as an aside, Les.. I have buddies over in Lee county that get $20 per pair of coyote ears.  Some are really hard up for cash and sit up all night for the chance of getting a paycheck.  I imagine they have fun stalking them also.

Out Enjoying That Great Texas Countryside

i can remember in illinois  in the 50's that a pair of fox ears had a bounty of $ 20.00 back then that was 1/2 weeks pay check. i never seen one till the 70's

i can remember in illinois  in the 50's that a pair of fox ears had a bounty of $ 20.00 back then that was 1/2 weeks pay check. i never seen one till the 70's

This might be an alternative, New England Arms .223 with 3 x 9 scope.

http://www.gunrush.com/firearm/gun/New-England-SB2-223-Rifles.htm

"A country boy will survive"

NEF single shots are good guns for a good price.

Keep yer eyes peeled!

Those russian guns are usually pretty accurate. Especially since they are milled and not stamped metal. Just get non-corrosive ammo and you should be fine. I have killed many deer with a 7.62x39 russian AKS.

Keep yer eyes peeled!

7.62 x54r is the almost same balistics as a 30-06,  not really a varment gun but they are fun to shoot.

you know, theres a lot of thought out there as to what makes  fine hunting arms, the best caliber for the job "depending of course on what the job is", some calibers are just to small ;i.e. dont go after a brown bear with a BBgun. but old military "surplus" can be and often is a fine way to hunt. i've taken hogs, mule deer, white tail and a variety of other game animals with, 303, 7.5x55, 8x56r as well as my old standby 270...the important thing to remember is preparation, learn to shoot your weapon and choose your ammo wisely.. there are several manufacturers out there that make modern hunting ammo for military surplus weapons... 

yesterday i bought a .22 to play with. so i'm broke till the 3 rd of next month. but i 'm buying a M 44 next month for sure.

7.62x54 is the same as a 308, good cal. but if you buy ammo for hunting, i wouldnt recommend using fmj (full metal jackets)

 i know in tn. and most states FMJ are not legal to hunt with. when i bought my .22 last week the gun shop said he will have some M44's in . in a week or so. he said they would be $100.00 or $110.00 i have seen then for a lot less. but with shipping FFL transfer and all or me driving 200 to 300 miles  i guess that thats not a bad price. only need to drive 20 mile round trip.

well a 7.62X54 is the same as .308 in parent casing and caliber however the accuracy is greatly diminished by the 54mm.
A good 7.62 round is a 7.62X39mm which is also surplus, It's a lot more accurate because its a skinnier casing. That is actually real close to the 30-30WIN as well. It may be a wildcat round now but who knows, I've heard some people use it for hunting...last time I heard they are pretty inexpensive, and they come in hollow or soft point...

"Let Your Light so Shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

 isn't a 308 1 or 2 mm longer than a 7.62 and a 30.06 ? there accuracy  is very goo right ? any way i want to keep it cheep and a M44 or a M36 is about as cheep as it gets. with surplus ammo. about the only thing cheaper to shoot is a .22 a SKS will cosy me around $ 100.00 more. i'm on a very tight budget.social security only.  to me $100.00 is a  bunch of money. but i thank you for any input.

the .308 is the caliber and/or parent casing. The 7.62 is the measurement, and the 30-06 is a caliber as well, with a .30-03 parent casing. 30-06 is a 7.82 measurement i believe.

.22 could be lots of fun, but don't count on taking big game.

M44 wouldn't be bad for the price, but remember, you get what you pay for. That round will be alright, but don't plan on long distance shots. Good luck with your buys...

"Let Your Light so Shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

    O.K. guys I've been reading and in general I agree with most I.ve read untill we say, "don't plan on a long distant shot". I read the same thing about the K11 7.5X55...said you couldn't hold a 2" group at 100yds. Well you can and I do. If your bore is good and you learn to shoot your rifle theres no reason you cant take that shot. Also there are a lot of loads out there that will do the trick, try Grafs and Son for your ammo.

 looking at   the 308 and the 7.62x54 ballistics are almost identical if you can shoot groups with a 308 i see no reason why it cant be done 7.62x54. any way i will pick up me mosin M44 friday. i figgered  that with the ruger 10-22 and the M44 i have most of the bases covered. but still want a SKS for fun. i guess my 10-22 with a 25 round clip i can think i'm shooting a SKS ;)

well in my opinion, if the 308 is good enough for our marine corp snipers than it must be good. not to mention that 308 is the preferred caliber for target shooters.