caliber this year, although I did hear a rumor that a couple of guys were using a 375 at the match. Either way, they weren’t represented in large numbers at all. However, 5 shooters said they thought a 375 caliber would be optimal if they built a rifle for this match. Three of those guys said they’d pick a 375 CheyTac, one said they’d pick a 37 XC, and one said they’d pick a 375 EnABELR. Perhaps after the 30+ mph winds this year, a few people are thinking a larger caliber might help.

Another interesting cartridge that caught my attention is the 7mm Sherman Max, which is said to be able to push Berger’s 195 gr. bullet near 3000 fps. They offer head-stamped brass for the 7 Sherman Max that is made by ADG, who uses very modern equipment and is considered by some as top-shelf brass.

Lots of interesting cartridges and wildcats in this group of wish list cartridges for this match! It’s certainly a fun list to look through.

Up Next

Next, I plan to share what optics these guys were using to reach out to 700-2100 yard targets. If you’d like to be the first to know when that next post comes out, subscribe for email notifications!

UPDATED 08 SEPTEMBER 2024

by Robert Ceran

Using the right fishing rig is essential for catching trout successfully, and knowing which rig to use for what conditions can make the difference between catching your limit or getting skunked.

There’s a perfect trout rig for almost every situation, and that’s why it’s so important to master rigging for trout, as this will allow you to choose exactly the right fishing rig for your purposes.

In this article I’ll cover the 9 best trout rigs, and will discuss what each of them is ideally suited for.

How to rig for trout

In order to rig for trout, you need to choose one of three basic types of rigs:

• Rigs that present your bait suspended underneath a bobber or float
• Rigs that present your bait close to the bottom with a weight
• Rigs that enable you to cast and actively retrieve an artificial lure

While these three types of fishing rigs cover almost all trout fishing applications, they come in a variety of different shapes and forms, each of which is best suited for slightly different trout fishing setups.

So if you’re a beginner, chances are that you’re confused about all the different options of rigging for trout.

However, the great thing is that you can get started with just two or three of the most versatile trout fishing rigs, and then add more specialized rigs once you know what kind or rig works best for your pond, lake or stream.

Now let’s look at each of the most important trout rigs in more detail, to help you choose the best rig for your purposes.

And in case you’re also looking for the best bait to use with your trout fishing rigs, check out our article on what is the best bait for trout?

Trout fishing rigs with bobbers

Bobber rigs are among the most effective trout fishing set ups, and work especially well when fishing in shallow ponds and streams, as well as in shallow bays of bigger lakes, or basically in any situation where trout are active close to the water surface.

Now let’s look at the two main types of bobber rigging for trout.

Trout rig with fixed bobber

This is one of the simplest trout rigs, and consists of a fixed bobber attached to the line, as well as a hook and sinker to weigh down the baited hook in the water.

The depth at which the bait is presented depends on the distance between the hook and the bobber.

How to tie it: Attach the bobber to the line, and then tie the end of the line to the hook. The most common type of bobber used for this fishing rig is a round red and white bobber, but you may want to choose a pencil shaped bobber instead, which offers less resistance when a trout takes the bait.

If you’re not sure how to rig a fishing line for trout, take a look at our article on what fishing line should you use for trout?

When to use it: This is a great fishing rig to use in shallow ponds and streams, as well as any situations where trout are feeding close to the surface. It’s very easy to set up and a lot of fun to fish with, which makes it an excellent choice for beginners who want to try trout fishing in a stocked pond.

But keep in mind that the maximum depth you can fish this rig corresponds to the length of your rod, since you can’t cast the fishing rig effectively if you set the bobber higher than that.

How to use it: The best way to use this fishing rig is to cast it out with a baited hook and wait for a trout to bite, which is indicated by the bobber being pulled down underwater.

When you see this, set the hook immediately, so the trout doesn’t have a chance to spit out the hook when it feels resistance on the line. This is the best setup for trout fishing in streams and rivers, where you can use it to drift your bait into the best locations that hold trout.

Slip bobber rig

This is another commonly used trout rig, and should be part of every trout angler’s arsenal of fishing tools.

Using a slip bobber rig (aka sliding float rig) makes the fishing rig more compact and easier to cast with than a fixed bobber rig.

How to tie it: Tie a bobber stop on to your main line, and then thread the line through your bobber and tie the line to the hook. The best hook size depends on your bait, but generally lies somewhere between size 8 and 14.

If you’re unsure about choosing the right hook size for different trout line setups, take a look at our article on the best size hook for trout.

Attach a split shot or two to the line between the bobber and the hook. This stops the bobber from sliding down onto the hook and it also weighs down your bait, helping to present it at the right depth to the trout .

Keep in mind that some baits (like powerbait) float in the water, and you may need to add extra split shots to make the baited hook sink down to the desired depth.

When to use it: The slip bobber rig is the best choice when trout are feeding in midwater, and if you can’t reach them with either a fixed bobber rig or with a bottom fishing rig.

The great thing is that you can fish practically any depth with this fishing rig, as you just need to move the bobber stop up the line to whatever depth you want to set the bobber.

How to use it: Estimate the depth of the water you’ll be fishing in, and set the bobber stop to that depth. Then bait your hook and cast out your fishing rig to the desired spot and wait for a fish to grab the bait.

Bottom fishing rigs

Bottom fishing rigs are often the best choice when trout are found in deeper water, as they tend to feed close to the bottom most of the time. There are several options available to you in this rig category, so now let’s look at the most important ones.

Slip sinker rig

This is the simplest bottom fishing rig around, and is the one most often taught to novice trout anglers. This rig has been in use for more than a century, and continues to perform well in many situations where trout hold close to the bottom.

How to tie it: Thread a 1/8 or 1/4 oz sliding sinker (either a bullet or egg sinker) onto your main line, and then tie the line to a barrel swivel. Attach a leader to the other end of the swivel, and tie your hook to the leader. Choose the type and size of hook depending on the type of bait you want to use.

When to use it: This rig is most commonly used in lakes where trout hold in water deeper than 5 or 10 feet. It’s a great rig to use from shore, since you can cast it relatively far, and cover a lot of water with it.

It’s important to use this fishing rig with floating bait, since you don’t want your baited hook lying on the bottom where trout won’t notice it. You can use it with either powerbait (which is designed to float), or worms injected with air to make them float.

How to use it: This is the most common bait rig used for trout fishing setups, and is usually fished passively. Most anglers cast it out to a promising fishing spot and then wait for a bite. If you do this, make sure to check your rig regularly to see if the bait is still on the hook, and also test different fishing spots.

Carolina rig

This rig is very similar to the slip sinker rig, but unlike the slip sinker setup it is often fished actively with artificial lures instead of passively with bait, which is why we list the two options separately.

How to tie it: Start by threading your main line through a 1/8 to 1/4 oz sliding sinker. Next, thread the line through a plastic bead, and then tie it to a swivel or snap swivel. The bead stops the weight from banging into the swivel during retrieval, which protects the knot on the swivel from being damaged while fishing, and this is more important if you want to fish it actively.

When to use it: You can use this option anywhere where trout are feeding close to the bottom. It’s a great option to use when fishing in lakes, reservoirs and ponds, but you can also use it in rivers.

How to use it: While you can also use this fishing rig with a baited hook and fish it passively until a trout comes by and bites, the strength of the Carolina trout fishing rig lies in fishing it actively with a floating lure.

You can use a floating jig head with plastic lures such as trout magnets or power worms. After casting out, let your rig sink to the bottom, and then slowly retrieve it with a jigging movement.

Split shot rig

This is basically a finesse version of the Carolina rig, and instead of a sliding sinker it uses one or more split shots attached to the line. Since trout can be finicky at times (especially when fishing in heavily fished waters), it’s always great to have some finesse techniques up your sleeve.

How to tie it: Tie your main line to a swivel or snap swivel, and then add one or two split shots to the line right above the swivel. Next, tie a 1 to 2 foot long fluorocarbon leader to the swivel, and then tie your hook to the other end of the leader.

Next, thread a soft plastic lure onto the hook, and your trout fishing line setup is good to go.

In most cases you’ll want to use a floating lure on this rig, which will result in presenting your lure right in the strike zone every time the split shots sink to the bottom.

When to use it: This rig is a great option if you notice that the trout are finicky. This is most often the case in heavily fished waters, and especially in clear water it can be advantageous to use a finesse rig that’s harder for the fish to spot. It’s also a great trout fishing set up for small creeks.

How to use it: Cast the rig out and let it sink to the bottom. Then slowly retrieve it with jigging movements of your rod tip. The main disadvantage of the split shot rig is that it can’t be cast as far as the Carolina rig, since it comes with less weight on the line. Because of this, it’s better to use it when fishing in smaller lakes, rivers and streams.

Drop shot rig

This is another great trout fishing rig setup for bottom fishing, and one of it’s key advantages is that it allows you to place your lure in the strike zone and keep it there for a long time. Similar to the two previous rigs, it’s most often used with soft plastic lures.

How to tie it: Start by tying your main line to a 4 or 5 foot fluorocarbon leader with a double uni knot, and then tie the end of your trout leader to a 1/8 to 1/4 drop shot weight.

Next, take a bait hook and place it facing upwards, and form a loop with the leader line about 1 foot above the drop shot weight.

Pass the loop through the eye of the hook from below, and then tie an overhand knot with the loop. Finally, pass the hook through the loop, wet the line, pull tight, and you’re ready to start fishing.

When to use it: While the drop shot rig was originally developed for vertical fishing in deep water from a boat, most bass anglers can tell you that this rig works equally well for fishing from shore, and can even be fished in very shallow water. It’s a great trout fishing setup for beginners fishing in lakes and rivers.

How to use it: Cast the rig out and slowly retrieve it by hopping the weight along the bottom, while jigging the lure up and down. If you figure out where the strike zone is, you can keep the drop shot fishing rig there, and simply wiggle the lure in place without moving the weight. That way you can keep your lure right in front of the fish for a long time, without having to retrieve it and cast again.

Lure rigs

While all of the fishing rigs discussed above can be used as trout fishing setups with either natural bait or artificial lures, some options for rigging for trout are only intended to be used with lures. Let’s take a look at the most important rigs of this type that you should know.

Spinner rig

The spinner rig is the most commonly used lure fishing rigs for trout. It is most often used with spinners (such as a rooster tail or panther martin), but it can also be used when fishing with any other artificial lure designed for casting and retrieving.

How to tie it: Tie your main line to a swivel or snap swivel, and add one or two split shot weights just above the swivel. Next, tie a 2 to 4 foot fluorocarbon leader to the other eye of the swivel, and then tie your lure to the other end of the leader.

Depending on the size and weight of your lure, adjust the number of split shots to achieve the right depth during retrieval. The swivel prevents line twist of your main line, but if you’re using a lure that doesn’t generate twist, you can also tie the main line directly to the leader.

When to use it: This is one of the most versatile trout set ups, and can be used in almost any setting, from small streams to deep lakes. In most cases you should try to fish this rig in the middle of the water column, but can also go deeper than that if the trout are holding close to the bottom.

How to use it: Simply cast out the fishing rig and start retrieving. Depending on how deep you want to fish it, you can adjust your retrieve speed, and you can also experiment with letting the rig sink to the bottom before you start reeling it in. However, if you’re trout fishing over weed beds, make sure to keep your lure above the weeds.

If you’re interested in fishing with trout spinners, check out our complete guide to trout fishing with spinners.

Trout fishing rig setup with bobber and jig

This is a great rainbow trout rig to use if you’re fishing over weeds, as you can fish it slowly without getting the jig snagged in the weeds.

How to tie it: Depending on the depth of the water, you can use either a fixed bobber or a slip bobber.

So start by setting up one of the two bobber rigs (as described above), and instead of tying a bait hook to the end of the line, tie a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig head to the line. Next, you can bait the jig head with any of a wide variety of plastic lures, and you’re ready to start fishing.

When to use it: This is a great trout fishing setup for beginners when fishing over weed beds, and when want to keep your lure just above the weeds. You can achieve this by setting exactly the right depth with your bobber.

This trout rig setup is also great for drift fishing in streams and rivers, and again you should adjust the setting of your bobber to present the lure just above the bottom.

How to use it: If you’re trout fishing in a lake, cast out the fishing rig and let the jig sink as far as it can (at which point the bobber stands up straight). Then lift your rod tip to retrieve the fishing rig about 4 to 5 feet, and then pause to let the jig sink down again.

What this trout fishing setup achieves is that your jig will be slowly pulled up and then allowed to sink again. In the case of a plastic worm, this results in the worm wiggling through the water, which is highly attractive to most trout.

See also: How to rig when trolling for trout

Ned rig

The ned rig is most familiar to bass anglers, but few people know that it also works really well for catching trout. The key feature of the ned rig that makes it so effective when fishing for trout is that it is usually fished with a floating plastic tail, which is ideal for catching trout.

How to tie it: This is the simplest fishing rig to tie in this collection. If you’re using fluorocarbon as your main line, you can tie that directly to the mushroom jig head of the ned rig and you’re ready to start fishing. If you’re using braided line as your main line, it’s best to use a 2 to 4 foot fluorocarbon leader, since that’s much less visible in the water.

When to use it: You can use this rig whenever trout are feeding close to the bottom, and it works equally well in lakes, rivers, and streams. The only situation when you shouldn’t use this rig is if you’re fishing in a lake with a lot of vegetation on the bottom, which is likely to get your ned rig snagged.

How to use it: Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom, then retrieve it for 3 or 4 feet with a jigging motion, and let it settle on the the bottom again. Repeat this until you get a bite.

What are the best trout rigs?

The 3 best trout rigs are:

• Slip bobber rig
• Slip sinker rig
• Spinner rig

Between them, these three setups cover all the three main types of rigging for trout, and if you can set each of them up and fish them effectively, you’re off to a great start.

The slip sinker rig is perfect for presenting a bait close to the bottom, which is the best depth to target trout in most situations.

The slip bobber rig, on the other hand, can be used to present a bait suspended underneath a bobber, which is great when fishing for trout that are active higher in the water column.

And the spinner rig is a great basic setup for active trout fishing with lures, which is an ideal way to cover a lot of water in search of hungry trout.

If you’re currently looking for a new trout rod, check out our article on what is the best rod for trout fishing?

What are the best trout bait rigs?

The 3 best trout bait rigs are:

• Slip sinker rig
• Slip bobber rig
• Fixed bobber rig

Each of these fishing rigs is well suited for baiting your hook with natural baits like worms, maggots, minnows, corn, salmon eggs, or scented baits like powerbait.

In addition, all of them can be used for fishing passively, by casting out your fishing rig and then waiting for a trout to pass by and take the bait.

Trout worm rigs

The best rigging for trout to use with worms is either the slip sinker rig, or the slip bobber rig. The former rig is the ideal choice if you know that trout are feeding close to the bottom, and the latter rig is better if trout are feeding higher in the water column.

When using a slip sinker with a worm as bait, it’s important to make sure that your baited hook floats in the water, as trout will not eat it if it’s lying directly on the bottom. Traditionally, this has been done by injecting air into the worm with a worm syringe (which you can get in most tackle shops).

More recently, many anglers are fishing with floating jig heads baited with worms to make their bait presentation float in the water, and another great trick is to put a small marshmallow on the tip of your hook, which also makes it buoyant.

Finally, no matter which trout worm rig you use, it’s usually best not to use a whole nightcrawler on your hook, as this is too big to fit into the mouth of a trout. Instead, cut off a 1 or 2 inch piece of the worm, and thread it onto the hook.

The best hook type to use for this rig is a baitkeeper hook, which prevents the worm from sliding down the shank of the hook.

Minnow rigs

The best trout rig to use with minnows is either the slip bobber rig, or the fixed bobber rig. Your hook size should be between size 8 and 12 (depending on the size of the minnow). The best way to hook a minnow for trout is through the upper lip.

Small fish form a large part of the diet of many trout species, which is why they can be such a good bait.

Bobber rigs are great for fishing with live minnows, since you can easily spot a trout bite when the bobber goes down, and this allows you to delay your hook set long enough to give the trout a little extra time to get the minnow fully inside its mouth.

Which one of the two bobber fishing rigs you choose depends on the depth of the water you want to fish in, and on the depth at which trout are active.

When fishing with live minnows as trout bait, it’s important to weigh them down with split shots, so they stay at the right depth.

Salmon egg rig

The best trout rig setup to use with salmon eggs is one of the following:

• Slip bobber rig
• Fixed bobber rig
• Drop shot rig

Your hook size should be between size 8 and 14, and if you use a larger hook, you can thread several salmon eggs onto your trout hook. No matter which fishing rig you choose, you need to cast very gently in order to avoid ripping the eggs off the hook during the casting process.

If you’re trout fishing in a lake or pond, the best choice is a bobber rig, as that allows you to present the salmon eggs suspended in the water. But if you’re trout fishing in a stream or river, you can use a bobber rig to drift the salmon eggs with the current.

Alternatively, you can also use a split shot rig to drift the salmon eggs right on top of the bottom of the stream. The latter approach is better for getting it right in front of the trout, but it’s harder to detect bites with this style of fishing.

Egg rigs also work very well for steelhead fishing, and it that’s something you’re into, check out our article on how do you rig for steelhead bank fishing?

Final remarks

This concludes our article on rigging for trout, and hopefully we’ve helped you find exactly the right rig for your fishing technique.

Different trout rigs are ideally suited for different trout fishing tactics – bait fishing, lure fishing, trout fishing from shore, trout fishing from a boat, as well as fishing in diverse bodies of water, ranging from small streams to big lakes.

Now that you understand the basics of what each of these fishing rigs is designed for, this should help you to choose the best trout setups to help you to catch more fish in your local trout fishery.

Anyone who has ever flung an arrow at a fish can attest to the challenges of consistently hitting them. Even big, lumbering carp in an apparent stupor 10 feet away prove frustratingly illusive for novice bowfishers.

My first time bowfishing proved to be quite defeating. There were more than a few easy targets that swam away uninjured. If fish could laugh, I am sure they did. So what makes hitting a fish with an arrow so hard? And more importantly, where should you aim to begin with?

Always aim low when bowfishing. Water refracts light at a different angle compared to air so fish appear shallower than they really are. Your distance from the fish and its actual depth determine how far below the fish you should aim. Start by aiming at least 3 to 6 inches below fish in shallow water.

That answer though is not enough to become a bowfishing expert. If you want to hit more fish, don’t skip this article. We’ll give you all the information you need to shoot better, aim better and get more fish to the boat. Let’s get started.

Do you aim above or below fish

There really isn’t a single occasion where you would aim above a fish while bowfishing. Always aim low. In fact, aim much lower than you think. Even if you grasp the concept of light refraction in water, your first impulse is to aim directly at the fish. Resist this urge and push your arrow tip below the fish before you release.

How far below a fish do you aim

If you only learn one thing from this article, just remember to aim low. Yet, the obvious follow up question is how low do you aim?

It’s a tricky question to answer and it depends entirely on the actual depth of the fish in the water and its distance from the shooter. Of course, there are all sorts of angles and math that you could use to determine the exact place to aim at a fish. However, you won’t have time in the heat of the moment to calculate or remember a chart full of numbers.

Instead, use the following basic rules to get you close.

• 10-4 rule: Your distance from a fish plays a major role in how you aim with a bow. In general, for every 10 feet between you and a fish, aim 4 inches below it. That means if a fish is 15 feet away, aim 6 inches below the thickest part.

• 1-3 rule: Depth is even more critical than distance and much harder to gauge for inexperienced shooters. A standard guideline is to aim 3 inches below a fish for every 1 foot of depth. If you guess a fish to be 3 feet below the surface then aim 9 inches low.

Now lets put the 10-4 and 1-3 rules together in an example. Say, for instance, you stealthily sneak up to a carp rooting in the mud. You get within 10 feet and you guess the water to be 2-3 feet deep. Where do you aim?

Since you’re only 10 feet away, aim 4 inches low. But you also need to adjust 6-9 inches lower because of its depth beneath the surface. Overall, you should aim at a spot 10-12 inches below the fish’s belly.

Set reasonable expectations

When it comes to bowfishing, numbers only get you so far. Even with the 10-4 and 1-3 rules, you’ll still watch your arrow zip over the top of a fish or stick in the mud an inch from its head. It’s all part of the game and setting reasonable expectations is the best way to avoid frustration. Trust me, you’ll miss even more if you are frustrated.

So what should your expectations be?

First, don’t expect to hit every fish you shoot at. When you first start, it will take at least 5 to 10 shots before you make contact. Sure, sometimes you get lucky but most pros agree that your first 20 or 30 shots will be misses. It takes practice. Lots of practice. As you shoot more, you will miss less.

Secondly, force yourself to only shoot at fish within your “high probability zone”. For me, that’s a 20 foot circle. If a carp, gar or snakehead is within that range, there is a much better chance I’ll hit it. Anything outside of that and my margin for error goes way up.

For you, 20 feet may be too far. Or maybe you have superior archery skills and your high probability zone might stretch out to 30 feet. Either way, don’t waste your energy trying to make Hail Mary shots. Take the time to sneak closer for a better shot. You’ll gain more confidence and scare away fewer fish.

Aim with instinct

Our brains and bodies are capable of truly amazing feats. You can capitalize on this fact when bowfishing. Instinctive shooting is the natural ability to aim without thinking. The shots I tend to miss are the ones I thought about too much. I ignored my instinctive aim and tried to calculate and plan the shot.

Don’t fight your instinct. Keep in mind though that instinctual shooting doesn’t just happen. It takes repetition to calibrate that sub-conscious skill. Start out with the aiming rules we discussed. As you start hitting more fish you’ll develop the muscle memory that is the foundation of instinctive shooting. Pretty soon, you can hit a fish with out actually thinking about your aim.

One of the best ways to keep from over thinking a shot is to shoot fast. Pulling the bow back and releasing your arrow as soon as it feels right means you are tapping into that instinct. Holding back a few moments longer introduces doubt and gives your conscious brain time to override natural skill. Instinct is also your best chance at hitting a moving fish from a moving boat. Try calculating your aim in that situation and you’re guaranteed to miss.

Apply proper form

Shooting form is probably the hardest part of bowfishing and the most ignored element to improve your aim. It’s not easy to focus on stance and form when you’re flinging arrows from an unstable boat at constantly moving fish. Yet, any elite archer will tell you that proper form is the key to consistently hitting the bullseye. Therefore, it makes since to incorporate better form in bowfishing too.

You can improve your form using a few basic concepts that are outlined below.

• Establish a solid anchor point with the string to your face.
• Square your stance and shoulders just as you would with a hunting bow.
• Bend at the hips when aiming down at fish. Don’t hunch over.
• Keep a loose grip on the bow with your bow hand to avoid pulling a shot.
• Keep flex in your bow arm to prevent string slap and flinching.

Developing consistent form takes repetition. If you start out with good form though, it will quickly become cemented into muscle memory and you won’t need to think about it again. More of your attention can be focused on stalking the fish and taking the shot.

Can you use a sight when bowfishing

Understandably, people new to bowfishing assume that all the guess work can be eliminated by using a bow sight.

You can certainly use a sight when bowfishing and some prefer it over instinctive shooting. However, a sight is often inefficient since you need to adjust the pin position to match your shooting distance and depth of the fish for every shot.

Bowfishing involves a lot of snap shooting which is usually better suited for instinctive shooting. When the fish are thick and the action is fast and furious, even people using sights tend to revert to instinctive shooting.

If you also bow hunt for deer or elk, using your conventional hunting sight for bowfishing can lead to bad habits that translate back to hunting. It’s better to save the sight for hunting season and avoid it during bowfishing season.

5 tips to improve bowfishing accuracy

Once you nail down the principles of aiming and form, there are still several things you can do to improve your overall accuracy. Here are our 3 favorite tips for taking your bowfishing accuracy to the next level.

Tip #1

Practice shooting stuff in the water – Everything from floating leaves to a submerged plastic water bottle makes for good practice. You can even toss a few slices of wheat bread into the water as a practice target. The bread also double as a way to attract carp as it dissolves in the water.

Tip #2

Use polarized glasses – Polarized glasses cut surface glare and give you a clear sightline to the fish. Not only will you spot more fish, you’ll also be able to better gauge their depth and movement with polarized glasses.

Tip #3

Get the right gear – Just about any bow will work for bowfishing but getting the right gear goes a long ways to improving your accuracy. Everything from reel and arrow, to draw weight and bow length impacts how you shoot. If you are serious about bowfishing get equipment that fits you and helps make each shot easier to manage.

Tip #4

Focus on one fish at a time – Sometimes several fish will cruise by within bow range and you’ll struggle to zero in on a single target. Try to avoid bouncing from fish to fish. Pick one and keep your eyes glued on it while you aim and shoot.

Tip #5

Relax and breathe before your shot – Just like some hunters get buck fever, some of us get fish fever too. Calm your nerves as you approach a fish. Focus, relax, and breath as you aim and shoot.

Parting words

Bowfishing is an awesome sport filled with challenges and loads of action. When you feel like setting down the fishing pole and picking up a bow, give bowfishing a try.

Want to know if you have a bowfishing season in your state? Don’t miss our guide to bowfishing laws for all 50 states. See if bowfishing is legal in your neck of the woods!

The newly upgraded Maven B1.2 binocular is now lighter, brighter, and more compact than the previous B.1. Better yet, it has improved coatings and a larger Schmidt-Pechan prism that delivers a wider field of view.

To get us a closer look, Maven sent Man Makes Fire a review unit. After testing the Maven B1.2 in 10×42, as well as putting it to work while archery elk hunting in Idaho, this is what we learned:

Maven B1.2 Review

I very much liked the original B.1, which I hunted with for two years (full original B.1 review here). Still, I have to tell you: The new Maven 10×42 B1.2 is much better.

How is that possible?

For me, the B1.2 delivers two major improvements in usability. First, the new B1.2 is smaller so it’s easier to handle. It’s .5″ shorter than the B.1 and it weighs 2.7 oz less than the B.1.

These differences might seem like relatively minor changes, but in the field, they’re not. When you need to use one hand to grab your binoculars and take a quick look at what you hope is an elk or deer, the lighter and more compact B1.2 binoculars make this much easier. In addition, when I’m standing up and looking through the B1.2, I can hold it steadier for longer periods of time. That leads to an in-the-field information boost, and when I’m trying to find an elk, I’ll take any edge I can get.

To put this in perspective, consider this: Last year, on big-mile days I found myself thinking about taking the lighter (but not as crisp) Maven C.1 10×42 binoculars — just to save weight and gain some one-handed agility. This year with the B1.2 in 10×42, that’s no longer a question at all.

Bigger Field of View

The new B1.2 now includes a wider field of view. The new FOV is 362′ — which is just 21′ wider than the previous FOV.

How is 21 feet a big deal?

While the edge-to-edge clarity of the B1.2 binoculars is very good, having a wider field of view can help increase the perceived sweet spot as you’re looking through the binoculars. This lets your brain process more information and maybe see movement or an object that you might not otherwise notice. For me, technically getting a wider view isn’t that big of a deal when I’m trying to examine a hillside piece-by-piece . . . but how I feel when I do this, which can sometimes get tedious, makes a difference. This FOV boost makes the Maven B1.2 binoculars feel quite a bit more immersive than the B.1s.

To be fair, the B.1s are already very good. If you already have a set of B.1s, the overall specifications mean you don’t have to upgrade. At the same time, here’s a warning: If you suffer from gear lust, don’t look through the new Maven B1.2 binoculars.

Check out Maven’s Customization Builder to see cool camo and color patterns!

Improved Coatings, Better Light Transmission

The biggest B1.2 surprise to me is that Maven found a way to improve its fully-multicoated ED glass. In case you’re wondering, optics manufacturers coat their lenses with secret sauces and ions and use techniques that reduce light refraction so that more light passes correctly through each piece of glass.

The glass itself is ED glass made in Japan and assembled in Wyoming — just like all the glass in Maven’s high-end optics. ED stands for extra-low dispersion, and it’s basically high-end glass that improves the delivery of wavelengths of light to reduce chromatic aberration (which I’ll get to below).

However, the new coatings, in combination with the new construction of the prism, has somehow resulted in a 3.6% boost of light transmission — up from 90.9% to 94.5%. That’s a very impressive gain. Incidentally, many optics companies don’t publish this sort of data, but Maven publishes a massive binocular comparison chart that shows key specifications across its entire line. So cool.

But wait, there’s more to this story: The new Maven B1.2 10×42 binocular now competes very closely, and sometimes beats, the light transmission percentages delivered by Maven binoculars with Abbe-Koenig type prisms. In general, Abbe-Koenig prisms deliver the best light transmission but they are heavier, longer, harder to manufacture, and cost more. The fact that the relatively short B1.2 with Schmidt-Pechan prisms can compete here is, again, impressive.

Chromatic Aberration

What is a chromatic aberration? In general, when you can see an outline of translucent color tracing an object’s edges in a high-contrast situation, you’re seeing a chromatic aberration. It occurs when different wavelengths of color don’t converge at exactly the same spot after passing through a lens. It’s more noticeable at higher magnifications.

I can spot a small bit of chromatic aberration with the Maven B1.2. In side-by-side testing with the B.1, the chromatic aberration effect is very similar — and quite small.

To test for chromatic aberrations, you can look through binoculars at a U.S. Air Force black-and-white test chart . . . or you can find a non-moving high-contrast subject in the sky. For example, if you look at a dark part of a tree branch against a bright sky, you can usually see some color fringing. In the Maven B1.2, it’s a very thin purplish hue. (Your brain has a tendency to ignore this, so with good glass you have to look hard to find it.)

At home, there’s a tree I use for this purpose — in addition to a U.S. Air Force test chart taped to my garage door when I’m more serious.

So, is this a problem?

For the vast majority of people it’s not. First, the color fringing effect is very small. Second, most people’s brains tend to filter it out as they process images. My recommendation? You won’t notice it unless you work very hard to find it. So don’t worry about it. Everything else is so rich and vibrant you won’t care.

Shop the new B.12 direct from Maven!

Maven B1.2 Specifications:

Magnification 8x 10x Obj. Lens Diameter 42mm 42mm Exit Pupil 5.25mm 4.2mm Field of View @1,000 yds 420′ 362′ Brightness 27.6 17.6 Light Transmission % 93.95% 94.50% Twilight Factor 18.3 20.5 Weight 26.8 oz 26.8 oz Dimension WxHxD 5.2″ x 5.7″ x 2.2″ 5.2″ x 5.7″ x 2.2″ Eye Relief 18.1mm 17.8mm Near Focus 4.9′ 4.9′ Prisms Type Wide Angle Schmidt-Pechan Wide Angle Schmidt-Pechan Prism Reflective Coating Dielectric Coating Dielectric Coating ED Glass Yes Yes Diopter Correction (DPT) +/-3 +/-5 Waterproof/Pressure Testing IPX7 (1m for 30 minutes) IPX7 (1m for 30 minutes) Functional Temp Range -13°~140°F -13°~140°F Frame Material Magnesium Magnesium Internal Gas Purge Nitrogen Nitrogen Tripod Adaptable Yes Yes Country of Origin Japanese components, assembled in the U.S. Japanese components, assembled in the U.S.

Price-to-Value Ratio

Maven is a relatively small Wyoming-based optics company. A key part of its business model and competitive nature comes from its direct-to-consumer business model. By cutting out the middle man, so to speak, Maven can deliver great optics that cost less than the competition.

The Maven model also lets the company avoid negotiating with retailers over price points and stock levels — which can affect product ingenuity, quality and consumer pricing.

The drawback to Maven’s model is that you can’t walk into a Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops brick-and-mortar store and look through a Maven optic. You have to order it online.

Maven’s Customization Program

Speaking of ordering online, Maven has a cool customization program. For an additional charge, you can customize the body color with a camo pattern. In addition, you can customize the color of the neck strap rings, focus wheel, ocular lens rings, objective lens rings, tripod/hinge cap, and labeling. And then you can even have the bino engraved with up to 30 characters — which might turn the Maven B1.2 binoculars into a great hunting gift idea. And the kind of optic you’ll eventually pass down to your kids.

Unconditional Lifetime Warranty

The Maven warranty competes with the very best optics warranties in the business: If a Maven optic ever fails — or gets broken — for any reason, you can return it to Maven for a replacement.

But it gets better. Maven will also stand behind a Maven optic as long as it bears their name. This means that if your Maven binoculars fail your son or daughter in 30 years, Maven will still repair or replace them.

Competition & Alternative Options

There are many great binoculars to choose from these days. For the most part, any binocular that’s priced more than $900 or so will be very good. In fact, most midrange binoculars in the $500 price range will be so good that the vast majority of people will never have a need to upgrade. Case in point? The Maven C.1 10×42 and C.3 10×50 are pretty great. At $900-950, the direct-to-consumer pricing of the Maven B1.2 binoculars sets them up to compete well against binoculars that cost twice as much. Here are several other can’t-go-wrong competitive options you might consider:

Vortex Razor HD — The most widely known competitor to the Maven B1.2 is the Vortex Razor HD binocular. Vortex has generated a loyal following over the years by investing heavily in marketing and its customer service department, which also backs a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty. The Razor HDs in 10×42 are slightly taller, slightly lighter, and deliver the same FOV as the B1.2s. The key benefit is that you can find the Razor HD binoculars in brick-and-mortar stores. The key drawback is the increased price. Note: The term “HD” in relation to binoculars tends to be more about marketing a term that consumers have associations with rather than identifying a specific type of glass. When comparing one binocular to another among different manufacturers, “HD” doesn’t actually pinpoint any agreed upon difference. (The Razor HDs do use ED glass, in case you’re wondering.)

Swarovski EL with Swarovision — Pretty much everyone who has ever looked through Swarovski EL Binoculars can appreciate the build quality and optical fidelity. The main benefit of Swarovski EL series is the industry-leading quality. The main drawback is the very high price point.

Zeiss Victory SF — Aside from fantastic glass and overall quality, Zeiss fans appreciate the balance and weight.

Leica Noctivid — The Leica Noctivid in 10×42 rounds out the ultra high-end competition. At 30.3 ounces, they’re a bit heavy compared to the similar binoculars in this class, but the 376′ FOV leads the pack.

Maven B1.2 10×42 Review: The Verdict

All-in-all, the new Maven B1.2 is a worthy upgrade to its B.1 predecessor. If you already have a B.1, the B1.2 will deliver a slight optical boost, but that likely won’t lead to a logical decision to upgrade. If, however, the previous weight and size of the B.1 turned you off, the lighter B1.2 with its more expansive Field of View makes it far more packable and easier to hold steady. The bottom line is, the B1.2 delivers competitive specs, has an excellent price-to-value ratio, and is a delight to use. Very highly recommended.

Get the Gear:

• Maven B1.2 Binoculars — 8×42 & 10×42