Expanding my horizons - Looking for opinions

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Looking for some quick opinions from some of the more experienced folks out there.

I currently do some upland game hunting here in Minnesota. I now have one year old dog, so hoping to get out with her more, nothing better than watching a dog work the field and just being outside soaking in the natural world. But on top of that I'm looking to expand my hunting experiences, however can't quite decide what I want to look more into. I have a 20 gauge and am definitely open to expanding that, knowing I'd need more practice to be efficient. of I were to get a new firearm….. Which could turn into another hobby with target practice.

So any quick thoughts are appreciated on something to try and what gear I'd need?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[96trigger]

Honest opinion,

I would look at bow hunting if you have the time. Waterfowl is OK in Minnesota, but seems to be pretty hit or miss and very costly to get in to.

Maybe elaborate a little bit more one exactly what kind of hunting you would be more interested in.

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Thanks for the opinion.

To elaborate a bit more.......I am an big camper / outdoor junkie, just never grew up hunting. I'd like more experience with this to help pass onto others and get more people outdoors........So some of my thoughts have lead to maybe other small game / varmint hunting, maybe rabbit as eating or utilizing what you shoot would be part of my goal. I have access to land up near Lake Vermillion, so would like to utilize that. I've never tried deer hunting but having the opportunity to get out more often is what I'm thinking too. Getting more into target shooting is appealing to me as a hobby and ideally I'd like to buy only one new firearm (at least for now), so as usual we are all looking to get more bang for our buck.

Thanks again for feedback.

[Bear55]

Eds your dog would probably love to do some duck hunting, like trigger said its not the greatest in MN but you can probably find a few ducks if you put in some time. If you have land up by vermilion I would certainly give deer and grouse/rabbit hunting a shot. Plenty of bears up there too if you wanted to get into that.

[96trigger]

Your 20 gauge would be fine for most wing shooting, especially grouse and pheasant. If you are looking at taget shooting and getting involved in other small game. Nothing beats a good .22 caliber rifle. It is great, and relatively cheap to shoot. You can use it on rabbits, squirrels, and varmints if you like. You can plink/target shoot all day long for very little investment. I would spend the money on a nice bolt action .22, I bet almost everyone on this site has at least one .22 in their home.

Squirrels and rabbits are great small game to hunt, and they are tasty if you can get over the mental block of eating them. I always quarter out my squirrels and make them like chicken drummies. They have a great nutty flavor and are a unique meat. I would assume that rabbit could be prepared quite similarly.

You can also use your .20 gauge for deer hunting if you buy foster style slugs. You might want to try it some time, if you like it and become passionate about chasing whitetails, then a bow would be your next progression. Good luck, let us know what you choose.

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Good stuff, anyone else?

[Bear55]

I don't do it much any more but I like field hunting for geese, we have a pretty good population in MN and it can be a lot of fun. Big game waterfowl basically, you need to get permission to hunt a good field and decoys can be big $$$$ but its fun. Most goose hunters I know have hundreds of decoys but if you spend more time scouting and find the right fields you might be able to get away with a a couple dozen.

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So am I answering my own question when I say that anything bigger than a .22 would be too big if I'm not looking to get into deer hunting here in MN?

As much as I love technology, I like the old school lever action or something authentic. I see they make some .22 lever actions, but not sure if that's what they were really designed for? Maybe I'm over thinking...

[Acemac]

buy a .22 for two reasons

1. there is nothing in minnesota to hunt that you would need anything other than the .22 or your 20gauge (besides bear, but why kill a bear?)

2. if your going to get into target shooting head to your local gun store and see how many rounds 25 bucks will get you! once you start putting holes in paper you will see how fast you can burn through 100 bucks in a hour shooting most guns.

If it was me and I wanted to get into taget shooting and still have the choice to have a good hunting gun I would buy a Ruger Mk III so you could carry it even when your out with the shotgun.

MK III

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Love it, great idea and I'm leaning that way now. I may have to retro fit a shoulder stock to keep it uber comfortable.

Thanks everyone.

[CRAZYEYES]

If you like target shooting and getting your dog out one thing that you could get into is dove hunting. Great target practice as some days you can really blow through the shells and nice to have a dog to look for them and your 20 gauge is perfect for that. I also do a lot of pheasant hunting and use my 20. Both are really pretty cheap hobbies and theres plenty of oppertunities within a couple hours of the cities, If you have land near vermillion theres a lot of grouse around that area and plenty of public land around there too. One thing I've been getting into is more combo trips where I camp and do a little bird hunting and bring a rod with to do a little fishing. A 22 is a good vamit gun but I've shot plenty of varmits and rabbits with a shotgun too. If your're looking for ideas and places to hunt one of the best things you can do is get one of the big 80 page topo maps and just go exploring.

[Bear55]

besides bear, but why kill a bear?

[Acemac]

sorry Bear If You knew me you would understand (6'5" 390 lbs) I know you guys up there love your getting a few cute little black bears ever few years. but I am pretty sure im related to them!

[Bear55]

Chicago Bears O-line?