If you had only one firearm to take into the woods to hunt with, what would it be? For a long time, mines would have been a 3030 lever gun. Lately, I favor a single shot 12 gauge because of the versatility of it. You can load the shot for whatever you come across. Although it might limit your range. Modify choke of course. What would be your choice whether survival or only hunting firearm?





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My brush gun if I’m expecting to encounter different animals while on hunt, like when I go to Maui, is a 20ga shotgun.  I’ll carry bird shot and slugs.  But typically it’s either my bow or .308 if I know I’m going to have take something at range.  Only during bird season will I more often carry my 20ga because I’ll have the chance for bird, pig, or deer at that time.

Scar 17 is my favorite for hunting

Scar 17 is my favorite for hunting

My friend uses his to hunt when he goes home to Molokai, that’s a straight up sexy savage beast.  I wish I bought one too.

Scar 17 is my favorite for hunting

Thats a nice gun by the way.

When I did hunts in Moanalua Valley when it was part of Damon Estate fifteen plus years ago, I used an Ithaca M37 Deerslayer in 12 gauge. Most ranges were not more than 15 yards due to the dense foliage. Buckshot and slugs were what I used; very effective on feral pigs. Was part of DE's Animal Control group which had permission to hunt there weekly.

Did a hunt on the Big Island in brushy terrain and the Ruger 44 (Mag.) Carbine came in handy. The vast majority of hunts I've been on are of the open terrain variety.  I've used lever guns in 348 and 30-30 on a few of these hunts though, fully knowing their range limitations. In those cases I just had to get closer. But those hunts were fun.
Don't know what one favorite brush gun of mine would be. But it would be one that I handle well, chambered for the game intended, and one I have confidence in.

We're you part of Calvin Zane's group?  His group shot 3 of our dogs in the years we hunted there for DE. And they all were shot with shotguns!!!  Killed one of the best dogs I've ever had the privilege to hunt behind.  I'm just glad l wasn't hunting the day it happened.

808Hunta

Yes, I was part of Calvin Zane's group. When I hunted with that group for about two years or so, we weren't allowed by the landowner to use dogs. When I hunted with that group, I never heard of anyone in our group shooting hunters' dogs. Neither did i shoot anyone's dog.
I personally saw dogs with tracking collars but never came in contact with their handlers. Since we were hunting on private property, at that time, we were told we should be the only ones hunting in the valley. But we were also told we might encounter poachers which we made sure to steer clear of any confrontation.
It is bad enough anyone's dog is shot. I'm sure some kind of complaint or report could've been pursued, especially in the case of three dogs being shot. I decided to end my time with that hunt because of changing priorities and I no longer could commit the time. Otherwise, I enjoyed my hunts with the group.

Yeah we were the other group with permission from DE that hunted the ridge and the next valley over. When we first got permission we didn't hunt moanalua. From time to time our dogs chased pigs over the ridge and into moanalua. The day Koa got shot and killed my group went down and waited til they came out of moanalua.  At first they denied, but eventually the guy admitted to the police he shot the dog. That incident got handled the other 2 unfortunately did not.

808Hunta, so sorry to hear that. That was a terrible thing to happen.

Thanks brother it was a huge loss for us. He was an amazing hunting dog.