This month we shall take a closer view of the 270Winchester and how it compares to the 7 Rem Mag and the smaller 308Winchester

The following is a closer ballistic comparison of the 270Winchester, 7Rem Mag and 308Winchester. Together we shall go through their ballistic qualities as well as gauging their relevance in a real world scenario. I augur that this article will make you take a closer look at the cartridge and bullet combination you are using as well as question the way you make use of it.

Wherever I travel to, it seems hunters and shooters alike get into the debate between these 3 popular rifle cartridges. Is the 270Winchester an underestimated long range contender? Is the 7 Rem Mag a superior round? Where does the 308Win stand in this competitive rifle cartridge scenario?

Which cartridge most represents you?

A – 270Winchester (I already have one & it’s worked for so many hunters so why change it)

B – 7rem Mag (I Love 7mms, love the ballistic performance and can take out anything way out there)

C – 308Winchester (Ammo I can find anywhere, It’s killed everything under the sun. good enough to shoot FTR and Palma competitively)

In this series of Cartridge Wars – ballistics by Rifletalks, I shall attempt to dispel some myths as well as shed some factual data in ways which I hope will be easier to understand when comparing rifle cartridges. Keep in mind, here we are speaking of rifle cartridges in their standard CIP factory load format.

Factory loaded 270Winchester VS 7 Rem Mag VS 308Winchester

Each of these cartridges, 270Winchester, 7rem mag and 308Winchester can be handloaded to enhanced specs such as longer over all lengths, increased powder capacity, slower powders, better bullets, longer barrels etc. However, most shooters will acquire a rifle with a barrel length from 22-26 inches as made by most factories. Most of these cartridges, will shoot and burn 100% of their powder charge in a 24inch barrel. Naturally longer barrels provide additional speed as well as added challenges of maneuvering longer heavier barrels so let’s stick to 24inch. Having a few 30inch barrels myself, I’m well aware of this.

In order to find some common base line, I chose the loads as loaded by Hornady Precision Hunter ammunition. I shot this ammo in 6.5 Creedmoor and 30-06 and I believe it is outstanding and fairly well priced at around €2.20 a pop.

270Win – A closer look at bullet choice

The bullet choice is largely the most important component which connects you to your target. It cannot be overlooked. High ballistic coefficient hunting bullets are not as easy to find although most manufacturers nowadays like Hornady, Berger, Sierra, RWS, Norma and Lapua have all come up with their own line of high ballistic coefficient hunting bullets.

Some cartridges have seen better traction particularly due to their bullets being widely used in other popular cartridges, hence enjoying a wider selection of bullets. Take the 308Winchester (7.62) for instance, you can shoot anything from 110grain to 240grain bullets (if you have the correct rifle twist rate)

308caliber bullets: Source https://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/bulletguide/

Wherever you are in the world, you will find ready loaded 308Win ammo, bullets as well as powder, primers and rifles chambered for this cartridge. It’s comparable to the Land Rover Defender of rifle cartridges.

The 7 Rem mag also enjoys a huge variety of highly accurate 7mm bullets (.284). 7mm bullets are highly sought after in competition, made popular by cartridges like the 284Win among others as well as being very popular in hunting cartridges like 7×64 brenneke, 280ackley improved, 7×57, 280rem, 7RUM and more recently, the mighty 28 Nosler. Remember, it’s not the cartridge that makes it a hunting round but the bullet it is loaded with and to a large extent the weight of the rifle platform from which it needs to be fired from.

7mm (0.284) Above is an extensive line up of 7mm bullets https://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/bulletguide/

The 270Winchester on the other hand has enjoyed years as a leading hunting rifle cartridge but what is it’s ballistic performance like compared to the 7rem mag and the 308Winchester?

On my last trip I heard a lot of discussion about the 270win, the 7rem mag and the 308win. It seems all hunters and shooters have owned one of these cartridges, either because they inherited a rifle chambered for this cartridge or else it was just the first rifle they bought.

During our latest trip in the Pyrenees, one guy turns to me and asks, Rod should I change my Voere 270win Luxus for a better mountain hunting rifle? My reply, what are you going to gain over your existing chambering? He said, well I’ll get a flatter shooting round. From my target shooting experience, I know this largely depends on the bullet you are shooting rather than the cartridge or rifle. As soon as I got home, I started digging into this.

I know that the Austrian brand Voere lbw luxus 270win makes high quality rifles having shot their 338 Lapua mag version a few times grouping extremely well at 800m with it. In order to be able to guide this fellow shooter, I decided to show you their performance on 2 different levels, Drop in MOA as well as Windage in MOA. You may then decide for yourself.

In my view, Windage is what really influences my choice of that specific bullet & cartridge combination. Why?

Bullet Drop doesn’t bother me, once I laser my target and given I know my actual muzzle velocity, I will dial in that elevation and that will take care of drop. Irrelevant of how fast a cartridge you are shooting, past 400m they are all going to drop considerably that you will have to use a laser range finder before making the shot and you WILL need to know how much it drops exactly. For the scenario below, I am assuming you have dialed in your elevation after you acquired the ballistic solution from the many ballistic applications out there. I prefer Kestrel as it takes into consideration my real time atmospheric conditions as well as the ballistics and it’s spot on once you true your ballistic trajectory.

270Win Vs 7 Rem Mag vs 308Win Ballistics

Below: Notice how close the 270Winchester is to the 7rem Mag to 700m…. Do you still want to change your rifle mate? Why not try changing the bullet first.

270 Win – Windage

Read about the Voere LBW rifle above in 270Win here.

Windage on the other hand is a trickier skill set and comes by practicing sending rounds down range as well as practicing with a wind meter off the range. Most hunters seem not to spend a lot of time on the rifle range, they just zero their rifles at 100m and they set off. If you’re hunting short distance, that approach will be fine. If on the other hand, you’re expecting long shots as in some known regions of the world as is mounting hunting, that’s not going to cut it.

The wind drift table below shows these 3 popular rifle cartridges 270Winchester, 7 Rem Mag and 308Winchester and their wind drift component. I placed a game animal at 500m to give a practical example. The lateral deflection gives you an idea of how much drift you would get due to wind.

Ok so let’s find out the difference between the 270Winchester, 7Rem Mag and 308Winchester using some numbers and real-world case scenarios.

Let’s take the diagram above. We have a plains game ranged at 500m. We have a 10mph wind blowing from 3 o’clock (Full value wind). Below you can see how much each cartridge/bullet combo will drift, both in inches and MOA. For those new to adjusting for wind in MOA, at 500m/546 yards 1MOA = 5.6inches.

So let’s assume you have dialed in windage for this distance or you’re holding off your shot using the reticle hash marks. Now the wind speed drops to 7mph from 10mph but still blowing from 3 o’clock. This happens often and if you do not notice, you will be caught out. By how much?

Below: Here are the wind drift values for a 7mph wind.

When do faster cartridges matter?

Faster Cartridges like the 7rem mag and 270Winchester matter. If you were shooting a 308Winchester and the wind drops to 7mph, you now need:

16 inches of Right wind hold instead of 23 inches for a right wind, that’s 7inch difference.

Your 270Winchester would need 14 inches instead of 20 inches that’s 6 inches difference while your

7 Rem mag would need 12 inches instead of 17 inches, that’s 5 inches less correction.

Depending on which way the animal is looking, if it where looking into the wind, you would probably just miss it or just hit it as you would have over compensated but if it were looking away from the wind, you would miss and hit the animal in its hind legs.

Scenario A

Below you can picture this scenario where you are taking a shot at 500m in a 10mph from 3 o’clock (known as full value wind) We are holding off 4 MOA Right wind to compensate for the wind drift. We are shooting the bullet into the wind so that it will bring it back to where we want it to impact.

Should the wind speed change and the shooter not realize, this is what would happen assuming the wind direction does not change. The effects are further accentuated if the wind direction changes.

• 5mph wind – miss, shot would hit in front of the animal. (over compensate)
• 7mph wind – maybe a miss or barely hit (over compensated)
• 10mph wind – shot impacts exactly as shown below right in the lungs. (correct)
• 15mph wind – gut shot (under compensated)

1. b) Scenario B – 10mph wind from 3 o’clock with an animal facing away from the wind.

In order to hold 4MOA of Right Wind, we are aiming at his hind legs. Again we are pushing the bullet into the wind so that the wind brings it back to where we want it to impact.

• Wind drops to 5mph – Gut shot (over compensate)
• 7mph wind – Gut shot (over compensated)
• 10mph wind – shot impacts exactly as shown above right in the lungs. (correct)
• 15mph wind – Miss (under compensated)

With a 308Winchester, our Right Wind hold is almost the width of the entire animal at 500m.

Holding Off Windage with your 308Winchester

What does holding off look like in real world scenario? While on the range I managed to take this shot. We were not going to shoot the sheep, it’s just to show you what it looks like. The more you hold off, the large the chance for a miss. Here we are holding 6MOA LEFT WIND meaning we are shooting the bullet into the wind so that it would then blow it back on target. Do you want to learn how to develop a perfect load in under 50 rounds?

How do Faster cartridges like the 270Win and 7 rem Mag help us?

They basically narrow down the window that you should hold off as well as diminishing the error bracket. If you ever saw a wind plotting sheet on an Fclass score card, you would see something like this. Dots below the targets plotted to show where the bullet impacted when we dialed a specific wind correction.

Above: Notice the dotted lines that I drew up to show where the bullet impacted the target relative to my wind correction for that shot. It also gives me an idea of how much the wind changed and consequently its effect on my bullet over a 20-shot string at 1000yards. In this scenario we went from 4MOA estimate to 8.25 MOA Left wind call. That’s with a 284win shooting a 180grain VLDs at 2910ft/s, same performance of 7 rem mag!

How do you know how much you have to dial? You can work it out, there is a simple formula to get you there.

(Wind in MOA for 10MPH @3o’clock X by wind speed (mph) X wind direction value (0.5, 0.7, 0.85) = Wind Correction

Then you have to shoot and practice on the range to get proficient at that. A few hundred rounds a year done well will get you there.

Instead of holding all that wind, I prefer dialing in that wind component into my windage turret.

In the picture below, the shooter is dialing in 6 MOA RIGHT WIND. In this case he will not have to hold off his Windage. He will hold dead on target- centre mass. This is a learned skill and you have to practice, dial, adjust, shoot till you gain confidence adjusting the turrets with your eyes closed.

I took this picture through my Swarovski ATS 25-50×65 Spotting scope during Europeans while peeping at some of the windage adjustments during a course of fire. This ukrainian shooter had 6MOA on the very flat shooting 300WSM.

Swarovski z8i long range hunting scope

Swarovski BTF Elevation and Windage turrets enable you to do just that. Simple and fool proof to work with. I genuinely believe these are some of the best made turrets out there. Easy on, Easy Off. Moreover, these high quality windage turrets on the Swarovski Z8i enable you to dial 4 Mrad Left or 4Mrad Right then they stop turning, you can never get caught one full turn out. Read more about this Swarovski z8i scope which we used on a hunt in the Pyrenees.

After reading this article, will you be switching to another cartridge or will you explore how your own rifle/cartridge/bullet combination can provide you better ballistics? Contact Us with any feedback you may have and signup to our newsletter!

Few things are more frustrating than sitting in a cold duck blind all day and having no ducks show up. Just because you have water, it doesn’t mean you will also have ducks. You know you can bring deer and bear into a location of your choosing by creating food plots or bait sites for them, but have you ever considered doing the same for waterfowl? Actually, it’s something every cold and weary duck hunter has contemplated. It may not be as simple as throwing birdseed on the water, but attracting ducks may not be as difficult as it seems.

Wild ducks are looking for more than just a water source when they stage. There are several factors at play on and under the surface of those ponds. Flight is the most energetically expensive method of locomotion, and ducks move very long distances during migration. In light of this, it makes sense that ducks are pretty focused on food and are always scrounging for a snack. By learning about the best foods for ducks, you can learn to predict sites where specific ducks may congregate, or enhance your property to bring the ducks to you.

Duck Diet Basics

It may surprise you to learn that ducks are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Depending on the duck, they consume an impressive variety of foods: earthworms, snails, slugs, mollusks, small fish, fish eggs, small crustaceans, grass, herbaceous plants, leaves, aquatic plants (green parts and the roots), algae, amphibians (tadpoles, frogs, salamanders, etc.), insects, seeds, grains, berries and nuts. The nutritional value of each of these keeps both wild ducks and their ducklings healthy. Without question, a varied diet helps ensure ducks get the nutrition they need to support healthy growth and development and sustain them through long migrations.

Another critical component to a wild duck’s diet is grit (sand, small pebbles, shells), which helps break down food in their crop and may provide essential minerals like calcium. Even ducklings need grit in their diet to break down food. The more nutritional value your food plots provide, the better.

A number of factors help narrow down the smorgasbord if you’re looking to track down or attract a specific species:

• Species: Some ducks have evolved to eat more specialized diets. Bill shape is a good indicator of diet. For example, narrow, serrated bills are efficient at grabbing fish while broad, rounded bills are great for digging up aquatic insects and algae.
• Season: Opportunistic eaters will take advantage of whatever food source is most plentiful during a particular time of year.
• Habitat, range and feeding style: It may seem like an obvious point to say that ducks that hang out preferentially in fields and meadows will eat more grains than fish, but keep in mind that a duck’s habitat may change along its migratory route. A duck that is gorging on grain today may be munching minnows next week, so you need to know what that particular species will be looking for in your neck of the woods. Pay attention to the feeding style of your target. Despite both being aquatically inclined, dabbling ducks will eat different things than deep-diving ducks simply because of how they search for food.

Aquatic Appetites

Of all the natural duck foodstuffs, aquatic plants may be the best place to focus your enhancement efforts. Feeding ducks will eat various kinds of aquatic vegetation – submerged and emergent, native and invasive – representing more than 25 different families. Examples include wild rice, wild celery, coontail, milfoil (including invasive Eurasian milfoil), pondweed, southern naiad and widgeon grass. According to Dr. Thomas E. Moorman, “Gadwalls and American wigeons relish the leafy portions of aquatic vegetation. Green-winged teal, northern pintails and mallards prefer the seeds produced by wetland plants. Canvasbacks, redheads and scaup feed heavily on roots and tubers, while ring-necked ducks consume more leafy plant material and seeds.”

Maximizing the diversity of aquatic plant species and growth forms in your duck pond is a good strategy for attracting a variety of waterfowl. If you are struggling to find specific information for your area about what plant species will attract which ducks, take a trip to a spot you know hosts migrating ducks and bring a plant identification guide. You can either take your species list to your local greenhouse and pond supply store or carefully and respectfully harvest wild specimens for transplanting (if it’s legal to do so).

Millet Time

Millet is an excellent attractant for ducks. Golden and Japanese varieties have been developed to grow quickly and prolifically in a variety of conditions – far more cheaply than corn – making them very popular with folks trying to establish duck food plots. With two or even three crops in a season, millet will self-seed and provide forage for ducks for an extended period.

Millet is best planted about 75 days before the first frost date in your area. Millet seed can be sown in prepared soil adjacent to a pond using a variety of methods (broadcast, drilling, fly-on) and will do well with minimal care as long as the young plants aren’t flooded too early in their development. Make sure you’re not planting before a big rain hits or you may be planting again later.

Good Grains

For grain supply, consider planting wild rice (zizania aquatica). This native North American aquatic grain is an annual, but should self-seed once established. Wild rice is very good at improving water quality and clarity so consider planting it if your pond needs a bit of a boost.

Wild rice is best planted in the fall as its germination is dependent on overwintering in the sediment layer of a pond or stream. Plant your seeds immediately after purchase. Seeds that dry out will not germinate. If all goes well, you will start to see young plants growing underwater in May. Wild rice reaches maturity in September and will be two to eight feet above the water line.

Planting Tips for Standing Water

The Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri offers the following tips for planting aquatic vegetation:

• Space approximately three to four feet apart in rows to allow for growth. The more sunlight, the better.
• Place submerged and floating-leaved plants along the 3- to 4-foot depth contour of the pond.
• Place emergent plants near the shore from the waterline out to depths of six to 12 inches.
• Do not place floating plants next to submerged plants so adequate light can reach young submerged plants.

Native Plants for Your Duck Pond

The best native plant species for your duck pond will depend largely on your geographic area. Some good picks to start your site-specific research with include:

• Wild rice
• Pondweeds
• Milfoils
• Smartweed
• Wild Celery
• Duckweed
• Coontail

No matter where you are, some common factors will influence how well your plants grow: water quality and clarity, salinity, water and sediment depth, wave and current energy. Keep these factors in mind when researching what species to try out in your pond.

Enhancing Native Food Sources

If you’re looking to enhance a natural area that is already providing native food sources for wild ducks, diversity is key. It’s time to be inclusive of all types of waterfowl. When a variety of waterfowl is using your waterways, you have a variety of waterfowl in the freezer. In some cases, it can extend your season.

If you have a field, add a pond. If you have a pond, clear an area for field-based foods. Within the pond itself, try to enhance or create both marshy and open water environments.

It pays to have a way to draw the water level down. During the spring and summer months, you can lower water levels to promote the growth of plants and food sources. You can also keep water levels low for ducks like pintails, mallards, teal and wigeon. It doesn’t take much to accomplish this, and it can be as easy as a pipe with a valve.

Plant an array of species to help ensure you always have something beneficial growing. Plant pondweeds and wild celery in the deepest areas of your pond, smartweed and wild rice in the mid-depths and millet and corn in the shallows. A healthy diversity of plant species should attract and support a healthy faunal diversity without further assistance from you.

Diversity in habitats and species will ensure you have the best foods for ducks available for your feathered friends no matter what Mother Nature throws at you.

Acorns

Of course, an article on duck diet would not be complete without mentioning the outliers. Wood ducks love acorns. Yes, acorns – preferably white oak species (oaks with rounded, lobed leaves) over red oak species (pointed-lobed leaves) for palatability and digestibility reasons. So, if wood ducks are something you’d like to see more of on your property, oak trees are excellent additions to throw into the mix.

In areas where you have a good source of acorns, you generally have a beaver problem as well. You may need to protect young trees with wire net beaver exclosures. When it comes to wood ducks, acorns and pecans are often the only food source you have. Protecting oak and pecan trees from beavers is all the more important.

Great Expectations

Deer and bear hunters create food plots they know will attract a big buck or giant boar. With the information we discussed and a little elbow grease, you can consistently attract waterfowl to your waters. In the long run, creating food sources for waterfowl is more than just feeding ducks. It’s not only creating a habitat for wild ducks but a critical habitat for other wildlife as well. Besides, you are probably tired of sitting in a freezing cold duck blind hoping for the best. It’s time to quit hoping and time to start shooting.

Imagine a buck so epic that it defends the crown as the Boone and Crockett world record typical whitetail buck for 30 years and counting. The typical whitetail world record is the holy grail of deer hunting records, the one many dream about, but very few even come close to touching.

This hunting season marks three decades since farmer Milo Hanson took down the world-record typical whitetail buck. Milo Hanson’s buck, harvested near Biggar, Saskatchewan on November 23, 1993. Its mark of 213 5/8 inches for a wild typical buck has yet to be surpassed in the whitetail deer hunting record book.

Milo Hanson’s world record is proving nearly impossible to beat. During its reign, it’s fended off multiple world-class challengers. Many dedicated hunters have scoured the wilderness to find a whitetail buck, either from Canada or anywhere else, with a rack frame large enough to qualify, but that doesn’t also have some abnormality that classify it as non-typical and thus disqualifying it from this record. Some failed upon panel scoring, and others were flat-out denied because of abnormal points that denoted a non-typical classification.

Here’s the story behind the famous Milo Hanson buck, and a few typical buck hunting record challengers that just barely missed the mark.

The Story of the Milo Hanson Hunt

In that corner of Canada, the Hanson buck of Saskatchewan was already a local celebrity a year before it met its maker during the 1993 rifle season. Local hunters first noticed it in 1992, and news of the massive whitetail spread quickly. Hunters from all corners of the region and beyond came to try to topple the beast. Neighbors reported sightings during afternoon gossip, and a school bus loaded with kids even caught a glimpse of him. At least one massive 5-point side shed was picked up that was believed to belong to him. This big buck had a target on his back.

And yet, somehow, he survived not only the archery season but also the muzzleloader seasons prior to the start of Saskatchewan’s rifle season. Milo Hanson and his buddies hunted for this particular deer with no success several times leading up to that fateful November day. At one point Hanson and a friend both passed on a gorgeous, 160-inch buck because they knew the big one was still out there somewhere and deer season wasn’t over yet. That ended up being a good decision, for Hanson at least.

The morning of the day that changed his life, Hanson was hunting his own property, doing a deer drive with some buddies. “On the night of November 22, we had fresh snow, and I called the guys to plan our hunt,” Hanson told Boone and Crockett. “The next morning, I met my neighbor, John Yaroshko, and we drove to meet Walter Meger and Rene Igini. When we pulled up, I knew something was happening because they were excited. They said they spotted a monster buck entering a willow run and it hadn’t come out.”

With a fresh snow to help them track, the deer hunters set up a small deer drive with one man pushing and three standers on either side. Hanson took the north side while his buddies covered the other, and one walked up the middle following a fresh track. The first time Hanson spotted the buck standing broadside about 150 yards from his position, a huge rush of buck fever took over. We can only imagine what it would be like to be that close to the biggest typical whitetail of all time!

He fumbled the first shot and missed the deer completely. The hunters regrouped near where they saw the buck go into cover and jumped him out again. Hanson’s second shot at the deer was a solid hit, dropping the buck down to his knees. The buck was still moving, though.

“Unfortunately, the buck got up and ran into a nearby aspen stand,” Hanson Hanson said to B&C. “I ran up the hill to where it disappeared and saw it below me, standing still. I aimed through my four-power scope and fired another shot with my .308 Winchester Model 88 lever-action. Down it went. I saw its head over a clump of willows. To ensure it stayed down, I fired another shot, and the hunt ended.”

Upon reaching the deer, the hunters discovered one of the .308 bullets had shattered and struck the back of the buck’s right main beam. While the shot cracked the antlers, fortunately, it did not break them.

Once news got out that Hanson had taken down the local legend, his farm became a hotspot for curious onlookers, and the phone started ringing off the hook. Hanson knew then he had something special on his hands. North American Whitetail magazine was the first to spread the news of Hanson’s harvest to hunters far and wide in the February 1994 issue.

What Was the Score of the Milo Hanson Buck?

The official Boone and Crockett net score of the current typical world record Milo Hanson buck was 213-5/8 inches. The 14-point buck had an inside spread that measures just over 27 inches. Its greatest spread was over 29 inches, and six of the 10 main points exceeded 11 inches.

What Did the Hanson Buck Weigh?

Hanson has stated many times that the most frequent question he gets from other hunters is about the buck’s weight. However, we will never know, because Hanson never weighed the deer, field-dressed or otherwise. He estimated in a 2010 interview with Outdoor Life that the live weight was probably around 200 pounds.

While that’s a heavy deer, it’s not exactly a large-bodied deer for Saskatchewan, where big whitetails pack on the excess body weight to get through the long winters. Hanson is a farmer in the Biggar area, which is known for agriculture, so there was no lack of food for the record deer. However, considering the fact the deer was not taken until November 23, it seems extremely likely he’d lost quite a bit of weight during the rut.

The most amazing fact about this buck, other than the 213 5/8-inch score, is the fact that it was aged at only three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years old. There’s almost no question the world record whitetail had not even hit his prime yet when Hanson dropped him. It makes us wonder if it would have netted over 220 or even 230 inches with another year of growth—although no hunter would be crazy enough to pass up a buck like this!

It speaks to the quality of deer hunting in the area that a hear after harvesting his world record, Hanson shot a 171-inch buck, which no one knows or talks about because the “Hanson Buck” takes up all the headlines. After hearing that, there’s no doubt Biggar was the right place at the right time with the right genetics to produce a true monster.

How Big is the Milo Hanson Buck?

It’s hard to appreciate just how large the Hanson buck is unless you see it or one of the many replicas for yourself. At the time of the deer’s downing, the James Jordan buck from Wisconsin was the typical world record. The Jordan buck is no slouch, but the Hanson buck has it beat, thanks to a 29-inch greatest spread and a 27-2/8-inch inside spread. The G2s and G3s are also ridiculously long with a few of them reaching nearly 14 inches in length.

However, the Jordan buck has the Hanson buck beat on main beam length. Still, the Hanson buck’s 28-4/8-inch main beams are nothing to sneeze at. The right side of this great deer scores 95-4/8 inches while the left scores 98 inches. The gross score is 223-7/8 inches. There are only 7-1/8 inches of deductions. It helps that the buck only had 3-1/8 inches of abnormal points, all on the right side. The left has zero, which is an equally impressive tidbit that’s hardly mentioned.

What are the Hanson Buck’s Main Challengers?

As for the Hanson buck’s challengers, there have been many. Most infamous is the Rompola buck, allegedly taken in Michigan back in 1998. Hunters are still divided if the 218-5/8-inch deer was a hoax, or a hunter who simply did not like the limelight. We may never know the truth.

In 2006, it looked like Wisconsin would regain its crown as the holder of the typical world record with the Johnny King buck. That deer initially grossed over 220 inches and netted around 218 as a typical. That was until a Boone and Crockett scoring panel determined the buck’s G3 and G2 points shared a common base, causing massive deductions that resulted in a score around 180 inches net. The Johnny King buck still inspires passionate opinions among hunters, though.

In 2021, an Indiana musician named Dustin Hoff came close when he set a new second-largest typical whitetail deer of all-time record. The monster buck, which surpassed the Jordan Buck for the number two spot, is still the largest whitetail ever killed in the United States, according to the record books. The buck’s official B&C score is 211-4/8 points.

Then there was “The General,” a massive whitetail that roamed Nebraska back in 1958 and didn’t resurface until the 1990s. This buck had massive 32-inch main beams, 14-inch G2s, and 7-inch mass measurements. The antlers gross nearly 240 inches and net in the 220s. There’s just one problem: It’s a set of sheds, and no other antlers from the deer are known to exist. Because of this, the exact inside spread is unknown, and B&C do not recognize sheds in the record books.

Did the Milo Hanson Buck Get Sold?

The original Milo Hanson buck hasn’t been sold, as of this writing. Milo Hanson continues to maintain ownership of the mounted buck that he shot in 1993. He has sold the buck’s likeness for licensed use on merchandise and for replica mounts.

What is the Hanson Buck Worth?

While the once-in-a-lifetime buck made Hanson some money in licensing, he also said it made his life more hectic. Suddenly, he was in demand for sportsmen’s show appearances and spent a lot of time traveling with his mounted buck.

In the 2010 interview with Outdoor Life, Hanson pulled back the curtain behind what it’s like to be the hunter of a world-record buck. He estimated he made $60,000 a year off his record buck for almost a decade—or at least $600,000. While many world-class whitetails have found their way into private collections over the years, the Hanson buck remains in the hunter’s possession. That said, in that same interview, he noted he’s never received an offer close to what he has made on the deer.

Could the Hanson Buck Record be Broken?

As with anything hunting-related, anything is possible. Will this 2024 whitetail deer hunting season be the one where the Hanson Buck is finally dethroned, or will it remain the undefeated typical champion? Only time will tell.

READ MORE: The Worst Poaching Cases So Far in 2024

The tiny .410 bore may be the smallest caliber shotgun widely available to the public, but it is still an incredibly effective hunting tool. Countless generations of hunters have gotten their start with a .410 thanks to the round’s low recoil. In recent years, advancements to .410 ammo have increased the speed, power, and effectiveness of these tiny shotshells all without creating a larger blow to the wallet. It’s not uncommon to find factory .410s for less than 50 cents per round these days, which is something in this economy. You can’t even get a candy bar for that these days.

There are also plenty of hunters out there who are returning to the .410 simply because they’re looking for a new challenge after having done it all with a 12- or 20-gauge. The smaller spread can make sporting clays fun again if you’ve mastered the other calibers. The .410 has also really taken off for turkey hunting as new modern loads have upped the range and power significantly. We know a self-defense market has also taken off for .410, but today we’re going to focus solely on .410 shotgun ammunition for hunting or clays purposes. These are the options we look for first whenever we head afield with an old .410 bore, and they’ll suit you well in your outdoor adventures, too.

The Best Rifled Slug for .410

Winchester Super-X .410 Gauge

Pros:

• Reliable, fast .410 slug.
• 2½- and 3-inch options.
• Packs a punch on smaller game

Cons:

• More expensive than other .410 rounds
• Doesn’t really have the kinetic energy for deer

While most hunters likely don’t think of using slugs with a .410, the proof is in the ballistics of the Super-Xs. Winchester manufactures both a 2½-inch, 1/5-ounce version and a 3-inch, ¼-ounce version of this hollow point, rifled slug. You’re looking at about 1,800 fps of muzzle velocity, which is nothing to sneeze at for a shotgun caliber this small. One area of caution we’ll note is the use of these slugs on deer. We’d advise against it, even if .410 is legal in your state. That’s because the muzzle energy is only 788 foot-pounds, and it slows to 403 foot-pounds at 50 yards, and 234 foot-pounds at 100 yards. And, yes, we do know that hunters have harvested deer with .410s before. However, we like to keep to a minimum kinetic energy of at least 1,000 foot-pounds. That said, we thought the Super-X deserved a spot on this list because it’s a dynamite round for coyotes and smaller feral hogs at close distances. I also like this round for pest control. It’ll do a real number on annoying woodchucks or other pests that are tearing up your backyard. In truth, I like these slugs for those mid-sized varmints better than a .22 or other rimfire. It just ends with a quicker, cleaner kill, which is something all hunters should strive for. At $7.99 for a box of five or $21.99 for 15, these rounds are a little more expensive than some other options, but they’ll get the job done for you effectively.

The Best Dual-Purpose Round

Remington American Clay & Field

Pros:

• Dual-purpose round perfect for field and clay
• Quality primer
• Low price point
• Hulls are perfect for reloading

Cons:

• Limited amount of shot sizes available

Shooters know Remington is one of the brands to go to for affordability and reliability, and the American Clay & Fields are a nice option that covers both of those bases. We’ve seen these rounds on sale for just over 50 cents a round if you catch them at the right time. These are lead shot loads that use Remington’s popular STS primers. The muzzle velocity is approximately 1,275 fps for these rounds that are meant for both hunting and clay shooting. It’s nice to seamlessly go from one passion to another without having to adjust for a different round in between. Remington makes these shells in No. 9 and 8 shot sizes with a shell length of 2½ inches respectively. In a hunting scenario, we like the No. 8 shells for doves and pigeons on private lands where lead shot is legal to use. For skeet and clay, we like the No. 9 option as a target load. It’s hard to go wrong with either of these game loads. Normally priced, these rounds go for about $17.99 a box, which isn’t bad for 24 shotgun shells. Pick up a few at a time, and they’ll last you a few seasons of fun target and wing shooting.

The Best-Long Range Turkey Load

HeviShot Hevi-18 410 bore

Pros:

• Turkey-dropping power
• Long-range ability
• High pellet count for a .410

Cons:

• Extremely high price tag

Ammo manufacturers have really started to push the .410 to its limits to create some of the best turkey loads on the planet right now. If you start comparing specs, you’ll find some comparable ballistics to larger rounds coming from the tiny .410 with none of the nasty kick. Hevi-Shot makes these rounds in No. 7 and 9 shot sizes. The Hevi-18s use dense tungsten super shot (TSS) in place of lead. The cool thing about tungsten is that it’s heavier than lead, which allows hunters the opportunity to drop down shot sizes without losing effective range or stopping power. If you’re introducing a youngster to turkey hunting but are worried about bringing down a bird with a .410 bore, these are probably the best shells to consider. The muzzle velocity of these loads is about 1,090 fps. Another nice plus to these is that tungsten is often considered non-toxic in many places. That makes it an option for public lands. The huge downside to TSS rounds is the price. These rounds go for about $45 for a box of five, or roughly $9 a shell. These are probably the most expensive .410 shells on the market right now as a result. We realize these rounds aren’t for everyone; but for hunters who want to be able to reach out and bag those Toms that like to hang up at 30-40 yards from your setup, these shells will get the job done.

The Best Option for Waterfowl

Hevi-Shot Bismuth

Pros:

• Non-toxic shot for public land
• Denser than steel shot

Cons:

• Extremely tight pattern
• Price tag

You don’t hear about hunting waterfowl with a .410 bore too often. It’s not something that many hunters attempt. It’s understandable when you consider that many .410 guns meant for waterfowl come with a full choke installed. You often end up with an extremely tight pattern that makes the birds much harder to hit. For that reason, this is one instance where we don’t recommend a .410 for a beginner. Waterfowl hunting with a caliber this small is for the more advanced duck hunters who have already done it all with a 12- or 20-gauge and are looking for a better challenge. If you are going to hunt ducks with a .410, Hevi-Shot’s Heavy Bismuth shotgun ammo is the one to consider. It’s non-toxic, so you can use it on public land, and Bismuth is slightly denser than steel, which means it’s going to have better range and lethality in those scenarios. The only downside is that Bismuth is more expensive than steel. You’re looking at about $55 for a box of 25, or about $2.25 a round. Not cheap, but also not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you factor in the hot velocity of 1,300 fps from the muzzle. Hevi-Shot offers these rounds in No. 4 and 6 shot sizes that will help you limit out and push your shooting skills to the limit.

The Best Budget Upland and Small Game Shells

Winchester Super-X Upland and Small Game

Pros:

• Wide variety of shot sizes
• Affordable
• Availability

Cons:

• Toxic shot
• Challenging for upland hunters

Again, you’ll hear about fewer hunters using .410 for upland game simply because the range and spread are greatly reduced when using one of these tiny shotguns. It can be done, but just like with waterfowl, it’s probably only best attempted by seasoned hunters who are ready for a new challenge. For small game such as squirrels and rabbits, however, it’s a little more doable. Winchester manufactures several high brass variants in .410 in shot sizes ranging from No. 4 to 7.5. I’ve also used the 11/16-ounce loads with No. 6 shot for a little pest control around the house in the past. I can personally attest to the knockdown power of the Super-X line, which is why I use it in nearly all of my firearms. The muzzle velocity is anywhere from 1,100 to 1,135 fps, depending on the shot size and load. There’s something here for almost every hunting scenario. Along with being ultra reliable, Super-X is surprisingly affordable. You’ll usually find it going for about $21 for a box of 25—around 88 cents a round. The other nice thing is the accessibility of these shells. They’re sold practically everywhere, and they’re often still on the shelf even during shortages. It all adds up toward making these some of our favorite general-purpose .410 bore shells to use each season.

The Best Dedicated Skeet and Sporting Clays Round

Federal Top Gun

Pros:

• Affordable dedicated skeet and clays round
• Reliable Federal primers
• Fast muzzle velocity

Cons:

• Something of a niche round

If you’re truly looking for a real challenge on the skeet or sporting clays range, switching over to a .410 is a sure way to do it. If you can get consistent with a .410 on clay targets, everything else will seem easy by comparison. Federal Premium makes what we think is the best quality dedicated target round in the Top Gun. They make a few variants, a No. 9, ½ shot charge, and a No. 6, 11/16 shot charge. The difference is the No. 6 shot rounds are about 200 fps faster. They are doing about 1,330 fps at the muzzle. There is also a No. 7.5, ½-ounce shot charge option that’s also doing the same speed. These are strictly for target shooting on private lands because they are lead. The other thing we love about these rounds is the affordability. They go for about $17.99 a box, or around 72 cents a round. It’s a nice option to get into competing without breaking the bank.

The Most Affordable Target Round

Aguila Competition

Pros:

• Wide array of shot sizes available
• Extremely affordable

Cons:

• Has a reputation for being dirty

Affordability is a big thing when you’re shooting a lot of shells for competition. Which is why we really like Aguila’s competition rounds. A 25-round box goes for around $16.99, or less than 70 cents a round. These would be a solid choice if you’re helping outfit one of the many clay shooting teams that are popping up as an extracurricular activity in schools across the country. Aguila makes its .410 options in 00B, 7 ½, 8, and 9 shot. The No. 9 shot options has a choice of a ½-ounce or ¾-ounce load. All the shot types are doing about 1,275 fps at the muzzle, which is not bad at all for the price point. Aguila also has a solid reputation for being reliable and accurate, both important aspects of competition. The downside to Aguila is that the ammo has a reputation for shooting extremely dirty almost universally across the whole line. But if you don’t mind a little extra cleaning, this is a solid option that won’t break the bank.

For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.

READ MORE: THE 8 BEST .410 SHOTGUNS

Fishing for buffalo is becoming more and more popular in the US and many anglers, who are new to the sport, wonder about the best ways of catching this awesome species. So I decided to write a detailed guide on how to catch buffalo fish in order to help you get going.

In order to successfully catch buffalo fish, you will need heavy carp rods, carp reels, a strong braided mainline, and #4-#8 wide gape hooks. Buffalo fish are best fished for on the bottom and caught on hookbaits such as boilies or tiger nuts.

If you want to get expert tips on how to catch buffs, what gear and baits to use, and where to fish for buffalo, all you have to do is keep reading.

Disclaimer: This article includes expert advice provided by Texan buffalo angler James King. James has caught several lake records and was kind enough to share some of his best tips with Strike & Catch.

What Gear Do You Need To Catch Buffalo Fish?

When it comes to buffalo fish, using the right gear is absolutely essential. Not only when it comes to the presentation of your baits, but also because buffalo fish are extremely strong fish. Getting them on the hook is only half the battle, fighting and successfully landing them is the really difficult part.

It is here that fishing with heavy and qualitative gear really pays off!

Rods

You will want to use heavy 2-section carp rods with a length of 12ft and a test curve of at least 3lb. Rods like that will both let you cast out your rigs very far and have a strong enough backbone to fight even the biggest and strongest of buffalo.

When it comes to carp rods, both Shimano and Daiwa are two solid brands that you can trust 100%. They make really high-qualitative rods for a very decent price. I use 3 Daiwa rods myself and they have landed me a ton of fish over the years. Check out the Daiwa Black Widow Carp Rod on Amazon here.

Reels

Heavy artillery carp reels are also something that I recommend strongly when fishing for buffs, as they will do most of the hard work together with you during the fight. Big pit reels that can hold a lot of line are definitely the way to go, both for casting and for fighting buffalo. Because when they charge off, they can go a long way!

Once again, Daiwa is the brand of choice here. You should definitely check out their Daiwa Crosscast Carp. It’s a superb real that is definitely capable of handling big buffalo. Take a look at this awesome reel on Amazon here.

Line

The third really important component when it comes to your gear is your mainline. Now, you can choose between monofilament and braid, and if this article would have been about carp, I’d suggest mono. For buffs, however, braid is definitely the better choice!

Braid has almost no stretch to it, which is a huge advantage when fishing for buffalo, as they are extremely careful when picking up your hookbait. You will want that hook to set as quickly as possible, and a no-stretch mainline will certainly help in that regard.

Additionally, braid has the ability to transfer even the slightest of movements from your hookbait to your rod tip much faster than mono does, which means that you will be able to detect even the most careful of takes.

a strong braided line of 30lb test is what you are looking for here and the one braid I use for all my fishing and one I can highly recommend is the Power Pro. I don’t think there is a better braid out there, to be honest! You can check out the Power Pro on Amazon here.

Pro Tip: Connect 4-5 feet of 40lb fluorocarbon to the end of your mainline and cover it with a sinking rig tube of the same length to both protect the fish and to make your end tackle even stronger and more abrasion-resistant.

Rigs

The best rig for buffalo is a classic carp rig, consisting of the following end tackle:

• a barrel or quick change swivel
• a 4-5 inch braided hooklink (30 to 40lb test)
• a size 4 to 8 wide gape or long shank carp hook

That’s basically it! This will make for a very effective hair rig that can catch you a ton of buffs! To make this rig even more effective, you can also put on an anti-tangle sleeve (helps a lot for those long-distance casts), as well as a short piece of shrink tube that’ll go on the hook shank (for a better hook set if and when the fish hooks itself).

RELATED ARTICLE: You can check out this article if you want to learn how to tie a simple hair rig!

The short hooklength further aids the hook set, as the hook will set almost immediately after the fish has picked up your bait.

Bank Sticks or Rod Pod

Fishing for buffalo is a waiting game and if you are using more than one rod, putting them on a couple of banksticks or a rod pod can be a very good idea.

This way, they are secured (use butt rests) and off the ground and you can use bite alarms to better detect the often careful buffalo takes.

Bite Alarms and Bobbins

Electronic bite alarms are super useful when fishing for buffalo. They make the need to constantly check your rods obsolete and also let you fish through the night. Although when it comes to buffalo, keeping an eye on your rods is never a bad idea, as the bite alarms can certainly miss the occasional slow or careful take.

That’s why bite alarms should be used in combination with hangers, or bobbins. These will help you notice less obvious bites and can accurately indicate the, for the buffalo so typical, drop back take, which will be explained further down in the article. A cheap set on bobbins can be found on Amazon right here.

Landing Net

Buffalo fish can get huge, which is why you’ll need a wide and deep net in order to securely land them. A 42inch carp landing net is the perfect fit for big buffalo. You can find a great carp landing net on Amazon here.

What Is the Best Way to Fish for Buffalo?

Finding the Fish

If you’re not fishing pay lakes, but instead target natural waters with wild buffalo in them, you will often find yourself fishing water systems of considerable size. Put in other words, buffalo can most often be found in gigantic lakes and larger river systems, and finding them there is not always the easiest of tasks.

If you’re lucky, you will be able to spot fish somewhere in the lake, but all too often, that is just not possible.

Try to find any kind of features that hold food and hence attract fish. Those can include:

• Weeds
• Reeds
• Small islands
• River mouths
• Drop-offs (especially attractive during summer, when the shallow waters are too warm)

Pro Tip: If you fish a water you are not familiar with, ask the local fishermen for advice! Most of them will be happy to share some good locations and give you some valuable tips!

Pre-Baiting

So, once you’ve decided on a spot you want to try out, a good tactic is to pre-bait it. If there is food in your spot, the fish will find it, as opposed to you having to search for them.

Of course, there is never a guarantee, but as buffalo fish, much like carp, really like to feed a lot, pre-baiting can definitely improve your chances.

Now, what and how much you put out is really up to you. Generally speaking, the more you can throw in the better! You can pre-bait your spot with anything from feed corn, beans, nuts, to boilies and pellets. Trust me, they’ll eat it all.

Pro Tip: Stay clear of processed ingredients such as Jello! Instead, use lots of good attractants like salts and oils to make your particles even more powerful.

Pack Bait

Once you are ready to start fishing, consider using bigger balls of pack bait around your weights or method feeder. The additional bait, which will be presented extremely close to your actual hook bait, will certainly get the attention of any buff that is now in the area.

Additionally, pack bait and the bait cloud it produces attract a lot of small fish, which, in turn, capture the interest of bigger fish, like buffalo and carp.

Pro Tip: Buffs like hot and spicy stuff! So make sure to flavor your pack bait with chili or curry powder!

Fox Paste Bomb

As mentioned in the gear section above, using an inline paste bomb is by far the most effective way to fish for buffalo. Not only will a weight of 3 or 4oz keep your hookbait pinned down on the bottom, it also allows you to chuck out really big and heavy balls of pack bait.

If you know how to handle a 3lb carp rod, casting out a 3oz weight with an additional 4oz of pack bait 70 yards or more can be a relatively easy task. And being able to get that much feed out with each and every cast is a huge advantage! You can purchase the Fox Paste Bom at Big Carp Tackle here.

The Hook Set

Now that you have baited up your swim and cast out your rods, it’s time to wait for that take. When it comes, you gotta be 100% ready!

Despite their impressive size and brud force, buffalo fish actually feed and bite very cautiously and it’s extremely easy to miss a bite when it comes.

Unlike carp, who will almost always hook themselves against the weight of your bottom lead and then immediately swim off, buffalo won’t really notice that they have been hooked. Due to their very thick and fleshy lips, they simply won’t feel the hook when it penetrates.

And as they don’t really seem to care much about the weight hanging off their mouths either, they’ll just keep grazing and feeding.

All too often, this behavior will lead to the classic drop back, which is the best bite indicator you can get when fishing for buffs!

When they’ve been hooked and carry on feeding or swimming around lazily, they will often lift the weight off the bottom. This will cause your mainline to go slack and the hanger, or bobbin, on your bite alarms to drop down.

At best, you will get the visual indication of the bobbin moving and a few beeps from your bite alarm, but that’s usually it. So if you want to be able to fight and land that buff, this is when you’ll have to pick up your rod!

What Are the Best Baits for Buffalo?

Buffalo fish can be caught on a variety of both natural and artificial baits. The ones that are best suited for big buffs and for the type of rig presented in this article include:

• Boilies and Pop-Ups/Dumbbells (fish them snowman style: 1 boilie and 1 pop-up on the hair)
• Tiger Nuts
• Plastic Tiger Nuts

Pro Tip: The artificial baits are especially effective in waters that hold crayfish or turtles, as they have a much harder time getting those baits off the hook or hair.

All three bait types can be presented on a simple hair rig and will fit the buffalo’s fairly small mouth perfectly.

The somewhat bigger boilies and pop-ups come in handy on waters with a lot of smaller baitfish, as they won’t be able to get those baits into their mouths and hence do not produce unnecessary bites. You can find high-quality boilies and pop-ups over at Big Carp Tackle.

If your fishing spot is not disturbed by any smaller fish, you can also use the following baits for buffalo:

• corn
• artificial pop-up corn
• worms

What Is the Best Time of Year to Catch Buffalo?

In the southern parts of the US, the best time to catch buffalo fish is between December and May. During that period of the year, the temperatures in both air and water are more moderate, which means that there is more oxygen in the water.

This spells more active fish that feed on a more or less regular basis throughout the day.

In the northern parts of the US, as well as in Canada, the best time to catch buffalo is between late summer and late fall.

Where Can You Catch Buffalo Fish?

While a majority of lakes with the biggest buffalo can be found in the state of Texas, you can actually find them in most US states.

Their geographical distribution stretches Canada in the north to Texas and Alabama in the deep south.

In Canada, they can be found in the Milk River and Qu’Appelle River that flow through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. They also inhabit Lake Winnipeg.

In the northern US, they are native to midwestern and eastern states such as Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. They then follow the midwestern and eastern parts of the US all the way down to Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

The major water systems in which they can be found include the Hudson Bay and Mississippi River drainages.

Do Buffalo Fish Fight Hard?

While buffalo are extremely subtle feeders and are generally fairly slow-moving fishing, they can turn into real steam locomotives once they realize that they’ve been hooked.

Unlike carp, which often swim hither and thither and in a somewhat panicky and uncontrolled way, buffalo often simply charge off into one direction and keep to it.

But that’s exactly the difficult part when fighting them. Consider a 50lb fish that seems to have near unlimited power and energy reserves and that swims off with relentless force and determination!

Now, try to imagine that powerful fish at the end of your fishing line. If you can imagine that, you understand the need for all the heavy gear I mentioned above!

How Big Can Buffalo Fish Get?

The smallmouth buffalo, which is the buffalo type that is most commonly found and fished for in the States, is a species that can reach really impressive sizes. Fish of over 60lb aren’t that unusual and fish that have weighed in at over 80lb have been caught in the US.

As the species isn’t all that popular, not too many fish get caught and so, no one really knows how big they can get. It is not impossible that there are 100lb+ specimens swimming around in some major lakes of the south! Imagine hooking up to a fish that size!

Currently, the US and world record smallmouth buffalo is a fish of an incredible 82lb 3oz. That behemoth was caught by angler Randy Collins on Athens Lake (Texas) back in 1993.

Related Articles

• What Is the Difference Between Buffalo Fish and Carp?
• Euro-Style Carp Fishing Gear (A Complete Guide)
• What Types of Carp Are There?

All images courtesy of James King

About The Author

Spring in North America welcomes many things, one being morel mushrooms. There are a few types of morels, including true morels and false morels. There are more species of false morels than true morels. Both true morels and false morels tend to grow in the spring, under hardwood trees, especially ash and elms. Because of the similar ways these different species present, mushroom hunters are likely to come across false morels in their quest for true morels.

The Good and the Toxic

Before delving into morel mushroom hunting, foragers should have a solid grip on basic mushroom identification. What sets safe-to-eat true morels apart from false morels is a toxin known as monomethyl hydrazine (MMH), which is the same chemical found in certain rocket fuels and can cause dizziness, vomiting, and in some cases even death.

Mycologists know that true morel mushrooms are identified by narrow, pitted, wrinkled caps which are cone-shaped, hollow caps and stems, and caps attached to the stem rather than free hanging.

Black morel mushrooms have four lookalikes, and three of them are considered toxic—so it’s important to be able to tell the difference.

The good news: The three toxic wild mushrooms, Verpa Bohemica, Genus Gyromitra, and Verpa conica, are pretty easy to tell apart from true morels, if you know what to look for. Don’t let the simplicity fool you, though. One simple case of misidentification can have some nasty consequences, including symptoms of mushroom toxicity, gastrointestinal upset, illness, and death. So, although morel mushroom identification is basic, pay close attention to the small distinctions between the different species.

It is a good idea to carry a guidebook while foraging, to compare notes and photos, rather than relying on memory. A good one is Mushrooming Without Fear: The Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms.

Read on for the top four most common false morels and ways to identify each mushroom species.

Morel Mushrooms Top Lookalikes

1. Wrinkled Thimble Cap (Verpa Bohemica)

Verpa Bohemica, or wrinkled thimble cap mushrooms, are sometimes, but not always, toxic. Still, we don’t like those chances. Verpa Bohemica is also sometimes called the early morel, early referring to the fact that Verpas generally mature just before and in the beginning of morel season.

The feature on Verpa Bohemica that most closely resembles true morels is the sort-of honeycomb cap, which is a trademark for true morels. On a wrinkled thimble, the honeycomb cap has sharp ridges and a more wrinkled look, like a sheet or brain. Cut in half, these wild mushrooms are not hollow, while morel caps are completely hollow inside.

2. Gyromitrin

Gyromitrin mushrooms are also sometimes toxic, though usually just in small amounts. That means if you eat it in small quantities, the toxins can cause nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea. But in large quantities, eating a Gyromitra species can cause convulsions, jaundice, come, or even death.

These risks are most closely associated with two species of false morels: Gyromitra Esculenta and Gyromitra Ambigua. Many mushroom hunters in Europe consider false morels outside of those two species to be edible once cooked, but we preach caution. Note: even true morels can cause gastrointestinal upset when eaten raw, so it’s a good rule of thumb to always cook morels before consumption.

Gyromitra species can be found in many places where morels are also found. These poisonous mushrooms have the ridged caps of a true morel, but otherwise it’s much wider than it is tall, and its ridges don’t look like a honeycomb. Species of Gyromitra will have a much redder hue than a true morel will ever be, and when you cut it in half, it’s not hollow. All true morels will always be hollow.

3. Thimble Morel or Bell Morel (Verpa Conica)

Thimble Morels, in our opinion, look a lot like true morels. But they have very small, barely-visible ridges and a tiny cap. Moreover, these wild mushrooms have a skirt- or umbrella-like cap attachment.

Warning: The stem here is hollow, just like a true morel. But the cap doesn’t flow seamlessly into the stem but instead sits more underneath it.

4. Half-Free Morels (Morchella Semilibera, M. Punctipes, M. Populiphila)

Half-Free Morels are the closest relative to true black morels and look a lot like them. Luckily, they’re edible. They just don’t taste great. Half-free morels look like an ugly step-sibling to true morels, but they’re not harmful for you to eat (just not particularly tasty).

The main feature that sets them apart is that their cap looks like it’s half free, meaning the cap doesn’t flow seamlessly into the stem but instead tucks under. Usually, Half-Free Morels also have a really long stem compared to a true morel.

How to Tell Real Morel Mushrooms from Fakes

1. Look At the Cap

False Morels

• Irregular, “squished” shape
• Outward bulges
• Wave shape
• Hangs freely off the stem

Real Morels

• Uniform shape
• Pitted inwards
• Covered in pits and ridges
• Attached directly to the stem

2. Examine the Stem

Real morels have a hollow stem. Also, their overall shape is typically longer than they are wide.

False morels have a solid stem, and are often (but not always) wider than long. A false morel will have cottony fibers or may even be completely solid inside.

3. Check the Color

Real morels are usually a light tan, brown, or grey-black color. They’re almost never in the red spectrum.

False morels can be reddish brown or yellow.

4. Smell It

Real morels smell distinctly earthy.

False morels sometimes have a slightly sweet smell, or none at all.

5. Slice It in Half

False Morels are solid, not hollow, and are filled with cotton-like white fibers.

Real Morels are hollow from the tip of the cap to the bottom of the stem.

6. Check for Symmetry

A true morel will almost always have a nice symmetrical shape to it, whereas false morels have a wavy, uneven look. Bulges and folds will stick out, and the false morel may even look like someone stepped on it.

7. When In Doubt, Go Without

If you still aren’t sure that the wild mushroom in your hand is a real morel mushroom, leave it. False morels can be extremely toxic and the risk of poisoning is not worth the potential of a fresh mushroom.

Keep this in mind before you head out morel mushroom hunting next month.

READ MORE: 10 Edible and Medicinal Plants in the Colorado Rockies You Can Forage

It’s known as the Night of the Grizzlies. Over fifty years ago, two women were killed by two different grizzly bears on the same night. The repercussions of the incident can still be seen in the way bears are managed today. But it also gave birth to a powerful myth—it’s dangerous for women to spend time in the woods while menstruating.

Back in the early 1980s, Caroline Byrd worked on a seasonal trail crew with the U.S. Forest Service. Most summers she worked just outside of Yellowstone National Park. And for a few of those seasons, the crew was made up entirely of women.

“When people would run across us on the trail, they were always like, ‘Wait, you’re girls!’ and ‘We’d be like, yeah, uh huh, we are!'” Byrd said.

It was a really powerful experience for Byrd; one that meant a lot of hard work.

“Here we were out in the wilderness for 10 days at a time,” described Byrd. “Doing really hard manual labor that’s super satisfying…clearing trails, using a cross-cut saw, and a double bit ax, and a polaski.”

In 1983, she stayed on late, doing end-of-summer stuff like cleaning up campgrounds and marking timber to be cut down. And because it was fall, it was hunting season.

“And that’s when we ran across this hunter’s camp,” said Byrd. The hunter had left groceries inside a wall tent, and had returned to town. While he was away, a mama bear and her cub had ransacked the camp. Bear encounters were rare at the time since the number of bears in Yellowstone’s ecosystem was low. That’s why a special agent came all the way from Colorado to investigate.

“He was aghast that women were working in the back country where there were bears,” said Byrd. “And we were like ‘no, that’s not the issue!’ The issue is this hunter left his food, and bears got into it.”

That’s when the U.S. Forest Service told Byrd and the three other women on her crew that they would no longer be able to work in bear country while they were on their periods.

“Why are we getting restricted like this when this has nothing to do with the fact that there are women on a timber crew working in bear country?” Byrd said. The women were outraged. So they wrote to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office in Denver, and the policy was rescinded. But where exactly did the idea that menstruating women are at a greater risk in bear country come from? That goes back to one fateful night in 1967: the Night of the Grizzlies.

“There was two attacks in Glacier National Park where two different women were killed by two different grizzly bears on the same night,” said Kerry Gunther, the bear biologist for Yellowstone National Park (YNP).

He said the attacks caused the National Park Service to rethink how to deal with bears. The idea was to get bears feeding on native foods instead of human food hand-outs and garbage. Gunther said that meant converting garbage cans and dumpsters into bear-resistant designs, installing food storage boxes in roadside campgrounds and hanging poles for backcountry spots, as well as strictly enforcing regulations that prohibited hand-feeding beers, something once regularly seen in the park. But the Night of Grizzlies also sparked speculation.

“Having two fatalities in just one night was just so rare that people were groping for a reason, and one theory that came about was menstruation might have led to these two fatal bear attacks in Glacier,” said Gunther.

Only one of the women killed was on her period, though. And yet, the theory stuck. That’s why decades later Caroline Byrd and her female colleagues were told they couldn’t work in bear country while they were menstruating. And why in 1988 as a graduate student in environmental studies Byrd tried to debunk the myth.

“I ran a whole statistical analysis of is there anything out there that shows that bears react differently to women than to men? And it came out really strong that no, bears do not respond, or react, or in any way change their behavior based on the gender of the person they’re encountering,” Byrd said.

This lack of definitive evidence remains true today. But so does the myth. And it’s possible Yellowstone’s website may not be helping. A page that’s dedicated to menstruating women in bear country cites Byrd’s statistical analysis. It even breaks down the stats for bear-inflicted human injuries in the park.

For instance, between 1979 and 2018, 50 people were injured by bears within Yellowstone, 39 of those were men, while 11 were women. And out of those 11, none of the women were on their periods. As such, the website indicates, “the bear-inflicted human injury data from YNP does not indicate any correlation between bear attacks and menstruation.”

But the website also says women can take precautions if they’re concerned, like using tampons instead of pads.

“I do feel like the way it’s worded on the website is problematic,” said Margaret Seelie, a reporter that has written about the bears and periods myth.

Another study included on the website is from the late 70s. It tested how polar bears would react to menstrual blood in different scenarios, including how a caged polar bear reacted to a used tampon versus other odors. But both Byrd and Seelie said the research methods were flawed. Seelie also said including the study on the website perpetuates the misconception.

“It’s continuing to support and promote the myth that polar bears or bears are attracted or affected by menstruating women, which is different from a blood soaked tampon.”

Seelie is an avid hiker. Before her own reporting, she was pretty sure that being out in bear country while menstruating was dangerous.

“It’s also part of the menstruation taboo that is in our culture, and this weird fear of menstruation and of menstruating women,” she said. But Seelie explained fears like this keep women out of the woods, and that becomes an issue of quality of life.

“I don’t belong in this air conditioned office,” she said. “I belong out in the world, and I belong out in nature.”

Caroline Byrd agreed, that you shouldn’t have to stay home if you’re on your period.

“It’s perfectly rational for people to be afraid of bears,” said Byrd. “A lot of people are afraid of bears, and that’s just fine. But it’s not rational to be a woman afraid of bears because you’re a woman.”

Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Maggie Mullen, at [email protected].

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.