2017 hunting picture thread

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Gun season started today in Ohio. I am really behind on work and didn't plan to hunt a whole lot this week, but was going to do what I could to get one. I went out this morning and was in my stand overlooking a beanfield at 6:55. At 7:30 a group of does appeared on the horizon and ambled my direction.

The first 3 in the group were so tiny I figured I'd let them walk. As they got closer the 4th in the line of 6 appeared to be bigger, so I took my glove off my right hand and kept an eye on her. They closed the distance to about 60 yards and started to veer off a little so they were quartering towards me and I got a good side view of them all.

I decided there was no reason to pass up a nice doe like her, so I took the shot at about 50 yards. Used my new Ruger Ranch Rifle in .450 bushmaster. I hit her just inside the point of her near shoulder, it took out that shoulder, 2 ribs on that side, clipped the top of the heart and broke a rib on the off side as it exited. She trotted about 30 yards, wobbled and fell down and didn't move again. I am pretty impressed with this little rifle. She weighed 110 lbs field dressed.

I would like to go back out and try for a buck but I am going to be thankful for getting a nice deer so quickly and having a beautiful morning to hunt. Got it all processed and in the freezer and I can spend the rest of the week catching up on work. D001-DSCF0601.JPG
 
Kscharlie, redrick, Captcurt and Dr A; those bucks will take your breath away! I haven't even gotten a good look at a deer this season. Did see a couple of bears, however; and one was up close and personal. I think all he wanted to do was say "howdy".
 
I shot a doe and missed one over Thanksgiving but I don't have a photo-sharing service anymore since ransom bucket turned into creeps. If I post my photos on a different site, I'll be back.
 
My little brother and I spent 9 days in NY before thanksgiving. 7 days bow and then 2 days rifle. It was a great trip with good friends. I love NY. We had opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on but we brought back 3 deer to AZ.

Missed a doe here, miscalculated the yardage first night. Lesson learned about pre-ranging technique but too late, that would be my best opportunity with my bow.
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View from a stand that I passed a decent buck on day 2 that I immediately regretted. About the time I changed my mind he busted me, should have drawn when I was in the clear but I thought he was smaller than he was:
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My brother shot this fat doe day 2:
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After 7 days of close calls with my bow I shot this small buck opening day of gun season. I wanted to hold out but I also needed to bring back a deer and this guy took too long to leave after deciding at first not to shoot him. But I was frustrated after 7 days of no deer with my bow, I’d lost my tags the night before so I was late to my stand (they were under my tree stand from the night before, didn’t realize this until morning) and there was another hunter coming in late that would have hindered half the deer movement for me and I thought he was trespassing besides (he wasn’t haha). I could have shot this one with my bow too. So it goes:
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All in all it was an awesome trip. Loved the time spent with my little bro and with my buddies in NY.

I’m still learning the archery business but I couldn’t believe how fast paced it was. Opportunity comes and goes very quickly. I’m used to having a rifle and our deer move WAY slower than these deer. These deer are moving. AZ deer eat their way slowly to wherever it is they are going!

Opening day of gun season in NY is like a holiday. So much fun. I need to go back!
 
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Wankerjake, I see you adopted a "back east" type of gun too. Lever action .. was it in .30-30?

Yeah lever guns are my favorite. My first AZ deer was with a 30-30, seemed fitting to shoot my first NY deer with the same.

We didn’t bring rifles, lugging our bows was enough. There were plenty of rifles to choose from. The 30-30 made the cut. The Leverrevolution Ammunition did fine as well although I prefer the old round nose bullet for the 30-30.
 
D638EF68-3067-48D3-B258-60715F8E485A.jpeg The wife made it happen tonight :)
With 18 minutes left in gun season she took this big fat fatty with my .223 from about 50 yards. She didn’t quite bang flop, but she didn’t go far. Not more than about 30 yards and was done for in about 3 minutes. My wife’s first Oklahoma deer. I couldn’t be more proud of her!
 
Started the year off with this mountain lion in Utah (.454 Bisley SBH loaded with 250 grain Barnes XPBs):

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Shot this hog in Texas with a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull shooting 300 grain Lehigh solids:

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Shot this water buffalo in Texas with my .500 JRH BFR loaded with 420 grain Punch bullets:

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This is the only deer of the year, a big fallow buck also taken in Texas with a prototype BFR in .500 Linebaugh (Buffalo Bore 350 grain JHP loads).

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Shot this moose about a half-hour into the first day of Moose Season. Rifle is a customized Rem 700 CDL, .270 Win, shooting 130 grain Nosler Accubond handloads. One shot - 270 paced yards. The bull only went 15 yards and expired. There were three bulls calling and three cows came out in the road before this bad boy made his entrance. He was silhouetted against a light fog when I fired. Weighed-in at 860 lbs. dressed.
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I was sitting on my folding stool, left elbow on my knee, very steady and not excited. Took care of business. That was the first game killed with the rifle, though I hunted deer with it last year. It was my son's Bull - only permit, but he'd shot one a few years ago and wanted me to get one. I didn't even know he'd put my name in until he told me we had the permit. We did a lot of scouting before settling on this spot. We could see over 200 yards in both directions down a haul road. Also, saw two buck deer and had a grouse walk by about 6 feet away.
 
Knocked down this Warrior Thursday. The stories he could tell. He grew a lot of character, then took it to battle! He broke off his kicker and right G4 when things were hot, between Oct 27 and 31, then he broke his left main beam between Monday and Thursday this week. His neck and shoulders were covered in punctures and cuts in various states of healing, it was obvious he's been doing a lot of fighting this fall & winter. Out of normal for me, I used a rifle instead of a revolver - a friend had left a rifle at my shop this fall, and since he's not a hunter, only a steel banger, I told him I was going to put it to good use! Custom built AR-556, 20" 6.5 Grendel, running factory Hornady Black 123grn ELD-M's. Punched the shoulder, cut the heart and half, and made jello salad out of his lungs; recovered the bullet under the far-side hide. Very grateful for the opportunity to bring this big boy home!

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Knocked down this Warrior Thursday. The stories he could tell. He grew a lot of character, then took it to battle! He broke off his kicker and right G4 when things were hot, between Oct 27 and 31, then he broke his left main beam between Monday and Thursday this week. His neck and shoulders were covered in punctures and cuts in various states of healing, it was obvious he's been doing a lot of fighting this fall & winter. Out of normal for me, I used a rifle instead of a revolver - a friend had left a rifle at my shop this fall, and since he's not a hunter, only a steel banger, I told him I was going to put it to good use! Custom built AR-556, 20" 6.5 Grendel, running factory Hornady Black 123grn ELD-M's. Punched the shoulder, cut the heart and half, and made jello salad out of his lungs; recovered the bullet under the far-side hide. Very grateful for the opportunity to bring this big boy home!

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Great buck.
Congrats!
It' always good to tag a buck that you've been getting pics of on trail cams.
 
I'm impressed. Our general gun season started yesterday. Didn't see anything. The local taxidermist said he activity doesn't really ramp up here until early Jan. Our season goes until mid Feb.
 
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