[30-06 lover]

I went out this past weekend deer hunting and what a great weekend it was. I took a good friend of mine deer hunting for the first time and tried to teach him all I could before and during our trip. We were hunting in thick cover and I was teaching my buddy how to walk quietly, take breaks, go with the wind in your face, etc. We go about three hundred yards and I look to my left and two really good bucks about thirty yards away are standing looking at us. I get ready and tell my buddy to do the same. He got ready, but he was about three feet away and a small tree was blocking his view. One buck turned to go and I wasn't going to let the other do the same so I put one in him. I could only see the base of his neck up, so I aimed at the center thinking I could hit high or low and still make a clean kill. My bullet hit true and he dropped where he stood. He is my personal best Blacktail (3x3 about 18" high and 12" wide), and the best part is I got to share it with a good friend. I used my Tikka T3 30-06 with 165gr. Partiton Federal loads.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/mwm0816/S63013891.jpg

[antsi]

Nice buck!

Deer season starts early in CA, I guess. We have to wait until November (for gun season, anyway).

[3pairs12]

Nice blacktail, congrats.

[homers]

Nice looking deer! Whereabouts in CA? About how much did it weigh?

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

That's a nice deer! Can't believe how early gun season starts out there - nice liberal rules! We can't even bowhunt until Oct 1 and not with gun until Nov. 16. Sounds like they're not pressured nearly as much there either. What you describe just is not possible here. They'd have been long gone. Nice. :) He looks about 75-90 lbs to me after field dressing.

[DeadHorrorFan]

Congratulations! Nice buck.

You think that's early? August 9th in South Carolina!

[30-06 lover]

Field dressed it was approx 95lbs. He looks smaller than he is next to a 6' 2" 280 lb gomer. I shot him in the Medecino National Forrest. I hunted B zone in CA which is not the first season for the state. A Zone opens in Jul for acrchary and the start of Aug for rifle.